Bury Castle, Brompton Regis

In the civil parish of Brompton Regis.
In the historic county of Somerset (Modern Authority of Somerset, 1974 county of Somerset).

Bury Castle comprises a series of earthworks forming an oval enclosure of Iron Age. At the southern end of the ramparts is a small motte believed to be of an early C12 date. Surveyed in June 1996 by RCHME who as a result of this also believe that the site is a resused late prehistoric defended enclosure. The prehistoric enclosure measures 85m N-S by 58m E-E and is enclosed by a bank up to 4m high. There is no sign of an entrance and this was probably blocked in the medieval period. The motte is 23m diameter, placed over the ramparts, and with a ditch 6m wide encircling it. The site is apparently undocumented but it is suggested that it was probably built by William de Say before 1144, the year of his death.

This site has been described as a;
Timber Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SS93852698

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 36540

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 33369

• Web site links
  • http://webapp1.somerset.gov.uk/her/details.asp?prn=33369
• Books
  • Prior, Stuart, 2006, A Few Well-Positioned Castles: The Norman Art of War (Tempus) p68-109
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p69
    Dunning, Robert, 1995, Somerset Castles (Somerset Books) p30-1
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p442
    Burrow, Edward J., 1924, Ancient Earthworks and Camps of Somerset (Cheltenham and London) p72-3
    Bothamley, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Somerset Vol2 p482-3
• Journal Articles
  • Gray, 1923, Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol69 p.xxi-xxii
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Ancient Charters, Pipe Roll Society Vol10 p108