Castles – South Wales

Home , 13th century, 14th century in Wales, Abergavenny Castle, Barry Castle, Candleston Castle, Carreg Cennen Castle

‘Build Date’ refers to the oldest surviving significant masonry elements In column 1; WCM ≡ Carmarthen, WGL ≡ Glamorgan, WGO ≡ Gower, WGW ≡ Gwent, WPM ≡ Pembroke

Build Occupation WCM Castle Location Configuration Current Remains Date Status

th 1 Carmarthen SN 413 200 Enclosure c1110 Empty since 17 C Ruins of keep, curtain wall

2 Carreg Cennen SN 667 192 3 Enclosures 1299 Sleighted, 1462 Extensive ruins 3 Dinefwr SN 611 217 2 Enclosures, keep Late-12th C Empty since 16th C Extensive ruins

4 Dryslwyn SN 554 204 3 Enclosures, keep Early 13th C Sleighted, early-15th C Fragmentary ruins 5 Greencastle SN 396 166 Fortified L-plan 14/15th C Empty long term High separated ruins

th th 6 Kidwelly SN 409 070 2 Enclosures Late-13 C Empty since 17 C? Extensive ruins 7 Llandovery SN 767 343 Motte & bailey 12/13th C Empty since early-15th C Ruined towers on motte

th th 8 Llansteffan SN 351 101 2 Enclosures Early-12 C Empty since 16 C Extensive ruins 9 Laugharne SN 303 107 2 Enclosures, keep 12/13th C Empty since 17th C Extensive high ruins WGL 1 Barry ST 102 673 Fortified manor 13/14th C Empty, 16th & 18th C Ruins, gatehouse, S. range 2 Beaupre ST 009 721 Fortified manor c1300 Mostly empty since 1709 Extensive ruins 3 Caerphilly ST 156 871 2 X Enclosure Late-13th C Empty by 16th C Extensive ruins

th th 4 Candleston SS 872 773 Fortified manor 14 C Empty, early 19 C Extensive ruins 5 Cardiff ST 180 767 Shell keep & bailey 1091 Parts still occupied Mix of ruins and rebuilds 6 Coity SS 923 816 Enclosure, keep 1090 Empty, 18th C High and low ruins 7 Kenfig SS 802 827 Keep, later enclosed 1140s Empty, 15th C Stump of keep th th 8 Llanblethian SS 989 743 Enclosure 13/14 C Mostly empty since15 C Gatehouse ruin + remnants th 9 Llandaff ST 156 780 Fortified house 1280s Empty, 14 C Gatehouse ruin, walls th th 10 Llanmaes SS 983 694 Fortified house? 14 C Empty, 15 C Fragment, wall of hall 11 Llantrisant ST 047 834 Keep & enclosure c1250 Empty after 16th C Ruin of keep, fragments 12 Neath SS 754 978 Enclosure 1230s Empty, early-15th C High ruin of gatehouse 13 New Bridgend SS 902 801 Enclosure 12th C Empty, 16th C Ruined walls & towers th th 14 Ogmore SS 882 769 Keep & enclosure Early-12 C Empty, 17 C Extensive ruins th th 15 Penmark ST 058 688 Enclosure 12/13 C Empty, 14 C Ruins of tower & curtain 16 St. Donat’s SS 935 681 Concentric enclosure 12th C Occupied by school Complete WGO 1 Loughor SS 564 980 Tower & enclosure 12/13th C Empty, 14th C High ruin of tower 2 Oxwich SS 497 863 Fortified house Mid-15th C Empty, 18th C Extensive ruins th th 3 Oystermouth SS 613 883 Enclosure & keep 12 C Empty, 15 C Extensive high ruins th 4 Pennard SS 545 885 Enclosure 12/13 C Empty, c1500 Gatehouse ruin, fragments th 5 Penrice SS 492 879 Enclosure & keep c1237 Empty, 17 C A number of high ruins 6 Swansea SS 657 931 Enclosure Early-14th C Mostly empty 17th C High ruins of hall & tower 7 Weobley SS 678 928 Fortified house 14/15th C Empty, 17th C Near complete, roofless WGW 1 Abergavenny SO 299 139 Enclosure + keep c1175 Empty, 17th C Tower ruins + fragments

th 2 Caerleon ST 342 905 Motte & bailey Early-13 C Empty Ruined tower th 3 Caldicot ST 487 885 Enclosure 13 C Empty Extensive ruins 4 Chepstow ST 534 942 Enclosure 1067 Empty, 19th C Extensive ruins 5 Grosmont SO 406 244 Enclosure Early 13th C Empty, 16th C Extensive ruins 6 Monmouth SO 507 129 Enclosure 12th C Empty, 17th C Ruins of tower & hall 7 Newport ST 312 885 Fortified hall block 14/15th C Empty, 16th C Hall block with towers

Occupation WGW Castle Location Configuration Build Date Current Remains Status 8 Pencoed ST 406 894 Courtyard, gated Late-15th C Empty, 18th C Hall block, gatehouse 9 Penhow ST 425 908 Courtyard, keep 12th C Occupied Mostly complete 10 Raglan SO 414 083 Keep + baileys 1450 Empty, 17th C Extensive ruins 11 Skenfrith SO 457 203 Enclosure + keep 1220s Empty, 16th C Extensive ruins 12 Usk SO 377 010 Enclosure 12th C Empty, 16th C, save gateho. Extensive ruins 13 White SO 379 168 Enclosure 12th C Empty, 16th C Extensive ruins, walls WPM 1 Angle SM 866 030 Tower house c1500 Empty, 16th C? Near-complete outside 2 Carew SN 045 037 Enclosure 13th C Empty, 1680 Extensive ruins 3 Cilgerran SN 195 431 Enclosure + bailey Early-12th C Empty, 17th C Extensive ruins 4 Eastington SM 901 024 Fortified manor 13th C Empty, 19th C Ruin of solar block 5 Haverfordwest SM 953 157 Enclosure + keep 1120 Empty, 16th C High walls round footings 6 Llawhaden SN 073 174 Enclosure 1230 Empty, 16th C High walls & gatehouse 7 Manorbier SS 064 978 Enclosure 12th C Empty, 16th C Extensive roofless ruins 8 Narberth SN 109 143 Enclosure 13th C Empty, 17th C Fragments of tower & solar 9 Newport SN 057 388 Enclosure 13th C Empty, 17th C G’house entire, other ruins 10 Pembroke SM 982 016 Enclosure + keep c1200 Empty, 17th C Extensive ruins 11 Picton SN 011 134 Fortified house c1300 Occupied Entire 12 Roch SM 881 212 Tower house + hall 1260s Restored, 20th C Entire, altered interior 13 Tenby SN 138 005 Enclosure? 12th C Empty, 15th C Ruined tower & gatehouse 14 Upton SN 021 047 Fortified house 13th C Restored, 19th C Entire, enlarged

1. A total of 59 castles have been identified in South Wales, the 5 ‘counties’ of Carmarthen, Glamorgan, Gower, Gwent, and Pembroke. My selection philosophy has been to include those I have already viewed and such others as have significant coherent remains; I have tended to exclude those which have benefitted from a modern reconstruction if it amounted to a rebuild. There are remains of many castles in the counties concerned, which I do not consider, often because in my judgement the masonry remains are fragmentary or non-existent. So, my gazetteer is best regarded as a sample, albeit quite a large one, and any tentative conclusions I draw need to be seen in that light.

2. To-date, I have viewed 33 of the 59 castles on my list, but all have been assessed in a desk-top exercise.

3. There is only 1 castle which ended its life as a ringwork or motte and bailey type, though many more began that way as earthwork and timber structures, but rebuilds in stone almost invariably meant conversion to an enclosure type of which there were 39. The great majority of them were built in the 12th and 13th century.

4. Castles fell into decline early in this region. Key factors were the pacification of the border between England and Wales, and later the conquest of Wales, by King Edward I in the late 13th century, but also the tacit acceptance of English and Welsh domains in South Wales. At the start of the 15th century, Owen Glendower’s revolt brought many castles back into play, but they were hardly a factor during the Wars of the Roses, and some became uninhabited before the end of the 15th century. The Civil War led to the re-occupation of a significant number, some already in a decayed state, but this was the last act before ruin for most. Astonishingly, only 7 out of 59 castles remain even partially occupied; unlike in other regions, restoration or development as

2 more comfortable mansions has rarely been considered by their owners, presumably because of the constraints imposed by the defensive arrangements.

