Cardigan Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Aberteifi

In the community of Cardigan.
In the historic county of Cardiganshire (Modern authority of Ceredigion, preserved county of Dyfed).

Castle erected in 1110, by Gilbert de Clare, who also founded the adjacent town, relocated to the location where the stone castle was eventually constructed. The next 100 years were tumultuous, and the second castle changed hands frequently between the Welsh and the Normans. Cardigan Castle's most significant role was as the greatest stronghold in the arsenal of Rhys ap Gruffydd, the Prince of Deheubarth better known as the Lord Rhys. Rhys seized Cardigan from its Norman overlords sometime around 1170 and set about transforming the castle into stone. Interestingly, Cardigan was "the first recorded Welsh masonry castle", that is, the first stone castle built by the native princes of Wales. It remained the property of the Lord Rhys until his death in 1197.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN17794591

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

National Monuments Record number; 92314

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 1082

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/cardigan.html
    http://www.castlewales.com/gilbert.html
    http://www.acadat.com/projects/cardigancastle.htm
    http://www.aber.ac.uk/~dcswww/Telematics/leader_ii/commerce/card/history.html
    http://www.llanegwad-carmarthen.co.uk/carmscastle-excav.htm
• Books
  • Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p39-40
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p60-1
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p17 [plan]
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p44
    Davis, Paul R., 1988, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Swansea)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p45
    Soulsby, I., 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p335
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p590-1
    Owen, Henry (ed), 1936, The Description of Pembrokeshire (London) Vol4 p494
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p199
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p280-1
    Meyrick, Samuel Rush, 1907, The History and Antiquities of the County of Cardigan (Brecon) p168-70
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p472-4
    Grose, Francis, 1787, The Antiquities of England and Wales (London) Vol7 p35-6
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p377
• Journal Articles
  • 2005-6, 'Planning for future of Cardigan Castle' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol19 p142
    Anon, 2004, 'Cardigan Castle' CSG Newsletter Vol6 Issue1 p7
    Murphy, K. and O’Mahoney, C. 1985. ‘Excavation and survey at Cardigan Castle’, Ceredigion Vol9 p189-218
    Murphy, K., 1984, ‘Cardigan Castle’,Archaeology in Wales, Vol24 p62–3
    James, T.A., 1978, ‘Cardigan’, Archaeology in Wales, Vol18 p54
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    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)] pp90-121
    King, 1956, Ceredigion Vol3 p53-4
    1859, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol5 p327
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Johnson, G. and Greenland, A.,1987, The Forgotten Castle of Cardigan