In the early years of the 12th century Roger de Caen, Bishop of Salisbury, built a castle outside the ancient town of Sherborne, set in the middle of a large deer park. De Caen was one of the most powerful men of his age, serving Henry I as Chancellor and Justiciar, and governing England on the king's behalf when Henry was abroad in Normandy.

But the Bishop made a fatal mistake when he threw his support behind the Empress Matilda in her bid to claim the crown after Henry's death. King Stephen seized Sherborne Castle and all the Bishop's estates, and for the next 2 centuries the castle remained a royal fortress.

Various Bishops tried to reassert their claim to Sherborne over the years, to no effect. In 1354 the castle was granted to the Earl of Salisbury, and Bishop Wyville was so incensed by the gift that he threatened to meet the Earl in single combat if necessary to retrieve the castle. Thankfully combat was not necessary, and a compromise solution was reached; the Bishop would pay the Earl a lump sum and the title to Sherborne would be passed to the Bishops of Salisbury once more.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/sherborne-old-castle/

(Visited on August 25, 2017)