5. North Wales is often regarded as the region of great castles, but some of those in South Wales like Chepstow, Caerphilly and Pembroke rival any there for grandeur and complexity, and a remarkable number were built given the cost of such enterprises.

WCM1. Carmarthen Castle is in the centre of Carmarthen, near the right bank of the River Towy. The 1st Norman castle was built to the south-west of the town in the early 1090s, but was abandoned within a few years. A castle on the current site was built at the end of the first decade in the 12th century. Thereafter, the history of the castle is of a long succession of changes in ownership between native Welsh and English lords, princes and kings. It was frequently captured and damaged, but always rebuilt, and evolved from a wooden to a powerful stone enclosure castle. However, after featuring in the Civil War, it was sleighted, and the main part of the site was occupied first by a gaol, and then by the modern offices. The surviving west reach of the curtain wall, shown in the schematic, is a mixture of the modern and medieval, with the medieval remains confined to the gatehouse, parts of two towers, of which that in the south-west corner is most complete, and some masonry and raised earthworks associated with a keep in the north-west corner. The gatehouse, built in the early-15th century, comprises two round towers of diameter 5m, which flank a passageway, and are surmounted by remains of a corbelled parapet; it is an impressive presence in the town centre.

WCM2. Carreg Cennen Castle is on the right (north) bank of the River Cennen, a tributary of the River Towy, and is 26km east of Carmarthen. A castle here was held by a son of the Welsh hero, the Lord Rhys, in the early 13th century, but was in English hands by the end of the century, at which time the inner ward was built by John Gifford. The turbulent history continued, even after it became a possession of John of Gaunt in 1362, and King Henry IV, because it fell to Owen Glendower in 1403. Finally, after involvement in the Wars of the Roses, it was sleighted by the Yorkists. The building was stabilised in the 19th century by Lord Cawdor, and passed to the state in 1932. The main features are shown in the schematic, but attention is drawn to the round north-west tower, 8m in diameter, and the square north-east tower, of side 9m which provided the lord’s accommodation and remains, in part, 3-storeys high. The gatehouse passage was protected by 2 turning bridges above pits and portcullises, and later by what was effectively a second gatehouse, also with turning bridges, on the outside. The photograph is a view from the south, shoeing the protection given by the steep cliff rising from the River Cennen. The castle is open to the public.

WCM3. Dinefwr Castle is near the right (north) bank of the River Towy and is 20½km west of Carmarthen. The castle was the seat of the Princes of Deheubarth from the late 12th century, and remained in Welsh hands until King Edward I took it in 1276; it was temporarily lost by the English in 1287, and Owen Glendower besieged it in the early 15th century. However it was proving difficult and expensive to maintain, all through the middle ages, and was abandoned in the 16th century when Newtown mansion was built a short distance to its north. It is now in State hands and conservation is underway, but access is not easy. The main features are shown on the ground plan. Most striking is the round keep at the centre of the photograph taken from the east. It is 13.5m in diameter with walls 2.6m thick, but may not have served any domestic purpose, and is topped by the remains of a 17th century summer house. On the right of the photograph is the 14th century domestic range built up from the mound on which the castle sits. The pentagonal inner ward has maximum and minimum dimensions of 50 X 28m.

WCM4. Dryslwyn Castle is above the right bank of the River Towy, where it is bridged by the B4297, 13½km east of Carmarthen. Originally, a Welsh castle of the 13th century, it was captured by the English in 1287. Perhaps surprisingly it was granted to a Welsh lord, Rhys ap Gruffydd in 1353 by King Edward III, probably as a way of meeting high costs of repair, but a descendent of that châtelain, supported Owen Glendower in 1403, and the castle became a centre of his revolt. After its recapture, it was sleighted and later burnt. The layout is in the plan, most of which was revealed by excavation, but the round tower now reduced to ground level, was 12m in diameter with walls 3m thick. Viewed from the nearby road which is all that I have been able to do, the castle is only a picturesque ruin on a hill top with a few masonry fragments, but as shown in the photograph which looks south- westwards, there is more to be seen for those who can climb up to the site, which is now under state protection.

WCM5. Greencastle, otherwise Castell Moel in Welsh, is in wooded country on a plateau above the right bank of the River Towy, 4km south-west of Carmarthen. The remains are of an L-plan fortified house of the 14th or 15th century, though it seems that the name of the builder is a mystery. Each arm of the house is c18m long; there is a stair tower in the re-entrant angle, and an entrance in the west wall; the view in the photograph is from the south-west. The internal arrangements were as might be expected with a hall in the east wing, and bedrooms above a cellar in the block running north/south. Although embattled and on a strong site, the house would not have been able to defy a serious assault. It is known that there was a motte and bailey predecessor elsewhere on the estate, but ruins are no longer visible.

WCM6. Kidwelly Castle is on the right bank of the River Gwendraeth Fach, in the village of Kidwelly, 11km north-west of Llanelli. The first castle on the site was built by Roger, Bishop of Salisbury in c1110, but it went through a number of cycles of occupation, capture, destruction, and rebuild, in the next 150 years, with both Normans and Welsh in occupation at different times. The castle took its present form in the late-13th century, after it had passed by marriage to the Earl of Lancaster, and it was with that family until just before it became Royal, when King Henry IV, his descendant, took the throne. The castle was besieged unsuccessfully by Owen Glendower in 1403; that was probably the castle’s last significant action, the defences gradually fell into disrepair, and it ceased to be inhabited by the 17th century, or even earlier. It passed into state hands in the 1920s, and is preserved by CADW as a visitor attraction. The extant castle is entirely of the 13th century and later, and is best described as a double-enclosure, with the square inner ward enclosed by a curtain wall with drum towers at each corner. The domestic buildings within included a hall, replaced by a building in the outer ward in c1500) a solar and a kitchen. The outer ward is semi-circular; protected by a steep bank down to the river to the east, while its curtain wall has 3 towers to the west, a formidable southern gateway with a barbican, and a lesser northern gateway. The aerial photograph is taken from the north-west.

WCM7. Llandovery Castle is above the right bank of the River Bran, a tributary of the River Towy, on the south side of the village of Llandovery, 28½km west-north- west of Brecon. A Norman motte and bailey castle was erected in 1116 but then destroyed by Welsh attacks in 1158. It was rebuilt soon afterwards, by King Henry II, but was in Welsh hands through most of the 13th century. By the end of that century it was in English possession, and John Gifford was responsible for building the stone D-shaped tower, 10½m in diameter which together with a smaller round tower are now ruins atop the motte. The castle was held against Owen Glendower in 1403, but then allowed to decay, later burnt in 1532, and its destruction was completed after the Civil War in the 1640s. The photograph is a view from the north.

WCM8. Llansteffan Castle is on a headland above the right bank of the Towy estuary, 10½km south-west of Carmarthen. It was first documented in the middle of the 12th century, when captured by the Welsh. Like many other castles in the region, its history until the late-13th century, reflects the struggle between the Welsh and the English as it often changed hands. The main features remaining now were added after 1270 and greatly strengthened it, but more importantly King Edward I conquered, and to a large extent pacified Wales, though the castle was taken by Owen Glendower in 1403. Thereafter it changed hands by marriage, Royal gift, and forfeiture, with its owners including Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk, Queen Margaret, consort of King Henry VI, and Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, amongst others, but only the latter may have resided there. The castle fell into ruin thereafter and probably ceased to be inhabited by the early 16th century; it is looked after by CADW. In its early years the castle occupied only the inner ward, and within it the structures were probably wooden, but the building programme after 1270 included reinforcement of the curtain wall and the addition of a gateway and a tower cum keep. Also, the outer ward was created, enclosed by a curtain wall with towers and a formidable gatehouse, everything of course of stone. The castle is difficult to reach, so my view was confined to that shown in the photograph taken from the north-east, with the outer gatehouse on the right, a tower on the outer curtain wall in the centre, and on the left, a barn presumably dating from a farmstead which occupied the castle site in relatively modern times; the inner ward is not in view.

