Siege of Bridgwater Castle 1216

Who Fought

History & Significance

Bridgwater Castle was a castle in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset, England.

The stone castle was built around 1220 and contributed to the development of the town. It was surrounded by a moat and included a watergate giving access to the quay. In the 13th and 14th centuries the castle was involved in the Second Barons' War and Despenser War.

It then fell into ruin and parts were demolished in the first half of the 17th century and a new house built. Some of the walls survived and it played a minor role in the English Civil War and Monmouth Rebellion. In the later 17th and early 18th centuries many of the remaining buildings were demolished and new residential and industrial buildings constructed, giving its name to Castle Street. The watergate and some sections of wall survive.

The castle was built early in the 13th century by William Brewer, like several other castle-builders of the period, an exceptionally wealthy man. He was granted the lordship of the Manor of Bridgwater by King John in 1201, and founded Bridgwater Friary. Before the building of the castle, Bridgwater was much smaller, but after the granting a licence to crenellate by King John, in 1200, charters for the creation of a borough and a market rapidly followed, effectively creating the heart of a new town. Initially Bridgwater faced competition from the established nearby port of Downend, protected by Down End Castle, but the new settlement rapidly became dominant.

Bridgwater Castle was a substantial structure built in Old Red Sandstone from Wembdon with other stone being transported from Downend in the Polden Hills and Ham Hill by boat. The site covered 8 or 9 acres (32,000 to 36,000 m2). A tidal moat, up to 65 feet (20 m) wide in places, flowed about along the current streets of Fore Street and Castle Moat, and between Northgate and Chandos Street. The moat was filled from Durleigh brook, a tributary of the River Parrett. There is some evidence that there was a weir between the moat and the river. Unusually, the main entrance opposite the Cornhill was built with a pair of adjacent gates and drawbridges. In addition to a keep, located at the south-east corner of what is now King Square, documents show that the complex included a dungeon, chapel, stables and a bell tower. Built on the only raised ground in the town, the castle controlled the crossing of the town bridge. There is documentary evidence describing the castle as having "outer and inner bailies and that the buildings included the constable's house (on the high ground of King Square), a chapel (St Marks), hall (Mortemere's Hall) and chamber, stables, kitchens, horse mill and gatehouse as well as a bell tower and dovecote.

The ground they fought on

The site of Siege of Bridgwater Castle 1216 lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Siege of Bridgwater Castle 1216

Telescopic rail bridge over the River Parrett, 270m south east of Bridgwater Dock lock

Scheduled monument · ~0.4 mi

Telescopic rail bridge over the River Parrett is a nineteenth-century iron railway bridge located near Bridgwater in Somerset. The bridge is notable for its telescopic design, a mechanical innovation that allowed the structure to extend and retract to permit river traffic to pass whilst maintaini…

Geof Sheppard / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Chandos Glass Cone, at the junction of Northgate and Valetta Place

Scheduled monument · ~0.4 mi

Chandos Glass Cone is a Grade I listed industrial monument dating from the eighteenth century, located at the junction of Northgate and Valetta Place in Nailsea, Somerset. The structure is a conical kiln of brick construction, characteristic of glassmaking operations of the period, and represents…

Neil Owen / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Churchyard cross in St George's churchyard

Scheduled monument · ~1.1 mi

The churchyard cross in St George's churchyard is a medieval stone monument located in Somerset, England. The structure belongs to the category of parish churchyard crosses, which typically served as gathering points and focal markers within the religious and civic life of medieval communities. L…

Churchyard cross in St Mary the Virgin's churchyard

Scheduled monument · ~2.6 mi

The churchyard cross in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin in Somerset is a medieval monument of considerable local significance. The cross stands as a substantial stone structure characteristic of the fifteenth-century period, when such monuments were commonly erected in churchyards throughout…

Motte with two baileys immediately east of Bristol Road, Down End

Scheduled monument · ~2.7 mi

Motte with two baileys immediately east of Bristol Road, Down End is a Norman fortification of the eleventh or twelfth century. The monument comprises a motte, or artificial mound, accompanied by two baileys, the defended enclosures characteristic of motte-and-bailey castles, which represent a di…

Rodw / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

Churchyard cross in St Michael's churchyard

Scheduled monument · ~4.1 mi

The churchyard cross in St Michael's churchyard is a medieval stone monument of probable fourteenth-century date, positioned within the burial ground of the parish church in Somerset. The cross survives as a shaft mounted upon a stepped base, exemplifying the type of preaching cross or market cro…

Andrew Riley / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Other Medieval Battles

Battles near Siege of Bridgwater Castle 1216

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• Bridgwater Castle · Wikipedia
• Bridgwater: Castle · British History Online (Victoria County History, Somerset vol. 6)
• Bridgwater Castle · Bridgwater Museum