Built in the 12th century for Henry II, the polygonal keep of Orford Castle is a landmark in the Suffolk landscape. Its design makes it one of England’s more unusual castles, matched by its history. This site has seen drama of all kinds, from civil war to betrayal and from local legend to local lunches. Read on to find out about the curious histories of Orford Castle.
Robert Malet was a Norman nobleman and important landowner in the late 11th century. Around 1100, he founded the town of Orford on the Suffolk coast near a projecting stretch of land now called Orford Ness. This piece of land created a naturally sheltered harbour, and Orford flourished as a port.
When Malet died in 1105 his lands in England passed to King Henry I, who in turn gave them to his nephew Stephen de Blois in 1113. Stephen declared himself king in 1135 when Henry I died and the country descended into civil war. The Earl of Suffolk, Hugh Bigod, sided with Matilda, Henry I’s only surviving legitimate child, and tried to use the war to bolster his already considerable power in East Anglia.