Locking Castle

Locking Castle was a medieval motte-and-bailey fortress on Carberry Hill in North Somerset. Its earthworks still rise above the surrounding fields, marking the spot where a small stone chamber once stood. Archaeologists found pottery fragments, part of a sword and a coin from the reign of Edward IV. A long bank and ditch run along the site’s edge, enclosing the remains of the inner bailey. To the west, a raised mound may once have held a rabbit warren or pillow mound. The castle’s early history is uncertain, but it probably belonged to the manor of Kewstoke or Hutton. The site passed from Henry I to Geoffrey de Dun and later to Woodspring Priory in 1214. After that it lost its military purpose and gradually fell out of use. The earthworks are all that survive today, protected as an ancient monument. The hilltop offers wide views over the Somerset Levels and the Bristol Channel. Visitors can walk the grassy ramparts and see the shallow ditches that once defended the castle. The quiet fields around Carberry Hill still show the layout of the old fortress. A low bank curves for about sixty metres, while the inner ditch drops a metre and a half below ground. The remains of the stone chamber lie buried near the centre of the site. The air carries the scent of wild thyme and the calls of skylarks overhead. The hill stands apart from modern roads, giving a sense of the landscape the castle once commanded.