[2] 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.

[3] Such sites were typically chosen for castles in low-lying areas.

[4] The original builder of the castle is unknown, but it may be associated with the Anarchy, 1135–1153, 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.

[1] By 1480 it was described as a ruin by William Worcestre who saw the plan of "all the houses and offices there".

[5] During the 19th century the quarrymen found twenty skeletons which were reported as dating from an unspecified period before the construction of the castle.