Llansteffan Castle
| Llansteffan Castle | ||
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 Llansteffan Castle over the Tywi Estuary |
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| Creation time : | 12th Century | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 45 '55.1 " N , 4 ° 23' 21.5" W | |
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Llansteffan Castle is a ruined castle in Carmarthenshire , Wales . The ruin, classified as a Grade I cultural monument and protected as a Scheduled Monument , is located above the village of Llanstephan and 13 km south of Carmarthen at the confluence of the Afon Tywi in Carmarthen Bay .
history
Ring wall and fortifications made of earth and wood in the 12th century
The castle, founded in the 12th century, is located on the site of an Iron Age hill fort that was built around 600 BC. The double moat to the west of the fort is still preserved. At the beginning of the 12th century, the Anglo- Normans built a ring wall at the highest point of the hill during the conquest of southwest Wales . In 1146, Cadell ap Gruffydd , Prince of Deheubarth, together with his younger brothers Maredudd and Rhys and with Hywel from Owain von Ceredigion, conquered the castle from its then Cambro-Norman owner Maurice FitzGerald . A recapture attempt by Maurice and his brother William FitzGerald failed, it was not until 1158 that Rhys ap Gruffydd had to hand over the castle to the crown under pressure from Henry II . Henry II gave the castle to William de Camville, the youngest son of Richard de Camville . After the death of Henry II, Rhys ap Gruffydd conquered the castle again at the end of 1189, but William de Camville was able to recapture it around 1192 due to the family wars within the House of Dinefwr .
Expansion into a stone fortress in the 13th century
Presumably, after the reconquest, William de Camville began converting the wooden castle into a mighty stone fortress. Nevertheless, like St Clears , Kidwelly or Loughor, it was conquered and destroyed again in 1215 during the campaign of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth through South Wales. During the English-Welsh War of 1223 , William Marshal recaptured South Wales and the castle fell to Geoffrey de Camville, son of William de Camville. Geoffrey strengthened the main castle with the still preserved gate tower and another tower. After the garrison of the castle probably took part in the Battle of Cymerau , which was catastrophic for the English in 1257 , the defenseless castle was conquered again by the Welsh. The Welsh could not hold their conquests, so that the castle fell back to the English. William de Camville, a son of Geoffrey, began rebuilding the castle, which was completed by his son Geoffrey. The earth and wood fortifications of the outer bailey were replaced by a stone ring wall and the mighty main gate was built.
From the 14th century until today
After the death of the last male Camville, William de Camville in 1338, the castle fell to Robert de Penres, the husband of his daughter Eleanor. However, this drew the wrath of Edward III. to, when in 1362 his castles Llansteffan and Penrice Castle on the Gower peninsula were considered to be derelict. In 1370 he was charged with the murder of a woman in Llanstephan. He was finally expropriated in 1377 and his possessions fell to the Crown. His son John was probably able to stay as constable on Llansteffan and in 1391 buy back the possessions on Gower. During the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr , the castle fell to the insurgents, presumably through betrayal in 1405. In the 15th century, the crown gave the castle to members of the nobility who left the castle to caretakers, such as Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester in 1416 , Margaret of Anjou in 1454 and William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke from 1462 to 1482 . In 1485, Henry VII gave the castle to his uncle Jasper Tudor , who had the main gate rebuilt. After his death in 1495, the castle, which had been militarily outdated, fell into disrepair. In the 18th century the outer bailey was used as a farm. From the 19th century, the romantically situated ruin became a destination for painters and tourists. In 1959 the ruins were handed over to the state and are now looked after by Cadw . It can be reached via a footpath from Llanstephan and can be visited free of charge all year round.
investment
The castle is located on a headland west of the mouth of the Tywi. The castle, which was built in two main phases, has largely fallen into disrepair, but the gatehouses and part of the walls are still well preserved.
Outer bailey
A simple gate built towards the end of the 15th century directly to the left of the large gatehouse provides access to the wide outer courtyard. The large three-story main gate was built towards the end of the 13th century and is flanked by two D-shaped towers. On the inside there are two narrow semicircular towers, one of which served as a latrine and the other as a staircase. A living hall was located above the gate passage, and the floor above was probably the private apartments of the lords of the castle. Towards the end of the 15th century, Jasper Tudor's gatehouse was expanded to become more homely, which is why the gateways were bricked up.
The ring wall of the outer bailey was built after 1257 and has two D-shaped wall towers next to the gatehouse. The smaller west tower on the right of the gatehouse has fallen into disrepair, the three-storey north tower on the left of the gatehouse contained additional living quarters. In the east, the curtain wall is reinforced like a bastion. Between the east bastion and the north tower are the ruins of a barn built in the late 15th century, which presumably replaced the large medieval hall.
Core castle
Which is located on the highest point of the headland to the south main castle . The main castle is surrounded by a circular wall built after 1192, a part of which to the outer courtyard was probably demolished in the 14th century to connect the two courtyards. Access to the main castle was through a three-storey gate tower that was built after 1215. To the east of the gate tower are the foundations of a round tower, which was also built after 1215 and probably served as a keep . To the south the headland drops steeply to the sea, to the west the core castle is protected by a double moat that still comes from the Iron Age hill fort. Inside the courtyard there is a fountain, the remains of a small hall and the ruins of other buildings.
Web links
- Cadw: Llansteffan Castle
- The Great Castles of Wales: Llansteffan Castle
- Castles of Wales: Llansteffan Castle
Individual evidence
- ↑ British listed Buildings: Llansteffan Castle, Llansteffan. Retrieved September 10, 2013 .
- ↑ Thomas Lloyd u. a .: Buildings of Wales - Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. Yale University Press, New Haven 2006. ISBN 978-0-300-10179-9 , p. 331
- ^ Celtic Casimir: Richard DE CAMVILLE of Lilbourne & Stanton. Retrieved September 12, 2013 .
- ^ Castles of Wales: Penrice Castle. Retrieved September 12, 2013 .
- ↑ Thomas Lloyd u. a .: Buildings of Wales - Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. Yale University Press, New Haven 2006. ISBN 978-0-300-10179-9 , p. 332