WCM9. Laugharne Castle is on the right bank of the estuary of the River Taf, 14½km south-west of Carmarthen. There was a castle in the neighbourhood from the late 11th century, but the rock on which the present castle stands was probably not fortified until at least a century later, as suggested by the ground plan. It was occupied by such figures as Llewelyn ap Gruffydd in the 13th century, and Owen Glendower in the early 15th century. However, it fell into decay until taken over in the late 16th century, by Sir John Perrot, one-time Lord Deputy of Ireland, who remodelled parts of the inner ward. It was attacked during the Civil War, and damaged to the extent that it was never again occupied, though the ruins remain high. The north-west tower was probably a keep, of diameter 10m over walls 3.4m thick, with vaulted rooms on each floor; the north-east tower was a smaller copy, but without the vaults. Perrot’s main living quarters were a thin-walled building between the towers while remains of other service and domestic buildings of that vintage are in the inner ward. The photograph is taken from the north. The Welsh poet Dylan Thomas spent a lot of time in the ruin.

WGL1. Barry Castle is on the west side of Barry which is 13½km south-west of Cardiff. It was originally raised as an earthwork fortification, most probably a ringwork, built by the de Barry family, who were descendants of Odo, half-brother of King William I, and had participated in the Norman expansion into South Wales in the late-11th and early-12th centuries. The family took their name from their new castle but their focus move west in Wales and later to Ireland, so that Barry Castle became less important to them. In the late 13th century the original castle was replaced with a 2-storey fortified manor house. Its earliest components were east and west ranges across a quadrangular courtyard and enclosed by a curtain wall but this structure was attacked and badly damaged in 1316, during a Welsh revolt. The castle was repaired, and at this time, an additional south range (a large hall) and a substantial gatehouse were added. The latter included a chamber above used for manorial courts whilst access was controlled by a drawbridge indicating the site may have been surrounded by a moat. The castle was ruinous by the 16th century although the gatehouse continued to be used for Manorial Courts until 1720. Thereafter the site fell into ruin and now only parts of the gatehouse and the south range survive, as shown in the photograph.

WGL2. Beaupre Castle, known as Old Beaupre since the 19th century, when a replacement house was built, is 11km south-east of Bridgend. The Basset family owned it from the 14th to the early-18th century. The original building was L-shaped built in c1300, and it is now in an inner courtyard. It was never a castle, but had sufficient intrinsic strength to defy minor attacks, a fortified manor really. An outer gatehouse was completed in 1586 along with a 3- storey Renaissance porch, and buildings around the middle court by 1600. The buildings on the west side of the middle court, now roofless, provided luxurious living accommodation with large windows, handsome fireplaces, a fine stone stairway, and numerous privies connected to a drain along which water still flows. The castle was probably ruined by the time the Bassets relinquished it, though it seems that a wing to the south-east is still occupied as a farmhouse. It was not open to the public when I visited some years ago, so I viewed it from some distance, but CADW have changed that. The photograph shows the inner courtyard and porch, the schematic dates the different elements.

WGL3. Caerphilly Castle dominates the town of that name, which is 12km north of Cardiff. Construction began in 1268 and continued, in spite of its temporary capture by Llewelyn ap Gruffydd in 1270, for the rest of the century. Thereafter it became a possession of the Despenser family. They held it until the early 15th century but never resided there, nor did their successor owners, so it was a ruin by the early 16th century, and parts were quarried soon after that. It was probably further damaged during the Civil War to make it incapable of defence. The Marquis of Bute reroofed the hall and tidied the site in the late 19th century, and it is now a visitor attraction run by CADW. The main features are shown in the schematic; the rectangular inner ward of dimensions 75 X 44m was enclosed by a curtain wall, 2.4m thick and 4.5m high below a walkway, with drum towers at each corner and twin-towered gatehouses in each longer wall. The hall and solar were in the inner ward, but the service buildings, including the kitchen, were in the middle ward, which was surrounded by a curtain wall, and with gatehouses opposite to those of that enclosure. That on the west gave access to a western fortified outer ward. A major part of the defences were the artificial lake, and wide moats, inspired by those at Kenilworth. The military history of this formidable castle was over after a few decades, and it was lived in for little more than a century. The aerial view below was taken from the east.

WGL4. Candleston Castle is in woodland at the edge of Merthyr Mawr sand-dunes, 4½km south-west of Bridgend. The fortified manor house was built by a family named Cantilupe, in the 14th century. It comprised a 2-storey hall and domestic range closing off a D-shaped courtyard, enclosed by a curtain wall, atop an escarpment above the dunes. Later a solar above a vaulted cellar was added against the south-east wall. There was a major refurbishment in c1500, but the house had fallen into ruin when it was again refurbished and occupied in c1800. At this time the stable block was built, but the house had only been given a short-term reprieve and again fell into ruin, this time terminally, as shown in the photograph, looking from the west.

WGL5. Cardiff Castle is near the left bank of the River Taff in the centre of the city. The medieval castle in Cardiff was erected on the site of a Roman fort of the 1st century AD, replaced in the 4th century. The Norman castle in Cardiff, presumably an earth and timber, motte and bailey, the latter rectangular area created by walls within the fort, was probably erected Robert Fitzhamon, Earl of Gloucester in c1091. It passed to Robert, son of King Henry I who was made Earl of Gloucester and Lord of Glamorgan; he rebuilt the castle in stone in c1140. Later King John held it and then it became a possession of the de Clares, and in the 14th century, the Despensers. It was captured and burnt in 1404 during Owen Glendower’s revolt, but was rebuilt by new owners the Beauchamps, and thereafter it was held by Richard Neville, Warwick the Kingmaker, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, later, King Richard III, and after he was killed, Jasper Tudor, by then, Duke of Bedford. In the 16th century, the castle was taken over by the Herbert family, who were strongly Royalist during the Civil War; the castle was contested but not seriously damaged; it ended in Parliamentary hands but unusually was not sleighted. The Herberts regained it but ceased to live there, and it came by marriage to the Marquis of Bute in the late 18th century. The aerial view shows the main features of the castle now; the polygonal shell keep on the 10m high, moated motte has walls 9m high and 1.7m thick, and encloses a courtyard of diameter 24m in diameter, in which there were a hall and other domestic buildings. The so-called Black Tower of c1400 was built in the middle of the southern curtain wall, on the left of the aerial view, flanking the nearby entrance gate to the castle. In 1430, during the occupancy of the Beauchamps, the southern gate was reinforced by another tower. In the years 1425-1439 a new range was constructed in the south-western part of the castle, near the centre of the aerial view, and it featured an octagonal tower of height 23m, with machicolations. Although some of the medieval castle survives, along with some Roman masonry, there have also been modern excesses; it is an irony that Cardiff Castle survived Cromwell, and benefitted from preservation by Marquises of Bute, but was done no favours by some extraordinarily inappropriate erections of the 19th and 20th centuries. The comparisons to be made are with the Tower of London, and Edinburgh Castle; my visit was a great disappointment.

WGL6. Coity Castle is in the north-east of Bridgend, beside St. Mary’s Church. The castle began as a late 11th-century ringwork. A rectangular stone keep and the main curtain wall were added by the Normans in the 12th century, under the de Turberville family. The schematic shows how the site was developed over the next few centuries. The castle was probably captured by the forces of Owen Glendower in 1405, in spite of efforts at relief by King Henry IV. It was acquired by the Gamage family soon afterwards and their descendants, the Sydneys occupied at least part of the site until the 18th century, though it was ruined by the 1830s. It is now in state hands. The inner ward is surrounded by a curtain wall, and on its west side, beside the gatehouse, is a rectangular keep of dimensions 12 X 10m over walls 1.9m thick. In the outer ward the unusual feature was the large 15th century barn, which survives only as footings. Beyond the south gatehouse is a single arched bridge over the moat which may be of the 16th century. The photograph looking from the west shows a mix of high and low ruins in the inner ward, perhaps more tumbledown than would be expected given the relatively late occupation.

