| Fenny Castle | |
| Coordinates: | 51.1894°N -2.7053°W |
| Location: | Wookey, Somerset, England |
| Built: | c. 1140 |
| Designation1: | Scheduled Ancient Monument |
| Designation1 Offname: | Fenny Castle |
| Designation1 Number: | 197243 |
Fenny Castle is the remains of a motte and bailey castle in the parish of Wookey, Somerset, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, but not accessible to the public.[1]
It is sited on a natural hillock of Lias approximately 20m (70feet) above the surrounding flat land on the edge of the Somerset Levels.[2] Such sites were typically chosen for castles in low-lying areas.[3]
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. In 1327 the owner was William atte Castle. By 1480 it was described as a ruin by William Worcestre who saw the plan of "all the houses and offices there".[4] During the 19th century the quarrymen found twenty skeletons which were reported as dating from an unspecified period before the construction of the castle.[5]
The castle gave its name to a hamlet of the parish of Wookey named 'Castle', one mile south-west of the main village. A stone cross in the hamlet, marking its importance, was still to be seen in 1839.[6]
Little remains of the stonework, and there is evidence of extensive quarrying. The mound is now covered in grass and scrub with a few trees.[2] However, the site was described in The Archaeology of Somerset (1982) as still having "interesting and prominent earthworks".[7]