Abstract
ABSTRACT This paper challenges the widely held belief that castles were necessarily raised in areas that allowed them to dominate population. It examines the relationship between Norman castles and population in East Anglia: a region that had the highest population density in eleventh- and twelfth-century England, but also the lowest number of castles. It argues that areas of high population, particularly those which also had large numbers of freeholders, were unattractive to castle builders as buying out other landowners was a costly and time-consuming exercise, particularly when a large regional residence was being planned. What was more attractive were less populated areas where the space needed for large-scale building operations was more readily available. It therefore casts doubt on the common assertion that castle building in the years following the Norman Conquest was necessarily concerned with the control of population.
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