Swansea Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; New Castle; Abertawe; Seinhenydd; Gower; Goher; Sueineshea; Suenesel

In the community of Castle.
In the historic county of Glamorgan (Modern authority of Swansea, preserved county of West Glamorgan).

Established by Henry I's friend Henry de Beaumont, first earl of Warwick, as the seat of administration of the marcher lordship of Gower, which Henry bestowed on him in about 1106. This first castle was of motte and bailey type, and nothing of it remains above ground. The west side of its deep ditch has been excavated to the north of the present remains. It was rebuilt in stone on the same site, probably after being razed by the Welsh in 1217. Nothing remains above ground of this stage either, but the west side of the curtain wall has been found, together with a mural tower. To the south-west of this small castle a large roughly rectangular outer bailey was walled in stone late in C13. The 'New Castle', primarily C13 and C14, represents a stone phase of the castle. Constructed of coursed Pennant sandstone blocks with dressed Sutton stone. Consists of a roughly L-shaped residential block to SE and a tower to N, with a section of surviving curtain wall running between the two. The residential block comprises a semicircular garderobe turret to W, a rectangular garderobe tower to SE, with a hall and parlour range between. Entrance to the interior through the N side, giving access to 5 basement rooms with pointed tunnel-vaults. Although the tower may represent the earliest surviving work, it has been substantially altered. Evidence remains for its later use as a debtors' prison. The most prominent feature of the castle is the arcaded parapet, probably added by Henry Gower in the C14.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Listed but grading unknown listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SS65719308

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; 94515, 275871

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 00426w, 00438w

• Web site links
  • http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=129
    http://www.castlewales.com/swansea.html
• Books
  • Harrison, Peter, 2004, Castles of God (Woodbridge; Boydell Press) p85-6
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p109-10
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p131-2
    Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p183
    Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p71
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p170
    Evans, Edith, with contributions by Spurgeon, C.J., 1983. Swansea Castle and the medieval town. (Swansea: Swansea City Council; Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust)
    Davis, Paul R., 1983, Castles of Glamorgan (Alun Books) p8
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p380
    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) p436 plate XXIII
    Grenfell, Harold E. and Morris, Bernard, 1970 (Revised 1985) The Castles of Gower (Merthyr Tydfil) p4-5
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p174
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p297-8
    Morgan, W. Ll., 1899, Antiquarian Survey of East Gower (London) p85-110
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p409
• Journal Articles
  • Evans, Edith, 1988, 'Swansea Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol28 p73
    Spurgeon, Jack, 1987, 'The Castles of Glamorgan' Chateau Gaillard Vol13 p217-8
    Williams, G., 1981, 'Henry de Gower (?1278-1347), bishop and builder' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol130 p1-18
    Knight, J.K.., 1980, Swansea Castle, Programme of the 127th Annual Meeting, 1980, CAA p35-7
    Sell, S.H., 1979, 'Swansea Castle' Archaeology in Wales Vol19 p43
    GGAT, 1978, 'A salvage excavation at Swansea Castle' Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Annual Report 1977-78 p33-4
    GGAT, 1977, 'Swansea Castle 'Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Annual Report 1976 -77' p18
    Morris, B., 1976, 'Swansea Castle Defences - The Western Ditch' Gower Vol27 p14-19
    Morris, B., 1975, Archaeology in Wales Vol15 p61
    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
    Hague, D.B. and Williams, G., 1957, 'Swansea Castle' Gower Vol10 p3-14
    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
    Morgan, W.Ll., 1912, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser6] Vol12 p383-90
    Capper, C., 1886, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser5] Vol3 p302-7
• Guidebooks
  • Evans, Edith, 1983, Swansea Castle and the Medieval Town (Swansea)
    Morris, B., Swansea Town and Castle
    Morgan, W.Ll., 1914, The Castle of Swansea (Devizes)
    Jones, 1879, A Short History of Swansea Castle (Swansea)