Snodhill must be the biggest, oldest castle no-one's heard of.
Its size, scale and obvious elan point to a significance far greater than its scant written records do. This much, however, is known:
In 2021 Stone and Bronze age evidence that showed that the 'Snodhill' (possible meaning 'Cleared hill') was occupied for thousands of years before the Normans arrived. It is also possible that Snodhill is a very rare pre-Norman castle built around 1050 to guard the fertile Dore Valley and its prosperous Saxon villages at Wilmastone, Dorstone, Peterchurch and Mynydd-brith.
What is known for certain is that the castle was built around 1068 by Norman Superknight William Fitz Osbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, who was campaigning to assert Norman control along the Welsh Marches (he built all the early Norman castles from Chepstow to Wigmore).
Transport: Car sharing. Meet at 9.30am at Conquest Car Park. Please advise when booking number of seats available in your car or if you require a lift.
Tickets 11 to include a guided tour of the castle and the archeology dig.
Refreshments: Bring a packed lunch
Email: programme@bromyard historysociety.org.uk