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]
| Bury Castle | |
|---|---|
| Brompton Regis, Somerset, England | |
.jpg) The site of Bury Castle (to the right of the road) | |
  Bury Castle | |
| Coordinates | 51°01′52″N 3°30′53″W / 51.0311°N 3.5147°W |
| Grid reference | grid reference SS938269 |
| Type | Hillfort and later motte and bailey castle |
Iron Age fort
editIt 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
editIn 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
edit- ^ a b "Bury Castle". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "MSO8841 - Bury Castle, Brompton Regis". Exmoor Historic Environment Record. Exmoor National Park. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ Dunning, Robert (1995). Somerset Castles. Tiverton: Somerset Books. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-0-86183-278-1.
- ^ Bury Castle, Brompton Regis, Gatehouse website, accessed 16 July 2011.
- ^ Creighton, O.H. (2005), Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortification in Medieval England., Equinox, p. 39, ISBN 978-1-904768-67-8