Hunter Archaeological Society Talk – Mrs Ella Armitage in Sheffield?

Talk by David Mercer on how Local Castles in Sheffield shaped the understanding of Norman castles in England.

Mrs Armitage (1841-1931) was a pioneer archaeologist and historian in the field of castle studies. Her book ‘The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles’ (1912) is credited with establishing the principle that the motte-and-bailey castle was an early Norman innovation, overturning the idea that they were of Anglo-Saxon date. With over a century of research into castles following this seminal thesis, it is time to reassess Armitage’s legacy and show how local castles were fundamental in establishing her thesis on the earliest castles in England.

Room 5
Showroom Cinema
15 Paternoster Row
Sheffield
S1 2BX