Nunney Castle near Frome

 This is my local castle. Fell to the Roundheads in 1645.

Inspired by the French chateaux he'd seen in the Hundred Years War John de la Mare started Nunney castle near Frome in the 1370s. Never a serious military fortress being overlooked by rolling hills it was no doubt an impressive enough status symbol for the time. It passed into the Prater family in the 1560s. The castle was besieged in 1645 when the New Model Army's siege train was despatched from the main force to finish this outpost of Royalist resistance. It fell without much effort, this was not a building made to resist artillery. The garrison was tiny and it is said that they made pigs scream to make it seem they had plenty of pork to slaughter. It's said that it fell to Cromwell or Fairfax but this segment from Anglia Rediviva shows that only a small detachment was needed to reduce it.

The General resting all the next day a t Sherborne, to settle the business of the county. And on Monday (after Sir Lewis Dives and the prisoners , together with the club-leaders before mentioned, who were had in hold, were sent away with a guard to London) the army marched to Castle-Carew (save that Colonel Rainsborough with his own and Colonel Hammond’s regiments, and two pieces of ordnance, was sent to Nunney-castle, for the reducing thereof), th e rest of the army marched that night to Castle-Carew: the next day the General himself went to view Nunney castle, and found it to be a very strong piece. The next day the army marched to Chue, nine miles, and ill way;
Thursday 21st, in the morning, to encourage us in our engagements, we received intelligence of the surrender ofNunney-castle to Colonel Rainsborough, upon condition to have liberty to go to their own house