Norman Norwich Castle illuminated
_Where to find Normans in East Anglia
The Norman legacy in East Anglia
After the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy, and his routing of the Saxons led by Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the now William I, William the Conqueror, imposed a Norman aristocracy on his new subjects. His main retainers were rewarded with vast estates in Norfolk and Suffolk.
The Bigod and Warenne families were given huge tracts of land; Richard Fitzgilbert was given 95 lordships in Suffolk and made Clare his base, Robert Malet headquartered in Eye after being awarded 221 holdings.
Roger Bigod was a powerful landowner who came to England during the Conquest. It’s recorded he held 187 lordships in Norfolk, 117 in Suffolk, and six in Essex. His son Hugh Bigod became the 1t Earl of Norfolk.
Acts of rebellion, like Hereward the Wake in The Fens, were put down ruthlessly.
Strongholds were built at Norwich, Eye, Castle Rising and Castle Acre. Monasteries were built at North Creake, Binham and Little Walsingham.
In Bury St Edmunds, the Normans allowed Abbot Baldwin, who had been physician to Edward the Confessor, to stay in post overseeing the Abbey which venerated St Edmund.
The Domesday Book, written between 1085 and 1086, recorded who owned what and where.
It described Norwich, one of the country’s largest and most important towns, as having 1320 burgesses, meaning a population of around 10,000 inhabitants.
The Normans retained much of the Anglo-Saxon systems of government, formalising Norfolk and Suffolk as counties, or shires, ruled over by officials known as shire reeves, becoming sheriffs.
After William I died in 1087, there was civil war between feudal barons who wanted the English throne.
Norwich Cathedral
Frequently asked questions
- Who were the Normans?
The Normans were inhabitants of medieval Normandy in south west France, famous for their martial spirit and Catholic piety.
- Were the Normans originally Vikings?
The Normans were originally Vikings, mainly from Denmark but also Sweden and Norway. They raided and secured settlements in West Francia but after losing a battle following a failed siege of Chartres in 911 their leader Rollo swore allegiance to King Charles III and was rewarded with land and the title Count of Rouen.
- Why were they called Normans?
The term Normans comes from the French word Normands, from the Old Low Franconian Nortmann meaning Northman, or directly from the Old Norse Norðmaðr, Latinized as Nortmannus or Normannus.
- Why did the Normans invade England?
William, the Duke of Normandy, claims he was promised the English throne by the childless Edward the Confessor in a letter from around 1051. When Edward died in January 1066, Harold Godwinson was crowned King of England, creating a challenge to William's claim and providing a pretext to invade.
It is said that Harold had previously sworn an oath to William, claiming he would let the Duke of Normandy succeed Edward, which the Normans used to justify crossing the English Channel.
- How many Normans invaded England?
It's thought the Norman invaders in 1066 comprised around 8000 knights and soldiers, made up of Normans, French, Bretons and Flemish. They were led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqueror.
- Did William the Conqueror speak English?
William the Conqueror did not speak English. Norman French was his native language, and he would have known Latin for church.
- What was the difference between the Normans and Anglo Saxons?
The Anglo Saxons were migrants from Germany in the 5th century. The Normans were originally Vikings who settled in West Francia in the 9th century - their land eventually being named after them.
Eventually the Normans and Anglo Saxons intermingled, becoming Anglo Normans and blending their two cultures.
- How did the Normans change East Anglia?
The Normans had a profound impact on East Anglia, bringing their language, customs and architectural styles. To dominate their new fiefdom they built multiple motte and bailey castles across Norfolk and Suffolk, first of wood and later stone.
- Why was East Anglia so important to the Normans?
East Anglia was arguably the most important region for the Normans. While they made London their capital, East Anglia was strategically important as a way to trade around the North Sea with Norwich, at that time, being easily accessible by boat.
- What is the Norman legacy in East Anglia?
Over generations the Norman invaders became assimilated into British life, but we are left with many Norman buildings, not least the magnificent Norwich cathedral and formidable Norwich castle.
- What is a motte and bailey castle?
A motte and bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep, the central fortification, built on a raised area of ground, the motte. The keep protected a courtyard, the bailey. The castle was militarily formidable but relatively easy to build with unskilled labour.
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