Old Sarum

First bit of advice for your visit to Old Sarum – dress up warm! On this delightful spring day we were damned cold due to the wind on this exposed site! Apparently the noise from the wind in the rafters was so loud they often couldn’t hear the choir!

My Experience

We broke the journey home from Hampshire with a visit to Old Sarum as I had some work to do nearby. On advice from my customer we actually walked to the edge of the original fortifications. On our other visits we have been into the castle and seen the motte but not really seen the scale of the Iron Age hillfort it was built upon. The ditch and ramparts were massive and must have been a real challenge for any attackers.

However, the other thing we were warned about was the wind! Despite it being a gloriously sunny day it was bloody freezing on top of the hill! We walked around about half of the circumference before I got fed up and we then did a circuit of the inner motte before crossing the drawbridge to head inside, Deb constantly muttering how much she hated the wind and the wind gods…..

Inside was marginally sheltered, in places, and there wasn’t a huge amount left of the Saxon and Norman buildings as they had all been looted for the dressed stone. There were plenty of information boards that gave an idea of the structures and their history, including the cathedral of which even less remained.

We had an excellent chat with the English Heritage guy on site, Tom I think? He was explaining about the history of the site and the Roman structures that had been discovered as well as Neolithic sites linked to Old Sarum and the difficulty in excavating what was left. We followed that with a coffee before going back to work and then home.

Old Sarum Photo Gallery

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History

Hillfort

The first fortification established at Old Sarum was a hillfort. Archaeological finds suggest occupation as early as the Bronze Age although it is likely that both the settlement and defences evolved over time. An approximate date of 400 BC has been cited for the construction of the outer rampart which enclosed an area of around 29 acres. Originally the site had an entrance to the north but this was later filled in and the sole access became via the east which was protected by a hornwork, the medieval equivalent to a Barbican.

Following the Roman invasion in AD 43, Old Sarum became known as Sorviodunum. The region would have been suppressed by the Second Augustan Legion (Legio II Ausgusta) as it swept west but it is unclear whether the local tribe resisted the Romans. Many southern communities had previously traded with the invaders and may have welcomed their arrival. Alternatively Old Sarum could have been one of the twenty recorded towns that were stormed by the Second Legion. Whichever is true, the site continued in use after the Romans arrived although in what capacity is uncertain. It was certainly a strategic site as its position on the new road network placed it near the convergence of routes to Cirencester, Exeter, London (via Silchester) and Winchester. Furthermore two settlements grew up outside of the hillfort – one just to the south-east and another on the London Road (known as the Portway). It is theorised the hillfort may have been occupied by the military and the populace relocated but this is yet to be proven.

The Roman period came to an end in the early years of the fifth century AD and the fate of Old Sarum is unclear. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records a battle linked with the site, then called Searobyrg, in AD 552 but otherwise historical records are silent. Archaeological finds suggest occupation during the tenth century but the Burghal Hidage, a document detailing the fortified burhs in the Kingdom of Wessex, makes no mention of Old Sarum. In 1003 though, a Danish attack on Wilton led to a mint being established at Old Sarum and a settlement grew up in the immediate vicinity of the hillfort.

Old Sarum was seized by the Normans shortly after their invasion of 1066. A motte was built in the centre of the former hillfort no later than 1069. The interior of the former fort was also divided in two by a rampart which effectively created an outer bailey from the eastern portion of the fort. The net effect was a large, secure base from which the Normans could mount large scale military operations. The castle also became the administrative centre of Wiltshire and in 1076 the See was moved from Sherborne to Old Sarum. Work started on the first Cathedral, located within the perimeter of the former hillfort, shortly after.

The original Norman castle would have been an earth and timber construction. The Keep was rebuilt in stone in the early twelfth century and was granted to Bishop Roger of Sarum. Around 1130 he built a lavish new cathedral and upgraded the accommodation within the castle. Roger died in 1139 and the castle passed back to the King. Henry II substantially rebuilt the structure between 1171 and 1189 including enclosing the Inner Bailey with a stone wall and rebuilding the gatehouse. The upgrades were sufficiently lavish for Henry II to use Old Sarum to imprison his wife, Eleanor of Acquitaine, following her incitement of the 1173 rebellion against him.

The reign of King John saw considerable friction between the Crown and the church. At Old Sarum in particular, the relations between the clergy and the castle’s garrison were fractious and in 1220 the foundations of a new Cathedral were laid in New Sarum (Salisbury). The former cathedral in Old Sarum was demolished and its stone used to build its replacement. Despite the departure of the clergy, the castle continued in use as an administrative centre until 1514 although by this time the population centre had moved to Salisbury. The abandoned Old Sarum became a Rotten Borough – a Parliamentary constituency with the landowner effectively selecting the MP – until the Great Reform Act (1832).

References

The English Heritage site with full visitor information is here.

The history above is taken from the excellent castles forts battles site here.