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CASTLE HEDINGHAM

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Medieval town. A typical castle town, probably founded by the de Veres, the owners of the castle. a market was in existence by 1216, but the town appears to have been stifled by the rise of neighbouring Halstead from the late 13th century. There is some evidence to suggest that the town may have been defended with ditches.

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TL 7855 3557. Castle Hedingham. (1)

A typical castle town, probably founded by the de Veres, the owners of the castle (TL 73 NE 9). There is no town charter, but the market was in existance by 1216.

It seems likely that the town was separated from the castle by the existance of a western bailey, and appears to have declined as a result of the growth of Halstead (TL 83 SW 72) in the late 13th century. (2)

TL 785 356 Medieval town of Castle Hedingham

The town (now village) of Castle Hedingham never achieved borough status, but had a market charter by 1216. It lies to the south-west of Hedingham Castle (see TL 73 NE 9), seat of the Earls of Oxford, in the bottom of a valley running roughly north-west south-east.

The market place occupies a traditionally triangular space immediately outside the outer bailey and next to St Nicholas' Church (NMR TL 73 NE 11). The location of the market place (now infilled) outside the outer bailey indicates that the bailey was not used to foster the growth of the castle but remained a functioning part of the castle. The south-western defences of the bailey were used initially as a boundary to town properties laid out from Church Pinds, Falcon Square and Luces Lane but subsequently, at an unknown date (but before 1592) properties spread into the outer bailey which was evidently no longer needed for defence of the castle (3a). The line of the outer bailey can be traced along property boundaries within the town.

There is limited evidence that an attempt was made to provide earthwork defences for the town (3a & 3b), with two ditches, Dungeon Ditch and Blue Boar Ditch being cited. These features were not investigated during the RCHME survey.

Between the 12th and 15th centuries, Hedingham Castle remained the seat of the Earls of Oxford, and the town probably flourished as a local market. The market licence was renewed by Henry VII but growth of the town appears to have been stifled by the rise of neighbouring Halstead from the late 13th century (see source 2).

Castle Hedingham was briefly investigated during a survey of Hedingham Castle by the Royal Commission in October and November 1995 following a request from English Heritage. See archive report and plan at 1:1000 scale. (3)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 1:10000 1975

( 2) complied by M R Eddy and M R Petchey 1983 Historic towns in Essex : an archaeological survey of [24] Saxon and medieval towns, with guidance for their future planning

4 - 1983 Page(s)32-4

(3) General reference

RCHME: Hedingham Castle Survey

(3a) General reference

I Armyse 1592 A Survey of Hedingham Castle (Essex Record Office Ref: D/DMH M1)

(3b) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

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HEDINGHAM CASTLE
CASTLE HEDINGHAM

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Castle consisting of a ringwork and bailey with a keep dating from 1130-1140. Most of the buildings date from a rebuild dating to the 15th and 16th ce...

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