BUNGAY CASTLE & MUSEUM


BUNGAY CASTLE Following the Norman Conquest in 1066, the powerful Bigod family were granted lands and estates throughout Norfolk and Suffolk by the king. They made Bungay one of their main strongholds because it pro- vided a good defensive position, a motte and bailey fortress having already been es- tablished during the Saxon occupation. Hugh Bigod inherited the family properties in 1120, and proved to be an ambitious and charismatic personality, uniting with local barons in challenging royal authority. King Stephen marched an army to Bungay in 1140 to quell Hugh’s military manoeu- vres, but rather than punishment, Hugh was granted the title of Earl of Norfolk in return for obedience. Loyalty and submis- sion were not Bigod characteristics, and he reacted by increasing attacks on royal prop- erties, and building a powerful fortress in c. 1165 to cock a snook at authority. He met his match with Henry 11, a tougher leader than Stephen who prepared a military on- slaught, to destroy the castle and topple Hugh from power. Forced to submit, he had all his estates confiscated and his title annulled. Although his castle was saved from destruction on payment of a huge fine, he was banished abroad to fight in the Crusades, thus terminating his career. His son Roger regained the estates, but his descendants gradually lost interest in occu- pying Bungay, and apart from a brief period of re-fortification in the 1290’s, developed Framlingham Castle as their main power base. The Howard family, Dukes of Norfolk took


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possession in 1483. They had little inter- est in the castle which gradually dwindled into decay, until partial excavations and renovations were organised in 1933. Then in 1988, the Howard family gifted it to the town with an endowment for its preserva- tion. It is now managed by the Castle Trust for a variety of open-air activities. There are currently plans to improve and extend the site, assisted by Historic England and applications for Heritage Lottery funding.


BUNGAY MUSEUM The Museum was established in 1963 and occupies two small rooms in the council office in Broad Street. The collections rep- resent Bungay history through the centu- ries, commencing with a fine display of ar- chaeology specimens, including Stone Age, Roman, and Saxon artefacts found locally. There is also a small section of geology, which features items found in local gravel- pits and on Outney Common. From the medieval period are objects found on the Castle site, including clay sherds, keys, and buckles. The coin collection cov- ers the Roman to Victorian periods with good examples of 17th and 18th.c. Bungay trade tokens. A display case features books printed in the town by John Childs in the early 19th.c, and describes the development of the printing industry before and after it was taken over by Clays, of London, in 1877. Local authors, Sir Henry Rider Haggard, and his daughter Lilias, are represented, and the manuscripts of the books by Fred- erick Rolfe and George Baldry which Lilias edited for publication. Displays of Victo- rian memorabilia relate to the family of the wealthy Town Reeve, philanthropist, and diarist, John Barber Scott (1792- 1862) The museum is currently open on Tuesday afternoons, and Friday and Saturday morn- ings, admission £1.00, children free.


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