Haughley Castle

Haughley Castle was a medieval castle situated in the village of Haughley, some 4 kilometres north-west of the town of Stowmarket, Suffolk. Prominent historians such as J. Wall consider it "the most perfect earthwork of this type in the county," whilst R. Allen Brown has described it as "one of the most important" castle sites in East Anglia.
Haughley Castle was built in the late 11th century by Hugh de Montfort. The castle had a motte and bailey design, with a very large motte, 210 feet wide at the base and 80 feet tall. D. J. Cathcart King in his summary of mottes in England and Wales questioned this measurement, and suggested that the motte was probably closer to 40 feet in height. The bailey is rectangular, 390 feet by 300 feet across, with the entrance on the west side. Both the motte and the bailey were protected by a deep ditch, fed from a diverted stream from the west to produce a wet moat. Earlier investigations suggested that a stone shell keep had been built on the motte, but the foundations of this, if correct, can no longer be seen. A further bailey may have originally surrounded the surviving earthworks, enclosing the local church as well. The dimensions and scale of the castle has led J. Wall to describe Haughley as "the most perfect earthwork of this type in the county," whilst historian R. Allen Brown considers it "one of the most important" castle sites in East Anglia.

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