Castle of C11 origins, rebuilt in the mid C13 and 1420. The house was built circa 1571 with alterations of 1867. By 1086 a castle, probably of the motte and bailey type, was established here by the Mohun family using the strong natural defences of the hill. A stone built castle was in existence by 1138 but no masonry from this seems to survive. At about that time the castle was held by William de Mohun against Henry de Tracy and although seigeworks were erected, no structures remain. A view of the castle in 1733 shows the motte used as a gazebo and pleasure garden, but with much of the rest of the castle retaining medieval features.

View a higher resolution map

Name	Dunster Castle
Alternative Names	Torre; Duncaster
Historic County	Somerset
Civil Parish	Dunster
Type	Timber Castle Masonry Castle
Confidence	Certain
Remains	Masonry ruins/remnants
Listed	Grade 1
Scheduled Ancient Monument	Yes
Ordnance Survey Reference	SS991434
Eastings	299110
Northing	143440
Images of England Reference	264651
PastScape Reference	36863
Historic Environment Record	34622

Multi Map

StreetMaps

Books

• Prior, Stuart, 2006, A Few Well-Positioned Castles: The Norman Art of War (Tempus) p68-109
• Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p677-9
• Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p71-3
• Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p220-1
• Dunning, Robert, 1995, Somerset Castles (Somerset Books) p37-39
• Furtado, Peter et al (eds), 1988, Ordnance Survey guide to castles in Britain (London) p83
• King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p442-3
• Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p226
• Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
• Delderfield, Eric R., 1968, West Country historic houses and their families Vol1 p51-5
• Pevsner, N., 1958, The Buildings of England: South and west Somerset (London, Penguin) p156-7
• Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p60-4
• Maxwell-Lyte, H.C., 1918, A History of Dunster (Somerset Record Society Vol33)
• Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p145-6
• Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
• Bothamley, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Somerset Vol2 p513-14
• Maxwell Lyte, 1909, History of Dunster (London) esp p349-82
• Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p54-6
• Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p24-32, 146
• Maxwell Lyte, 1882, Dunster and its Lords (Exeter)
• Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol1 (London) p546-7
• Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p339
• Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p257

Antiquarian

• William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/dorseteng.html#somerset1]
• Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p425
• Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p166 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl01

Journals

• Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p371-392 http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28199104%29106%3A419%3C371%3AAHOCRI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
• Haslam, R., 1987, ‘Dunster Castle, Somerset — I: a property of the National Trust' Country Life 181.29 p124–7
• Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p308
• Gibb, J.H.P., 1981, ‘The medieval castle at Dunster' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol125 p1-15
• Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
• Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
• Whinney, 1950, Archaeological Journal Vol107 p123
• Armitage, E., 1904 April, 'The Early Norman Castles of England' The English Historical Review Vol19 p209-245, 417-455 http://www.archive.org/stream/englishhistorica19londuoft
• 1903, Country Life Vol14
• Lyte, H.C.Maxwell, 1881, 'Dunster and its lords' Archaeological Journal Vol38 p62-79, 207-28 [reprinted as Dunster and its Lords]
• Lyte, H.C.Maxwell, 1880, 'Dunster and its lords' Archaeological Journal Vol37 p57-93, 155-79, 271-93, 386-404
• Green, 1880, 'The siege and surrender of Dunster Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol37 p386-94 [history only]
• Clark, G.T., 1879, 'Duncaster Castle' Archaeological Journal Vol36 p309-20, 400-1 [reprinted in MMA]

Guidebooks

• Anon, 2003. Dunster Castle, Somerset (London: National Trust)
• Dodd, Dudley, 1978, Dunster Castle (National Trust)
• Fedden, Robin and Joekes, Rosemary, 1977, Dunster Castle Guide Book (National Trust)
• Bryant, 1946, (Dunster)
• Musgrave, EI. and Luttrell, W., n.d., Dunster Castle (Derby)

Primary Sources

• Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p427-8