Builth Wells Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Buellt; Llanfair-ym-Muallt

In the community of Builth. In the historic county of Brecknockshire (Modern authority of Powys, preserved county of Powys).

Built by Philip de Braose in the 1090s as a timber and earth motte and bailey. During the next century it changed hands between Welsh and Norman owners and was rebuilt in stone in the 1240s. It was taken and destroyed by the Welsh in 1260. Between 1277 and 1282 it was completely rebuilt by Edward I. In 1282 it was held for the king by John Giffard who may have been involved in the death of Llywelyn the Last who was killed nearby in December 1282. The stone castle had a tower keep surrounded by a curtain wall with six turrets. A gatehouse with two towers protected the inner ward. Unusually the castle has two baileys both of which originally had stone walls.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO04405101

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 92025
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 1603 '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/builth.html
    http://www.castlewales.com/builth1.html
    http://www.cpat.org.uk/educate/guides/brecast/brecast.htm
    http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/builth.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/builth.html
• Books
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p50-3
    Gravett, Christopher, 2007, The Castles of Edward I in Wales 1277-1307 (Osprey Fortress series 64)
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern) p16 [plan]
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p10
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p33, 35
    Remfry, Paul, 1998. Castles of Breconshire (Logaston Press) p183-7 [plan]
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, The Welsh Castles of Edward I (Hambledon Press) p1-7
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p327
    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) p293-9
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p169
    Armitage, Ella S., 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London) p290-1
    Hamilton Thompson, A., 1912, Military Architecture in England during the Middle Ages (London) p50-1
    Allcroft, A. Hadrian, 1908, Earthworks of England (London) p406, 409 http://www.archive.org/details/earthworkofengla00allc
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p304-8 [reprint of 1874 Arch. Camb. article]
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p483-5
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47805#s1
• Journal Articles
  • Spurgeon, C.J., 1979. ‘Builth Castle’ Brycheiniog Vol18 p47-59
    Spurgeon, C.J., 1977, ‘Builth Castle’, 124th Annual Meeting in Aberystwyth, South Montgomery and North Radnor, 1977, CAA p29-30
    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
    King, D.J.C., 1961, ‘The castles of Breconshire’ Brycheiniog Vol7 p85-6
    Renn, D.F., 1961, 'The round keeps of the Brecon region' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol110 p138
    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
    Edwards, J. Goronwy, 1944, 'Edward I's Castle-Building in Wales' Proceedings of the British Academy Vol32 esp p22-4, 66
    Clark, G.T., 1874, 'The castle of Builth' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol29 p1-7
• 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] p101-3
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/hertseng.html#breck3]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1906, Leland's Itinerary in Wales (Bell and Sons; London) p109 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryinwales00lelauoft