Penhow Castle

In the community of Penhow. In the historic county of Monmouthshire (Modern authority of Newport, preserved county of Gwent).

The small C12 (King writes mid to late C13) keep tower, sometimes said to be in a ringwork (although Phillips did not see any such feature), dominates an ensemble which includes C15 hall block and the late C17 domestic section which is visible from the old Chepstow Road. A small and intimate castle that was carefully restored in the 1970's and opened to the public but which has now been sold and is no longer open. A collection of walls and buildings define an irregular polygon, c.28m N-S by 23m, set at the N end of a N-S ridge and ditched about the S. The earliest structure is a much altered C12/C13 tower, whilst a three storey house/hall block is thought to be early C17 structure, remodelled c.1700. An outer enclosure, c.70m E-W and 55m N-S, has been partly traced on the S, apparently enclosing the church. Garden features SW of the castle are thought to be C17-C18 and later.
Morgan examined the architecture of the building and saw no reason to call it a castle in the ordinary sense of the word as there are ‘no outworks, no fosse, moat or barbican, no drawbridge, gate house or portcullis nor any attempt at military defences in its construction’ (Quoted in Phillips) It is probably best described as a 'pele tower' although this description is often confined to similar somewhat later towers of the northern marches.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST42369086

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 221292
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 00989g '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/penhow.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/penhow.html
• Books
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p243 [listed]
    Prior, Stuart, 2006, A Few Well-Positioned Castles: The Norman Art of War (Tempus) p110-164
    Phillips, Neil, 2005, Earthwork Castles of Gwent and Ergyng AD 1050-1250 (University of Wales) [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?phillips_phd_2005] p291-2
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p135-6
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p118
    Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p26-7
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p286
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p372
    Bradney, J.A., 1904-33, History of Monmouthshire Vol4 p191-6 [mostly manorial history]
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p86
    Morgan, O. and Wakeman, J., 1867, Notes on Penhow Castle (Monmouth and Caerleon Antiquarian Association)
    Coxe, W., 1801, Historical Tour in Monmouthshire (London) Vol1 p30-2
• Journal Articles
  • Wrathmel, S., 1990, 'Penhow Castle, Gwent: Survey and excavation, 1976-9: part 1’ Monmouthshire Antiquarian Vol6 p17-45
    Weeks, S., 1979, 'Penhow Castle' Gwent Local History Vol46 p20-6
    Haslam, R., 1979, ‘Penhow Castle, Gwent’, Countty Life, 166 p1050-3
    Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1979, ‘Medieval Britain in 1978’ Medieval Archaeology Vol23 p263-4 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Knight, J.K. and Wrathmell, S., 1978, 'Penhow Castle' 125th Annual Meeting in Gwent and the Forest of Dean, 1978 CAA p39-40
    Wrathmel, S., 1978, 'Penhow Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol18, 57-8
    Wrathmel, S., 1977, 'Penhow Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol17, 44
    Knight, J.K.., 1970, 'Penhow Castle' The 107th Annual Meeting in the Vale of Usk, 1970 CAA p8-10
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Clark, A., 1953, 'Penhow Castle' Programme of the 100th Annual meeting at Chepstow, 1953 CAA p12
    Morgan, O., 1864, 'Penhow' Monmouthshire and Caerleon Antiquarian Association p5-21
• Guidebooks
  • [S Weeks], 1987, Penhow Castle, Gwent, Wales (Penhow: Penhow Castle)
    
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/hertseng.html#mons5]