Berry Pomeroy Castle

In the civil parish of Berry Pomeroy. In the historic county of Devon (Modern Authority of Devon, 1974 county of Devon).

Ruins of medieval castle with ruins of large Elizabethan house within the walls. Situated on a wooded hill with a steep bluff to the north and a dried moat to the south. Circa 1300 gatehouse, remains of the curtain walls and St Margaret's Tower on the east corner. The Seymour house and offices within the walls to the east were built c.1575 to 1593. Coursed stone with freestone dressings. The gatehouse to the south has a round-arched gateway flanked by large semi-hexagonal towers connected by a flattened arch machicolation on corbels. Above the gateway in the guardroom is a C16 arcade with octagonal piers and chamfered arches. Curtain walls connected to the St Margaret's Tower to east which projects with a semicircular outer wall. Nothing survives of the Crenellation. The group of tall, now freestanding, piers on the north side are probably the remains of the north wing (perhaps the hall) of the Seymour house which is situated on the north east side of the enceinte. The Seymour house, built around a small court, has a symmetrical three-storey, five-bay front with a central doorway and stone mullion four-light windows with hoodmoulds. The principal windows on the first floor are taller with transoms. The outer, north- east, facing wall has mullioned windows and the east corner is crenellated. To the west of the enclosure are the remains of the kitchen, which is all that survives of the north range of the Seymour house. Berry Pomeroy was acquired by Ralf de la Pomerai in 1066. There is no evidence of a castle here before c.1300, although a Crown survey of 1292 recorded a manor house. In c.1300 the de la Pomerais built the existing fortified castle and in 1548 Sir Thomas Pomeroy sold it to the Lord Protector Somerset whose son, Sir Edward Seymour, built a great mansion within the walls and lived there from 1575 to 1593. Sir Edward Seymour's son, Edward (died 1613) was also responsible for some of the building. Sir Edward Seymour (1633-1708) moved to Maiden Bradley in Wiltshire and Berry Pomeroy Castle was abandoned and in ruins by early C18.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 100537)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SX83906231

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 Defra ELS number; 446514

• Web site links
  • http://www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/berry%20pomeroy.htm
    http://www.castlexplorer.co.uk/england/berrypomeroy/berrypomeroy.php
    http://britannia.com/history/devon/castles/berrypcast.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_south/202/berrypomeroycastle.htm
    http://www.touruk.co.uk/castles/castle_berry.htm
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.238
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/pomeroy.html
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p490-2
    Higham, Robert A., 1999, 'Castles, Fortified Houses and Fortified Towns in the Middle Ages' in Kain, R. and Ravenhill, W., Historical Atlas of South-West England (University of Exeter Press) p136-43
    Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p49-51
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p53-4
    Mildren, James, 1987, Castles of Devon (Bossiney Books) p58-63
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p188
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1952, Buildings of England: South Devon p49
    Powley, E.B., 1944, The House of de la Pomerai (Liverpool) esp p108-16
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p98-100
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p23-5
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p473
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p351
    Lysons, D. and S., 1822, Magna Britannia Vol6 Devon p. cccxlv-cccxlviii [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.asp?pubid=406]
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p58
• Journal Articles
  • Brown, S., 1996, 'Berry Pomeroy Castle' Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society Vol54
    Higham, R.A., 1988, 'Devon Castles: an annotated list' Proceedings of the Devon Archaeological Society Vol46 p142-9
    Higham, R.A., 1982, 'Early Castles in Devon' Château Gaillard Vol9-10 p101-116
    Griffiths, D.M. and King, A.C., 1982, Archaeology in Devon, annual report p33-34
    Okel, B., 1982, Cornwall Archaeological Society: newsletter Vol40 p3
    Griffiths, D.M. and King, A.C., 1981, Archaeology in Devon, annual report Vol4 p25
    Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' Archaeological Journal Vol138 p227
    1977, Fort Vol4 p76
    Powley, E.B., 1941, Country Life Vol90 p1122-5
    Watkin, H.R., 1926, 'Berry Pomeroy Castle' Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol32 p136-139
    Whitley, H.M., 1915, 'Berry Pomeroy Castle' Devonshire Association reports and transactions Vol47 p285-293
    Worthy, 1883, Devonshire Association reports and transactions Vol15 p426-40
• Guidebooks
  • Brown, S., 1997, Pomeroy Castle (English Heritage)
    Seymour, D., 1982, Berry Pomeroy Castle (Torquay: D Seymour)
    Powley, E.B., 1947, Berry Pomeroy Castle (Liverpool)
    Mortimer, n.d., Berry Pomeroy Castle (Totnes) [more or less worthless]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/cornwalleng.html#devon5]
    Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p113