glamorous excavation at Hedingham Castle…

Last week, the Trust started an excavation in the bailey of Hedingham Castle in Essex, which is continuing today (11th June). The castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed, so special permission had to be granted by English Heritage before we could investigate the site. Dr Tim Dennis, assisted by Bradley Rawlings and Aldous Rees of the Colchester Archaeological Group,  undertook a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey of the site for us, before we started work. After excavating an initial test-pit, we are now excavating a trench in the inner bailey, across the moat and into the outer bailey of the castle, and two pits in the cellar of the keep. Trust archaeologist Mark Baister also archaeologically cleaned some of the stone steps to the main door of the keep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The current owners of Hedingham Castle, Jason and Demetra Lindsay, who live in the manor-house beside the castle, have commissioned the Trust to conduct an excavation at the castle ahead of their proposed works to improve the visitor experience of the castle. They are working closely with English Heritage, and the works have been carefully designed to produce minimal impact on the fabric of the castle and on any archaeological remains on the site. Jason and Demetra are also taking a keen interest in the excavation and working closely with Mark on site.

A bailey was the fortified yard of a castle. The principal castle buildings, such as the keep, would have been positioned in the inner bailey, along with secondary structures like stables, barracks, and storage buildings.  The inner bailey was enclosed by the defensive ‘curtain wall’ and further protected by the outer bailey. (Incidentally, the castle’s address is ‘Bayley Street’ in Castle Hedingham.) Here the inner bailey is formed by an earthen mound, and it was protected by a curtain wall, a ditch and an earthen bank; the outer bailey is defined by a rampart. The moat and bailey castle plan was introduced to Britain by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066. Hedingham Castle was founded here in 1140, by Aubrey de Vere (Lord de Ver, in Normandy). He came to England with William the Conqueror, who granted him the lordship of Hedingham.

English Heritage say that ‘… the castle ranks among the most important Norman buildings in the country if not northern Europe…’. Hedingham Castle is a remarkable monument and it has a long and remarkable history. This is a very glamorous archaeological site and Mark has already uncovered some exciting evidence; part of the castle’s curtain wall has been exposed in the trench, and he has also identified the foundation of a building in the inner bailey, as well as worked stone which formed part of the base of the gateway in the Norman gatehouse.

The excavation is being funded by Jason and Demetra Lindsay, who now run Hedingham Castle as a heritage visitor centre and a wedding and events venue.

Visit the Hedingham Castle web-site at www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/

Many thanks to Dr Tim Dennis, Bradley Rawlings and Aldous Rees, and to Ralph Potter of the West Essex Archaeological Group, who provided the GPR system for the survey.

The images show the castle keep, the excavated trench, the stone of part of the Norman gatehouse, and some of the results of the GPR survey [image to follow].

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