Old SarumEdit
Old Sarum is a monumental reminder of layered English history, perched on a chalk spur above the Salisbury Plain near modern Salisbury in Wiltshire. The site combines an Iron Age hill fort, a Norman fortress, and the ruins of a medieval settlement that once functioned as a bustling town and, later, as a famous parliamentary borough. It stands today as a Scheduled Monument and a touchstone in discussions about heritage, urban development, and the evolution of representative government.
Old Sarum’s enduring prominence lies not only in its impressive earthworks and fortifications but in the way its story intersects with the growth of England: prehistory, conquest, medieval administration, and the political reforms of the 19th century. The hill’s massive bank and ditch, the remains of a motte-and-bailey castle, and the relics of the old town offer a palimpsest of human activity spanning millennia. The site also helps illuminate how political power was historically anchored to landholding and place, and how reformers sought to recalibrate representation in response to changing populations and economic realities.
History
Prehistoric and medieval origins
Old Sarum began as a defensible site on a natural rise overlooking the valley of the Avon. Archaeologists identify it as an Iron Age hill fort, with later Roman-era activity and continued significance through the early medieval era. The distinctive circular and linear earthworks—earth ramparts enclosing a large interior space—mark a landscape shaped by centuries of occupation and adaptation. The site’s defensible position would later attract a new layer of strategic importance as political authority shifted to the controlling hands of conquerors and their successors. For the broader story of fortifications on raised ground, see Hill fort.
Norman fortress and medieval administration
After the Norman Conquest, Old Sarum acquired a formidable fortress complex, including a castle and associated precincts, as part of the security and control mechanisms that accompanied Norman rule. The Normans often used such sites to project authority, secure major routes, and establish administrative centers in a landscape that favored defense and surveillance. The castle and surrounding earthworks at Old Sarum became a focal point for governance in the region, and the site’s fortifications were emblematic of the consolidation of power in post-Conquest England. See also Norman conquest and Castle (fortification) for context on the architectural and political logic of these structures.
The medieval borough and its parliamentary role
Old Sarum attained a place in the political geography of medieval England as a borough with representation in the Parliament of England. From the late 13th century onward, Old Sarum sent two members to Parliament, a status that continued for centuries despite the town’s relatively small footprint and population. The borough functioned within the sprawling system of medieval governance, where landownership and vested interests often translated into political influence. The arrangement became infamous in modern times as an example of what reformers would later term a “rotten borough”—a constituency with an electorate so small that representation did not realistically reflect the wider community. The English Parliament’s evolution and the concept of parliamentary reform are discussed in works on Reform Act 1832 and the history of Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Move to New Sarum and decline of the old town
In the medieval period, a broader pattern of urban development and religious administration led to the relocation of certain economic and ecclesiastical functions. The see and cathedral life began to concentrate in the area that would become the modern city of Salisbury. By the 13th and 14th centuries, the old town at Old Sarum had declined in population and importance; the seat of regional power shifted toward the flourishing urban center around the new cathedral and town site. The name Sarum persisted in historical documents as a Latin toponym associated with the see, but the physical focus moved away from the old hill. The result was a ruined hill fort reflecting a once-thriving medieval community and its later political role. For the modern urban center that grew nearby, see Salisbury and Salisbury Cathedral.
Archaeology, preservation, and interpretation
Today, Old Sarum is preserved as a Scheduled Monument, with substantial earthworks and the silhouette of the castle remain in the landscape. Excavations and surveys over the years have revealed the stratified use of the site—from prehistoric activity through medieval occupation—highlighting how a single location can bear witness to multiple eras of human organization. The site continues to inform discussions about heritage management, conservation priorities, and the ways in which a landscape can mediate political memory. For related topics on how such sites are protected and interpreted, see Scheduled monument and Earthworks (archaeology).