WGL7. Kenfig Castle is separated by the M4 from the village of Pyle to its east, which is 10½km south-east of Port Talbot; the surviving stump of the keep, which was 14m square over walls 3.7m thick, is visible from the motorway. It is thought to have been built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester in the 1140s, and fought off a long series of Welsh attacks, beginning in 1184, but was captured and burnt in 1295. Rebuilt, the castle acquired a courtyard round the restored keep, enclosed by a curtain wall, with a gatehouse. It continued to attract attacks, from the Welsh, and in 1321 was sacked by English lords opposed to its then Despenser owners. Although once more rebuilt, encroaching sand dunes achieved what attackers had not, and the castle was abandoned in the 15th century. The masonry ruins were excavated in the 1920s, but much is buried again, leaving only the remains of the keep seen in the photograph.

WGL8. Llanblethian Castle is in a village of that name, just south-west of Cowbridge, and 9½km south-east of Bridgend. The first medieval castle on the site was built early in the 12th century by the St. Quentin family who gave the castle its other name; only a 5m high portion of the keep wall is thought to remain from that motte & bailey. The castle passed to the de Clare family a few decades later, and then to the Despensers in 1317, and they built most of what can be seen now during the 14th century, when after various building phases interrupted by destruction during clashes between the Welsh and English, an enclosure castle was completed on the steep sided bluff. The shape was trapezoidal with sides between 40m and 60m long, and curtain walls 2m thick survive to low level. There were towers at the south-east and north- east corners. Most prominent now is the three-storey gatehouse, with a passage protected by a portcullis, and twin towers. The gatehouse seems to have been used as a prison until the 16th century and as a dwelling until the early19th century, but it seems unlikely that the rest of the castle was occupied beyond the early 15th century, and it must have decayed fairly rapidly thereafter. The upper photograph is a view of the gatehouse from the north-east, while the lower photograph looks from the south-west across the remnants of the early motte towards the inner face of the gatehouse.

WGL9. Llandaff Bishop’s Palace is in a north-west suburb of Cardiff, south-east of Llandaff Cathedral. It was are a castle on a ridge, probably built between 1280 and 1287, by Bishop William de Braose. Occupation probably ceased in the late 14th century, and it was in a decayed condition by the end of the 16th century. The plan shows the trapezoidal court of rough dimensions, 50 X 35m, with a twin-towered two-storey gatehouse enclosing a 2.4m wide passage which was once fitted with a portcullis, at the north-west apex. There was a hall of dimensions 12m by 7m, over a basement at the north- eastern apex, with a chapel projecting from a solar at its south- eastern end. Two other towers, one square, one round in section, occupied the other two apexes. The original wall running down the south-west side of the enclosure is 1.9m thick and 5m high to a walkway with a parapet on a corbel table. No doubt there were other less permanent buildings in the courtyard which have left no visible remnants, but the overall impression is of a fairly basic residence for a high church dignitary, perhaps an indication of the lack of wealth of the bishops, and the defensive arrangements were probably a barrier only to minor assaults. The photograph shows the inner face of the twin-towered gatehouse and part of the south-west wall.

WGL10. Llanmaes Castle, also known as Malefant, is curiously sited now in a private garden but visible from a public road, in the south-west of the village of Llanmais, 5½km south of Cowbridge. The castle, of which only a fragment of a hall remains, was probably built in the first half of the 14th century, but was a ruin when Leland saw it in the 1530s, so cannot have been occupied beyond the end of the 15th century. The fragment is shown in the photograph, and I include the castle only because I am amused by the amount of publicity generated by the present owner who wishes to knock it down to protect his house. He presumably knew what he was buying and I doubt if it has changed much in the few years since then.

WGL11. Llantrisant Castle is on the north side of the town of that name, 15km north- west of Cardiff. The castle as it is known now was built by Richard de Clare, Earl of Hereford and Gloucester in c1250, but was captured and wrecked by both Welsh and English parties over the next 70 years, though rebuilding always followed. The Raven Tower, a circular keep of diameter 14m, over walls 3m thick was at its centre, and was still in use in the 1530s. Its remains are shown in the photograph. There was a D-shaped enclosure surrounded by thick curtain walls, with a rectangular gatehouse to the west, but only fragments remain. The whereabouts of domestic buildings are unknown, and the same is true of the history of the castle after the early 14th century.

WGL12. Neath Castle is in the centre of the town with which it shares its name. There was a ringwork on the site, probably built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester in 1185, which was subjected to Welsh attack. It was destroyed by Welsh attackers in 1231, but then rebuilt in stone. A succession of Welsh attacks were beaten off through the 13th century, but it fell during the rebellion against the Despensers in 1321. Rebuilt, it defied the forces of Owen Glendower, but was probably abandoned a century later. By far the most imposing feature was the twin-towered gatehouse on the west side of a D-shaped enclosure, probably dating to the 14th century with older elements. There was also an east tower, though no keep, and accommodation buildings were in the centre of the enclosure. The bailey of the original ringwork, to the west of the gatehouse shown in the photograph is now a supermarket carpark.

WGL13. Newcastle Bridgend is in the centre of the town, just west of the River Ogmore. There was a ringwork here in the early-12th century, but the first stone castle was built towards the end of the century, possibly by King Henry III. King John gave it to Morgan the Welsh Lord of Afan, but it reverted to English ownership not long afterwards, and Welsh attempts to capture it thereafter failed. It was acquired by the Gamages, owners of Coity Castle, but they did not occupy it though they carried out some repair work in the 16th century. It probably became ruinous not long afterwards; it has been in state care since the 1930s The schematic shows the position of a postulated stone keep, in the centre of the D-shaped enclosure, but there are no remains. The photograph is a view from the south, with a tower prominent beside the gateway.

WGL14. Ogmore Castle is on the left bank of the Ewenny River, 3½km south-west of Bridgend. Around 1089, Robert Fitzhamon, Baron of Gloucester, attacked the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg in South Wales, and by 1106 established the Ogmore River as the temporary border between native Welshmen and Normans. Robert and his companions built three castles to secure the conquered areas; Newcastle Bridgend, erected by Robert himself, Coity, erected by Payn de Turberville, and Ogmore, which was built by William de Londres as a ringwork. It was rebuilt in stone, after a Welsh attack in 1116, but the military role seemed at an end after King Edward I completed the conquest of Wales. The castle remained with the Londres family until 1298, when it passed by marriage to the Lancaster estate, and thereafter became royal when King Henry IV usurped the throne. Soon after that, Ogmore Castle was sacked during Owen Glendower’s rising, but it was repaired. Saving a courthouse built in the outer ward in 1454, the castle was probably empty and falling into ruin in the 17th century. The layout is shown in Salter’s schematic, and the 12th century keep had dimensions 14.3 X 9.6m over walls 1.8m thick. The view is from the west, looking over the river crossing which the castle was intended to guard.

WGL15. Penmark Castle is above the left bank of the Kenfig River, and north of the church in the village of Penmark, which itself is immediately north of Cardiff Airport. There was an earthwork and timber castle owned by the Umfravilles in the 12th century, rebuilt in stone during the 13th century. It acquired a small D-shaped tower, 6.5m in diameter and probably other mural towers which have left no remains above ground, along a curtain wall surrounding an inner bailey. The ruins of the castle which may not have been occupied after the 14th century are shown in the photograph.

WGL16. St. Donat’s Castle is on the coast, just west of the village of Llantwit Major, and 12½km south-east of Bridgend. The inner ward was built in the late 12th century by the de Haway family; it passed to the Stradlings by marriage in c1300, and remained with them until the mid-18th century. Their status was fairly high in the medieval period, but the castle being off the beaten track, it had little part in the tumultuous events taking place elsewhere in South Wales, though its then owner was involved on the royalist side in the Civil War. In the later 18th and the early 19th centuries it was allowed to decay somewhat, but remained habitable. After some refurbishment, in various hands, the castle was sold in 1925 to the American newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, who carried out ambitious remodelling plans, which did not meet approval from all. It was commandeered during the 2nd World War, and became part of an international school, Atlantic College in 1962, so is a relatively rare artefact in South Wales, an un-ruined occupied medieval castle. Salter’s schematic shows the main features, and when they were built; as can be seen the castle was given the extra walls and gatehouse which made it concentric in the 14th century, mirroring castles built for King Edward I in North Wales. The aerial view from the west shows that as with them space was at a premium between the walls, and that the cliff top site limited expansion.

