Castle Cary () is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet, at the foot of Lodge Hill and on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett. History The word Cary derives from the Celtic caer meaning rock, crag or castle, making the term Castle Cary a double-play. Castle Cary is said to take half its name from River Cary, itself an aporia. The first Cary Castle was besieged in 1138 and again in 1152. It was originally made of timber frame, as it would have been built by the Normans and inherited their building traditions in wood.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 invasion in the 11th century though according to Castle Cary history 'there is evidence the site was occupied and fortified before this. The second castle was abandoned by the mid-15th century in favour of 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. Castle Cary Manor Castle Cary Manor was given to the Lovels by King Stephen of Blois, who reigned from 22 December 1135 to 25 October 1154 (18 years 308 days). The castle was besieged by King Stephen of Blois in 1138 in his struggle for the throne of England with his cousin Matilda. When the Lovels failed to produce a male heir during the reign of King Edward III, it passed through marriage to Nicholas de S. Maure, a Baron. It passed again through female heir during the time of King Henry V to Lord Zouches of Harringworth. King Henry VII attainting John Lord Zouch gave the Castle to Robert Willoughby Lord Brook and Lord Zouch's lands at Bridge-water to Lord Daubney. The Zouches had backed King Richard III, the wrong side of the struggle between Richard III and the Tudors. Castle Cary was granted a formal market charter in 1468 from Edward V. It developed as a market town with a number of rural industries, wool flourishing. The Greene King George Hotel is said to have been constructed around this time, rebuilt after