Daw's Castle

Daw’s Castle stands on a narrow cliff spur 80 metres above the Bristol Channel, just west of Watchet in Somerset. The sea cuts the land on three sides, and the Washford River curves along the southern edge. A low rampart once formed a semicircle against the cliffs, but erosion and later roads have left only about 300 metres of bank visible today. The site is named after Thomas Dawe, who owned the field in 1537, yet its origins lie much earlier. Excavations show a mortared wall and earth bank built in the late 9th century, part of King Alfred’s coastal defence network. Alfred rebuilt the hillfort as a burh around 878 AD to guard against Viking raids from the channel. It formed one link in a chain of forts connected by the Herepath, a military road that let his troops move quickly along the coast. The Burghal Hidage of 919 credits nearby Watchet with a defensive perimeter of 645 metres, though it is unclear whether this refers to the town walls or the cliff-top fort. Written records tell of fierce Viking attacks in 914, 987 and 997, when defenders killed so many raiders that few escaped except by swimming back to their ships. Visitors reach the site by a short walk from Watchet harbour along the river path. The remaining rampart winds across the cliff top, giving views over the channel and the Somerset coastline. The ground inside slopes gently where once buildings stood, and fragments of the mortared wall still show in places. The air carries the scent of salt and gorse, and seabirds circle below the cliffs. From here the Herepath would have run east towards other burhs, a reminder of Alfred’s network against the Viking threat.