Soon after the Norman conquest of England, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted a barony by William the Conqueror, with two blocks of land, first in Kent and later across Suffolk and Essex.
Richard built two castles to defend his new lands, Tonbridge in Kent, followed by Clare Castle in Suffolk.
The exact date of the construction is unknown, but the first documentary records of the castle appear by 1090.
In the 11th century, Suffolk was one of the most prosperous parts of the country.

Clare Castle was built between the River Stour and the Chilton Stream and took the form of a motte and bailey design, with two baileys rather than the more common one.
The motte is 850 feet (259 m) wide at the base and 100 feet (30 m) tall, with its flat summit 63 feet (19 m) across.
The two baileys, stretching alongside from the motte along the north and east, were protected by deep ditches and steep palisades, with either a causeway or a drawbridge linking the inner to the outer bailey; the inner bailey was also sheltered by the curve of the Chilton.

The castle was built on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon manor house, probably reflective of the wider Norman effort to demonstrate that their authority had replaced those of the previous lords.
Clare Castle was the caput of the feudal barony of Clare, and as historian Robert Liddiard describes, as well as having a defensive value it also "represented and reflected the rank and dignity of the lord".
The castle was surrounded by three deer parks, including the Great Park at Hundon, established by 1090.
Like many other major castles, Clare was provided with a nearby religious house when Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester founded Clare Priory in 1249, close to the castle, which grew to contain 29 friars.

A new keep was built, probably in the 13th century.
This took the form of a polygonal shell keep, with fourteen triangular buttresses supporting six foot (1.8 m) thick walls.
The inner bailey was strengthened with new stone walls, 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) tall on top of the earlier earth banks, the walls and keep being built of flint and rubble.
The castle was manned during this period by a castle-guard system, in which lands were granted to local gentry for the feudal tenure of providing knights and soldiers to serve at the castle.
Soon after the Norman conquest of England, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted a barony by William the Conqueror, with two blocks of land, first in Kent and later across Suffolk and Essex. Richard built two castles to defend his new lands, Tonbridge in Kent, followed by Clare Castle in Suffolk. The exact date of the construction is unknown, but the first documentary records of the castle appear by 1090. In the 11th century, Suffolk was one of the most prosperous parts of the country.
Clare Castle was built between the River Stour and the Chilton Stream and took the form of a motte and bailey design, with two baileys rather than the more common one. The motte is 850 feet (259 m) wide at the base and 100 feet (30 m) tall, with its flat summit 63 feet (19 m) across. The two baileys, stretching alongside from the motte along the north and east, were protected by deep ditches and steep palisades, with either a causeway or a drawbridge linking the inner to the outer bailey; the inner bailey was also sheltered by the curve of the Chilton.
The castle was built on the site of a former Anglo-Saxon manor house, probably reflective of the wider Norman effort to demonstrate that their authority had replaced those of the previous lords. Clare Castle was the caput of the feudal barony of Clare, and as historian Robert Liddiard describes, as well as having a defensive value it also "represented and reflected the rank and dignity of the lord". The castle was surrounded by three deer parks, including the Great Park at Hundon, established by 1090. Like many other major castles, Clare was provided with a nearby religious house when Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester founded Clare Priory in 1249, close to the castle, which grew to contain 29 friars.
A new keep was built, probably in the 13th century. This took the form of a polygonal shell keep, with fourteen triangular buttresses supporting six foot (1.8 m) thick walls. The inner bailey was strengthened with new stone walls, 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) tall on top of the earlier earth banks, the walls and keep being built of flint and rubble. The castle was manned during this period by a castle-guard system, in which lands were granted to local gentry for the feudal tenure of providing knights and soldiers to serve at the castle.
Clare Castle