Baconsthorpe Castle, Eastern England

Baconsthorpe may be known as a castle, but it really is a fortified manor house. The Heydon family were lawyers, but not just any lawyers, John Heydon was the lawyer and supporter of William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk.  Although John was born as John Baxter, it is thought he changed his name to Heydon to disguise his low birth as the son of a free yeoman. John Heydon built Baconsthorpe Castle in the 1450’s. His father had purchased the estate from the Bacon family, which is where it gets its name from. 

It was almost unheard of, before the mid-15th Century, for someone who was not of noble birth to work their way up the ranks to this level, but it shows much far you could now advance yourself with a bit of skill, and luck, on your side. John Heydon settled well into the life of country gentleman, and for the next two hundred years the family lived at Baconsthorpe Castle, gradually expanding and altering it as their prosperity continued to grow. The family expanded into the wool trade, which was prosperous, until it wasn’t. The Heydon family’s fortunes took a turn for the worse, and by 1650 they had accumulated large debts, and were forced to demolish parts of the castle to sell it off as building materials. 

Baconsthorpe Castle is still an entirely isolated location, other than the local farms, the landscape is almost unaltered.  If the Heydon family returned today, they would easily recognise the landscape.  The outer gatehouse was built in the 16th Century and is the newest building on the site, and the first you encounter. It was also the longest to be lived in, and was still occupied as a private dwelling until 1920, when one of the towers collapsed. 

The inner gatehouse was built by John Heydon in the mid 15th Century, and was the first building to be erected on the site of what would become a grand courtyard residence. The foundations of the site can still be seen, so the scale does not need to be imagined. The gatehouse itself was crenelated, and could be defended if needed. 

Baconsthorpe Castle was originally divided into two courts, the outer court, which was the service court, and the inner court, which was the main court for the household.  The service court would have contained the stables, kitchens, backhouse and brewhouse, as well as the servant’s accommodation. In the main court, the most important building would have been the great hall, with the family’s lodgings next to it. The outer court is now part of the farmyard, and the inner court is what we see today.

John Heydon’s son, Sir Henry, left a will which describes the gatehouse rooms as being luxuriously furnished, with feather beds and silk curtains. Sir Henry was Knighted at Henry VII’s coronation in 1485, and his new status brought with it new positions and finances, which he used to extend Baconsthorpe.  

By the Tudor period, Baconsthorpe Castle had also become a profitable wool producing estate. The eastern range of the courtyard, was converted into a wool processing factory.  Its large windows would have provided light for the spinners and weavers to produce cloth, much of which was sold off to the Netherlands.  The course material was softened by ‘Fulling', this process was the pounding of the cloth, by foot, in soapy water or stale urine.  It has been estimated that the Heydon family owned 20,000-30,000 Norfolk Horn sheep.

The textile industry brought considerable wealth to Norfolk, and to the Heydon family.  But they spend their profits on lavish living, and extensive building works, during the 16th Century.  Despite the wealth they had obtained, future generations of Heydon’s proved to be poor estate managers.  When Sir John’s son, Christopher, died in 1579, he had acquired large debts, which forced his son, William, to sell off parts of the estate.

Baconsthorpe Castle was not granted a formal license to crenellate until 1561, when it was granted to Sir Christopher Heydon.  It is thought Sir Christopher built the outer gatehouse around this time. By this time, the castle was the centre piece of a vast estate, earning a large revenue from wool. 

The Heydon family managed to hold on to Baconsthorpe Castle into the 17th Century, but they also continued to spend large of amounts of money. In the late 16th Century, a large ornamental mere was created on the eastern arm of the moat.  By the mid-17th Century, they were forced to try to pay off debts by demolishing some of the buildings, and selling off the materials. The stained glass Heydon shields, which once adorned the great hall, couldn’t be sold as they would have no value. It is thought they were given to the church, as they are now located in the south aisle of Baconsthorpe Church. The church is about a 30 minute walk from the castle, the same walk the Heydon family would have made when they lived there.

It may not have been entirely the family’s fault that that they lost so much in the 1650’s. While it has been said that they lost Baconsthorpe through mismanagement, there is another possibility.  Sir Christopher Heydon’s son, Sir John Heydon III, was the Lieutenant General of the Ordnance at the first outbreak of the English Civil War.  Although he was the second son, his elder brother William was killed in the expedition of the Isle of Rhe. In the early 17th Century, Sir John was busy furnishing men, provisions and arms, for the service of King Charles I.  He later suffered for having been a Royalist, and his goods were sequestered. It’s not really the family’s fault, if they lost their wealth when their goods were confiscated by the State. The last Sir John Heydon died in 1653, and left Baconsthorpe to his son Charles, who continued to sell off the buildings.  29 cartloads of stone, were sold in 1654 for £30, to be re-used at Felbrigg Hall.