Eye Castle

Eye Castle was in the town of Eye, Suffolk (gbmapping|TM148738).

This was a motte and bailey castle which stood on the only high ground in north Suffolk. It was built during the reign of William I by William Malet. It was attacked by Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk, in 1173. Although the attack failed, the castle had to be rebuilt. It was then mainly destroyed in the 14th century.

Later, in the 16th century, a windmill was built on the site. A later windmill was demolished in 1844 and it was replaced by a house for Sir Edward Kerrison. This has since partly collapsed (and is sometimes now referred to as a Victorian folly). The mound and some stone fragments of the original castle still remain.

References

* [http://homepage.mac.com/philipdavis/English%20sites/3390.html Eye Castle]
*Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, "The David & Charles Book of Castles", David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3