Kenfig Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Kengfig; Kinefeage

In the community of Cynffig.
In the historic county of Glamorgan (Modern authority of Bridgend, preserved county of Mid Glamorgan).

Castle thought to have been established c.1120-25, consisting of a ramparted and pallisaded enclosure, c.37m in diameter, with a 14m square, masonry tower within, the whole much altered and added to from C13-C14. The castle was abandoned by the early C16. Excavations, 1924-32, substantial ruins which remain largely uncovered.

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 foundations remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SS80098269

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; 300455

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 00148m

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/kenfig.html
• Books
  • Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p96
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p94
    RCAHMW, 1991, An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan Vol3 pt1a: The Early Castles (London: HMSO) EM2 p314-26
    Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p51
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p164
    Davis, Paul R., 1983, Castles of Glamorgan (Alun Books) p15
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p359
    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) p441
    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) p77
    Evans, A.L., 1960, The Story of Neath
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p295-6
    Gray, T., 1909, The buried City of Kenfig
• Journal Articles
  • Spurgeon, Jack, 1987, 'The Castles of Glamorgan' Chateau Gaillard Vol13 p209-10
    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
    Brown, R. Allen, 1955, 'Royal Castle-building in England 1154-1216' English Historical Review Vol70 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp19-64
    Richard, A.J., 1927, 'Kenfig Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol83 p377-8
    Richard, A.J., 1927, 'Kenfig Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol82 p161-82
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#glam6]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p29