St Briavels Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Breulis

In the civil parish of St Briavels.
In the historic county of Gloucestershire (Modern Authority of Gloucestershire, 1974 county of Gloucestershire).

Originally a Ringwork. Royal castle dating from 1276 including a moat, gatehouseof 1292-3 , keep, kitchen chapel and great hall. The square keep was allowed to collapse in 1752. Alterations were made 1292-3 and the chapel was rebuilt in C14. The hall was refronted in C19. The building was made habitable in 1906 and became a youth hostel in 1948. In 1961 the moat was partly infilled and turned into a garden.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 354515)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO55860455

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 109524, 1388514

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/stbrivls.html
    http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/StBriavels.html
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.303
• Books
  • Endacott, Alan and Kelleher, Susan (eds), 2004, Heritage Unlocked; Guide to free sites in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire (English Heritage) p42-4
    Salter, Mike, 2002, The Castles of Gloucestershire and Bristol (Malvern) p26-31
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p80
    Remfry, Paul M., 1997, Saint Briavels Castle, 1066 to 1331 (SCS Publishing: Worcestershire)
    Henry Cleere, 1984, Archaeology in Britain 1983 p14
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p182-3
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p289
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Verey, David, 1970, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire, 2: the Vale and the Forest of Dean, p332-3
    Hart, Cyril, 1967, Archaeology in Dean p51,53,57
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p821-3
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol1 p375-6
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol2 (London) p465-6
    Bigland, 1791, Hist. Collections, Coy. of Glos. (London) Vol1 p235-6
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol1 p99
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol2 p145-8
• Journal Articles
  • Howes, Russell, 2002, 'The Medieval Sieges of Gloucester, 1263-65 (Barons' War)' Glevensis Vol35 p21-22
    Webb, A., 1992, 'St Briavel's -the king's great arsenal' Dean Archaeology Vol5 p18-23
    Curnow, P.E. and Johnson, E.A., 1985, ‘St Briavels Castle' Château Gaillard Vol12 p91–114
    King, D.J.C., 1978, ‘St Briavels Castle' 125th Annual Meeting in Gwent and the Forest of Dean, 1978, CAA, 10
    Rawes, B., 1977, 'A Check List of Castles and other Fortified Sites of Medieval Date in Gloucestershire' Glevensis Vol11 p39-41
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p249-280]
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Baddeley, 1921, Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol18 p79-84 [unimportant history]
    Thompson, Hamilton, 1921, Archaeological Journal Vol78 p448-50
    Taprell Allen, W., 1878-79, 'St. Briavel's Castle' Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol3 p325-364
    H.L.J[ones], 1858, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser3] Vol4 p382-7
    1832, Gentleman's Magazine pt2 p503-4
• Guidebooks
  • Clark, A., 1949, (Chepstow)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/gloceng.html#gloc4]