| Summary : A 12th century ringwork situated on the south side of the Thetford-Brandon road, about 100 metres south of the Little Ouse River and overlooking the site of a medieval ford. The ringwork is a sub-circular earthwork with an overall diamter of 120 metres and is visible as a flat-topped mound with a broad, raised rim on the west and south east sides, encircled by a ditch which remains open to a depth of about 1.5 metres on the west side. On the south and east sides the ditch has become infilled, but survives as a buried feature, and on the north side it has been largely removed by the cutting of the road. Limited excavations carried out in 1957 and 1958 demonstrated that the full depth of the ditch is approximately 3 metres, measured from the contemporary ground surface, and that it surrounds an inner bank about 2 metres in height and 12 metres wide at the base. The excavations also revealed some evidence for a timber palisade on top of the bank. The ringwork is thought to have been constructed in the 12th century, probably during the 'anarchy' of King Stephen's reign (1135-1154), and to have remained in use for a relatively short period. If so, it was probably constructed by Earl Warenne who, after 1139, held the surrounding land to the south of the river. Scheduled. |
More information : TL 8608 8307. Red Castle (NR) (1)
TL 8608 8307. Red Castle is a ringwork of the 11th or 12th centuries, consisting of an embanked circular enclosure some 220ft across, perhaps with an entrance to the north east. The bank is up to 6ft high and was 40ft wide. The outside ditch is of varying profile up to12ft deep and 40ft wide.
It was investigated by G M Knocker for the Ministry of Works during the summers of 1957 and 1958. It was found to be built astride the line of the town ditch and spoil from the ringwork ditch had filled in an earlier ditch on the west side. It had covered a burial ground which probably dates from middle Saxon to the 12th century and 85 burials were excavated. These were inhumation burials and some were in sarcophagi made of chalk clunch and flints. Traces of a small church of early 11th century date were uncovered north of the burial ground (see TL 88 SE 66 for the cemetery and church). Groups of post holes and hearths, many Romano-British, Saxon, Thetford ware, St Neots ware and Stamford ware pottery sherds, iron nails, bone comb, prick spur, etc were found and are now in the Norwich Castle Museum.
(See TL 88 SE 27 for the Saxon Town). (2)
This work comprises a circular bank some 80.0m in diameter with an outer ditch visible on the western side. It has been heavily mutilated on the northern side by gravel pits and on the south side by ploughing. The much reduced bank and ditch measure some 36.0m in overall width and up to 4.0m in height.
The work lies on gravel, in a wood overlooking the River Thet. It is probably a ring-motte as suggested by Knocker.
Resurveyed at 1:2500. (3)
TL 862 830. Red Castle, scheduled, Norfolk 59a.(4)
TL 862 831. Red Castle, a fairly large ringwork, much damaged. (5)
Additional bibliography. (6)
Red Castle is a mutilated ringwork dated by excavations (authority 2) to the 11th or 12th centuries. Its north side has been badly
mutilated by gravel quarrying and by cutting for the modern Brampton Road, whilst to the south and east it is now bounded and partly overlain by modern housing. Sporadic dumping within the ditch and visitor erosion has further masked/damaged the earthwork. The site is now tree-covered with dense undergrowth. The earthworks comprise a broad bank up to 2-2.5m high with an external ditch up to 0.8m deep, both best preserved on the west. The interior was disturbed by 1957-58 excavations, although the very smoothed inner scarp of the bank survives on all sides except the north.
Surveyed at 1:1250 by RCHME for the OS's upgrade of the basic scale mapping of Thetford; plans and a descriptive text are held in the NMR archive. (7) |