Newcastle Emlyn Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castel Nowid; Newcastle Emelyn

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

The castle was probably founded by Maredudd ap Rhys around 1240, and if this is so, it is one of the few castles in Dyfed built by the Welsh in stone. His son, Rhys ap Maredudd, held the castle in 1287, and the castle changed hands three times during his successful revolt against the English crown from 1287 to 1289. After Rhys had finally been defeated and killed, the castle became crown property and remained so until 1349. During this time, three refurbishments are recorded, during which this time the gatehouse was constructed and a new town was founded outside the castle walls. In 1403 the castle was taken by Owain Glyndwr, but was described as being in ruins by 1428.

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 SN31154072

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

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's National Monument Record (Coflein) number is 92783
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 2335 '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/newcas2.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/emlyn.html
• Books
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p102-3
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p57
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p100-1 [plan]
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p109-10
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p42 [plan]
    Davis, Paul R., 1988, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Swansea)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p59
    Soulsby, I., 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p368
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p646-7
    Richard, A.J., 1935, in Lloyd, J.E. (ed), History of Carmathenshire (Cardiff) Vol1 p285-6, 289-
    RCAHMW, 1917, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Carmarthenshire (HMSO) p220-1
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p289
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47873#s5
• Journal Articles
  • 1992, Carmathenshire Antiquary
    Parry, C., 1987, ‘Survey and excavation at Newcastle Emlyn Castle’, The Carmarthenshire Antiquary Vol23 p11–27
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Parry, C., 1985, ‘Newcastle Emlyn Castle’, Archaeology in Wales Vol25 p46
    Stenger, C.M. and Isaac, J., 1983, ‘Newcastle Emlyn’, Archaeology in Wales Vol23 p58
    King, D.J.C., 1972, ‘Newcastle Emlyn’; The 119th Annual Meeting in Lampeter and District, 1976, CAA p13-14
    Evans, 1922, Y Cymmrodor Vol32 p71-5, 97-9 etc.
    Evans, 1912-3, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian SocietyVol8 p73
    Evans, 1907-8, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Vol3 p39-40
    Evans, 1905-6, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Vol1 p74-5
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p132-4
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#caerm4]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1906, Leland's Itinerary in Wales (Bell and Sons; London) p57 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryinwales00lelauoft