Emma de Gauder

5 March 2026

Emma de Gauder

by Daisy Henwood

Marking twenty years of championing the city, VisitNorwich presents its ambitious year-long cultural celebration:

Twenty Stories. One City. The City of Stories.

From medieval rebels and mystics to pioneering reformers, artists, entrepreneurs and unsung heroes, these are the people who shaped Norwich over 1000 years- and whose legacy can still be discovered across the city today.

All told by twenty invited guest authors from across our city’s creative and cultural community.

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EMMA DE GAUDER
1059 – 1096

Norwich Castle is one of our city’s most iconic landmarks. But did you know that in 1075, it was held against the siege of none other than William the Conqueror by just a 16-year-old girl?  

Her name: Emma de Gauder, left to defend Norwich Castle by her husband Ralf de Gauder and brother Robert de Breteuil, who’d fled after plotting rebellion against the Norman king. This young Norman noblewoman held the castle for 3 months before negotiating safe passage of her household to Brittany.   

Here, local poet Daisy Henwood honours Emma’s brave feat:

In 1075, Emma de Gauder Held This Castle Against the King
by Daisy Henwood 

The castle is not even stone yet
and it is surrounded by men. 
In the night, a horse rode north east
for the coast and left a girl in charge. 
Too busy to pine at the battlements,
Emma is counting grain and heads. 

They all see her as a lamb, a young girl 
who doesn’t know her own mind
let alone hold the capability to vanquish a battalion 
of wolves. But she knows she is a unicorn 
– courageous and ready to protect
her people. Her husband is a hyena.
That’s probably why the King disapproved.
He knew she would discipline him, 
encourage him to stand up for himself.
Emma’s husband never listens – he avoids
hard labour like the plague that hasn’t happened yet
and bolts at the slightest sniff of conflict. 

Winter is on the horizon. 
They’ve hunted as best they could,
children, women, men too old or sickly to fight.
Emma spent morning, noon, night poring over 
the ledgers in the castle yet-to-come.
Horses – the noblest of all steeds. 
They carried their masters into battle, 
died by sword or fatigue just as men did, 
but God gave them a constitution less 
hearty than that of their riders. Emma sees the
beasts from her window, thin and sad, 
when an offer whispers itself
to life in the back of her head. Flesh was flesh; 
even Christ gave
his flesh to his followers to save them 
from damnation; and what was
hunger if not the damnation of the body? 
With a butcher’s knife 
in one hand and a quill in another, she flexes 
her French and begins negotiating. 

In a moment of inspiration, 
Emma releases ants into the castle, 
the chambers that, were the castle to fall, 
would belong to the king. She hopes their wisdom
rubs off on her and drives the king to distraction. 
Even when her people are gone, 
their power lives in the strength of the ants
who, despite their size, carry the weight
of collective responsibility better than 
any person.  

Three months is a long time
to be without her husband but he 
is a coward and Emma is brave
and proves she does not need him. 
Her people do not starve, the castle
does not fall; they have forty days 
to leave and they do, 
the city and its spirit remaining intact. 

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Step Into The Story.
A city you don’t just read about – you experience.

Immerse yourself in the life of a medieval royal palace in Norwich Castle’s Keep (adults from £15.30, children from £13.05, twilight ticket 1 hour before closing £2.50). Following a £27.5 million redevelopment, royal rooms have been reinstated, authentic furniture installed and a Gallery of Medieval Life created in partnership with the British Museum. 

Surrounded by the Keep’s four stone walls, get lost in the Castle’s amazing projections as they depict the tale of this iconic landmark’s origins. Follow the rebellious plot of Ralf de Gauder and the impressive feat of 16-year-old Emma as she established herself in our city’s history. 

And in the nearby royal bedroom, take a moment to admire Norwich Castle’s ‘sequel’ to the Bayeux tapestry, all hand sewn by volunteers using the centuries old Bayeux stitch. It honours Emma’s triumph in embroidery.

To discover more about Emma herself, we recommend joining Norwich Story Walk’s Her Story Walk, where you’ll hear about her feat from an exciting storyteller on a journey of Norwich’s remarkable women.

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Author bio: Daisy Henwood is a writer and arts producer based in Norwich. Her writing has been published in magazines including the Rialto, Under the Radar and Poetry Wales. She is the co-director of TOAST Poetry. She has a PhD in environmental literature from the University of East Anglia. Daisy has delivered commissions for Norfolk & Norwich Festival (Kinship), Norwich Castle (A Norwich Bestiary) and in 2025 The Museum of Norwich in a joint project with visual artist JMC Anderson. In 2022 she was the virtual writer-in-residence for the Werribee River Association, Melbourne.