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Cambridge Castle is a motte and bailey fortress constructed by the Normans in the aftermath of the 1066 conquest, positioned strategically within the town of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. The castle's earthwork defences, comprising a substantial mound surrounded by ditches, remain a prominent topographical feature and represent one of the surviving examples of Norman military architecture in the East Midlands. Beneath and around the castle lie archaeological deposits spanning earlier periods of occupation, including evidence of Iron Age defended settlement and Roman settlement activity, attesting to Cambridge's long history as a significant inhabited place. The site has undergone numerous transformations across the centuries, serving as a military stronghold, administrative centre, and latterly as a county gaol, before Civil War siege works modified its physical character during the mid-seventeenth century.
Cambridge motte and bailey castle, Civil War earthworks and the buried remains of an Iron Age defended settlement, Roman town and former county gaol is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1006905. View the official record →
Cambridge Castle is a motte and bailey fortress constructed by the Normans in the aftermath of the 1066 conquest, positioned strategically within the town of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1006905.
Cambridge motte and bailey castle, Civil War earthworks and the buried remains of an Iron Age defended settlement, Roman town and former county gaol is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1006905.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Site revealed by aerial photography W of White Hill Farm (5.5 km), Settlement complex N of Hauxton (6.7 km), Causewayed enclosure at Great Shelford (6.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cambridge motte and bailey castle, Civil War earthworks and the buried remains of an Iron Age defended settlement, Roman town and former county gaol's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Cambridge motte and bailey castle, Civil War earthworks and the buried remains of an Iron Age defended settlement, Roman town and former county gaol stands on Grey Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Cenomanian. The rock here is chalk.