 Archaeological excavations have established that there was a pre-Conquest settlement and the later Norman castle.The first known Lord of Clavering mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 was Robert FitzWimarc, an image of whom is believed to appear on the Bayeux Tapestry, at Edward the Confessor's deathbed.‘Robert’s Castle’ mentioned in Domesday is thought to refer to Clavering Castle.