Carmarthen Town Walls

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Caerfyrddin

In the community of Carmarthen.
In the historic county of Carmarthenshire (Modern authority of Carmarthenshire, preserved county of Dyfed).

A rough rectangle, apparently expanded from an earlier small oval area, with four gates. No remains. Built 1233. Pettifer suggest may have used Roman wall but Bond puts the Roman defences in his 'of no post-Conquest significance' list.

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Nothing visible remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN412521992

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

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 74 et al

• Web site links
  • http://www.acadat.com/HLC/HLCTowy/area/area181.htm
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p27, 29, 74, 93, 95, 114, 131, 204, 230, 273
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p43
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p19
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences', in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116 [plan]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p61
    James, T., 1980, Carmarthen: an Archaeological and Topographical Survey (Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society for the Dyfed Archaeological Trust)
    Barley M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p212
    Richard, A.J., 1935, in Lloyd, J.E. (ed), History of Carmathenshire (Cardiff) Vol1 p314-7
    RCAHMW, 1917, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Carmarthenshire (HMSO) p251-2
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p246-7
• Journal Articles
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Bowen, 1948-9, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol100 p118-22
    Ovens, 1926-7, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Vol20 p18 and plate
    T(homas), D.R., 1876, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol7 p64-6
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#caerm2]