Kenfig Castle () is a ruined castle in

Bridgend County Borough Bridgend County Borough () is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

that came to prominence after the Anglo-Norman invasion of

in the late 11th century.

History

An early reference to a castle at Kenfig can be found in 1080, when

Iestyn ap Gwrgan Iestyn ap Gwrgant (or Jestyn ap Gwrgant) () (1014–1093) was the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg, which encompassed the counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. Lineage Iestyn ap Gwrgant was the last ruler of the royal house o ...

was said to have refortified it, but probably this was a different structure to that raised alongside the town that developed there in the mid-12th century. In its day, it was an important Norman stronghold and was built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, in the early 12th century. It was set on a mound with the river to the west and north. The square, free-standing keep had an entrance at the southwest corner. It was a tall, elegant structure with buttresses of dressed stone at each corner and the centre of each side, as well as a hall and offices. The bailey lies to the south, surrounded by the remains of a bank and ditch. The castle acted as an administrative centre, and by 1183, a borough had grown up to the south. The castle was sacked by the Welsh on at least six occasions, in 1167, 1183, 1232, 1242, 1294, and 1295, by Morgan ap Maredudd during the revolt of

Madog ap Llywelyn Madog ap Llywelyn (died after 1312) was the leader of the Welsh revolt of 1294–95 against English rule in Wales. The revolt was surpassed in longevity only by the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr in the 15th century. Madog belonged to a junior branch ...

, and again in 1316 during the revolt of Llywelyn Bren. In the early 14th century, the castle was substantially reconstructed. The ramparts were removed to make the court more level and a curtain wall was erected, with a large gatehouse leading to the borough. The tower was also substantially rebuilt. By the late 15th century, both Kenfig old town and the castle had been abandoned because of encroaching sand dunes. John Leland wrote in about 1539, "There is a little village on the e t side of Kenfig, and a castle, booth in ruine and almost shokid (choked) and devourid with the sandes that the Severn Se ther castiith up".''The Itinerary in Wales of John Leland in or about the years 1536–1539''. Ed. Toulmin-Smith, L. London, 1906. Vol 3, p29. Path to Kenfig Castle Margam - geograph

In the 1920s and early 1930s, much of the sand was excavated as an archaeological dig.Coflein.gov.uk NPRN: 300455Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
(search for PRN 00148m). Cadw SAM: GM042: Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town The sands reinvaded the site and only the top of the keep is now visible.

References

*Ian N. Soulsby, ''The Towns of Medieval Wales'' (Chichester, 1983), p. 150. {{Bridgend Castles in Bridgend County Borough Castle ruins in Wales Scheduled monuments in Wales

History

See also

References