St Clears Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Banc y Beili; Ystrad Cyngen; Rhyd Y Gors

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

Motte-and-bailey situated on the junction between the Taf and Cynin rivers, probably at the limit of navigable water for the shallow-draught boats that the Norman settlers would have used. The substantial motte, 8m high and an oval 20m by 10m across its top, lies on the north of the site and is well preserved. The large, rectangular bailey extended 50m south of the motte. There are reports of stonework being visible on the summit of the motte, suggesting that it carried a masonry structure in its later history. The castle was probably founded in the late C11, judging from the fact that a Cluniac priory was established at St Clears around 1100 and this would almost certainly have been after the foundation of the castle.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN28091542

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; 105023

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 5054

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/stclears.html
• Books
  • Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p58
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p40
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p44
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p59 Vol2 p567-8
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p378
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Richard, A.J., 1935, in Lloyd, J.E. (ed), History of Carmathenshire (Cardiff) Vol1 p273
    RCAHMW, 1917, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Carmarthenshire (HMSO) p238
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p288-9
    
• Journal Articles
  • King, D.J.C., 1985, ‘St Clears motte and bailey’, 132nd annual meeting, old Carmarthenshire, 1985, CAA p15–16
    King, D.J.C., 1983, ‘Notes on the castle of Saint Clears’, The Carmarthen Antiquary Vol19 p5–7
    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
    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
    Evans, D.C., 1907, Archaeologia Cambrensis p224-5
    Evans, D.C., 1906-7, Transactions of the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society Vol2 p163 [plate]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p57