Scheduled MonumentsEnglandCastle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary

Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary

England
List entry 1017670
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1017670
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
7.83 hectares
Grid reference
TL 87479 82868, TL 87517 82691
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Castle Hill is a motte and bailey castle situated in Norfolk, England, which occupies a location of considerable archaeological significance spanning multiple periods of occupation and use. The site comprises a substantial motte with its attendant bailey, typical of Norman fortifications established following the Conquest, overlying an earlier Iron Age earthwork enclosure that speaks to the strategic importance of this elevated position. In the later medieval period, an Augustinian friary was established at the site, representing a significant religious presence and demonstrating the continued importance of the location into the thirteenth century and beyond. The monument thus presents in its earthworks a palimpsest of Norfolk's military and religious history across more than two thousand years.

Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1017670. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary?

Castle Hill is a motte and bailey castle situated in Norfolk, England, which occupies a location of considerable archaeological significance spanning multiple periods of occupation and use. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1017670.

Who is responsible for protecting Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary?

Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary 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 1017670.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bowl barrow 720m north east of East Farm (3.5 km), Bowl barrow in the garden of The Old Mill (3.8 km), Atomic bomb store on Thetford Heath (4.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary

Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Castle Hill: motte and bailey castle, Iron Age earthwork enclosure and site of Augustinian friary

Grimes GravesArchaeological site · ~5.6 miles