Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Norwich Castle, a Norman stone keep begun in 1067, has endured multiple sieges and occupations, reflecting its strategic dominance over East Anglia. Here are the most significant events:
After Hastings, William the Conqueror ordered the castle's construction. The Anglo-Saxon Earl Ralph of East Anglia briefly resisted but surrendered. The castle became a Norman power base.
Rebels led by Geoffrey Litster and John Wraw seized Norwich and besieged the castle, demanding the release of radical priest John Ball. They captured the castle and freed Ball—though the revolt was soon crushed nationally.
Robert Kett's 16,000-strong army camped on Mousehold Heath, besieging the castle for weeks. Royal forces under the Earl of Warwick eventually stormed the city, defeating the rebels. Kett was hanged from the castle walls.
Royalists held the castle for King Charles I. In 1642, Parliamentarian forces under Lord Willoughby besieged it. After months, the Royalists surrendered in April 1643. The castle became a Parliamentarian arsenal and prison.
Post-Civil War, the castle declined militarily. It served as a county gaol (1790s–1880s), then was converted into a museum (1894), which it remains today—housing archaeology, art, and natural history collections.
Norwich Castle's repeated targeting underscores its role as the administrative and military keystone of East Anglia. Each siege reflects broader national upheavals—conquest, social revolt, religious reform, constitutional crisis—played out at this one formidable stronghold.