WGO1. Loughor Castle is 10½km north- west of Swansea, near the east bank of the estuary of the River Loughor. The first castle here was probably a ringwork raised in 1106, by the Normans, in a corner of a Roman fort, but it had a torrid time through the 12th century being captured and burnt by the Welsh, at least 3 times. In the 13th century stonework was added in the form of a curtain wall and a tower, but the castle by then held for William de Braose was again captured in 1321, this time by those opposed to the Despensers. It is unlikely that it was repaired, and the present ruins are surprisingly high ruins, given 700 years of decay, of what was there then, namely a tower of dimensions, 8 X 7.2m, and a gateway. The photograph is a view of the tower from the east.

WGO2. Oxwich Castle is on the coast of the Gower Peninsula, 16½km south-west of Swansea. The Mansel family were responsible for the first known castle on the site, built in the mid-15th century, but the building that can be seen now was built in stages through the 16th century, though it incorporated some earlier stonework. It was really a mansion with a nod towards fortification in towers and the gatehouse, on the west side of a walled court. It never saw action, and by the 17th century its owners had moved out, leaving it as a rented property. In the 18th century the east range became ruined; it was passed into state guardianship after the 2nd World War, and is now open to the public. The aerial view is from the north-west, so the east range is left of centre; it was built late in the 16th century, and comprised two 6-storey embattled towers, one to the north, and the other to the south-east, linked by a connecting block containing a hall over vaulted basements. The south range, which is roofed, was built early in the 16th century, though the arrangement of the rooms on its two floors has changed since then. The lower photograph looks from the north into the ruined interior of the east range.

WGO3. Oystermouth Castle is on the east coast of the Gower Peninsula, 6½km south-west of Swansea across Swansea Bay. It is thought that the rectangular keep, in the top-centre of the aerial photograph taken from the south dates to the 12th century. The castle was frequently attacked successfully by the Welsh through the 13th century; the de Braoses held it then, but it passed in the 14th century to the Mowbrays, then the Beauchamps, and finally the Herberts, but probably fell into decay in the 15th century. There were drum towers at the entrance but they were removed during the Civil War, after which what must by then have been a ruin was granted to Oliver Cromwell. Afterwards, the successors of the Herberts, the Dukes of Beaufort recovered it, and stabilised the ruin which was sold to the borough of Swansea in 1927. The keep of dimensions 16.8 X 10m was divided lengthwise into a hall and private chamber, and there was an upper hall above the other. There were service buildings against the walls, and a chapel to the east of the keep.

WGO4. Pennard Castle is on a clifftop above a small stream, 12km south-west of Swansea. Traces of an early-12th century ringwork have been found on the site, but a stone castle was built in the 13th century. Its history seems obscure, but it was fairly complete in the 18th century, judging by an engraving so may have been occupied until c1500. As shown in the photograph taken from the north-east, the ruins are dominated by the twin-towered gatehouse to the east, which still stands in part to a height of 11m, though a substantial length of curtain wall survives to a fair height on the north side, and bits of 2 turrets can also be seen.

WGO5. Penrice Castle is 17km south- west of Swansea. The Penres family built a ringwork nearby, but shortly after 1237 the castle under discussion was built by them, beginning with a round keep, of diameter 9.7m over walls 2.1m thick, to be seen on the left of the photograph, taken from the north-west. In the later 13th century, the D- shaped court was enclosed by a curtain wall, and strangely the next building completed seems to have been a barn adjacent to the east wall. The gatehouse to the right (north-east) of the keep soon followed, and before the end of the same century, a hall-block followed; its ruins are above those of the keep. The castle does not seem to have been attacked until possibly during the Civil War when it suffered some damage. The Penres had continued in ownership until the 15th century, when the Mansels of Oxwich acquired it, but the castle is shown as a ruin in the early 18th century, so it was perhaps deserted after the Civil War.

WGO6. Swansea Castle is near the right bank of the River Tawe, in amongst high buildings on Castle Street near the centre of the city. Its location in the medieval town is shown on the map. A keep on a motte was probably erected in the early years of the 12th century, but mostly destroyed in a Welsh attack of 1116. For the next 2 centuries was regularly attacked by the Welsh, and sometimes captured and held by them; after the last successful attack in 1295, the retaken castle was reconfigured into the present form, abandoning the motte, and building anew in the south-east corner of the outer bailey. Thereafter, the castle did not have to withstand attacks, even during the Glendower revolt, though it was garrisoned during the Civil War and sleighted afterwards. The main survival is the early-14th century hall, with a solar block attached, viewed from the west in the photograph; the arcaded parapets are mid- 14th century additions. To the north was a rectangular tower, also of the 14th century, but with some modern additions, which remained in use as a prison until the mid- 19th century; a wall walk along the curtain wall connected the 2 buildings. When in passing, I first saw the castle dwarfed by modern buildings it looked lost, but when I stopped later it seemed to retain its own space and at least some of the ambience of a medieval castle.

WGO7. Weobley Castle is on the north coast of the Gower Peninsula, 8½km south of Llanelly, across the estuary of the River Loughor. The castle may have been started in the early 14th century, but was severely damaged, or worse during Owen Glendower’s rising, a century later. Thereafter it was referred to as a fortified manor house and passed through the hands of minor lords, until in 1531 it became a Royal possession as a result of the attainder of one of them. It was sold to the Herberts in 1560, but they sold it on, a century, later by which time it was a ruin. Salter’s plan shows the main features, with the hall block and the tower being the oldest elements; the latter has dimensions of 10 X 8.4m over walls 2m thick. Though the site with cliffs to the east makes that side strong, the west side is not, with relatively thin-walled buildings. The photograph is a view from the south-west, looking across the River Loughor estuary.

WGW1. Abergavenny Castle is on a promontory in the south-west of the town. It was founded in c1087 by the Norman lord, Hamelin de Ballon, as a motte and bailey with a wooden keep on a palisaded steep hillock, surrounded by a ditch. The bailey was also protected by a palisade and ditch. From c1175 the Normans started to rebuild the castle in stone, first the keep, then the curtain walls with five towers, each capable of independent defence, so that it took the appearance shown in the sketch. The castle saw much conflict over the next century, changing hands between English and Welsh war-bands, and it then had a role in a rebellion against King Henry III. In succeeding years, it was owned by influential families including the Hastings, Beauchamps, and Nevilles, and by Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke. It was still strong enough to be held for King Charles I in the Civil War, but ended up being sleighted, and thereafter was quarried. In 1819 a hunting lodge was built above the foundations of the keep; it is now a museum. An inner ward lay north of the keep, and to the east, an outer ward. At the north end of the inner ward was a double tower which together with a western block provided accommodation. The hall was in the outer ward, along the north wall, and adjacent to a gateway. The lower photograph shows the appearance of the site now with a medieval tower to the left, and the Regency building on top of the motte to the right.

WGW2. Caerleon Castle is in a small town of that name, on the right bank of the River Usk, 4km north-east of Newport. The town is well known for its Roman remains, including an amphitheatre, and this was a castle of motte and bailey type, thought to have been founded by the Welsh, shortly after the Norman Conquest. The motte was said to be on top of a Roman bath-house, and it was later crowned with a shell keep which survived until the 18th century. The castle was in English possession in the 12th century, but changed hands during the troubles at the end of the reign of King John, in 1217, though it was recovered quickly. It is to this time that the sole masonry remains, a tower adjoining a public house beside the River Usk, are thought to date. It was most likely part of a curtain wall surrounding the bailey, though it has been suggested that the building might have been a chain tower, controlling passage up-river. The photograph shows the surviving tower; the motte is inaccessible, behind a wall.

