CASTLES
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The earliest references to castles in Somerset are to be found in Domesday Book where only two are mentioned, one at Dunster and the other at Montacute. Both were strongholds of Norman lords, the de Mohuns at Dunster, and the Count of Mortain, half-brother of William the Conqueror, at Montacute. Of the two, Montacute was a completely new building, but at Dunster it seems possible there may have been an earlier fortification. Each was situated on the top of a steep cone-shaped hill.

The Normans introduced castles into England to secure their hold over the land as quickly and firmly as possible. At first their castles were built of timber on a 'motte', a flat-topped hillock, sometimes natural but more often created by digging out a deep circular ditch and using the excavated earth to build up a mound. On this a wooden tower was erected to provide immediate protection. Later a bailey, or courtyard was added at the base of the motte, and it, too, was surrounded with a ditch and an earthen bank. On the top of the bank a wooden palisade was erected. For all this work the conquered English provided forced labour. An illustration of one of these castles is in the Bayeux Tapestry, and this also shows their chief weakness, the ease with which they could be destroyed by fire.

Map of Somerset Castles
When England had been completely subdued, the Normans rebuilt some of their castles with stone walls and keeps. The finest example of their work is the White Tower in the Tower of London, but there are no such remains in Somerset. Most of the stone-built castles were used not only as fortified strongholds but also as dwellings, though they must have been cold and unpleasant places to live in. A few, such as Castle Cary, Dunster and Taunton, were the centres of large estates and provided something like the services of an estate office in modern times. Within the stronghold of the castle was kept all the money received from the rents of the tenants of the manors in the countryside around. Here too were preserved the parchment deeds and rolls recording land transfers, fines and marriages, as well as records of the services and obligations of the lord's tenants. The principal importance of a castle was, however, as a fortification which could withstand the attacks of an enemy and could hold out for a long time when besieged. Castles were continually being improved, replanned or redesigned, as new methods of attack or new weapons were invented. So, the simple Norman motte and bailey castle was allowed to decay, as, for example, Castle Neroche, near Taunton, and Fenny Castle, near Wells. Montacute was involved in the rebellion against the Conqueror in 1087 and seems to have been destroyed soon afterwards. Some castles, such as Dunster, were surrounded by additional walls and converted into stronger fortresses and, at the same time, made pleasanter places to live in.

In the twelfth century there was a long period of civil war in England. In Somerset, records suggest that nearly one fifth of the county may have been laid waste, but other counties fared worse. The king possessed no castles in the county; all were held by barons or important churchmen. For purposes of defence, Somerset was united under a single sheriff with Dorset, where there were several royal castles. The Bishop of Winchester, who owned Taunton, was a brother of King Stephen, and to help the king in his struggle against the rebel barons he evidently built the great keep of Taunton Castle. At Dunster the owner of the castle, de Mohun, fought against the king. So did Lovel of Castle Cary and de Courci at Nether Stowey. The king himself was in Somerset in 1136, and directed in person successful attacks on the castles at Harptree and Castle Cary.

During the thirteenth century the chain of castles across Somerset provided a series of military bases in a territory that was open to invasion from north and south. Stogursey and Bridgwater protected the northern part of the defence line and the main harbour of Somerset; Taunton in its central position could control the main throughroute, in conjunction with Sherborne and Corfe in Dorset.

Castles were not always fully garrisoned and it was only in times of great danger during foreign wars, or when there was civil war in the land, that a full complement of soldiers was employed. There were many such times over the centuries until the great Civil War of the seventeenth century. In normal times garrisons were small and the castle became the family home of its owner. Weapons were stored in the castle and were regularly cleaned and kept ready for action. In 1215 at Taunton Castle there was a store of 6 shields, 3 lances, 18 helmets (including 11 made of iron, of which 1 had a visor, and 6 made of leather) 8 billhooks, 6 axes, 2 large shields to cover embrasures, 11 crossbows with 3000 crossbow bolts, 10 hauberks or coats of mail, 79 spears and 2 iron lanceheads. During the year, 20 more spears were purchased. More than 50 men-at-arms were employed at wages varying from 2d to 6d a day, no doubt according to their rank or specialist training.
Plan of Nunney Castle
During the fourteenth century, wealthy people began to convert their houses into castles. This gave them considerable power and prestige in the area where they lived, as well as providing protection against attack by personal enemies. Farleigh Hungerford, on the eastern boundary of the county, is an example of a country house converted into a castle during the years 1370--80 by its owner, Sir Thomas de Hungerford. The family was wealthy and distinguished, and took a prominent part in national affairs as statesmen and soldiers. At the height of its strength their castle must have been very impressive. It was on a site defended naturally by a ditch on the south and west, while on the north and east a steep escarpment provided sufficient protection. The builders made full use of the natural defences with a curtain wall, having circular towers at the corners, enclosing a rectangular bailey nearly 200 feet across. A big gatehouse, with two semicircular projecting turrets, protected the entrance and the south side, which had the least natural protection. This continued the tradition in castle building set by Edward I when he conquered Wales at the beginning of the fourteenth century and built castles such as those at Harlech and Conway. Within the bailey was the dwelling house of the Hungerfords, with all its associated domestic buildings, kitchens, bakehouse, storehouses and stables, as well as accommodation for all their servants. An outer court was added in the years 1420--30, defended with a ditch and wall, having two gateways. This court included the former parish church which was made into a private chapel for the family. While much of this castle has been destroyed, enough remains to give a good idea of the strength of medieval fortifications. At the same time it can be realised how restricted life must have been within these walls, especially when danger threatened.
Plan of Farleigh Castle
During the Wars of the Roses, Somerset became involved in the fighting between the Earl of Devon, a Yorkist, and Lord Bonvile, then a Lancastrian. In 1451 the Earl is said to have besieged Lord Bonvile in Taunton Castle, but the affair ended when Richard, Duke of York, mediated between the two. Later, in 1455 Stogursey Castle, which was a stronghold of the Lancastrians, was captured by Lord Bonvile, who had changed sides, but little is known of its fate. Today, only the ruins remain.

By the beginning of the sixteenth century, castles were beginning to lose much of their effectiveness with the development of cannon. King Henry VIII built a number of castles to defend the harbours of the Channel coast, and a plan of the coast of Somerset of that time shows towers with guns at Porlock, Hurlstone, Uphill and other places along the coast. These were probably not castles but only temporary fortifications, for no trace of them has survived.

Castles were still used by both sides during the Civil War of the seventeenth century. They could help to tie down troops and delay the advance of an army. In exceptional cases, as in the sieges of Dunster, Taunton and Bridgwater they were able to dominate the situation. The damage caused by gunfire, and the subsequent 'slighting' of the defences to prevent their being used again, led to the final decline of the castle as a military centre. They remain either as ruins and relics of an age when hand-to-hand fighting was the normal practice, or, rebuilt as mansions, they have renounced all connection with warfare.