Cardiff Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Caerdydd; Caerdiff; Kidis; Kerdif

In the community of Castle.
In the historic county of Glamorgan (Modern authority of Cardiff, preserved county of South Glamorgan).

Norman castle motte and bailey built on the site in about 1091, by Robert Fitzhamon, Lord of Gloucester, within a roman fortress. The motte, erected over a rocky hillock, was some 40 feet tall. During C12, the castle's lord, Robert "the Consul" (the natural son of King Henry I), reinforcing his fortress with stone and ordered the construction of the shell keep. The 12-sided keep survives in fine condition, the only significant additions being its C15 gatehouse and the stairway breaching the sloping motte.

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 ST18087659

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; 33

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 00102s

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/cardiff.html
    http://www.greatcastlesofwales.co.uk/cardiff.htm
    http://www.cardiffcastle.com/
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/171/cardiffcastle.htm
    http://www.ggat.org.uk/excav_P1020_CardiffCastle_Intro.htm
• Books
  • Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p630-1
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p87-90
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p43-4
    RCAHMW, 1991, An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan Vol3 pt1a: The Early Castles (London: HMSO) MM1 p162-211
    Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p44-6
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p162, 171
    Davis, Paul R., 1983, Castles of Glamorgan (Alun Books) p41
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p335
    1978 ‘Cardiff Castle’ Annual Report 1977-78 (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust) p10-12
    Davies, C.G., 1976, The Lords of Cardiff Castle (C Glenn)
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Hague, D.B., 1971, in Pugh, T.B. (ed), Glamorgan County History Vol3 The Middle Ages (Cardiff) p426-9, plates XVIII, XXVI-IX
    Rees, W., 1969, 2 edn, Cardiff: A History of the City (Cardiff Corporation)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p650-1
    Randall, Henry John, 1961, The Vale of Glamorgan, Studies in Landscape and History (Newport: R.H.Johns Ltd) p76
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p174-6
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p276, 294-5
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval military architecture in England (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p336-50 [reprint of 1862 article]
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p461-2
    Homfray, Jeston, 1828, The Castles of the Lordship of Glamorgan (Cardiff) p13-19
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p396
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol7 p71-6
• Journal Articles
  • Anon, 2005, 'Cardiff - Plans for castle's future revealed' CSG Newsletter Vol7 Issue1 p2
    Bradley, J and Gaimster, M. (eds), 2004, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 2003' Medieval Archaeology Vol48 p338
    Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p 371-92
    Spurgeon, Jack, 1987, 'The Castles of Glamorgan' Chateau Gaillard Vol13 p209
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p308
    Webster, P.V., 1983, ‘Cardiff Castle’. Archaeology in Wales Vol23 p58
    Webster, P., 1981, 'Archaeological notes: Cardiff Castle Excavations 1974-81' Morgannwg Vol25 p201-211
    Webster, P. and J., 1979, 'Archaeological notes: Cardiff Castle' Morgannwg Vol23 p88-9
    Webster, J. and P.V., 1979, 'Cardiff Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol19 p29-30
    Webster, P.V., 1978 Cardiff Castle: the Excavation of a Crop Mark site, Aerial Archaeology 2, 56-7
    Webster, P.V., 1978 Cardiff Castle Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Annual Report 1977-78, 10-12
    Webster, P., 1978, ‘Cardiff Castle: the excavation of a crop mark site’, Aerial Archaeology Vol2 p56-7
    Webster, J. and P.V., 1978, 'Cardiff Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol18 p50
    Webster, P. and J., 1978, 'Archaeological notes: Cardiff Castle' Morgannwg Vol22 p88
    Webster, P. and J., 1977, 'Archaeological notes: Cardiff Castle' Morgannwg Vol21 p97-8
    Webster, 1977, Medieval Archaeology Vol21 p240-1
    Webster, P. and J., 1976, 'Archaeological notes: Cardiff Castle' Morgannwg Vol20 p73-4
    Webster, J. and P.V., 1976, 'Cardiff Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol16 p33-4
    Webster, J. and P., 1975, 'Archaeological notes: Cardiff Castle' Morgannwg Vol19 p75-6
    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
    1933, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol88 p368-73
    1913, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser6] Vol13 p133-43
    Ward and Corbett, 1911, Archaeological Journal Vol68 p369-70
    Ward, J., 1908, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser6] Vol8 p29-64 [mostly on Roman fort]
    1908, Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Vol31 p25-8
    Ward, J., 1901, 'Cardiff castle, its Roman origin' Archaeologia Vol57 p335-52
    1901, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser6] Vol1 p70-2
    Corbett, 1893, Journal British Archaeological Association Vol49 p308 [plan]
    Clark, 1890, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser5] Vol7 p283-92
    Clark, 1862, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser3] Vol8 p249-71
• Guidebooks
  • Anon, n.d., Cardiff Castle. (Cardiff: Cardiff City Council)
    Banks, K., 1984, The Norman keep, Cardiff Castle. (Cardiff: Cardiff City Council)
    Grant, 1923, Cardiff Castle, its History and Architecture (Cardiff)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#glam2]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p34