Castle Rising Castle

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Fortress and hotel for royalty near King’s Lynn

Castle Rising Castle: The Beginning – Puffed Up And Looking Down

Apparently William d’Aubigny II wasn’t popular with everybody. Some locals may have been pleased when, around 1138, construction work was started at Rising on firm ground near the Babingley River Marshes. The important port of Lynn (Lynn Episcopi) was about four miles to the south. But the new lord wasn’t to everyone’s taste. One chronicler at Waltham Holy Cross complained how William “became intolerably puffed up … and looked down upon every other eminence in the world except the king”.

Castle Rising
Castle Rising 
Photo © James Rye 2001

His father, William d’Aubigny I, had held the administrative post of Cup Bearer to the king (Henry I) and had built a wooden structure at Rising. His son took this down and replaced it with a most impressive Norman Keep that was finally completed in the C14th.

You have to ask why William d’Aubigny II bothered to spend money on such a building. William II was soon to become Lord of Arundel (Sussex). He already had castles at New Buckenham (Norfolk) and would soon receive one at Arundel (Sussex). So why invest in the relative backwater of Rising?

There is no clear answer, and William almost certainly had more than a single motivation, but let me suggest some possible reasons.

  • In 1138, William shot to the highest ranks of aristocracy when he married the queen, (Henry I’s widow, Adeliza of Louvain). The castle could represent an attempt by William II to stamp his power over one of his holdings and to proclaim his new wealth and status. It tells the local village, the people of Lynn, and the surrounding area that a new courtier has arrived.
AI Generated Image of a C12th English Knight
  • By 1138 King Stephen had accepted that he would have to fight to retain his crown, and in 1139 the Empress Matilda returned to the country with a small army. The anonymous Winchester chronicler, writing wearily about the late 1130s says: “there was no man of any rank or standing in England who did not build anew and munition his fortifications.” Another chronicler, Robert de Torigni, suggested that as many as 126 castles were built in England during this period. Around this time Stephen creates many new earls (including William d’Aubigny II) and it may be that part of the reason for that was to secure the loyalty of the nobility. In building his castle William was taking steps to prepare for what might happen. If you might have to fight for your king, you can never have too many castles. And we know, for example, that along with other earls, William was called on to fight for the king against Matilda’s forces at the Rout of Winchester in September 1141 and against forces loyal to Henry at the Siege of Newbury in 1153.
  • The military strength of the castle (see below) is testimony that it is so much more than a lodge for a hunting park. The property was a secure stronghold if faced with attack. It could also provide a collecting point for troops to take on a modest army that might seek to enter the area through Lynn or other landing points on the east coast of the Wash. A second, rapid phase of construction work on the castle occurred, probably in the 1170s, in response to a major rebellion against Henry II. William supported the King, and fought against the rebels at the Battle of Fornham in neighbouring Suffolk.
  • 20 square miles of managed land associated with the castle, with a 16 mile circumference (touching Sandringham, Hillington, Roydon, and the Gaywood River) created a large hunting park. Significant aristocratic guests could chase deer during the day and rest securely in the castle at night.
  • During the Middle Ages Bishop’s Lynn was one of the most important ports in the country. William had a share in the profits from the port’s toll both, and in part, the castle may have been an attempt to protect those interests.
  • Before coin making facilities were closed down by Henry II, William II had established a local mint at Castle Rising in the mid 1140s (see The Jews of Lynn). Such a valuable resource would need protection.

Castle Rising Castle: The Baileys, Gatehouse, and Church

Around the castle are three baileys (areas enclosed by a ditch or wall). These three baileys have substantial earthwork defences. They are some of the most impressive in Britain and are bigger than the defences at Old Sarum. They cover a total area of five hectares (12 acres). The western and eastern baileys are rectangular, while the inner bailey forms an oval shape.

Each bailey is protected by its own ditches and earthen banks. The vertical height of the inner rampart from crest to ditch is 18 meters. The top of these banks may have been fortified with a wooden palisade or timber facing. In the 14th century, a brick wall was added on top of an additional layer of limed sand for stability.

