Neath Castle
| Neath Castle | ||
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 The ruins of the gatehouse of Neath Castle |
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| Alternative name (s): | Castell Nedd | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 39 '52.9 " N , 3 ° 48' 8.2" W | |
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Neath Castle ( Welsh Castell Nedd ) is a ruined castle in Wales . The ruin, classified as a Grade II * cultural monument and protected as a Scheduled Monument , is located in the center of the city of Neath south of the River Neath .
history
At the ford across the river, where the Romans had built a small fort from 75 onwards, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester , built a ring wall in the first half of the 12th century . Probably Roberts Constable Richard de Granville had already built a first ring wall about a kilometer southwest, but it was abandoned around 1130 for the foundation of Neath Abbey .
The castle remained in the possession of the Lords of Glamorgan and was fought over several times between Anglo-Normans and Welsh. After the death of William FitzRobert , the son of Roberts of Gloucester in 1183, Morgan ap Caradog , the Welsh Lord of Afan, besieged the castle until it was appalled in the early summer of 1184 by the Justiciar Ranulf de Glanville . On May 21, 1210, King John visited the castle on his way to Ireland, and on his way back he stayed at the castle from August 27 to 28. On June 29, 1231 , Morgan Gam , lord of Afan, allied with Llywelyn ap Iorwerth , destroyed the castle. Presumably after this destruction, the stone fortifications made of wood until then were rebuilt under Richard de Clare . In 1244, the castle's crew routed plundering Welsh people. In September 1258, the castle withstood a siege by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd , in which the town was destroyed. On December 12, 1284, King Edward I stayed at the castle during his tour of Wales after the final victory over Llywelyn ap Gruffydd . After the death of Lord Gilbert de Clare there was a serious but unsuccessful Welsh attack on the castle in June 1314, as well as during the revolt of Llywelyn Bren in 1316. During the Despenser War , the revolt of the barons against Hugh le Despenser , the The castle was conquered in 1316 and became Lord of Glamorgan in 1316. Her constable, John Iweyn , Lord of Loughor and Despensers Sheriff for Glamorgan, was captured, taken to Swansea and executed by John de Forneaux. However, Despenser regained his possessions as early as 1322. The castle was restored, the previous gate was replaced by the large gatehouse that is still preserved today. During their escape, King Edward II and Despenser stayed at the castle from November 5 to 10, 1326, before they were captured at Llantrisant on November 16. The king presumably left part of his considerable throne in the castle, where it fell into the hands of looters .
From the 15th century the castle lost its military importance and fell into disrepair. In 1715 it was bought by the entrepreneur Humphrey Mackworth from its owner at the time, Charlotte Herbert, the daughter and heir of the 7th Earl of Pembroke. The complex served various purposes and was built over. From 1962 the remaining ruins were secured. The remains of the castle can be viewed from the outside.
investment
Only small remains of the ramparts from the 12th century are preserved east of the gatehouse. The best preserved part of the castle is the facade of the mighty gatehouse, built after 1322 by Hugh le Despenser in the west of the castle. The mighty gatehouse, built of dark sandstone, is framed by two semicircular towers, the gateway was secured with a drawbridge and cast holes. The city wall, of which the beginning has still been preserved, was attached to the right tower. The main castle was surrounded by a D-shaped curtain wall, which is still preserved at a low height. In the northeast of the castle are the ruins of a D-shaped wall tower. Several buildings were once attached to the inside of the curtain wall, so that only a small part of the courtyard was undeveloped. However, only the foundations of these buildings have survived.
literature
- An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan: Volume III - Part 1b: Medieval Secular Monuments the Later Castles from 1217 to the present, pp. 229–245
- Elisabeth Whittle: Glamorgan and Gwent. HMSO, London 1992. ISBN 0-11-701221-1 , pp. 117-118
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ British Listed Buildings: Neath Castle, Castle Street, Neath. Retrieved December 26, 2013 .
- ↑ Ancient Monuments: Neath Castle. Retrieved December 26, 2013 .
- ^ Adrian Pettifer: Welsh castles. A guide by counties . Boydell & Brewer, Woodbridge 2000, ISBN 978-0-85115-778-8 , p. 100