Quadrangular castle in the centre of Nunney, on the west bank of Nunney Brook. The castle is of a highly distinctive design, consisting of a high four-storey rectangular building containing principal rooms such as the great hall, with large closely-spaced circular towers providing more private chambers. The towers still rise almost to their full height, and are crested by a parapet surmounted by a drum turret. The building is tightly enclosed by a wide moat. Nunney Castle was built by Sir John de la Mare in 1373, when he obtained a licence to 'crenelate' his house. The family were Royalists and Roman Catholic in the Civil War, and the castle was besieged by the Parliamentarians in 1645, falling after two days when the north side of the castle was severely damaged by gunfire. It was 'slighted' thereafter, although the walls were left intact, the north wall only finally collapsing in 1910.a praty castle at the weste end of the paroche churche, havynge at eche end by northe and southe 2 praty rownd towres gatheryd by cumpace to joyne into one. The waulls be very stronge and thykke, and the stayres narrow; the lodgynge within somewhat darke. It standith on the lefte ripe of the ryver devidethe it from the churcheyarde. The castell is motyd about, and this mote is servid by water conveyed into it owte of the ryver. There is a stronge waulle withe owte the mote rounde about, saving at the est parte of the castell where it is defendyd by the brooke. (Leland)

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Name	Nunney Castle
Alternative Names	Nonny
Historic County	Somerset
Civil Parish	Nunney
Type	Masonry Castle
Confidence	Certain
Remains	Major
Listed	Not listed
Scheduled Ancient Monument	Yes
Ordnance Survey Reference	ST736457
Eastings	373660
Northing	145720
Images of England Reference
PastScape Reference	202784
Historic Environment Record	23897

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StreetMaps

Books

• Emery, Anthony, 2006, Greater Medieval Houses Vol3 (Cambridge) p604-7
• Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Wessex (Malvern) p80-2
• Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p223
• Dunning, Robert, 1995, Somerset Castles (Somerset Books) p63-5
• King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p444
• Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p269-70
• McGarvie, 1977 (3rd edn), Nunney and Trudoxhill
• Pevsner, N., 1958, The Buildings of England: North Somerset and Bristol (London, Penguin) p238-9
• Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (Heinemann) p222
• Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p64-6
• Burrow, Edward J., 1924, Ancient Earthworks and Camps of Somerset (Cheltenham and London) p128
• Bothamley, 1911, in Page, Wm (ed), VCH Somerset Vol2 p521
• Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
• Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p65-7
• Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p417
• Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1853, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol2 p296
• Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p261

Antiquarian

• William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/dorseteng.html#somerset21]
• Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p428
• Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol5 p97 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryofjohnl05lelauoft

Journals

• King, D.J.C., 1986 'Nunney Castle' 133rd annual meeting: Avon, 1986. Rhaglen/Programme, CAA p35–6
• Morley, B.M., 1977, 'Nunney Castle, Somerset' Archaeological Journal Vol134 p353-4
• Hussey, C., 1943 Jan/Feb, Country Life Vol93 p218-21, 264-7
• 1930, Archaeological Journal Vol87 p488-9
• Green, E., 1876, Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Society Vol22 p69-105
• Giles, 1851, Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Society Vol1 p123-6 [of little value]

Guidebooks

• Rigold, S.E., 1956, Nunneny Castle, Somerset (HMSO)

Primary Sources

• Calendar of Patent Rolls (1370-74) p367