WGW3. Caldicot Castle is in a village of that name, on the right bank of the Severn Estuary between the 2 road bridges, 16½km east of Newport. It is thought that a timber and earthworks castle was built on the site in the early 12th century, by Walter Fitz-Roger, and that it passed to the powerful de Bohun family, half a century later. They held it until 1383 when it passed by marriage to Thomas of Woodstock, son of King Edward III, who carried out much rebuilding before his execution in 1397. The Stafford Dukes of Buckingham held it for a time, but it became Crown property when the 3rd Duke was executed by King Henry VIII. It was leased thereafter, but it eventually found its way into the hands of Monmouthshire Council and it is now in a country park. The earthworks at Caldicot appear to consist of two irregular roughly rectangular shapes, the inner ward of dimensions, 120 X 82m and the outer, 105 X by 90m. The masonry defences occupy the periphery of the inner ward and are surrounded by a still deep ditch. Entrance to the castle in its later days was gained through a large, rectangular twin-towered gatehouse, constructed in the late 14th century. The circular keep of diameter 10.6m is on a mound in the north-west corner of the enclosure, and dates to c1220. At the south-east corner is a solar tower, which was adjacent to the hall, and it and the curtain wall running clockwise round to the keep are of the 13th century, whereas the other sections are of the 15th century, as is the square Woodstock tower to the east. All of these features are shown on the aerial view from the north-east; the keep on the lower-right, the gatehouse fronted by a modern house, in the upper-centre, and the circuit of walls with its towers. The lower photograph is of the outside of the gatehouse, taken from the south. Overall, this is a spectacular example of an enclosure castle which deserves to be better known than it seems to be.

WGW4. Chepstow Castle stretches along the right bank of the River Wye as it loops round the north and east of the town from which it takes its name. It was founded by William Fitz-Osbern in 1067, and unusually was built then of stone so the great tower dates from the earliest years. The castle and the associated Marcher lordship were known as Striguil until the late-14th century and as Chepstow thereafter. Its early history includes periods of Royal control, but also ownership by such powerful lords as Richard de Clare, aka ‘Strongbow’, William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, and the Bigod Earls of Norfolk. The roll-call of high-status owners continues, including the Mowbray Dukes of Norfolk, and the Herberts, eventually Dukes of Beaufort. During the Civil War, the castle was in Royalist hands as late as 1648 when it was subjected to a serious and damaging siege, probably for the only time in its history. It was not sleighted thereafter because it had been awarded to Oliver Cromwell, who had the damage repaired, strengthened the defences, and installed a garrison. The Herberts recovered the castle after the Restoration, and held it until the 20th century, though they did not live there, and it was uninhabited from the 19th century. It became state owned in the 1950s, and is now maintained by CADW. As regards the configuration, the schematic speaks for itself, but it is worth giving the dimensions of the massive Great Tower, prominent in the centre of the photograph, 32 X 13m, with outer walls 2.6m thick.

WGW5. Grosmont Castle is in a hamlet of that name, 14km north-east of Abergavenny, just on the Welsh side of the border with England. The original earthwork and timber castle on the site was probably built soon after 1066 by William Fitz- Osbern, Earl of Hereford, and King Stephen associated it with Skenfrith and White Castles in a Marcher lordship. In the early 12th century, they were given to Hubert de Burgh, who built the stone castle which has left the remains visible today. Later that century, the castle was transferred to Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, a son of King Henry III, and it remained with his descendants, for long the Royal family, until the 19th century. It withstood a siege by Owen Glendower in 1405, but was abandoned in the 16th century, and fell into ruin; it is now maintained by CADW. As can be seen in the schematic, and the photograph taken from the south-west, the inner bailey of Grosmont Castle is surrounded by a moat and it stands on the original Norman motte. Remains of the gatehouse can be seen here, with the inner masonry belonging to the de Burgh period and being constructed at the same time as the curtain wall and towers. Within the inner bailey, the Hall Block of dimensions 29 X 13m is one of the earliest stone buildings and has ground floor access. The 14th century tall, octagonal chimney to the west of the Hall Block served the adjacent northern block, which was rebuilt after the Earls of Lancaster took possession. The outer bailey, of which little trace remains, was to the south of the inner bailey.

WGW6. Monmouth Castle is on the left bank of the River Monnow, just west of the town-centre. The castle was founded by William Fitz-Osbern in the late 1060s, probably as an earthwork and timber structure, but a stone keep was probably built by the middle of the 12th century. The castle fell to assault twice during the 13th century, the second time to Simon de Montford in 1264, but thereafter was given to Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, and remained with that family, becoming Royal after the usurpation by King Henry IV; the future King Henry V was born there in 1387. The castle began to decay thereafter, although its hall was maintained as an assize courthouse until the 18th century. During the Civil War, the castle was captured and recaptured 4 times but in 1645, the round keep dating to the 13th century was demolished, to be replaced after the Restoration by a mansion built in 1673 for Henry Somerset, who later became 1st Duke of Beaufort. That building eventually became a museum. Otherwise there are ruins of the Great Tower, near the lower centre of the aerial view from the south, the hall to its right, and some of the curtain wall; the aforementioned museum is the building to the right of the open area. The lower photograph, taken from the east shows the ruined hall in front of the remains of the Great Tower. There is no trace of the gatehouse, or most of the curtain wall that defined the enclosure castle.

WGW7. Newport Castle is close to the centre of the city, fronting the River Usk.

The first castle in Newport was a motte and bailey of c1100 near St. Woolas Church. The present structure was begun in the early 1380s, but it was not completed until c1450. It was a possession of the Dukes of Buckingham, but they suffered a death at the battle of Northampton, and 2 executions, which resulted in the castle being given to the Herberts in 1547. The building was ruinous by the 17th century, and has been in state hands since the 1930s. The view in the photograph is of the east front, with octagonal towers on square bases at the north and south ends, and a square tower in the centre, built of old red sandstone and grey limestone. A vaulted audience chamber sat above a water-gate and behind were a great hall, kitchen, a gallery, chambers and, after the 15th century, luxurious apartments, those used by the lord being in the south tower. The bailey originally extended 5m west from the river, and was surrounded by a curtain wall with a gatehouse to the north, but nothing of this remains.

WGW8. Pencoed Castle is a short distance north of the M4, 9½km north-east of Newport. It may be that the south-west tower on the bottom-left of the photograph dates to the 13th century, but otherwise there is probably nothing built earlier than the late-15th century. The owners then were the Morgan family, and they were responsible for the east range, with its central hall, and great chamber above, which is at the top of the photograph. Parts of a curtain wall still surrounds the courtyard, and the gatehouse at the centre of its west side, though imposing was not really arranged with defence in mind; all of these elements date to the early 16th century. The Morgans held onto the castle until 1701, after which, under various owners it began to decay; there was a period of refurbishment in the early 20th century, but since then decay has set in again.

WGW9. Penhow Castle is just south of the A48, 11½km north-east of Newport. The keep was built by a member of the Seymour family in the 12th century, and a curtain wall enclosing a courtyard followed in the 13th century. The family retained the castle until it passed by marriage to John Bowles in the 15th century, and the next owners, in the 16th century were the Somersets. From then, the residence became the house in the north-west of the court, and the property declined in status, becoming a tenanted farmhouse, and began to decay. There has been some restoration, and excavation within the court, in recent years. The keep has dimensions 9.7 X 6.4m, and conventionally has a storage basement below the lord’s hall, which is in turn below his private chamber. Other buildings are as shown in Salter’s schematic. The photograph is a view from the south, and shows that at least some of the castle has been rendered habitable.

