Yarn Market Dunster

Dunster's most famous feature is the 17th century Yarn Market where cloth was sold. A hole in one of the beams of the Yarn Market is said to have been made by a cannonball during the Civil War when the Castle was under siege for 160 days. Standing at the north end of the High Street at the northern end of this idyllic village and former town in the west of the county, it was put up in about 1590 to shelter traders and their wares from the elements. Damaged during the Civil War siege, it was restored in 1647 to its present condition. The market here dates back at least to 1222 and filled the main street on market days, as did the periodic fairs (once a year by 1355, two by 1621). Cloth was produced in the borough by the 13th century and a particular kind of kersey or broadcloth became known as 'Dunsters'.

The octagonal Yarn Market, often called the butter market
(perhaps from its use after the great days of Dunster cloth-making), was built in 1609

This manufacture and the general economy of the place collapsed in the 18th century and was the direct cause of the old attractive heart of the town being preserved rather than being rebuilt and developed since that time. Dunster was granted to the Mohun family after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and they established the magnificent castle at the other end of the High Street, founded a Benedictine priory by 1177 and a borough by 1197. In 1375 the castle, manor and the extensive estate which surrounded them were bought by the Luttrell family of nearby East Quantoxhead (where they still live) and they have exercised a paternal interest over the area ever since, transferring the castle to the National Trust in 1976. Visitors can also tour a working watermill, the former priory church and a doll museum

The Yarn Market Dunster

Dunster Yarn Market (a covered Market for the sale of local cloth, built in 1609) and Dunster Castle, Exmoor

The Yarn Market Dunster

Contributed by: Liam Smith