Cadbury Castle

Cadbury Castle stands on a limestone hill in Somerset, five kilometres north-east of Yeovil. The hilltop plateau covers seven hectares and is surrounded by earthen ramparts up to twelve metres high. Four ramparts guard the north-west and south sides, while the east retains two. The site’s summit lies 153 metres above sea level, overlooking the flat Somerset Levels. Bronze Age farmers once ploughed the hilltop, leaving traces now buried beneath later defences. Excavations have uncovered Neolithic pits, Iron Age roundhouses and a possible sequence of small temples. The name comes from the old word for fort, with suggestions it may link to the River Cam or a leader called Cador. The hillfort is famous for its links to King Arthur’s Camelot and for the evidence of violent episodes. Archaeologists including Leslie Alcock and Richard Tabor have shown the fort was attacked in the first century AD, possibly by the Roman Second Augusta Legion under Vespasian. A large timber hall was later built inside the defences, measuring twenty by ten metres. Finds such as a Bronze Age shield and Mediterranean pottery show wide trade and high status occupation. The site was reused after Roman rule ended, hosting a Brythonic ruler’s warband and family until about AD 580. A Saxon mint briefly operated here in the early 11th century. Visitors walk the grassy ramparts and stand on the wide plateau where the great hall once stood. The inner bank runs for 1.2 kilometres around the summit, offering views across Somerset. A small wood of hawthorn and oak clings to the slopes, while Sigwells plateau nearby holds more archaeology. Information panels in the Camelot Inn explain the digs and finds. The hillfort is cared for as a scheduled monument, though scrub threatens parts of the site.