Wormegay Castle

Wormegay Castle stands in the flat fenland of Norfolk, east of the village of Wormegay. It is a motte and bailey earthwork, built after the Norman Conquest by Hermer de Ferrers. The castle’s motte rises five metres above the ground, with a ditch up to fifteen metres wide and two metres deep on three sides. The bailey stretches 150 metres by 88 metres and is raised about one metre above the surrounding land. In the 12th century it controlled the causeway across the Fens and served as the centre of a large feudal estate. The site once formed the caput of an honour covering East Anglia and provided castle-guard duties to Norwich Castle. The de Ferrers family held Wormegay until 1166, when it passed to other hands. Its earthworks would have been far more prominent in the early medieval landscape than they appear today. The motte’s size and the surrounding ditches made the castle a local landmark visible for miles. Visitors find a quiet grassy mound and the broad, low bailey beside the village. The motte offers a modest view over the flat fields, while the ditches and banks still mark the castle’s original shape. The site lies close to the old causeway route and feels remote, with only the earthworks and a few information posts to show its past importance.