Dunster Castle evidence of a fortification at Dunster was an Anglo-Saxon "burgh". This was built on the summit of the hill and was possibly intended to protect the region against sea-borne raiders; by the mid-11th century it was controlled by a local nobleman called Aelfric. In 1066 the Normans invaded south-east England, defeating the English forces at the battle of Hastings: in the aftermath of the victory, William the Conqueror entrusted the conquest of the south-west of England to his half-brother Robert of Mortain. Expecting stiff resistance, Robert marched west into Somerset, supported by forces under Walter of Douai, who entered from
Gallox Bridge, Dunster to pay for the construction of the tower of the Priory Church of St George and provide other amenities. The name Gallox is believed to be derived from gallows as the village gallows were nearby, when it was called Gallocksbrigge. The bridge is close to Dunster Working Watermill and the base of the hill on which Dunster Castle sits and provides access to the site of the Deer park. It also falls within the Dunster Conservation Area. It has been in the guardianship of English Heritage since the 1950s. It is a narrow stone packhorse bridge, on the southern outskirts