Castle Cary

History

According to The Concise Oxford dictionary of English Place-Names Castle Cary derives its name from the River Cary. The river's name may itself be related to the Welsh word car- meaning "to love"; the name River Cary may mean "pleasant stream". The first Cary Castle was besieged in 1138 and again in 1152. It was originally made with a timber frame, as it would have been built by the Normans, and inherited their building traditions in wood. Cary first appears in recorded history after the Norman Conquest in 1066, though according to a Castle Cary history there is evidence the site was occupied and fortified before this. The castle was abandoned and slighted in the 12th century. It was replaced by a manor house, and the stones pillaged for other buildings in the town. It would seem that the second castle was begun in the 13th century around 1250 and built in Cary stone, indicating that the Hadspen Quarry was in operation at this time. It suggests the Church of All Saints, Castle Cary was begun at a similar time and completed over centuries.