English castles

by Adrian Pettifer

On a hill above the River Ouse is the historic town of Lewes. After the Norman Conquest this Saxon burgh and a large estate around it were granted to William de Warenne, Chief Justiciar and subsequently Earl of Surrey. He raised a castle on the highest ground and founded England's first Cluniac priory to the south of the town. Lewes Castle is a motte-and-bailey stronghold with the curious feature of two mottes, one at each end of the oval bailey. Only Lincoln can compare with it. It is assumed - but by no means certain - that the smaller Brack's Mount came first, only to be superseded by the larger motte at the west end which is better placed to command the town. Certainly it is the latter which now has a keep but masonry has been found on Brack's Mount as well, so could it be that for some unknown reason the castle was bipolar? . The keep crowning the larger motte was a circular shell keep. Only its southern half remains but patches of herringbone masonry suggest an early date, probab