Castle Cary is a pleasant Somerset town within striking distance of Bath, Wells, Yeovil and Somerton. Historically it controlled the trade routes south from Bath, underlining its importance. Visiting it for the first time, one might be inspired to ask: Where is the castle, and was there a local family called Cary?
The Name of Cary
It seems that the name Cary has two distinct sources, both of them linked to the Celtic language. The first possibility is that the town got its name from kari, a Celtic word meaning peaceful stream. The second is that it had another Celtic derivation, from cari, a corruption of the word creagh which translates as a rocky hill.
In terms of georgraphy, both could equally apply, for the heart of the town is at the foot of a decline where the source of the local Cary River, rises in Park Pond. It then meanders its way towards Sedgemoor and the Somerset Levels. Rising from the lowest part of the town is Lodge Hill, which is both steep and rocky, so one can really take one's choice.
The Castle at Castle Carey
Although at first sight there is no castle, behind the main street, on the hill, lay the foundations of what was once a Norman motte and bailey castle. Its history was turbulent and by the 15th century it virtually disappeared and a manor house was built adjacent to it. The stone was gradually carted away to build other houses in the town.
The first owner of the manor was Walter de Douai who had come across with William the Conqueror. As a reward he was granted several manors but Castle Cary seems to have been his richest and he held nearly a thousand acres. At the timeof the Domesday survey the population was recorded as consisting of 23 villagers, 20 small holders, 17 plows, 6 slaves and 8 swineherds.
The importance of livestock is underlined by the other assets recorded as 16 cattle, 50 swine and 117 sheep. Walter's son Robert Bampton inherited the property but during the civil war that erupted between supporters of King Stephen and Queen Maud, he seems to have chosen the wrong side and in 1136 he was exiled. The king gave the lands to the Lovell family but their tenure was short lived and the castle was besieged a second time in 1153 and returned to the king.
Now all there is to be seen are three earthworks and some interesting terracing. The vill of Cary continued to thrive and it seems to have become an adminsitrative centre for the collection of dues and for legal administration. In 1539 it provided more men for the muster than Yeovil and courts were regularly held in the George Inn.
Among the industries that sustained it, were agriculture, the wool trade, thatching, rake making and leather and parchment production. Flax also became an important production. Curiously the site of the old flax mills developed into a unique and surviving factory for making of fabric from horsehair. Happily this involves using the tail hair from live horses.