In the aftermath of his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror entrusted the conquest of the south-west of England to his half-brother Robert of Mortain.
[3] The castles were carefully positioned to control key settlements, rivers and roads, and were constructed from timber, using either motte-and-bailey or ringwork designs.
During the civil war years of the Anarchy in the mid-12th century, during which the rival Anglo-Norman factions of King Stephen and the Empress Matilda vied for power, new motte-and-bailey castles such as Bury and probably Fenny, were erected to provide additional defences, some castles like Neroche that had previously been in decline were temporarily pressed back into service, and a number, including Cary and Richmont saw sieges.
Somerset was predominantly Royalist in sympathy, and several castles were returned to military service during the conflict, including Taunton and Dunster.
[8] Architectural fashions changed in England, and by the 18th century some castles had been redeveloped as grand houses, their grounds reused to hold new mansions, as at Storgursey, while the ruins of Newton St Loes were used as romantic curiosities.