Carmarthen Castle ( Welsh: ''Castell Caerfyrddin'') is a ruined

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

West Wales West Wales () is a region of Wales. It has various definitions, either covering Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of ''Deheubarth'', and an alternative definition is to include Swa ...

, UK. First built by Walter, Sheriff of Gloucester in the early 1100s, the castle was captured and destroyed on several occasions before being rebuilt in stone during the 1190s. The castle was captured by

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...

in 1405. Henry VII's father died at Carmarthen Castle in 1456. During the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

the castle fell to William Herbert and, during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, was captured by Parliamentary forces. It was dismantled by order of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

in the mid 1600s. It has been used as the site of Carmarthen's gaol until the 1920s. The remains of the castle were given a Grade I heritage listing in 1954 and is currently a tourist attraction and site of the town's Tourist Information Centre.

Location

The castle is in the county town of

located above sea level on a high terrace overlooking the tidal

River Towy The River Towy (, ; also known as the River Tywi) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teif ...

. Carmarthen Bridge lies below the castle, at what was the lowest bridging point of the river from the sea. While it is described today as "arguably the biggest disappointment among the plethora of medieval ruins in Wales" it has, in fact, dominated the layout and orientation of the town with its streets and property boundaries coming out from the site. It is accessed today via the surviving gatehouse on Nott Square or alternatively via the Old Castle Gaol entrance on Gaol Hill/Castle Hill.

History

The first castle

The first castle on its current site at Carmarthen is variously dated to 1104, circa 1106 or 1109 and ascribed to Walter of Gloucester, though Ludlow suggests it is more likely that the castle had already been built when Walter was recorded (in 1109) as being sent to defend Carmarthen. An earlier fort existed south at Rhyd-y-gors, built by William FitzBaldwin of

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

on behalf of English King William II, probably after the death of the local Welsh King

Rhys ap Tewdwr Rhys ap Tewdwr (c. 1040 – 1093) was a king of Deheubarth in Wales and member of the Dinefwr dynasty, a branch descended from Rhodri the Great. Following the Norman Conquest, he had to pay William the Conqueror to keep his kingdom, which lasted ...

in 1093. It was last mentioned in 1106.

Pembroke Castle Pembroke Castle () is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earl of Pembroke, Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restoratio ...

had been established in 1102. The castle, originally a timber

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

structure, is believed to have been rebuilt in stone in the later years of the 1100s.

12th century

It was not too long before local Welsh prince

Gruffydd ap Rhys Gruffydd ap Rhys (c. 1090 – 1137) was Prince of Deheubarth, in Wales. His sister was the Princess Nest ferch Rhys. He was the father of Rhys ap Gruffydd, known as 'The Lord Rhys', who was one of the most successful rulers of Deheubarth during ...

(who had had his lands taken from him by the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

) attacked Carmarthen Castle. Around 1116 he successfully captured it in a night attack, despite the Normans arranging for it to be defended in a two weekly rotation by local chieftains. Gruffydd dismantled the castle and plundered the surrounding town. Subsequently rebuilt, the castle changed hands several times over the following decades. The

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

prince,

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( – 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great () and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales" and th ...

('Owain the Great'), destroyed the castle in 1137 and it was again destroyed in 1143. Briefly recaptured in 1144, it was again taken by Cadell (the son of Gruffydd ap Rhys) in 1146 and retained for several years. Cadell's brother

Rhys Rhys or Rhŷs is a popular Welsh language, Welsh given name (usually male) that is famous in Welsh history and is also used as a surname. It originates from Deheubarth, an old region of South West Wales, with famous kings such as Rhys ap Tewdwr. ...

again captured (and destroyed) the castle in 1195.

Wars of the Roses

Carmarthen Castle is noted as the place of death of Edmund Tudor, father of the first Tudor king of England, Henry VII. Edmund took possession of the castle during the

on behalf of the

House of Lancaster The House of Lancaster was a cadet branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. The first house was created when King Henry III of England created the Earldom of Lancasterfrom which the house was namedfor his second son Edmund Crouchback in 1267 ...

. Opposing

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, th ...

troops led by William Herbert captured the castle in August 1456, imprisoning Edmund Tudor, who died a prisoner there on 1 November. His 13-year old wife

Lady Margaret Beaufort Lady Margaret Beaufort ( ; 31 May 1443 – 29 June 1509) was a major figure in the Wars of the Roses of the late 15th century, and mother of King Henry VII of England, the first House of Tudor, Tudor monarch. She was also a second cousin o ...

gave birth to Henry in January the following year.

The Old Gaol

An eight cell gaol existed in the inner bailey at Carmarthen Castle and, in 1789, this was converted into a new County Gaol, designed by architect John Nash. The gaol was extended in 1869 and survived until it was demolished in 1936. Gaol wall and Old Police Station - geograph

Gaol wall and Old Police Station - geograph

In about 1860 a two-storey police station and lock-up was built between the outer and inner walls of the castle. It was used as a place to hold prisoners in transit to the nearby courthouse. The building was used as such until 1947 (and now known as Castle House).

20th and 21st centuries

With no further use as a prison, Carmarthenshire Council bought the Old Gaol in 1925, intending to build the new County Hall and a museum on the site. Carmarthenshire Council's new "chateau" style County Hall was completed in 1938. The remains of Carmarthen Castle have been a Grade I heritage listed since 1954, as "substantial remains of a major medieval castle". Around the turn of the 21st century parts of the castle, the Square Tower and Southwest Tower, were made accessible following a detailed archaeological investigation. A number of surrounding buildings were removed to improve the visibility of the castle. The upper levels of the gatehouse and shell keep were opened to the public (with full access around the ground level) for the first time in 2003. A grass area with benches (and views over the town's rooftops) was created at the top of the keep's mound. Castle House, within the remaining castle walls is used as a museum and the town's Tourist Information Centre.

Name

The name of the castle is

pleonastic Pleonasm (; , ) is redundancy in linguistic expression, such as "black darkness", "burning fire", "the man he said", or "vibrating with motion". It is a manifestation of tautology by traditional rhetorical criteria. Pleonasm may also be used f ...

: In its Welsh form, ''Castell Caerfyrddin'', "Caer" means fort, while "fyrddin" is thought to be derived from the Latin Moridunum ("sea fort" ) making Carmarthen Castle " fort sea-fort castle".

Sources

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References

External links

Archaeological sites in Carmarthenshire Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Castle ruins in Wales Castles in Carmarthenshire Grade I listed buildings in Carmarthenshire Grade I listed castles in Wales History of Carmarthenshire Tourist attractions in Carmarthenshire {{coords, 51.855, -4.306, display=title