Castell Meredydd, also called Castell Machen, was a castle in Gwynllwg, Wales in the 13th century, long since ruined.

Location

The ruined castle, which is also called Machen, Maghay or Maghhay in historical documents, is in the community of Graig in the historic county of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

and the modern authority of

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

. It has been described both as a timber castle and as a masonry castle. There are remains of masonry footings. The site is protected as a scheduled monument.

Fortification

Castell Meredydd is set on a ledge on a south-facing hillside. The castle consisted of a round tower about in diameter with walls about thick, and another large building about on two natural rocky mounds on the south side of an enclosure about from east to west, and from north to south. There was a latrine chute discharging from the tower keep down the cliff to the south. The knolls on which the keep and the hall stood are separated from the large bailey to the north by a ditch. The square bailey was overlooked by higher ground to the north, and despite the wall and ditch was not well defended.

History

The outcrop on which the castle stands was first fortified in the late 12th century by Meredydd Gethin.

Morgan ap Hywel Morgan ap Hywel (died ) was Lord of Gwynllwg in Wales from about 1215 until his death in 1245, and for many years laid claim to the lordship of Caerleon, which had been seized by the Earl of Pembroke. For most of his life he was at peace with the ...

, who succeeded his father Hywel as Lord of Gwynllwg around 1215, lost

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

in October 1217 to the forces of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146–1219), lord of

Striguil Striguil or Strigoil is the name that was used from the 11th century until the late 14th century for the port and Norman castle of Chepstow, on the Welsh side of the River Wye which forms the boundary with England. The name was also applied to t ...

. However, Morgan managed to retain Castell Machen for most of his life. Morgan strengthened it by the addition of a tower. He probably built the round tower, or

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

, in 1217. Gilbert Marshal captured Castell Meredydd in 1236 during a truce between

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and d ...

and King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

. After Marshal took the castle he seems to have fortified it with a bailey and curtain wall. He was forced to return it to Morgan by the terms of the truce, or "for fear of the lord Llywelyn". Morgan died not long before 15 March 1248. He was succeeded by his grandson Meredudd ap Gruffudd (died 1270), son of his daughter Gwerful and of Gryffudd ap Maredud, a grandson of Lord Rhys. Meredudd inherited the castle. Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester and

lord of Glamorgan The Lordship of Glamorgan was one of the most powerful and wealthy of the Welsh Marcher Lordships. The seat was Cardiff Castle. It was established by the conquest of Glamorgan from its native Welsh ruler, by the Anglo-Norman nobleman Robert FitzHa ...

, took the castle in 1266 when he overran

Senghenydd Senghenydd ( cy, Senghennydd, ) is a former mining town in the community of Aber Valley in South Wales, approximately four miles northwest of the town of Caerphilly. Historically within the county of Glamorgan, it is now situated in the count ...

. The castle is listed as property of the last earl in 1314, and then is no longer mentioned in the records.

Notes

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Meredydd, Castell Castle ruins in Wales Castles in Newport, Wales