Bury Castle, Somerset

Bury Castle is an Iron Age hill fort and 12th medieval century castle near Selworthy, Somerset, England.

Iron Age
Bury Castle was built as a promontory fort, situated over the meeting of the River Exe and River Haddeo. Hill forts developed in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age, roughly the start of the first millennium BC. The reason for the emergence of hillforts in Britain, and their purpose, has been a subject of debate. It has been argued that they could have been military sites constructed in response to invasion from continental Europe, sites built by invaders, or a military reaction to social tensions caused by an increasing population and consequent pressure on agriculture. The dominant view since the 1960s has been that the increasing use of iron led to social changes in Britain. Deposits of iron ore were located in different places to the tin and copper ore necessary to make bronze, and as a result trading patterns shifted and the old elites lost their economic and social status. Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe has argued that while widespread war was not typical during the period, hill forts reflected the tensions at the time, and did provide defensive strongholds when conflicts broke out, as well as playing an important political role for the new elites.

The Bury Castle hillfort covers 0.2 ha in internal area. The main enclosure has a single rampart and ditch, with steep drops on the north, east and south sides. There is an additional rampart 30 m to the west, with a deep ditch. The rampart is revetted with drystone walling.

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.

The motte measures 23 m and was placed on the southern tip of the promontory, with the bailey beyond around 60 m across.

Today
Bury Castle is today protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and owned by the National Trust. It has been added to the Heritage at Risk register due to vulnerability from scrub or tree growth.