Europe · United Kingdom · Carmarthenshire
Carreg Cennen Castle
The story
History of Carreg Cennen Castle
Carreg Cennen Castle (Welsh: Castell Carreg Cennen) is a castle sited on a high rocky outcrop overlooking the River Cennen, close to the village of Trap, four miles south east of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, Wales.
United Kingdom · Carmarthenshire
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- Carmarthenshire
- UNESCO
- —
- Coordinates
- 51.854, -3.936
In depth
The fuller history
By the mid-fifteenth century, the castle's custodian was Gruffudd ap Nicolas and Carreg Cennen became a Lancastrian stronghold during the Wars of the Roses. The gun port in the north-west tower was likely added at this time for the use of muskets. The Yorkist victory at the Battle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461 forced Gruffudd's sons to surrender the castle. The Yorkists subsequently set about demolishing (slighting) the castle with a team of 500 men.
Ownership of the castle passed to the Vaughan and Cawdor families, and from the 18th century it started to attract artists. J. M. W. Turner painted the castle in 1798. The second Earl Cawdor began an extensive renovation in the 19th century, and in 1932 Carreg Cennen was given to the guardianship of the Office of Works. In the 1960s Carreg Cennen Castle was acquired by the Morris family of Castell Farm, when Lord Cawdor's legal team made a mistake in the wording of the deeds and included the castle as part of the farm.
Key dates
- 1248The earliest documented mention of the castle is 1248, when Brut y Tywysogion records that Rhys Fychan ap Rhys Mechyll's mother, Matilda de Braose, granted the castle to the Norman English to spite her son, but before…
- 1282In 1282, a second phase of fighting began and the local Welsh nobles switched sides, joining the widespread Welsh rebellion and seizing control of the castle.
- 1287Rhys ap Maredudd briefly captured Carreg Cennen during a rebellion against English rule in 1287, although he did not retain control of the castle for long.
- 1403In early July 1403 Owain Glyndŵr, together with 800 men, attacked Carreg Cennen, but, although inflicting severe damage to the walls, failed to take the castle.
- 1462During the Wars of the Roses it was surrendered to the Yorkists and slighted in 1462 to prevent further use.
- 1932The second Earl Cawdor began an extensive renovation in the 19th century, and in 1932 Carreg Cennen was given to the guardianship of the Office of Works.
Historical summary drawn from Wikipedia. Read the full article.
Tips & experiences
Been here? Leave a note for the next visitor.
Loading tips…