| Fenny Castle | |
| Location: | Wookey, Somerset, England |
| Coordinates: | |
| Built: | c. 1140 |
| Scheduled monument | |
| Official name: Fenny Castle | |
| Reference #: | 197243[1] |
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Location of Fenny Castle in Somerset
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Fenny Castle is the remains of a motte and bailey castle in the parish of Wookey, Somerset, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[1]
It is sited on a natural hillock of Lias approximately 20 metres (66 ft) above the surrounding flat land on the edge of the Somerset Levels.[2] Such sites were typically chosen for castles in low-lying areas.[3]
The original builder of the castle is unknown, but it may be associated with the Anarchy, a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen which was marked by a succession crisis between the supporters of Stephen and those of his cousin, the Empress Matilda. In 1327 the owner was William atte Castle.[1] By 1480 it was described as a ruin by William Worcestre who saw the plan of "all the houses and offices there".[4] During the 19th century the quarrymen found twenty skeletons which were reported as dating from an unspecified period before the construction of the castle.[1]
The Castle gave its name to a hamlet of the parish of Wookey named 'Castle', one mile south-west of the main village. A stone cross in the hamlet, marking its importance, was still to be seen in 1839. [5]
Little remains of the stonework, and there is evidence of extensive quarrying. The mound is now covered in grass and scrub with a few trees.[2] However, the site was described in The Archaeology of Somerset (1982) as still having "interesting and prominent earthworks".[6]