Morlais Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Castell Morlais

In the community of Pant. In the historic county of Glamorgan (Modern authority of Merthyr Tydfil, preserved county of Mid Glamorgan).

Within an Iron Age hillfort on a limestone ridge are the last traces of the large and strong castle begun in c1287 by Gilbert de Clare, on land claimed by Humphrey de Bohun. Warfare broke out between the earls in 1290 and they were severely admonished and fined by Edward I. The castle was captured by Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294. It was probably never fully completed and was too remote and exposed to serve as a residence. The castle comprising a triangular inner ward with sides about 45m long and an inner bailey 60m wide. The inner ward had a round keep 17m in diameter at the north corner, a D-shaped tower with a staircase on the north side at the SE corner, and a similar tower projected from the south wall.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO04930957

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Monuments Record number; 93014 County Sites and Monuments Record number; 00443m

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/morlais.html
• Books
  • Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p99-100
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p108-9
    Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p56
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p166
    Davis, Paul R., 1983, Castles of Glamorgan (Alun Books) p18-9
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p367
    Hague, D.B., 1971, in Pugh, T.B. (ed), Glamorgan County History Vol3 The Middle Ages (Cardiff) p431-2
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p173
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval military architecture in England (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p312-22 [reprint of 1859 article]
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47868#s12
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p403
• Journal Articles
  • Spurgeon, Jack, 1987, 'The Castles of Glamorgan' Chateau Gaillard Vol13 p215
    Kenyon, John R., 1985, ‘Morlais Castle’ as viewed by Samuel and Nathaniel Buck’, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol134 p235–7
    Robinson DM., 1983, 'An Aerial survey at Morlais Castle, Mertyr Tydfil, Mid Glamorgan' Bull Board Celtic Stud Vol30 p431-40
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Gardner, I., 1916, 'Morlais Castle, Glamorganshire' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol71 p341-53 [weak history]
    1901, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol56 p56-7
    Clark, G.T., 1859, 'Some Account of Morlais Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol14 p97-114
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p18