WGW10. Raglan Castle is north of a village of that name, 10½km south-west of Monmouth. It is perhaps surprising that little is known about any castle which may have preceded the extensive and well known ruin which now occupies the site. It is surmised that William Fitz-Osbern, Earl of Hereford who held the lordship of the area in the late 1060s, and built many motte and bailey castles, may have built one here, but evidence is slight, and in 3½ centuries after that, a manor house seems to have been at the centre of the property. The castle was begun by the Herbert family, in c1450, perhaps utilising part of the said manor house. The family rose rapidly in the Yorkist cause, though some perished during the topsy-turvy Wars of the Roses, but they survived the Lancastrian triumph of King Henry VII. The castle passed to the Somerset family by marriage, and they prospered in the 16th and early 17th centuries, acquiring the title of Marquis of Worcester. In the Civil War, Raglan Castle was held for the Royalists until 1646, sustaining considerable damage compounded when it was sleighted by the will of Parliament. The family recovered the castle after the Restoration, but did not repair it, choosing to live in a new house at Badminton. The castle sustained further damage over the next century, but was tidied up thereafter, and is now maintained by CADW. The hexagonal Great Tower in the foreground of the aerial view from the south-east is of ‘diameter’, 17m and has walls 3.2m thick; it was built with 5 storeys and the upper ones housed luxurious private apartments. Connected by bridges over the moat to the main body of the castle, the block stretching from them to the north-west contained the hall and service buildings. Courtyards were on each side of this block; that to the south contained more apartments round the curtain wall, while that to the north gave entry to the castle by way of a gatehouse. The curtain wall was interspersed with towers, with the larger one to the north-west containing a kitchen. The lower photograph, taken from the south shows the Great Tower, and to its right the gatehouse towers. Perhaps built mainly as a showy residence, the castle was nonetheless defensible as was shown in the Civil War.

WGW11. Skenfrith Castle is in a hamlet of that name on the right bank of the River Monnow, 9km north-west of Monmouth. Little is known about the origins of the castle, before rebuilding in stone began towards the end of the 12th century. Most of the standing ruins date from work carried out by Hubert de Burgh between 1219 and 1232. Later in the 13th century it was granted to Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, and it remained with that family, into modern times, when it was acquired by the National Trust. As with Grosmont and White Castles nearby, Skenfrith Castle was abandoned during the 16th century and was ruinous by the 17th century. As shown in the schematic, the bailey was rhomboidal in shape, surrounded by a curtain wall with a tower at each of its corners, three of which still stand; later a tower located midway along the west curtain wall was added. The original entrance was in the north- east wall curtain, although it is now no more than a break in the wall, which stands to wall-walk height in many places. Within the bailey, is the circular keep, of diameter 11.2m, with walls 2.2m thick, had a basement and two further storeys, connected by outside wooden steps. Against the west curtain wall lie the remains of the hall range and domestic buildings, which have been excavated in recent years. Added protection to the castle was given by a ditch, now backfilled, and the River Monnow flowing outside its eastern boundary. The photograph was taken from the north-east corner.

WGW12. Usk Castle is near the centre of the small town from which it takes its name, 16½km south-west of Monmouth. It dates from c1138 and after a period in Welsh hands was recovered by Richard de Clare, ‘Strongbow’, in 1174, and he is thought to have built a stone keep. After another period of Welsh occupation, it passed by marriage to William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, who enclosed the castle with a curtain wall, but later in the 13th century the castle reverted to the de Clares. It passed through several hands in the 14th and 15th centuries, and fought of a determined attempt at capture by Owen Glendower, before becoming a Crown possession of King Edward IV; finally it was acquired by the Herbert family in the early 16th century, by which time it was in decay, and their descendants, the Dukes of Beaufort still own the ruin today. The castle stands on a spur overlooking the Usk and as shown in the schematic, consists of a rectangular area surrounded by curtain walls with towers at intervals and a gatehouse on the east side. To the south-east is an outer ward with walls on its south-east side, a corner tower on the south, and a gatehouse at the north end of the south-east wall. The banqueting hall, standing against the north-west curtain wall is of the 14th century with alterations made in c1500, and adjacent to it are foundations of a chapel. The Garrison Tower is circular of diameter 10m and has 4 storeys and a crenelated parapet. The keep to the south-east of the inner ward has been altered since Strongbow built it; it is rhomboidal, but near to 10m square, though puzzlingly the vulnerable outer wall is little more than 1m thick; it has 3 storeys after 14th century modifications. The photograph shows the north tower to the centre-right, and the hall and chapel further right, viewed from the south-east; the gatehouse has been converted to a house, and the inner ward is a garden.

WGW13. White Castle is in open country, 8km east of Abergavenny, and was called Llantilio before it got its later name from white plaster coating its walls. An earthworks and timber castle was probably built early in the 12th century, and stone-work, probably the curtain wall round the inner ward, followed late in the century. The main part of the structure visible today was erected in the 13th century, probably when in the hands of the sons of King Henry III, first the later King Edward I, and then his younger brother, Edmund, Earl of Leicester and Lancaster. The conquest of Wales by the English late in the century, rendered White Castle largely redundant and it was in decay by the 16th century; it was transferred to state guardianship in the 1920s, and is now maintained by CADW. An enclosure castle was built on the moated motte of the original castle, with a twin-towered gatehouse, and 4 other towers ranged round the circumference of the curtain wall. A – outer ward; B – outer gatehouse; C – moat; D- inner The keep which was c10m square did not survive ward; E – former location of outer ward; F – horn-work the 13th century when it was knocked down so that only its foundations remain. Domestic and service buildings were placed against the walls, but were functional rather than opulent. The outer bailey curtain wall incorporated 5 towers and was entered by a western gatehouse, while outside it, there was a dry ditch. The aerial view is from the south-east.

WPM1. Angle Castle is on the Angle Peninsula, on the south bank of Milford Haven, 12km west of Pembroke. The castle now consists only of a small tower house, 5.5m square over walls 1m thick, built by the Shirburn family in c1500. It was probably once in a moated enclosure, and there may have been a second tower. That information suggests that the castle was hardly defensible, and cannot have been comfortable to live in either, with 3 small rooms above a vaulted cellar. The castle had a series of owners from the 16th century, but it is hard to imagine that it was inhabited much after that. As can be seen in the photograph, a very plain house has been erected very close to the tower house.

WPM2. Carew Castle is on the left bank of the tidal Carew River, 6km north-east of Pembroke. The first castle on the site was probably a 12th century motte and bailey, and the old tower, shown in the schematic, is a survival. Otherwise the enclosure castle which can be seen now was largely the work of the Carew family in the 13th and early 14th centuries. Thereafter it passed through various hands, acquiring its north range in the late 16th century, before it was granted to a different branch of the Carew family, who are still the owners. During the Civil War, it saw much action and was captured 4 times by assault, sustaining much damage, though parts must have remained habitable. It ceased to be occupied in c1680. There is little need to add to the schematic, save to give some dimensions; those of the Great Hall are 25 X 8m, and the towers are 8m in diameter. The photograph is a view from the east.

WPM3. Cilgerran Castle is in a village of that name, on the left bank of the Afon Teifi, 3½km south-east of Cardigan. The castle may have been founded in the early 12th century by a Norman owner, but it was in the hands of the Lord Rhys for much of the century. William Marshal captured it in 1204, but it was lost and later damaged during Welsh assaults. It was described as ruinous in 1326, but must have been repaired later in that century. However it was most likely ruined before the Civil War, and definitely was by the 18th century. The 2 towers are of the 13th century, with the west one, the larger, with diameter 11.8m, acting as a keep. The gatehouse in the inner ward may have incorporated a chapel. The photograph, taken from the east conveys nothing of the strength of the site on a pinnacle above the River Teifi.

WPM4. Eastington Castle was a part- fortified manor house, 8½km east of Pembroke, now completely hemmed in by a refinery. Apparently it was originally called Jestynton, and dates to the second half of the 13th century. It was built by a family called Perrot, and they probably held it until the 16th century, after which it had a number of owners, but remained habitable into the 19th century. The remains are a solar block, viewed from the east in the photograph. It contained a large living room above a barrel-vaulted basement, with smaller rooms , presumably sleeping accommodation in the extension to the south, on the left of the photograph. It is thought that a hall once adjoined on the west, and presumably other services like a kitchen were attached there.

WPM5. Haverfordwest Castle sits above the town which is 14½km north of Pembroke. The castle was founded by Gilbert de Clare in 1120; it was taken by the Welsh after their victory at the Battle of Cardigan in 1136, but soon recaptured by the Normans. From then on it was frequently attacked but never captured, though damaged by the forces of Owen Glendower in 1405. It was seriously decayed by the 16th century, though defensible during the Civil War when it was fought over, before being sleighted. A range was built in the outer ward as a gaol, and it now houses a museum. The keep shown in Salter’s schematic had dimensions 13X 9m over walls 2.4m thick. On the east and south sides of the inner ward are remains of a hall block and a solar block, but a gatehouse has vanished. The aerial view from a little north of west, shows that most of the buildings in the inner ward are reduced to footings but that the enclosure wall stands to almost full height. The large building in the foreground is the museum.

