Lidgate Castle

You can't miss the site of the castle set on a mound beyond the Bailey Pond. The church is situated in one of the baileys. Visitors to Lidgate often ask where the actual castle is. Sadly nothing remains apart from some extremely deep ditches - at one point nearly fifty feet. Walk behind the church tower to the edge (at your own risk!) to view. Some of the remains of the buildings were used in the extension of the present church in the fourteenth century. Over the years other parts were dug up and used elsewhere. In the nineteenth century foundations were still being dug up for road construction indicating a substantial complex. The odd piece of dressed stone turns up in residents’ gardens. Stone from the Norman or even Saxon period form part of the plinth of Hall Farm Barn. The site, apart from the Bailey, in which church and graveyard are situated, is on private land owned by the Ousden Estates.

The above is a reconstruction of the castle in about 1260, just before its decline, coming up the hill from the pond. The existing red brick house is on the site of the main entrance. The Church is yet to be expanded . Note the central keep (donjon) and the cottages in the foreground. All this is speculative and open to argument. The area on the right - off the picture, the site of present Hall Farm, may have developed into the manorial complex that evolved from the castle.

The Normans probably developed a pre-existing site formed by the ancient Britons and re-used by the Romans. Roman bricks and tiles have been found in and around the site even at the present time. Later the Saxons used the site - John Lydgate is quoted as saying that Lidgate was a 'famous castle town' knocked down by the invading Danes. William built castles to subdue the local inhabitants. Through Charters granted by Edward Confessor and by the new Norman Kings, Bury Abbey was granted control over most of West Suffolk - 'The Liberty of St. Edmund'. Lidgate's first chief men were Stewards or Dapifers of the Abbey. Bury had the monopoly of local markets and tolls. King John’s charter forbade any other markets to be be held within the Liberty; Lidgate's market is first mentioned in 1250 but no formal grant is mentioned. The presence of a local garrison must have helped it flourish. Tolls were also collected
.

CIVIL WAR 1138 -1153
During the civil war it is unclear what part, if any, Lidgate castle played. It was still governed by Bury Abbey that largely supported Maude as rightful Queen as against her cousin, Stephen. It was probably a wooden structure surrounded by palisades. A Henry de Hastyngs a member of a growing powerful family was Steward of the Abbey. Geoffrey de Mandeville, Earl of Essex, who went over to Maude’s side, was rampaging through the area and burning down Cambridge at this time. He was badly wounded at Burwell Castle,raised by King Stephen, some twelve miles away - so it is likely Lidgate was involved in some way. Lidgate seems to have been developing into a small market town during the succeeding years -dependent no doubt on the presence of a garrisoned castle. Sir William de Hastings and son were extensive landowners especially in the Midlands and the castle must have developed to its greatest strength at this time . The family seem to have been well in with King Henry II. During King John’s reign there is evidence that Sir William de Hastyngs was present at Runnymede.

THE BARONS' WAR 1263 -67

Henry de Hastyngs 'Enemy of the King'. Matters began to go downhill during this period of strife. Sir Henry de Hastyngs sided with Simon de Montfort in the rebellion against the Henry III. He is described as ‘enemy of the king’. A real warrior knight he captured nearby Kirtling Castle from the de Tosneys and took hostages. He also attacked New Buckenham Castle in Norfolk. After Gilbert de Clare changed sides the Lidgate Manor came in 1266 for a time under his control. There is also evidence that the Baron at Milden near Sudbury was causing trouble in the area. Sir Henry lead the Londoners that defeated the King at the Battle of Lewes in 1264 and was appointed constable of Winchester Castle. He made a last ditch stand at Kenilworth Castle after defeat at the Battle of Evesham, from there going to Ely and leading the 'disinherited' barons in a final rebellion, pillaging and rampaging about the countryside even reaching as far as Norwich. He survived and was pardoned but died shortly afterwards aged 36. He can’t have had much time for his Manor at Lidgate though the castle in its strong defensive position must have played some part in the rebellion There appear to be no comparable fortifications in the immediate area - apart from nearby Denham and Kirtling. Later descendents are prominent in English history, marrying into the Plantagenet family and according to Tony Robinson of Time Team fame, a direct Hastings descendent and claimant to the English Throne lives in the Australian outback.

LATER YEARS
The castle seems to have gone into decline after these upheavals although there appear to be members of the family living on the estate who may have built a manorial complex near the site of the present Lidgate Hall farm. Famous families, Nevilles, Davers, Jermyns, Cottons and Manners continued as absentee landlords and what might have become a town reverted to a small out of the way village.

For more details of the Hastings family go to the following website:

http://www.stirnet.com/HTML/genie/british/hh4aa/hastings01.htm

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