Wimble Toot
| Wimble Toot Castle | |
|---|---|
| Babcary, Somerset | |
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| Coordinates | grid reference ST560280 |
| Type | Motte |
| Site history | |
| Built by | Robert of Mortain |
Wimble Toot Castle was a probable castle built near the village of Babcary, Somerset, England.
Details
Wimble Toot Castle is a probable castle built near the village of Babcary, Somerset, between 1067 and 1069.[1] Today the site forms a circular earthwork, 27.47 m across and 2.74 m high, with a ditch on the north-west and south-east sides, on the top of a ridge, overloking a brook which runs into the River Cary and the old Roman road of the Fosse Way.[2]
The interpretation of the site's original purpose has changed over time. Originally the site was classified as a Bronze Age barrow, originally used for the burial of the dead, or a windmill mound.[2] The most recent academic research, however, suggests the site was in fact probably a motte castle, built after the Norman conquest of England.[3]
Wimble Toot was probably, therefore, designed to protect the River Cary, and in particular the 19 miles (30km) of navigable river between this castle and Downend Castle, tactically important for Norman communication routes during the period.[4] It would also have guarded the nearby settlement of Ilchester in conjunction with a fortified manor house at the village of Sock Dennis, and was probably built by the regional Norman lord, Robert of Mortain.[5]
Today the site is a scheduled monument.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Prior, p.71.
- ^ a b Wimble Toot, National Monuments Record, accessed 19 July 2011; Prior, p.92.
- ^ Prior, p.92.
- ^ Prior, p.88.
- ^ Prior, p.93.
- ^ Wimble Toot, Babcary, Gatehouse website, accessed 19 July 2011.
Bibliography
- Prior, Stuart. (2006) The Norman Art of War: a Few Well-Positioned Castles. Stroud, UK: Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-3651-1.