WPM6. Llawhaden Castle is at the east end of a village of that name, 18km north- east of Pembroke. The site belonged to the Bishops of St. Davids, and a ringwork was built in the early 12th century, but destroyed by the Lord Rhys, shortly before his death in the early 1190s. The castle was rebuilt in stone in c1230, and building continued until the late-14th century as indicated by the schematic. The castle deteriorated thereafter, and the roofs were removed in the early-16th century. The ruin is now in state hands. The outer walls of the south- east chapel range, and the towers at each end of it still stand to full height, as do parts of the gatehouse. The photograph is a view from the south.

WPM7. Manorbier Castle is in a coastal village of that name, 8½km south-east of Pembroke. Held by the de Barry family, it existed in earthwork and timber form in the mid-12th century. The hall-house, to the right on the aerial view from the north-west, was built in the late 12th century, and the curtain wall followed in the 1st half of the 13th century. The tower over the gateway in the top left was built in c1200, and has dimensions of 7.5 X 6.2m over walls, a meagre 1m thick. There was a solar on the south-east of the hall block, and a chapel was built further east in 1280. The castle had many owners after the de Barrys relinquished it in the 14th century, including the mother of King Henry VII, but it was ruinous by the end of the 16th century. A barn was built in the outer court in the 17th century, and part of it was converted into a house in the 19th century; the roofed building is beside the gateway.

WPM8. Narberth Castle is on the south side of the village of that name, which is 15km east of Haverford West. There were predecessors in the 12th century, but perhaps the first stone structure was raised by Andrew Perrot in 1246, only to be captured and destroyed by the Welsh in 1257. The Mortimers took possession thereafter and most of what remains was built by them in the 1280s, but the execution of Roger Mortimer in 1330 cost the family this castle temporarily along with his other possessions. Thomas Carew was rewarded with the lordship in 1404, after defending the Castle during the Glendower rebellion, but it reverted to the crown in 1425. It was neglected thereafter, and though still defensible during the Civil War it was further damaged, and ceased to be inhabited later in the 17th century. The Castle ruins were renovated and opened to the public in 2006. The schematic, a view from the north-east, shows how the enclosure castle may once have looked, with the keep of diameter 12m in the left- foreground, 4 other towers around the curtain wall, the gateway at the north end and the great hall to the south. The photographs are views of the main surviving buildings, above from the north showing the best-preserved south-west tower, on the right and the basement of the solar on the left; below is a view from the south with the south-west tower on the left.

WPM9. Newport Castle (Pembrokeshire) is on the south side of the small town of that name which is 8km east of Fishguard. The first castle on this site may have been built in the early 13th century, but it was destroyed by a Welsh attack in 1257. It was rebuilt in the last years of the 13th century and passed by marriage to the Audleys in the 1320s. They forfeited in in 1497, but it was recorded as in good order in 16th century, though shown as ruinous in 1740. In 1859, the gatehouse, shown in the plan, was converted into a house which is still occupied. There appear to have been 3 towers, connected by a curtain wall, but all are ruinous now. The photograph is a view from the east showing the occupied gatehouse on the left and one of the ruined towers on the right.

WPM10. Pembroke Castle is on a headland created by the tidal stream which the Pembroke River is at that point, near the centre of the town. The first castle there, of earthworks and wood was built in 1093, and had a succession of notable rulers in the next century, including Richard de Clare (Strongbow), and King Henry II, before it was acquired by marriage by William Marshal by marriage in 1189. He rebuilt the castle in stone, and his sons continued the process until the male line ran out in 1245. From then on there were a profusion of owners, with no family establishing permanence, until in 1454 Jasper Tudor became Earl of Pembroke; his fortunes rose and fell during the Wars of the Roses, but finally in 1485 his nephew became King Henry VII, and he enjoyed the earldom and possession of the castle for the last decade of a long life. It was held by the crown through the 16th century, including by Queen Ann Boleyn in the curious guise of Marchioness of Pembroke, but in the Civil War it was held for Parliament, though its defenders turned against Cromwell in 1648, and held out for 7 weeks. The castle was sleighted thereafter, and abandoned to decay until the early 20th century; since then it has been stabilised and repaired to an extent and is now open to the public. The aerial view shows the main features, including in the inner ward the round keep of diameter, 15.7m with walls up to 4m thick; it is 5 storeys high and has parapets above. To its right are the remains of 2 hall blocks; that to the south dating with the keep to the 1190s, the other, half a century newer; service rooms including a kitchen were incorporated in these buildings, on the right in the upper photograph. The formidable gatehouse and barbican giving entry to the outer ward are shown in the lower photograph, with one of the towers in the 10m high curtain wall around it.

WPM11. Picton Castle is in an estate 6km south-east of Haverfordwest. The original castle was on a motte to the east of the present site; the present building dates to c1300, and was built by Sir John Wogan, at that time Justiciar of Ireland. It was captured by Owen Glendower, but presumably was not sacked, and passed eventually to a family called Phillips and they still own it; it is occupied. It was contested during the Civil War, but again not seriously damaged. The castle of 1300, was on the west side of a courtyard, and comprised a 2-storey main block to which were attached no less than 5 D-shaped towers, 2 of them as part of an eastern gatehouse, and 2 at the north and south ends of the main block which had a hall above a storage basement. The 5th tower was demolished in c1800 and replaced by the large castellated building, seen on the left in the photograph, which is a view from the south. Picton Castle has been much modified over the years, internally and externally, but the main block and gatehouse are 700 years old. The castle grounds are open to the public but not the castle itself.

WPM12. Roch Castle is on the east side of a village of that name, 9km north-west of Haverfordwest. The castle, a hall with an attached solar tower, was most likely built in the 1260s by a member of the de la Roche family. After the last of them who died in 1420, it had a variety of gentry owners before it was vigorously fought over during the Civil War. The castle decayed in the 18th century, but was fully restored in the 20th century, and is now a hotel. The building to the right in the photograph, which is a view from the south-west, contained the main hall above a cellar. To its left was a corbelled tower containing private rooms; at some stage it was heightened to fit in an extra storey. The photograph shows an outcrop of the rock on which the castle sits and which gave their name to the builders.

WPM13. Tenby Castle is on a promontory, 15 km east of Pembroke. It was founded by the Normans during their invasion of West Wales in the 12th century. A stone tower was built on the headland's highest point, which was protected by a curtain wall. The walls had a gateway and several small towers on the landward side. A lesser sea wall surrounded the remainder of the site and the beach area to the west. In 1153, the castle was captured and destroyed by Welsh attackers including the Lord Rhys, and it was besieged again in 1187 and 1260. Early in the 14th century, the town walls had been strengthened sufficiently to make the castle almost redundant, and the former were further strengthened by Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, in the 1450s, by which time the castle had fallen into ruin. The remains of the castle comprise only ruins of the original tower, some lengths of curtain wall, and ruins of the gateway and barbican, and it is impossible to rescue any idea of a castle plan from its early years, but the town walls survive to a greater extent. The photograph is of the original tower.

WPM14. Upton Castle is in an estate, 4½km north-east of Pembroke. The fortified house is believed to have been built in the 13th century by the Norman Malefaunt family, in whose hands it remained until the 16th century when it passed to the Bowen family. By the early 19th century it was in ruins but it was restored and enlarged by the addition of 2 wings later in that century. The castle is still inhabited, and the gardens around it are now open to the public. The medieval portion of the exterior stands to the north east of the range, which is dominated by three early towers, separated by short sections of curtain wall and surmounted by a plain parapet on corbels. Between two of them there was a small square accommodation block, and the northern two were separated by a gateway; the block was to the west of a small courtyard. Close to the castle is Upton Chapel dedicated to Saint Giles and dated to the 12th or 13th century.