Carew Castle

In the community of Carew.
In the historic county of Pembrokeshire (Modern authority of Pembrokeshire, preserved county of Dyfed).

Little now remains of the earth and timber castle that was built here by the Norman Gerald of Windsor around 1100. It is first mentioned in 1212, when for some reason, King John seized it for a short time when passing through Pembrokeshire on his Irish expedition. By this time it is probable that the first stone structure, the Old Tower, had been built to protect the original castle entrance. The castle remained in the hands of the influential Carew family who built, in various phases, the strong medieval castle that stands today. Its position is low-lying, but still prominent in the flat land around the tidal reaches of the Carew river. The castle stands at the end of a ridge at a strategically excellent site commanding a crossing point of the then-still navigable river.

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 Not known if listed listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN04480376

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; 92709

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 3493, 4306

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/carew.html
    http://home.att.net/~karen.crisafulli/Carew.html
    http://www.greatcastlesofwales.co.uk/carew.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/158/carewcastle.htm
    http://www.carewcastle.com/
    http://www.worldwidewales.tv/index2.php
    http://www.acadat.com/HLC/milford/area/338.htm
• Books
  • Hull, Lise, 2005, Castles and Bishops Palaces of Pembrokeshire (Logaston Press) p54-64
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p635-6
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p155-7
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p61-5 [plan and reconstruction]
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p44
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p50-3 [plan]
    Miles, Dillwyn, 1979 (Revised 1988), Castles of Pembrokeshire (Pembrokeshire Coast National Park) p11-3
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p391-2
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p335-6
    Stickings, T.G., 1973, Castles and Strongholds of Pembrokeshire (Tenby) p16--26
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p205-8
    RCAHMW, 1925, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Pembrokeshire (HMSO) p50-7
    Spurrell, 1921, History of Carew (Carmarthen p1-43, 75-81
    Edwards, Emily Hewlett, 1909, Castles and Strongholds of Pembrokeshire (Tenby) p22-6
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p477-8
    1780, Antiquarian Repertory Vol3 p180 plate
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p415
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol7 p103-4
• Journal Articles
  • Gerrard, G.A.M. 1990, ‘The Carew Castle Project 1986-90’, Fortress, 6, 45-50
    1989, Bastion: Carew Castle Archaeological Project Newsletter 2. (Haverfordwest: Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority)
    1988, Bastion: Carew Castle Archaeological Project Newsletter 1. (Haverfordwest: Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority)
    Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987’, Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p310
    S Gerrard, 1988, ‘Carew Castle’, Archaeology in Wales Vol28 p74–5
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1987, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1986’, Medieval Archaeology Vol31 p189-90
    Gerrard, S., 1987, ‘Carew Castle’, Archaeology in Wales Vol27 p62–4
    Murphy, K., 1984, ‘Carew Castle, Carew’, Archaeology in Wales Vol24 p70–2
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    King, D.J.C. and Perks, J.C., 1964, 'Carew Castle, Pembrokeshire' Archaeological Journal Vol119 p270-307
    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
    Walker, 1956, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol105 p81-95
    Cobb, J.R., 1886, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser5] Vol3 p27-41
• Guidebooks
  • Davis, P.R., 1987, Carew Castle. (Haverfordwest: Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority)
    
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#pemb3]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p115
    
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Austin, D. (ed.) 1993. Carew Castle Archaeological Project: 1992 season interim report
    Austin, D. (ed.) 1995a. Carew Castle Archaeological Project: 1993 season interim report
    Austin, D. (ed.) 1995b. Carew Castle Archaeological Project: 1994 season interim report