St Michael's Hill is an isolated natural knoll that has been artificially sculpted to create impressive defensive earthworks. The occupation of this prominent landform dates from at least C11 and the principal earthwork is a substantial motte created from the upper part of the knoll. This conical mound is flanked on the west side by a stong bank and ditch and it is almost completely enclosed by a broad terrace. The origin of the terrace is unclear but it may have been created to support an annular bailey. A substantial horseshoe-shaped bailey, situated on the south-eastern side of the knoll, has a deep ditch and partial inner bank which cuts across the line of the broad terrace. Mentioned in Domesday. The castle was apparently constructed of stone although this may have been preceded by a timber structure. The castle had lost its military signficance by 1102. A chapel (which may once have been part of the castle) was still in use in C14.

View a higher resolution map

Name	Montacute Castle
Alternative Names	St Michaels Hill; Biscopeston; Bishopstone
Historic County	Somerset
Civil Parish	Montacute
Type	Timber Castle Masonry Castle
Confidence	Certain
Remains	Earthworks
Listed	Not listed
Scheduled Ancient Monument	Yes
Ordnance Survey Reference	ST493169
Eastings	349350
Northing	116990
Images of England Reference
PastScape Reference	193150
Historic Environment Record	54297

Multi Map

StreetMaps

Books

• Prior, S.J., 2007, 'Strategy, symbolism and the downright unusual: the archaeology of three Somerset castles' in M. Costen (ed), People and places: essays in honour of Mick Aston (Oxford: Oxbow Books) p76-89
• Prior, Stuart, 2006, A Few Well-Positioned Castles: The Norman Art of War (Tempus) p68-109
• Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p78
• Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p225 [slight]
• Dunning, Robert, 1995, Somerset Castles (Somerset Books) p40-42 [plan]
• King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p443
• Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p262
• Dunning, R.W. (ed), 1974, VCH Somerset Vol3 p210, 215
• Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
• Burrow, Edward J., 1924, Ancient Earthworks and Camps of Somerset (Cheltenham and London) p120
• Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p169-71
• Bothamley, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Somerset Vol2 p515-6
• Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
• Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p62-3

Antiquarian

• William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/dorseteng.html#somerset4]
• Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p419-20
• Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol1 p157-8 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
• Adkins, L. Adkins, R.A., 1989, 'Excavation on St. Michael's hill' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol133 p125-9
• Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p309
• 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
• Turner, A.G.C., 1950, 'Notes on some Somerset place-names' Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Vol95 p120-1
• 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