Bury Castle, Brompton Regis

Not to be confused with Berry Castle, Somerset; Bury Castle, Selworthy; or Berry Castle, Black Dog.

Bury Castle
Brompton Regis, Somerset, England
The site of Bury Castle (to the right of the road)
Bury Castle is located in Somerset
Bury Castle
Bury Castle
Coordinates51°01′52″N 3°30′53″W / 51.0311°N 3.5147°W / 51.0311; -3.5147
Grid referencegrid reference SS938269
TypeHillfort and later motte and bailey castle

Bury Castle near Brompton Regis in the English county of Somerset was an Iron Age univallate hillfort which was reused with the creation of a motte after the Norman Conquest. It has been designated as a scheduled monument.[1]

Iron Age fort

It is an oval enclosure just above the confluence of the River Haddeo and River Exe.[1] It is approximately 120 yards (110 m) long and 80 yards (73 m) wide.[2]

Medieval period

In the late 1130s, a civil war, known as the Anarchy, broke out in England between the supporters of King Stephen and the Empress Matilda. A motte and bailey castle was built on the Bury Castle side, probably by William de Say. In 1198 Richard I confirmed that Brompton should be part of the inheritance of Matilda.[3]

The motte measures 23 metres (75 ft) and was placed on the southern tip of the promontory, with the bailey beyond around 60 metres (197 ft) across.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Bury Castle". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. ^ "MSO8841 - Bury Castle, Brompton Regis". Exmoor Historic Environment Record. Exmoor National Park. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  3. ^ Dunning, Robert (1995). Somerset Castles. Tiverton: Somerset Books. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-86183-278-1.
  4. ^ Bury Castle, Brompton Regis, Gatehouse website, accessed 16 July 2011.
  5. ^ Creighton, O.H. (2005), Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortification in Medieval England., Equinox, p. 39, ISBN 978-1-904768-67-8