Swansea Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; New Castle; Abertawe; Seinhenydd; Gower; Goher; Sueineshea; Suenesel; Senghenydd

In the community of Castle. In the historic county of Glamorgan (Modern authority of Swansea, preserved county of West Glamorgan).

Established by Henry I's friend Henry de Beaumont, first earl of Warwick, as the seat of administration of the marcher lordship of Gower, which Henry bestowed on him in about 1106. This first castle was of motte and bailey type, and nothing of it remains above ground. The west side of its deep ditch has been excavated to the north of the present remains. It was rebuilt in stone on the same site, probably after being razed by the Welsh in 1217. Nothing remains above ground of this stage either, but the west side of the curtain wall has been found, together with a mural tower. To the south-west of this small castle a large roughly rectangular outer bailey was walled in stone late in C13. The 'New Castle', primarily C13 and C14, represents a stone phase of the castle. Constructed of coursed Pennant sandstone blocks with dressed Sutton stone. Consists of a roughly L-shaped residential block to SE and a tower to N, with a section of surviving curtain wall running between the two. The residential block comprises a semicircular garderobe turret to W, a rectangular garderobe tower to SE, with a hall and parlour range between. Entrance to the interior through the N side, giving access to 5 basement rooms with pointed tunnel-vaults. Although the tower may represent the earliest surviving work, it has been substantially altered. Evidence remains for its later use as a debtors' prison. The most prominent feature of the castle is the arcaded parapet, said to be added by added by Henry Gower in the C14.
Payne writes "The identification of Swansea, Glamorgan [as a bishops palace] is based on a comment by John Leland, who said that Bishop Henry Gower (1328-47) was responsible for some building work at Swansea Castle. However, there is no proven connection with the bishop of St David's (pers. comm. Rick Turner) and the architectural evidence does not support Leland's comment (Emery 2000: 644)."

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 SS65719308

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 94515; 275871
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 00426w; 00438w '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.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=129
    http://www.castlewales.com/swansea.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/swansea.html
• Books
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p160-2
    Harrison, Peter, 2004, Castles of God (Woodbridge; Boydell Press) p85-6
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p109-10
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p644, 645
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p131-2
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p183
    Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p71
    Pugh, T.B. (ed), 1984, Glamorgan County History Vol3 p225, 231, 247, 249
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p170
    Evans, Edith, with contributions by Spurgeon, C.J., 1983. Swansea Castle and the medieval town. (Swansea: Swansea City Council; Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust)
    Davis, Paul R., 1983, Castles of Glamorgan (Alun Books) p8
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p380
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Hague, D.B., 1971, in Pugh, T.B. (ed), Glamorgan County History Vol3 The Middle Ages (Cardiff) p436 plate XXIII
    Grenfell, Harold E. and Morris, Bernard, 1970 (Revised 1985) The Castles of Gower (Merthyr Tydfil) p4-5
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p174
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p297-8
    Morgan, W. Ll., 1899, Antiquarian Survey of East Gower (London) p85-110
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47885#s5
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p409
• Journal Articles
  • Evans, Edith, 1988, 'Swansea Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol28 p73
    Spurgeon, Jack, 1987, 'The Castles of Glamorgan' Chateau Gaillard Vol13 p217-8
    Williams, G., 1981, 'Henry de Gower (?1278-1347), bishop and builder' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol130 p1-18
    Knight, J.K.., 1980, Swansea Castle, Programme of the 127th Annual Meeting, 1980, CAA p35-7
    Sell, S.H., 1979, 'Swansea Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol19 p43
    GGAT, 1978, 'A salvage excavation at Swansea Castle' Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Annual Report 1977-78 p33-4
    GGAT, 1977, 'Swansea Castle 'Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Annual Report 1976 -77' p18
    Morris, B., 1976, 'Swansea Castle Defences - The Western Ditch' Gower Vol27 p14-19
    Morris, B., 1975, Archaeology in Wales Vol15 p61
    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
    Hague, D.B. and Williams, G., 1957, 'Swansea Castle' Gower Vol10 p3-14
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Morgan, W.Ll., 1912, 'The castle of Senghenydd' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol67 p383-90
    Capper, C., 1886, 'Swansea Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol41 p302-7
• Guidebooks
  • Evans, Edith, 1983, Swansea Castle and the Medieval Town (Swansea)
    Morris, B., Swansea Town and Castle
    Morgan, W.Ll., 1914, The Castle of Swansea (Devizes)
    Jones, 1879, A Short History of Swansea Castle (Swansea)
• 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.1188, Journey Through Wales [http://www.building-history.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Primary/Gerald2.htm]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p213-4
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such.)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) Appendix B: List of Medieval Bishop's Palaces in England and Wales [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]