Dunster Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Torre; Duncaster

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

Castle of C11 origins, rebuilt in the mid C13 and 1420. The house was built circa 1571 with alterations of 1867. By 1086 a castle, probably of the motte and bailey type, was established here by the Mohun family using the strong natural defences of the hill. A stone built castle was in existence by 1138 but no masonry from this seems to survive. At about that time the castle was held by William de Mohun against Henry de Tracy and although seigeworks were erected, no structures remain. A view of the castle in 1733 shows the motte used as a gazebo and pleasure garden, but with much of the rest of the castle retaining medieval features.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 264651)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SS99114344

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 36863
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 34622 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/historicproperties/index.cfm?fuseaction=property&property_id=36
    http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/castles/dunstercast.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/181/dunstercastle.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/dunster/dunster.php#castle
    http://webapp1.somerset.gov.uk/her/details.asp?prn=34622
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/dunster.html
• Books
  • Prior, Stuart, 2006, A Few Well-Positioned Castles: The Norman Art of War (Tempus) p68-109
    Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p677-9
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p71-3
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p220-1
    Dunning, Robert, 1995, Somerset Castles (Somerset Books) p37-39
    Furtado, Peter et al (eds), 1988, Ordnance Survey guide to castles in Britain (London) p83
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p442-3
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p226
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Delderfield, Eric R., 1968, West Country historic houses and their families Vol1 p51-5
    Pevsner, N., 1958, The Buildings of England: South and west Somerset (London, Penguin) p156-7
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p60-4
    Maxwell-Lyte, H.C., 1918, A History of Dunster (Somerset Record Society Vol33)
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p145-6
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Bothamley, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Somerset Vol2 p513-14
    Maxwell Lyte, 1909, History of Dunster (London) esp p349-82
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England (New York: Macmillan) Vol2 p54-6 http://www.archive.org/stream/castlesofengland02mack#page/54/mode/1up
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p24-32, 146
    Maxwell Lyte, 1882, Dunster and its Lords (Exeter) [originally published in The Archaeological Journals Vol37 & 38]
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p546-7
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p339
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p257
• Journal Articles
  • Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p371-392 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28199104%29106%3A419%3C371%3AAHOCRI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
    Haslam, R., 1987, ‘Dunster Castle, Somerset — I: a property of the National Trust' Country Life 181.29 p124–7
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' The Archaeological Journal Vol143 p308
    Gibb, J.H.P., 1981, ‘The medieval castle at Dunster' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol125 p1-15
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Whinney, 1950, The Archaeological Journal Vol107 p123
    Armitage, E., 1904 April, 'The Early Norman Castles of England' The English Historical Review Vol19 p209-245, 417-455 http://www.archive.org/stream/englishhistorica19londuoft
    1903, Country Life Vol14
    Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' The Archaeological Journal Vol46 p197-217 esp211 http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo46brit#page/197/mode/1up
    Lyte, H.C.Maxwell, 1881, 'Dunster and its lords' The Archaeological Journal Vol38 p62-79, 207-28 [reprinted as Dunster and its Lords] http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo38brit#page/n73/mode/1up
    Lyte, H.C.Maxwell, 1880, 'Dunster and its lords' The Archaeological Journal Vol37 p57-93, 155-79, 271-93, 386-404 http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo37brit#page/n76/mode/1up
    Green, E., 1880, 'The siege and surrender of Dunster Castle' The Archaeological Journal Vol37 p386-94 [history only] http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo37brit#page/386/mode/1up
    Clark, G.T., 1879, 'Dunster Castle' The Archaeological Journal Vol36 p309-20, 400-1 [reprinted in MMA] [plan] http://www.archive.org/stream/archaeologicaljo36brit#page/n361/mode/1up
• Guidebooks
  • Anon, 2003. Dunster Castle, Somerset (London: National Trust)
    Dodd, Dudley, 1978, Dunster Castle (National Trust)
    Fedden, Robin and Joekes, Rosemary, 1977, Dunster Castle Guide Book (National Trust)
    Bryant, 1946, (Dunster)
    Musgrave, EI. and Luttrell, W., n.d., Dunster Castle (Derby)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p427-8
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/dorseteng.html#somerset1]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p425
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p166 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01