Newcastle Emlyn Castle
| Newcastle Emlyn Castle | ||
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_-_geograph.org.uk_-_37167.jpg) The ruins of the gatehouse of Newcastle Emlyn Castle |
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| Creation time : | 13th Century | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Geographical location | 52 ° 2 '19.3 " N , 4 ° 27' 43.9" W | |
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Newcastle Emlyn Castle is a ruined castle in Carmarthenshire , Wales . Classified as a Grade I cultural monument and protected as a Scheduled Monument , the ruin is one of the few castles in Dyfed that was built as a stone castle by the Welsh princes.
history
The castle is first mentioned in 1257, but it was probably built around 1240 by Maredudd ap Rhys , a partial ruler of the Welsh principality of Deheubarth to secure the western border of his territory against the English rule of Cilgerran . During the revolt of his son Rhys ap Maredudd , it was conquered by the English before the fall of Dryslwyn Castle . In a surprise attack, however, Rhys ap Maredudd was able to recapture the castle on November 2, 1287, after which it was besieged by a superior English army from the end of December. After ten days of shelling with the Blide , which had already been used during the siege of Dryslwyn Castle and which had been brought to Newcastle Emlyn with considerable effort, the Welsh defenders surrendered on January 20, 1288. The castle then fell to the crown and was closed At the beginning of the 14th century the gatehouse and other fortifications were built. A settlement with English settlers was established west of the castle. After 1349 it was given to the royal justiciar of South Wales , Richard de la Bere and later to other nobles who, however, did not inhabit the castle and neglected it. In 1403 it was conquered by the insurgents during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr and then recaptured by English troops under Thomas Carew . In 1428 the castle is described as dilapidated. In the middle of the 15th century, the Justiciar Gruffudd ap Nicolas bought the castle. His grandson Rhys ap Thomas laid out a large deer park near the castle and had the castle expanded as a hunting lodge . After his grandson Rhys ap Gruffydd FitzUrien was executed for treason in 1531, the castle fell back to the crown. At the beginning of the English Civil War , it was occupied by parliamentary troops. In 1644 royal troops under Charles Gerard captured the castle and successfully defended it in 1645 against parliamentary troops under Rowland Laugharne. As one of the last royalist fortresses, it was conquered and blown up by parliamentary troops at the end of the civil war in 1648. The ruin was used as a quarry in the following centuries. Archaeological excavations took place in the ruins in the 1980s. Today the ruin is freely accessible.
investment
The sparse remains of the castle lie in the northeast of the city of Newcastle Emlyn on a steep mountain spur in a bend in the river above the Teifi . The triangular inner castle was about 45 m long from west to east and about 25 m wide at its widest point in the west, unlike many other Welsh castles it does not contain a keep . The best preserved part of the castle is the twin-towered gatehouse to the west, of which the two-storey ruin has been preserved. The gatehouse was completed around 1349 and made homely around 1500 with the addition of large windows. To the south of the gatehouse are the ruins of a square tower from the 14th century and an approximately 23 m long section of the curtain wall . The foundations of the hall and the adjacent kitchen and chapel have been preserved on the south side of the core castle, and the remains of another building on the east side.
Only a few remains can be seen of the approximately 50 m long outer bailey , which was only secured with walls and wooden fortifications. The remains of an earth ravelin from the 1640s, which were built during the civil war to secure the land side of the castle, are still preserved .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ British listed Buildings: Newcastle Emlyn. Retrieved September 16, 2013 .
- ↑ Ancient Monuments: Newcastle Emlyn Castle. Retrieved September 16, 2013 .
- ^ Adrian Pettifer: Welsh Castles - a Guide by Counties. Boydell Press, Woodbrige 2000. ISBN 978-0-85115-778-8 , p. 48
- ^ William de Braose, Lord of Bramber and Gower (d 1326). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 10, 2012 ; Retrieved September 16, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Enchanted Towy: Newcastle Emlyn. Retrieved September 16, 2013 .
