Carmarthen Town Walls

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Caerfyrddin

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

A rough rectangle, apparently expanded from an earlier small oval area, with four gates. No remains. Speed's Map of 1610 is main authority for line of walls. Built from c. 1233. Fairly frequent murage grants from 1233 until mid C14 and grant of £20 from fee farm for five years in 1415 'as the king understands that the walls have been razed by the Welsh rebels, and the inhabitants are robbed at night for lack of enclosure, and the mayor and commonalty are too poor to enclose the town without aid.' Carmarthen was the most populous town of medieval Wales. The area enclosed by the medieval walls was relatively small and excluded St Peter's church and a large welsh suburb, although these were within the bounds of the Roman town. However, within the Medieval walls was the market and a smaller, now lost, church of St Mary. The English borough and castle was outside the bounds of the Roman town and if there were any Roman town defences these must have been very slight by the time of the foundation of the castle and English borough.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN41521992

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 County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 74 and others '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.cambria.org.uk/HLC/HLCTowy/area/area181.htm
• Books
  • Hughes, G., 2006, Tref hynaf Cymru: Caerfyrddin/Carmarthen: the oldest town in Wales (Llandeilo: Cambria Archaeology)
    Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p27, 29, 74, 93, 95, 114, 131, 204, 230, 273
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p43 [suggests used Roman wall–probably incorrectly]
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p19
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences', in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116 [plan]
    Soulsby, Ian, 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore; Chichester) p101-4 [plan]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p61
    James, T., 1980, Carmarthen: an Archaeological and Topographical Survey (Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society for the Dyfed Archaeological Trust)
    Barley M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p212
    Richard, A.J., 1935, in Lloyd, J.E. (ed), History of Carmathenshire (Cardiff) Vol1 p314-7
    RCAHMW, 1917, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Carmarthenshire (HMSO) p251-2, 258
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p246-7
• Journal Articles
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Bowen, 1948-9, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol100 p118-22
    Ovens, 1926-7, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Vol20 p18 and plate
    Evans, A.C., 1876, 'Historical events connected with Caermarthen Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol31 p64-6
• Guidebooks
  • Hughes, Gwilym, 2006, Tref Hynaf Cymru Caerfyrddin Carmarthen The Oldest Town in Walls (Dyfed Archaeological Trust)
• 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.1188, Journey Through Wales [http://www.building-history.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Primary/Gerald2.htm]
    CCloseR p199; CPR (1232-1247) p54; (1258-1266) p612; (1272-1281) p371; (1292-1301) p144; (1307-1313) p480; (1313-1317) p287; (1317-1321) p242; (1324-1327) p57; p278; (1327-1330) p394; (1334-1338) p54; (1338-1340) p508 [murage grants]
    CPR (1413-1416) p308 [Grant of £20 for 5 years]
• 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]