Dinefwr Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Dynevor; Gueithtinevur; Old Dynefwr; Dinevor

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

Substantial remains of a native Welsh castle – the principal stronghold of the princes of Deheubarth, held by Lord Rhys in C12. Later taken by King Edward I and retained as a royal stronghold. Extensive remains of C13 castle. Remodelled by Edward I, with further C15 additions. Extant remains include a setion of the curtain wall, incorporating a circular tower to the NW, and a round tower to the SE. The castle formed a major feature of the landscaped gardens to Newton House. This is not the same as Dinweiler mentioned several times in the chronicles.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle
Timber 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*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN61152173

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; 425

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 881, 882

• Web site links
  • http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=65
    http://www.castlewales.com/dinefwr.html
    http://www.acadat.com/HLC/HLCTowy/area/area195.htm
    http://www.worldwidewales.tv/index2.php
• Books
  • Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p46-8
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p73-77 [plan and reconstruction]
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p79-, 81
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p24-5 [plan]
    Davis, Paul R., 1988, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Swansea)
    Rees, S.E., 1986, ‘Dinefwr Castle’, in D Moore and D Austin (eds), Welsh archaeological heritage: proceedings of a conference held by the Cambrian Archaeological Association in 1985, (Lampeter: CAA; St David’s University College) p159–60
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p55, 60
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p348
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p641-4
    Richard, A.J., 1935, in Lloyd, J.E. (ed), History of Carmathenshire (Cardiff) Vol1 p279-81
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p190-1
    RCAHMW, 1917, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Carmarthenshire (HMSO) p107-9
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p287
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p539-45
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p361
• Journal Articles
  • Moore, Donald, 1994, 'Dynevor Castle and Newton House: Some Seventeenth Century Pictures' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol143 p204-35
    Rees, S. and Francis, M., 1985, ‘Dynevor Castle’, 132nd annual meeting, old Carmarthenshire, 1985, CAA, p23
    Austin, D., 1984, ‘The castle and the landscape: annual lecture to the Society for Landscape Studies, May 1984’, Landscape History Vol6 p69–81
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    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
    Renn, D.F., 1961, 'The round keeps of the Brecon region' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol110 p140 [plate]
    Jones Pierce and others, 1948-9, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol100 p136-40
    Fisher, 1925, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol5 p456-61
    1911-12,West Wales Historical Records Vol2 p105-33
    Lewis, E.A., 1910-11, 'Dynevor: Materials Illustrating the History of Dynevor and Newton from the Earliest Times to the Close of the Reign of Henry VIII' West Wales Historical Records Vol1 p145-224
• Guidebooks
  • Rees, Sian E. and Caple, Chris, 1999, DINEFWR CASTLE - DRYSLWYN CASTLE (CADW)
    Apted, M.R., n.d., ‘Old Dynevor Castle’, in Dynevor Castle: Guide Book (privately published) p20-3
    Gittins, R., 1984. Dinefwr Castle. (Llandysul: Gomer Press)
    Lord Dynevor, 1935, Short History of the old and more modern Castles of Dynevor (Carmarthen) [not important]
• 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]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p57