Swansea Town Walls

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Abertawe; Seinhenydd; Sueineshea; Suenesel; Swinesey

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

Murage grants are recorded for AD 1317 and 1338 for the town of Swansea. The defences of Swansea have been demolished (apart from one possible tower) and most of their line built over. However, excavation has revealed much of their extent and form

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry foundations remains.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SS657929

Sources of information, references and further reading

Books

Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p27 [plan]
Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p109
Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p71
Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences', in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p175
Edith Evans, with contributions by C J Spurgeon, 1983. Swansea Castle and the medieval town. (Swansea: Swansea City Council; Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust)
Barley M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71
Morgan, W. Ll., 1899, Antiquarian Survey of East Gower (London) p92-3 and plan facing p86

Journal Articles

Spurgeon, C.J., 2001, 'The Medieval Town Defences of Glamorgan' Studia Celtica Vol35 p161-212 esp p200-210
Youngs, S.M. and Clark, J., 1981, ‘Medieval Britain in 1980’, Medieval Archaeology Vol25 p215
Sell, S.H., 1981, 'Excavations at Little Wind Street, Swansea, 1976' Gower Vol32 p71-83
Sell, S.H. and Parkhouse, J., 1980, 'Rutland Street, Swansea' Archaeology in Wales Vol20 p64
Lightfoot, K., 1979, 'The Medieval Town Defences of Swansea: The Whitewalls Excavation, 1978-79' Gower Vol30 p76-9
Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust, 1979, ‘Archaeological notes: Whitewalls, Swansea’, Morgannwg Vol23 p89-90
Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1978, ‘Medieval Britain in 1977’, Medieval Archaeology Vol22 p269
[Morris] in Webster, L.E. and Cherry, J., 1976, ‘Medieval Britain in 1975’, Medieval Archaeology Vol20 p192
Morris, B., 1975, 'Swansea's Medieval Defences - Some Recent Discoveries' Gower Vol26 p11-15
Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132

Guidebooks

Evans, Edith, 1983, Swansea Castle and the Medieval Town (Swansea)
Morgan, W.Ll., 1914, The Castle of Swansea (Devizes) p35-8
Morris, B., Swansea Town and Castle

Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)

William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#glam7]

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant

The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales, the four welsh archaeological trusts and other indivduals and organisations.

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