Lidgate Archaeology Group tracks down the history of West Suffolk's ‘castle on the hill’
The view from the hilltop is idyllic, stretching for miles over golden cornfields, woods, and a distant windmill.
But centuries ago the people scanning the horizon from this vantage point would have been looking out for something more sinister . . . approaching hostile forces.
A castle stood on this spot at a turbulent time in England’s past when a commanding outlook over the surrounding countryside could mean the difference between life and death.
Now all that remains is a flint wall in the churchyard of a West Suffolk village rich in history that tantalisingly has never been properly explored.
But a team of enthusiasts in Lidgate is working to boost residents’ interest in the past and what, intriguingly, might lie beneath their feet.
They have formed an archaeology group in the village, which was home to humans long before Norman invaders built the first castle more than 900 years ago.
An ancient sunken road leads down from the hill across the fields, and evidence has been found in the past of occupation by tribes from Neolithic times through the bronze and iron ages.
The Romans were here, too. A large Roman villa was discovered in the 1970s south east of the village, which lies halfway between Newmarket and Clare.
So far, Lidgate Archaeology Group has concentrated on the area around the castle hill, and a long-dry mere identified by a LIDAR scan, which may have been created by damming a stream.
An early achievement, in 2018, was organising research that persuaded Historic England to extend the Scheduled Monument status of the castle to include the area where a medieval town began to grow up around it.
Covid interrupted the group’s work, but it is now back in action. This year it has put up information boards, and obtained permission for a footpath around the castle site which is now open to walkers.
The highest point, on which the castle stood, is shrouded in trees and rises behind St Mary’s Church, partly surrounded by a deep, dry moat.
The archaeology group first got together five years ago. Chairman John Whitefield moved to Lidgate 25 years ago but also lived there in the 1980s when his father, the Rev Geoffrey Whitefield, was vicar of St Mary’s.
“Because the village does have quite a bit of historical interest including the castle, the mere, and a Roman villa we thought it was something with which we could add value to the village,” he said.
So far they have put up three illustrated information boards telling the story of the castle and the mere, which might have been similar to the one that still exists near Framlingham castle.
John said core sampling of the field where the mere used to be was done by an archaeologist three years ago, and showed the area was once under water.
The group has also got approval from the Wills Trust, which owns the land, to set up a permissive footpath that takes in the view from the back of the castle hill and continues down towards the site of the mere.
“We got funding from Suffolk County Council and West Suffolk Council towards the cost,” said John, who also chairs Lidgate Parish Council.
“We also have 1,000 leaflets which talk you through the walk. We are going to have those for residents and visitors, stored in a holder outside The Star pub in the village.”
The path will be officially opened on September 24, with chairman of West Suffolk council Mike Chester due to attend.
Someone who probably knows more than anyone about Lidgate’s past is village historian Anthony Foreman.
Anthony’s ancestors have lived in the area since at least the 18th century. His grandparents moved to Lidgate from Upend and his father was the local wheelwright.
He has written books about the village including Lidgate Castle and its Lords, which was published in 2020.
The book tells how, after the Norman conquest, Lidgate was among the manors dished out to the new king’s henchmen William de Wateville and Raynald (or Reginald) the Breton.
The unfortunate Raynald might well have been due some kind of reward for his services ... he had lost his nose in battle.
But both men were harsh and cruel, and villagers were badly treated. The first Lidgate castle, with a wooden tower and defensive fences, would have been a safe place to keep an eye on rebellious locals.
Later Raynald – Anthony wonders if he was by then repenting his cruelty – set off on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and entrusted the manor to the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds. No more was heard of him or William.
Lidgate then was given as a perk to the stewards of the abbey, who looked after law and order in the Liberty of St Edmund which covered the whole of West Suffolk.
Some time later the castle was rebuilt in stone - probably during the long tenure of Maurice de Windsor who was steward from 1119 until 1155.
Anthony, a retired Roman Catholic priest who has served in parishes including Newmarket, Sudbury and Stowmarket, says the remaining wall in the churchyard was probably part of the gatehouse.
The 12th and 13th centuries saw the two most tempestuous times in the castle’s history with England embroiled in civil wars.
First was the Anarchy – almost 20 years of bloodshed following the death of Henry I in 1135, when Stephen of Blois contested the throne with his cousin Matilda, Henry’s daughter and only legitimate heir.
It is not certain where the loyalty of the abbey and Lidgate’s Lord of the Manor lay but it was possibly - at least at first – with Matilda.
In the end a kind of peace was restored and Matilda’s son, Henry II, was declared king.
After Maurice de Windsor, the stewardship and manor passed to his relatives the Hastings (or Hastyngs) family, who dominated the remaining period of the castle’s history.
One, William Hastings (the second), struggled with money problems then became caught up in the revolt of the barons against the tyrannical King John which led to the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.
Civil war broke out again in 1264 when barons led by Simon de Montfort rose up against Henry III.
The Hastings family had meanwhile grown in power and influence and now also had properties in other parts of the country,
Henry Hastings (the third), who had an unsettled upbringing after being orphaned, threw in his lot with Simon de Montfort aged 23.
At first the barons gained the upper hand and Henry was knighted on the battlefield by Simon during a confrontation with Crown Prince Edward’s army.
But squabbles broke out among the rebels and everything began to go wrong. Simon was killed in the Battle of Evesham. Sir Henry was wounded but managed to escape.
With the barons eventually defeated the rebels’ lands were confiscated and distributed to those loyal to the Crown. Lidgate was given to Gilbert de Clare.
But the manor was later returned to the Hastings family and inherited by Sir Henry’s son, John, who became the most powerful Lord to be associated with the village.
He even at one point, through ancestral connections, made an unsuccessful claim for the Scottish throne.
Lidgate meanwhile was enjoying its boom years. Prolonged good weather had led to population growth and prosperity.
“John brought Lidgate to its highest point of prosperity. He was going to develop the village into a town. There was a huge amount of wealth coming in,” says Anthony.
“The village grew to 500 or 600 people. It never reached that number again until Victorian times. The population now is about 240.
“The field at the back of the castle is called Tinkers’ Close and in the middle ages there was possibly a market there.”
But disaster was just around the corner. “The whole thing collapsed because of a famine due to terrible weather conditions. Everything went downhill and Lidgate became a backwater and extremely poor.”
The castle also was reaching the end of its useful life. “After the Black Death in the 1300s it was probably falling down and some of the flints may have been used on the church,” said Anthony who is also a member of the archaeology group.
“The aim is simply to further our understanding of the history of the village and the castle, and the Roman villa which was under the plough for a long time.
“We think there was an iron age fort on the same site as the castle, it’s in such a good position. It overlooks the ancient Icknield Way which runs south of Newmarket.
“We would really like someone to do some proper excavations. There is talk of clearing the castle site of trees,” he added.
Anthony’s book, Lidgate Castle and its Lords, is on sale priced £7 including postage and packing and can be ordered by emailing him at anthonyforeman60@gmail.com.
