The Normans invaded England on the morning of the 28th September 1066. Led by their King, William the Conqueror, they defeated the Saxon king, Harold, and his army at the Battle of Hastings.

One of the noblemen who helped William was a man named Richard FitzGilbert (also known as Richard de Clare). William rewarded FitzGilbert’s loyalty and devotion with lands at Tonbridge.

Although the Normans had beaten the English in battle, they did not feel safe. They knew that the English hated them and might attack at any time, so they built castles all over England.

Tonbridge Castle

In 1070, FitzGilbert built a large Castle made of timber and mud on the same site as the Saxons fort. The Castle overlooked, and therefore protected the ford and maintained a dominating presence over the townspeople.

The construction of the Castle marked the beginnings of the development of Tonbridge as a town.

Tonbridge motte and bailey castle

The castle was built in a design known as 'motte and bailey'. The motte was a circular mound of earth about 20m high. On its flattened top surrounded by a timber fence was a timber tower.

To one side of the motte was the bailey, walled enclosure surrounded by a ditch. Within the bailey was a hall for FitzGilbert use, domestic buildings, stables, stores and perhaps a chapel.

Examples of Norman houses

The smooth sides of the motte made climbing it almost impossible, and the only access was from the bailey. This meant that the motte was a good safe place to be during an attack.

In 1088 the castle was besieged, captured and possibly burnt to the ground by William II (Rufus).

The fortifications of the castle were strengthened when the wooden keep was rebuilt, this time in stone, and the bailey was defended by a stone curtain-wall. Between 1220 and 1260 a massive gatehouse was built.

Gatehouse to the castle was built

The gatehouse was built in sandstone and, unlike many other castles, it was used for residential purposes. It contained three floors, the top floor housed the great hall. The gatehouse had a deep outer moat, drawbridge, portcullis and a central entrance flanked by a pair of strong guardrooms.

Portcullis

The castle was captured again by King John in 1215 and by Henry III in 1262.

In 1314, the castle was passed on to the Earls and Dukes of Buckingham. The third Duke was beheaded for treason by Henry VIII and the Castle was taken by the Crown.

The Domesday Book

In 1085 the Domesday Survey was begun and all of England was recorded so William knew exactly what his new kingdom contained. All this information was written down in the Domesday Book.The Domesday Book was, in effect, the first national census.

The Domesday Book

Tonbridge was recorded in the Domesday Book as Tonebrige, which may indicate a bridge belonging to the estate or manor (from the Old English tun), or alternatively a bridge belonging to Tunna, a common Anglo-Saxon man's name. Tunna might have been the name of the man who built the first bridge at Tonbridge.

Population

A few hundred people.

Church

The Normans built a stone church replacing the wooden church built by the Saxons. If you visit the church today, you can see part of the original Norman church.