Carmarthen Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Caermarthen; Caerfyrddin; Caermarddin; Rhyd y Gors; Rhyd Cors

In the community of Carmarthen. In the historic county of Carmarthenshire (Modern authority of Carmarthenshire, preserved county of Dyfed).

The castle is first mentioned in 1094, when the name Rhyd y Gors is used. The earliest castle, built by the Norman William fitz Baldwin, may have been sited elsewhere perhaps further down the river. After 1105 the annals refer to Carmarthen by name, so by then certainly, the Norman castle was on its present site. The castle evidently became important early on, and passed into the hands of the crown. Carmarthen quickly became the administrative center of south-west Wales, and inevitably underwent a series of attacks and rebuilding episodes during the turbulent struggles between Welsh and English in C12 and C13. Among these episodes was the capture and destruction of the castle by Llywelyn the Great in 1215, after which extensive rebuilding work was undertaken by William Marshal the younger earl of Pembroke, who had re-captured the castle in 1223. It may have been at this period that the massive stone defences were built on the site of the original motte.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN413199

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's National Monument Record (Coflein) number is 95084
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 57 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/carmarth.html
    http://www.cambria.org.uk/projects/CarmCastle.htm
    http://www.cambria.org.uk/projects/carmgatehouse.htm
    http://www.cambria.org.uk/HLC/HLCTowy/area/area181.htm
    http://www.llanegwad-carmarthen.co.uk/carmscastle-excav.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/carmarthen.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/159/carmarthen.html
• Books
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p81-3
    Gravett, Christopher, 2007, The Castles of Edward I in Wales 1277-1307 (Osprey Fortress series 64)
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p42-3
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p66-7
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p45-6
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p18-19
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p54
    Soulsby, I., 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p336
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p600-1
    Richard, A.J., 1935, in Lloyd, J.E. (ed), History of Carmathenshire (Cardiff) Vol1 p276-7, 289
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p23,187
    RCAHMW, 1917, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Carmarthenshire (HMSO) p249-51
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p284-6
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p468-9
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47809#s1
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p360
• Journal Articles
  • Ludlow, N., 2003, 'An interim review of 10 years' work at Carmarthen Castle, 1993-2003' The Carmarthen Antiquary Vol39 p147-51
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p312
    Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1981, ‘Medieval Britain in 1980’, Medieval Archaeology Vol25 p202-3 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    James, H.T., 1980, ‘Carmarthen Castle’, Archaeology in Wales, Vol20 p56
    James, H.T., 1980, Carmarthen: an Archaeological and Topographical Survey (Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society for the Dyfed Archaeological Trust)
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Armitage and Holmes, 1907-8, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Vol3 p14-15, 21-2
    1907, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol62 p236-9
    Evans, 1906-7, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Vol2 p196-7
    Evans, A.C., 1876, 'Historical events connected with Caermarthen Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol31 p58-64
• Guidebooks
  • Ludlow, N., 2007, Castell Caerfyrddin/Carmarthen Castle (Carmarthen: Carmarthen County Council)
    Cambria Archaeology, 2007, Taith ymwelydd Castell Caerfyrddin/Carmarthen Castle: a visitor's tour (Carmarthen: Carmarthen County Council)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Giraldus Cambrensis, c.1183, Description of Wales [http://www.building-history.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Primary/Gerald.htm]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p123-4
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#caerm2]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1906, Leland's Itinerary in Wales (Bell and Sons; London) p59 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryinwales00lelauoft