Caerleon Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Caerllion

In the community of Caerleon.
In the historic county of Monmouthshire (Modern authority of Newport, preserved county of Gwent).

Roman town used by Norman invaders as site for steep motte of their castle in 1085. Motte, 65m in diameter and 30m high, having a summit diameter of 25m. A stone structure of some form occupied the summit of the motte, the foundations of which were being robbed out in 1799. Access was via a bridge and twin-towered gate at the foot of the mound. The motte was landscaped in 1847. A rounded, ruined tower, adjacent to the Hanbury Arms, is thought to mark the S extent of the castle bailey, indicating an enclosure c.150m by 50m. The castle was attacked and captured by the Welsh in 1217, and resisted another attack by the Welsh in 1231.

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 ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is ST34259054

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; 307940, 275973

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 00542g, 03661g, 05135g

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/caerleon.html
    http://www.caerleon.net/mynde/castle/
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/171/caerleoncastle.htm
    http://www.caerleon.net/history/coxe/chapter10.htm#castle
    http://www.caerleon.net/history/coxe/chapter11.htm#castle
• Books
  • Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p122-3
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p35
    Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p12
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p281
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p327-8
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p113-5
    Bradney, J.A., 1906, History of Monmouthshire Vol3 p169-7, 201-2
    Coxe, William, 1801, An Historical Tour in Monmouthshire Vol1 p87-9
    Lee, 1862, Isca Silurum (London) p85, 133-4 and plates
• Journal Articles
  • Priestly, S.G. and Turner, R.C., 2003, 'Three castles of the Clare family in Monmouthshire during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries' Archaeological Cambrensis Vol152 p9-52
    Harfield, C.G., 1991, 'A Hand-list of Castles Recorded in the Domesday Book' English Historical Review Vol106 p 371-92
    Kenyon, John R., 1984, 'Abergavenny Castle: a reinterpretation of Thomas Cooke's painting The Castle and Mount', Caerleon, 1785' Monmouthshire Antiquarian 5(1-2) p62-3
    Knight, J.K.., 1970, 'Caerleon Castle' The 107th Annual Meeting in the Vale of Usk, 1970, CAA p16-18
    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
    Knight, J.K.., 1963, 'The Keep of Caerleon Castle' Monmouthshire Antiquary Vol1 p70-2 [numbered as 23-4 -slight]
    Renn, D.F., 1961, 'The round keeps of the Brecon region' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol110 p142
    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
    1913, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser6] Vol13 p79-80
    Armitage, E., 1904 April, 'The Early Norman Castles of England' The English Historical Review Vol74 p217-8
    Clarke, 1875, The Builder Vol33 p234
    Woollett, 1875, The Builder Vol33 p275-6
• 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 p44