Richmont Castle was an 11th-century

motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

near the village of

East Harptree East Harptree is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated north of Wells and south of Bristol, on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills overlooking the Chew Valley. The parish has a population of 644. The parish include ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. Now totally ruined, it once included parkland, an artificial lake and served as the local minery court.

Location

Richmont Castle was built near the village of East Harptree, Somerset, probably soon after the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

of England in 1066.Brown, p.4. The name probably means either "rich mountain" or "strong mountain". The castle was located on a steep spur of ground, overlooking the

Chew Valley The Chew Valley is an affluent area in North Somerset, England, named after the River Chew, which rises at Chewton Mendip, and joins the River Avon at Keynsham. Technically, the area of the valley is bounded by the water catchment area of t ...

, with two valleys, called coombes, dropping away on either side of the spur.

History

The first version of the castle appears to have been constructed using a single bailey on the south side, possibly making use of an existing

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

fortification, similar to that at nearby Bincknoll. Later versions of the castle involved the creation of an inner bailey within the first, and a circular

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

on the highest point on the spur. The castle became part of a managed landscape and was surrounded by a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

called the Great Park; the keep may have overlooked an artificial lake across the valley floor to the west. The castle may have been founded by William FitzJohn de Harptree. During the 12th century, Richmont Castle was involved in the civil war known as

the Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adelin, the only legiti ...

, during which King Stephen and the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...

attempted to establish control of England. The castle was controlled by Sir William de Harptree, who supported Matilda. In 1138, after failing to take

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, Stephen advanced on Richmont and, according to chroniclers, took the castle through subterfuge. Stephen set up his

siege engine A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while other ...

s at a distance from the castle and then, when the garrison attempted to take advantage of this by coming out to attack him, quickly attacked and burnt the main gates behind them, successfully taking the castle. The castle was also visited by

King John King John may refer to: Rulers * John, King of England (1166–1216) * John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237) * John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314) * John I of France (15–20 November 1316) * John II of France (1319–1364) * John I o ...

in 1205. The castle was used by the de Harptrees and de Gurney families for most of the rest of the medieval period, forming the administrative centre and law court for one of the four Mendip mineries in the region.

Abandonment

The castle was ruined and abandoned by the 1540s, with the stone being reused to build local houses. The Newton family excavated the foundations to built a house nearby called "Eastwood", according to John Leland. The site was mined extensively between the 17th and 19th centuries for

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

calamine Calamine, also known as calamine lotion, is a medication used to treat mild itchiness. This includes from sunburn, insect bites, poison ivy, poison oak, and other mild skin conditions. It may also help dry out skin irritation. It is applied ...

, used at the foundries at Bristol. Today the site is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

, and a small fragment of the keep can still be seen on the site.
Richmont Castle, East Harptree
', Gatehouse website, accessed 12 July 2011;

Bibliography

*Brown, G. (2008) ''Richmont Castle, East Harptree: An Analytical Earthwork Survey, English Heritage Research Department Report No. 73.'' London: English Heritage. *Dunning, Robert. (1982) ''A History of Somerset.'' Chichester, UK: Phillimore & Co. . *Dunning, Robert. (1995) ''Somerset Castles.'' Tiverton, UK: Somerset Books. . *Gough, J. W. (1931) "Mendip Mining Law and Forest Bounds," ''Somerset Record Society'' 45. *Mackenzie, J.D. (1896) ''Castles of England.'' New York: Macmillan.

References

{{Reflist Castles in Somerset Former castles in England Scheduled monuments in Bath and North East Somerset Ruins in Somerset Buildings and structures completed in the 11th century

Location

History

Abandonment

See also

Bibliography

References