Biggleswade Castle, also referred to as the Biggleswade Ringwork, was an early Norman castle, to the west of the town of Biggleswade.
The castle was probably constructed soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066, although it may date from as late as the civil war of the 1140s. Assuming the former date, it was probably constructed by Ralph de Lisle, a Norman lord.
The castle was located so as to control the crossing over the River Ivel, and was linked to Biggleswade over the river by a track and ford. It had a ringwork design, with a motte along the south-eastern line of the earthworks, and contained timber and wattle-and-daub buildings, protected by a timber palisade and a ditch. The remains of the castle today occupy an area approximately 115 by 95 m across.
By 1423, when the first documentary reference to the castle occurs, it was no longer in use; archaeological evidence suggests it may have been used through to the 14th century. The castle was rediscovered between 1954 and 1962, when emergency excavations took place. The remaining earthworks are protected under UK law as a Scheduled Monument.
Bibliography
- Addyman, P.V. (1966) “A Ringwork and Bailey at Biggleswade, Bedfordshire,” Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Vol. 3 p.p 15-18.
- Albion Archaeology (2005) Extensive Urban Survey – Bedfordshire and Luton. Bedfordshire County Council and English Heritage: Bedford.