Hedingham Castle in Essex, England, is a Norman motte and bailey castle with a stone keep. For four centuries it was the primary seat of the de Vere family, Earls of Oxford.
The castle was built by the de Vere's, in the late 11th to early 12th century and the keep between 1130-1140. To accommodate the existing castle, a large ditch was cut through a natural spur into the Colne Valley in order to form a ringwork and inner bailey, whilst an outer bailey extended south, further into the valley and into what is now the modern village of Castle Hedingham. The stone keep survives in a very good state of preservation to this day and is open to the public
