Montacute Castle was a castle built on a hill overlooking the village of Montacute,

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.

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Montacute Castle was built after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 by Robert of Mortain. The castle was part of a new settlement called ''Mons Acutus'' - literally, sharp hill - built on land that Robert had acquired from Athelney Abbey in exchange for the manor of

Purse Caundle Purse Caundle is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southwest England. It lies within the Dorset Council administrative area, about east of Sherborne. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 90. Purse Caundle mano ...

, an expensive exchange for Robert. The natural features of the hill were used to form an oval-shaped motte and an inner bailey, surrounded by an outer bailey beyond.Richardson, p.7. A park for hunting was established alongside the castle and the village. Montacute Castle

The location for the castle is thought to have been a deliberate political statement by Robert: before the

battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conque ...

, the Anglo-Saxons had discovered what they believed to be a holy cross on the hill. Taken into battle by

Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the ...

who held it in great esteem, "the holy cross" had also been used as the battle cry of the Anglo-Saxon army against the Normans.
Parishes: Montacute
', A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3 (1974), pp. 210-224, accessed 13 July 2011; Richardson, p.3. Robert made Montacute Castle the ''caput'', or main castle, of his

honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

, abandoning another castle he built in Somerset, Castle Neroche. The castle was unsuccessfully besieged in 1068 during a major Anglo-Saxon revolt against Norman rule, but the rebels were defeated by

Geoffrey de Montbray Geoffrey de Montbray (Montbrai, Mowbray) (died 1093), bishop of Coutances ( la, Constantiensis), also known as Geoffrey of Coutances, was a Norman nobleman, trusted adviser of William the Conqueror and a great secular prelate, warrior and adminis ...

, the

Bishop of Coutances The Roman Catholic Diocese of Coutances (–Avranches) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Constantiensis (–Abrincensis)''; French: ''Diocèse de Coutances (–Avranches)'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Its mother church is the Cathe ...

. In 1102, however, William of Mortain (Robert's son) gave the castle and the surrounding lands to the

Cluniac The Cluniac Reforms (also called the Benedictine Reform) were a series of changes within medieval monasticism of the Western Church focused on restoring the traditional monastic life, encouraging art, and caring for the poor. The movement began wi ...

order, who founded Montacute Priory there. The castle was no longer of military value and was left to decline, although the castle chapel, dedicated to

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

, continued in use until at least 1315. The antiquarian John Leland described the castle in 1540 as "party fell to ruin", and by this period it was being quarried for its stone, ultimately resulting in its disappearance. The castle chapel was eventually rebuilt after the destruction of the surrounding castle. 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 ...

. An 18th century

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

, St. Michael's Hill Tower, named after the castle chapel, stands on the site today, making use of part of the castle chapel's foundations. The site is owned by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

and is open to the public.

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

staff surveyed the site for the National Trust in April 2000.
Montacute Castle
', Pastscape National Monuments Record,

, accessed 14 July 2011.

References

Bibliography

*Adkins L. and R. A. Adkins. (1989) "Excavation on St. Michael’s Hill," ''Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society'' 133, pp. 125–129. *Creighton, Oliver Hamilton. (2005) ''Castles and Landscapes: Power, Community and Fortification in Medieval England.'' London: Equinox. . *Liddiard, Robert. (2005)
Castles in Context: Power, Symbolism and Landscape, 1066 to 1500.
' Macclesfield, UK: Windgather Press. . *Mackenzie, J. D. (1896) ''Castles of England.'' New York: Macmillan. *Pounds, Norman John Greville. (1994)
The Medieval Castle in England and Wales: a social and political history.
' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN, 978-0-521-45828-3. * Richardson, Miranda. (2003)
English Heritage Somerset Extensive Urban Survey: an Archaeological Assessment of Montacute.
' Somerset: Somerset County Council. Castles in Somerset Scheduled monuments in South Somerset Motte-and-bailey castles

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References

Bibliography