St Clears Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Banc y Beili; Ystrad Cyngen; Rhyd Y Gors; St Clare

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

Motte-and-bailey situated on the junction between the Taf and Cynin rivers, probably at the limit of navigable water for the shallow-draught boats that the Norman settlers would have used. The substantial motte, 8m high and an oval 20m by 10m across its top, lies on the north of the site and is well preserved. The large, rectangular bailey extended 50m south of the motte. There are reports of stonework being visible on the summit of the motte, suggesting that it carried a masonry structure in its later history. The castle was probably founded in the late C11, judging from the fact that a Cluniac priory was established at St Clears around 1100 and this would almost certainly have been after the foundation of the castle.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN28091542

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 105023
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 5054 '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/stclears.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/158/stclears.html
• Books
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p236 [listed]
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p58
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p40
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p44
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p59 Vol2 p567-8
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p378
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Richard, A.J., 1935, in Lloyd, J.E. (ed), History of Carmathenshire (Cardiff) Vol1 p273
    RCAHMW, 1917, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Carmarthenshire (HMSO) p238
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p288-9
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47813#s13
• Journal Articles
  • King, D.J.C., 1985, ‘St Clears motte and bailey’, 132nd annual meeting, old Carmarthenshire, 1985, CAA p15–16
    King, D.J.C., 1983, ‘Notes on the castle of Saint Clears’, The Carmarthen Antiquary Vol19 p5–7
    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
    Evans, D.C., 1907, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol62 p224-5
    Evans, D.C., 1906-7, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Vol2 p163 [plate]
• 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]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1906, Leland's Itinerary in Wales (Bell and Sons; London) p57 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryinwales00lelauoft