Guildford Castle Excavations
Surrey Archaeological Society, 2005. https://doi.org/10.5284/1000253. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 432
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000253
- How to cite using this DOI
Overview
Excavations at Guildford Castle between 1990 and 1994 revealed evidence for the development of the castle and palace during the medieval period. The work was carried out by volunteers under the direction of Rob Poulton and staff from the Surrey County Archaeological Unit. The results are presented in full and the opportunity is also taken to publish the results of all other 20th century work in the castle precinct in as much detail as has proved practical or has been available.
Guildford was a motte and bailey castle, probably established soon after 1066, and the excavations revealed its original bailey ditch, and showed that this was filled in, and a larger bailey created, surrounded by stone walls, in the later 12th century. The new area was used principally to build domestic apartments for the king and his court, and the excavation revealed both the sequence of development and considerable detail of the organization and domestic economy of the palace. Documents indicate that in the time of Henry III (1216-1272) Guildford was a popular residence, with expenditure on it being the fifth largest among the royal houses, and it is one of the very few referred to as a palace in the Middle Ages. It is argued that this favoured status existed from quite early in the castle's existence.
A further small plot was added to the bailey in 1246, and a tile kiln that had operated within the new area was levelled over, resulting in it being found in an excellent state of preservation. The royal buildings in the bailey are known to have been dismantled in 1397, or soon after, and the excavations indicated that decline may have set in much earlier. The finds from the excavations are generally unspectacular, although they include items, such as a gilded stud and a glass urinal, which hint at the wealthy lifestyle. In general, though, they suggest that supplies were drawn from the local area. In contrast, an interesting collection of faunal remains indicates that a wide variety of foodstuffs, some of them quite exotic, were consumed. The well-preserved deer assemblage demonstrates that only selected portions of these animals reached the site and it is argued that this reflects hunting rituals, instituted by the Normans, which can be shown by comparative data to have obtained over much of England for several hundred years.
The 1990-1994 work was wholly within the area of the bailey, but an excavation in 1972-1973 had shown that the ditch around the motte was 12m wide and 6.5m deep. The evidence for a shell keep, preceding the surviving great tower (which may have been built in the 1140s), is reconsidered, and it is suggested that the fragments of walling which have been taken to represent its remnants are parts of a hall and chamber known to have been erected on the motte for the sheriff in 1247.
