More information : (TM 147738) : Castle (NR) (Rems of). (1)
Motte and bailey, built on a Saxon mound by William Malet in 1086, held by the crown 1157-98, subsequently granted to successive persons for life or at pleasure and finally purchased by the Kerrison family in 18th c. Small amounts were spent on brattices heightening walls and repairs, until the castle was finally demolished by Oliver Cromwell in 1655 and a windmill erected, this latter being demolished c 1816 for a house to be built. (2-5)
The conical motte is over 40' high to the west and 10' higher to the east due to the decline of the ground. The bailey walls abutted on the NW and SW of the motte; the junction is now invisible owing to the infilling of the ditch and the buildings and gardens covering the site. Little exists of the original castle, except the remains of a bastion and dungeon; the ruined structure now visible is that of the 19th c house. The wall and ditch of the bailey have also been obliterated, leaving only a scarp 14' high. (See illus) A well lies within the bailey.
The remains of Eye Castle comprise a motte, centred TM 14787378, and a bailey to the west. The motte measures c50.0m in diameter by c 16.0m high. Traces of the bailey wall exist on the NW side of the motte at TM 14757380 and the remains of a square structure, probably a bastion. The top of the motte is surmounted by a 19thc folly. The bailey is marked by a steep scarp protecting a raised enclosure. No evidence of further walling was found, nor the well mentioned by authority 2. The bailey ditch has been mutilated by the gardens of adjacent houses but shows as a strong depression.
A house called 'The Mount" (TM 14587376) lies on a strong rise in ground outside the bailey ditch to the SW and is enclosed by Castle St and Broad St possibly indicating the course of earlier defences, now destroyed.
Published survey (25") revised. (6)
TM14687380 Excavation demonstrated that the inner bailey interior had been raised with layers of imported soil (7)
TM14757380 Excavations revealed a length of curtain wall, two towers, two small chambers and C14 occupation surfaces (8)
(TM 147 738) In July 1994, RCHME's Cambridge Office carried out a detailed analytical survey of Eye Castle, following a request from Suffolk County Council for management purposes (9). The 19th-century mock keep mentioned by previous sources was assigned a new NMR number (TM 17 SW 59) to enhance the record.
The motte and bailey are essentially as described by previous authorities. The motte has a basal diameter of 57m and height of 12m; the eastern side appears 2m higher due to the natural topography and artificial heightening of the interior. The summit is sub-circular with a diameter of 18m and slight indications of squarish corners, which may indicate the form of the original keep. The summit is almost entirely filled by Kerrison's Folly. There is no trace of any encircling ditch.
The inner bailey is horse-shoe shaped and extends west of the motte along the natural spur. It has maximum dimensions of 125m by 77m and is defined by a strong scarp up to 4.5m high. The mound called 'The Mount' is largely developed, but appears to be artificial; the tithe map of 1839 explicitly shows the earthwork with a spiral path ascending to the summit. Its position suggests that it may be a second smaller motte rather than a Saxon mound.
A workhouse and school were built in the western half of the inner bailey in the 1830's, and these were replaced in the 1980's by housing development. The extant section of the curtain wall, on the northern side of the bailey, is some 27.2m long and stands up to 3.2m high. It comprises two projecting square towers with two chambers between. To the east, the excavated foundations indicate that the curtain wall turned 20-degrees southwards to ascend the side of the motte. The exterior of the west end of the western tower appears to indicate one side of a gateway. The larger of two fragments on the side of the motte is almost in situ; it is not a 'bastion' as suggested first by 19th century sources, but part of a straightforward chamber. The walls are built of flint, with occasional decorative use of squared clunch blocks near the corners. Small (rectangular profile) sockets through the base of the masonry, previously interpreted as drains, indicate timber lacing. Traces of render survive on the interior of the chambers, close to ground level. Some consolidation has been carried out.
An outer bailey is preserved by the Late Medieval street pattern: an eliptical enclosure approximately 350m by 150m, completely enclosing the motte and inner bailey, is suggested by the courses of Castle Street, Broad Street and Church Street. In the car park to the east of Buckshorn Lane (TM 1462 7386) a broad bank up to 0.6m high survives under the tarmac, which may indicate that the houses in the streets named above actually backed on to the earthwork. A third bailey may have surrounded the churchyard of St Mary's.
For further details and historical background, see RCHME Level 3 client report, with plans and elevations at various scales, held in archive. (9)
The castle was founded by William Malet soon after the Conquest and was taken from William., Count of Boulogne, by Henry II in 1157. It remained a royal possession until 1198, when it passed to Henry, Duke of Lorraine. (10) |