Cowbridge Town Walls

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Y Bont-faen

In the community of Cowbridge With Llanblethian. In the historic county of Glamorgan (Modern authority of Vale of Glamorgan, preserved county of South Glamorgan).

Remains of a stone curtain, describing a pentagonal figure about the central part of the borough of Cowbridge, established c.1254. There are extensive remains of the S part of the circuit, including the South Gate and two angle towers. There is, apparently, no primary documentation regarding the town walls although it is usually suggested they date from the late C13. The town, which was one of the largest in medieval Wales, was an important commercial centre.
Cowbridge is a quarter of a mile above Lanlithan. From the mouth of Thawan to Cowbridge a longe by the ripe self, and more by west from the ripe is very good corne and gresse. As much of Cowbridge as is enclosid with the waull stondith on the est ripe and the bridge of ston there. The great suburbe of Coubridge is cis pontem. The waulle of Cowbridge is a 3. quarters of a mile aboute. There be 3. gates in the waulle, the est, the west and Porte Meline a by south. There is a chirch in the town. But the saying is, that Lanlithan is the hed paroch chirch to Cowbridge. The town self of Cowbridge standith in a valle. (Leland)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SS99397469

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 307612
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 00248s '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.walledtowns.com/wtfc/towninfo/wales/cowbridge.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/cowbridge.html
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p27, 74, 75, 170, 271
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p94
    Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p49
    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) p115-7 [plan]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p174
    Robinson, D.M., 1980, Cowbridge: the Archaeology and Topography of a Small Market Town in the Vale of Glamorgan (Glamorgan-Gwent 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) p213
    Hague, D.B., 1971, in Pugh, T.B. (ed), Glamorgan County History Vol3 The Middle Ages (Cardiff) p439
    Hopkin-James, 1922, History of Old Cowbridge (Cardiff) p69-75
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p246
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47816#s1
• Journal Articles
  • Spurgeon, C.J., 2001, 'The Medieval Town Defences of Glamorgan' Studia Celtica Vol35 p161-212 esp p177-187
    1999, 'The Town Walls, Cowbridge' Marches Archaeology
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1983, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1982’, Medieval Archaeology Vol27 p227 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Parkhouse, J., 1982, 'Archaeological notes: Cowbridge', Morgannwg Vol26 p76-9
    Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1982, ‘Medieval Britain in 1981’, Medieval Archaeology Vol26 p224
    Parkhouse, J., 1982, ‘Excavations in Cowbridge’, Annual Report 1981–82, (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust) p7–21
    Parkhouse, J., 1982, ‘Cowbridge’, Archaeology in Wales Vol22 p35
    Parkhouse, J., 1981, ‘Cowbridge’, Archaeology in Wales Vol21 p62-4
    Davidson A., 1979, 'Bear Hotel, Cowbridge: some evidence for the medieval town defences and Romano-British occupation' Annual Report 1977-78 (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust) p27 -8
    Davidson, A., 1979, 'Bear Hotel, Cowbridge' Archaeology in Wales Vol19 p40
    Davidson, A., 1979, 'Archaeological notes: Bear Hotel, Cowbridge', Morgannwg Vol23 p90
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
• 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) p32 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryinwales00lelauoft