Castle Camps facts for kids

Castle Camps was a Norman castle located in what is now the village of Castle Camps in Cambridgeshire, England. This historic site was once a powerful fortress, though today only a few remains can be seen.

Who Owned Castle Camps?

Castle Camps started as an Anglo-Saxon manor, which was like a large estate. It belonged to Wulfwin, a "Thane" (a type of noble or lord) who served King Edward the Confessor.

After the Normans took over England in 1066, William the Conqueror gave this manor to Aubrey de Vere I. His family later became the powerful Earls of Oxford. The de Vere family owned the castle for a very long time, until 1584.

In 1584, Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, sold the castle to Thomas Skinner. Thomas Skinner later became the Lord Mayor of London. Then, in 1607, Thomas Sutton bought the estate. He gave it to Charterhouse, a famous school and almshouse. Charterhouse sold most of the land in 1919, but kept Castle Farm and the Manor.

During World War II, between 1941 and 1945, a large part of the land around Castle Camps became an airfield for planes.

Castle Camps Through Time

In 1086, a very important book called the Domesday Book recorded information about Castle Camps. This book was like a survey of all the land in England.

The Domesday Book showed that:

• Robert Gernon held two "hides" (a measure of land) in Camps.
• Aubrey de Vere held two and a half hides.
• There was enough land for many ploughs, showing it was good for farming.
• The land had villagers, small farmers, slaves, meadows, and woodlands.
• Animals like pigs were also mentioned.
• The value of the land was recorded, both before and after the Norman Conquest.

Historians believe that Aubrey de Vere I might have built a motte-and-bailey castle here. This type of castle had a large mound (the motte) with a tower on top, and a walled courtyard (the bailey) below. It could also have been built later in the 1100s.

By the late 1100s, Castle Camps was likely the biggest fortress in Cambridgeshire. It was known for its huge motte, which had a flat top covering more than an acre. Records show that work was done on the castle between 1265 and 1331, possibly to build a new bailey.

In the late 1400s, a four-story brick tower was added to the castle. This brick tower stood until 1779, when a strong wind blew it down. The main manor house was rebuilt in the 1500s, but it also fell down in 1738. Part of its back wall was then used to build a smaller house called Castle Farm. Much of this old wall is still standing today. A sketch of the castle was made in 1731 by S H Buck.

Interestingly, no major battles were recorded at Castle Camps. However, in 1526, there was a dispute between a countess and the new earl. During this quarrel, local officials called "justices of the peace" were forced away from the castle by armed people.

What Remains Today?

Today, not much of the original Norman castle is left above ground. You can find a small piece of rubble in the yard south of the current farmhouse. The most significant remains are the earthworks, which are the shapes of the old castle mounds and ditches in the ground.

Castle Camps is protected as a Scheduled Monument. This means it's an important historical site that is legally protected from damage.

The highest point in the local area is at Wigmore Pond, which is about 415 feet (126 meters) above sea level.