Following years of Anglo-Saxon rule across the country, the Normans invaded our shores in the late 11th century – paving way for the next major time period in English history.
Originating from the Duchy of Normandy in France, they made their way over following 1066’s Battle of Hastings, after Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson lost to William the Conqueror.
But what did they leave behind? A lot more than you might imagine, actually.
One of the biggest cultural and historical legacies of the Normans was the Domesday Book – a manuscript record of much of England and Wales. Completed in 1086, it was a survey by order of King William I (William the Conqueror), and its purpose was to record landed property in England. It wasn’t a census, and any people mentioned within it are almost exclusively landowners. Written in Latin, it has since been translated.
The Domesday Book is an incredibly invaluable tool and has taught us lots about life in early Suffolk. Many common Suffolk surnames today can be traced all the way back to the tome, as can the early origins of several places across the county.
Just a few Suffolk family names with Norman roots include Hurren (derives from ‘hurant’ meaning ‘shaggy haired’), Garrod (a Norman-French nickname for ‘brave spear’ or ‘a warrior’), and Emery (first recorded as ‘Amauri’, it’s a Norman-French nickname for a hard worker).
Ipswich was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book as having a population of 322 households, Bury St Edmunds 207, and Woodbridge 35.
The Domesday Book also revealed there were 71 tenants-in-chief in Suffolk – 21 of also held lands in Norfolk and Essex.
Other long lasting reminders of the Normans are the fort and castle remains they left behind.
One of the most notable Suffolk is Clare Castle – a former manor and motte and bailey castle built by 1st feudal baron of Clare and Norman lord, Richard Fitz Gilbert.
Shortly after the Norman conquest, William the Conqueror granted a barony to Fitz Gilbert, and he used this to construct two castles - one in Tonbridge in Kent, and the other in Clare.
Although its exact date of construction isn’t known, Clare Castle’s first documented records can be traced back to 1090. Built between the River Stour and the Chilton Stream, its motte was 850ft wide at the base, and 100ft tall, with a flat summit of 63ft across. Surrounded by three deer parks, it was built on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon manor house.
Throughout the centuries the castle was expanded upon and passed down through various families until sadly the Cambridge to Colchester branch of the Great Eastern Railway was built through it, destroying the inner bailey to make room for a station. Today, its remains are protected under UK law as a scheduled monument and are Grade II-listed.
READ MORE: Do you have one of Suffolk's oldest surnames?
Elsewhere in Suffolk, Eye Castle’s roots can also be traced back to the Norman period. Another motte and bailey castle, it was built by William Malet, who was a close companion of William the Conqueror. Its motte measured 160ft in diameter and was 40ft high, while its bailey was 400ft by 250ft. Eye Castle was one of only two recorded in the Domesday Book as a source of income for its owner (as there was a marker inside its bailey).
By the 14th century however, the castle had succumbed to mostly ruins, and was used as a prison. By the 19th century, it was used as a workhouse and school. Today, its mound and some stone ruins remain, and it is also a scheduled monument, being Grade I-listed.
Other castles in Suffolk with Norman roots include those at Bungay and Framlingham. The former, located in north Suffolk, was built by Roger Bigod in around 1100.
Roger Bigod was a Norman knight who travelled to England during the conquest, and held a great deal of power in East Anglia. The Domesday Book records him as holding 187 lordships in Norfolk, 117 in Suffolk, and six in Essex. He had five children – most notably his two sons William Bigod; and Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk.
However, by the time the Revolt of 1173-1174 rolled around, Bungay was besieged, mined, and slighted by King Henry II’s royal forces. Today, all that remains are of the castle are its curtain walls, the twin towers of the gatehouse, and part of the keep.
Framlingham’s original castle was also a Norman structure, and while its exact construction date is unknown, the first recorded reference of a castle on this site dates to 1148. It is hypothesised that this structure was built on top of a series of Anglo-Saxon buildings, and it was a motte and bailey castle. However, during the Revolt of 1173-1174, this too was destroyed, and its replacement was built by Roger Bigod and completed in 1213.
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