Massive resources were required to construct these baileys. They ensure that any attacking soldier (possibly in armour) would have a lot of climbing to do before he even reached the castle.

A stone bridge, partially retaining its original C14th stonework, now connects the eastern bailey to the inner bailey. This bridge leads to a stone gatehouse which was originally taller and longer than its current form. The gatehouse was equipped with a portcullis. A stone barbican (fortification) was added later for extra protection.

Within the inner bailey to the north of the keep are the remains of a simple, single-construction Norman church. It used to be thought that this was the original church for the village and that it ceased its function when the castle was built and that a new church in the village (St Lawrence’s) was then established. However, modern archaeological evidence now points to a different story. St Lawrence’s may have predated the castle. The Norman church in the inner keep was built at the same time as the castle.

There is a well in the inner bailey.

Castle Rising Castle: The Keep

Castle Rising
Castle Rising Keep
Photo © James Rye 2001

At the heart of Castle Rising stands its imposing keep. It may have been influenced by Norwich Castle, and was built in the hall style – an oblong form that would become popular in later castle designs. The keep is a massive rectangular building approximately 24 meters X 21 meters, and approximately 15 meters high. The longer side is east to west. The grand staircase and vestibule have been added to the east side extending the length of the north side by approximately another 6.5 meters.

The exterior of the keep features prominent pilaster buttresses, giving it an impression of strength and dignity. Clasping buttresses at the corners form four turrets and further enhance its defensive capabilities. The keep’s Romanesque detailing, including arcading along the west side and decorative stonework on the staircase forebuilding, showcase the Norman love for architectural embellishment.

The basement of the keep has two main sections – a north and a south chamber. The north chamber has pillars supporting the great hall above. The basement also contains a 21 meter deep well.

The first floor has a kitchen, a Great Hall with a throne niche, a Waiting Room, Great Chambers, and a chapel.

The second floor is limited in space and contains only one small room above the chapel, possibly used by the chaplain or castle guards.

Castle Rising Staircase 
Photo © James Rye 2024

Today one of the most impressive remaining features is the staircase going from the ground floor to the Waiting Room. It leads up to the first floor via a passageway 2.4 meters wide. Its 34 steps go through three arched doorways. The three doorways which could be overlooked from above, would have been an important defensive feature enabling defenders to attack any intruders as they made their way up the stairs.

The glazed windows in the 5 meter square Waiting Room at the top of the stairs are a mixture of Tudor and modern insertions. The entrance to the Great Hall would have been through an arch. However, this was bricked up by the Tudors. Originally the dungeon would have been beneath this room and would only have been accessed via a trapdoor in the floor.

The keep is built from courses of local, brown carrstone rubble with ashlar facings, and is strengthened with intramural timbers, laid down within the stone walls to reinforce the structure.

Castle Rising Castle: Additional Buildings

It is clear from the existing remains to the south of the keep, and from archaeological investigations, that there was an additional complex of buildings outside the keep. The earliest of these was a timber framed kitchen dating from around 1330. The existence of a kitchen, a chapel, a hall, and chambers, indicate reasonably high-status living quarters. The dating of these buildings coincides with Edward II’s widow (Isabella of France) taking up residence at the castle. She almost certainly lived in them most of the time and used the keep for special occasions.

Castle Rising Castle: A Survivor

The castle has been owned by many monarchs and many aristocrats. In C14th the castle was owned by Edward III, then by his son, the Black Prince, and then Richard II who exchanged it for ownership of the castle Brest of Brittany.

It had ceased to be a residence by 1397 and by 1503 it had fallen into decay. In 1544 Henry VIII gave it to his uncle, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. At times it has been owned by the Duchy of Cornwall before reverting back to Howard family ownership. Since 1998 it has been managed by Baron Howard of Rising, and English Heritage operate it as a tourist attraction.

© James Rye 2024

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Sources

See also: Three Women and a Castle

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