Hembury Castle, Buckfast facts for kids
Hembury Castle is an ancient hillfort from the Iron Age period. It is located about a mile north-west of Buckfast village, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England. This fort sits high up, about 178 meters (584 feet) above sea level. It's on a piece of land that sticks out between the River Dart to the east and the Holy Brook to the south-west. The land slopes very steeply down to the River Dart, covered by Hembury Woods, which is a special protected area for nature.
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What is Hembury Castle?
Hembury Castle is a type of ancient settlement called a hillfort. People built these forts on hills for protection, especially during the Iron Age, which was a long time ago (from about 800 BC to 100 AD). The fort covers about seven acres, which is like seven football fields! It has a large wall, called a rampart, and a ditch all around it. These were built to defend the people living inside.
Other Hillforts Nearby
Hembury Castle is one of several Iron Age forts found on the eastern side of Dartmoor. Other similar forts in the area include Holne Chase Castle, Wooston Castle, Cranbrook Castle, and Prestonbury Castle. They all show how people in the Iron Age used high ground for safety.
The Motte and Bailey
Inside Hembury Castle, on the western side, you can see something special. It's an 11th or 12th-century motte. A motte is a large mound of earth, and it usually had a wooden or stone tower on top. This was part of a motte-and-bailey castle, which was a type of castle built after the Iron Age.
Around the motte, there's a narrow area called an inner bailey. This was a courtyard or enclosed space next to the motte. The big walls of the older Iron Age hillfort might have been used as the outer bailey for this later castle. This means Hembury Castle was used by people in different time periods. The whole site is now a scheduled monument, which means it's protected by law because it's so important historically.
History and Legends
The first time Hembury Castle was written about was in the 13th century. It was mentioned in a special book from Buckfast Abbey, which is a nearby monastery. In this book, it was called vetus castellum quod dicitur Hembire. This old name probably comes from the Old English words hean byrig, which means "at the high burh" or "at the high fort."
The Danish Legend
There's an old story about Hembury Castle. The legend says that the fort was once held by the Danes, who were Viking invaders. But the local people managed to take it back using a clever trick!
The story goes that some local women allowed the Danes to capture them and take them inside the fort. But during the night, while the Danish soldiers were asleep after drinking, the women quietly got up. They killed their captors and then opened the gates to let their own countrymen inside. This allowed the local people to win back the fort.
