Haverfordwest Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Hwlffordd; Heleford

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

Founded by Takard or Tankred a Flemming c. 1110 although nothing of this period survives. Refounded in mid C12 by Gilbert de Clare, parts of the Norman walls remain. A curtain wall on northwest had walls 12 feet thick. Other ruins are two round towers, a chapel, a hall, and a dungeon. A museum and former prison governor's house is located in the ruins (medieval castle made into prison in C18).

This site has been described as a;
Masonry 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 Not known if listed listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SM953157

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; 94235

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 3320, 7615

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/haver.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/158/haverfordwestcastle.htm
    http://www.acadat.com/HLC/milford/area/309.htm
• Books
  • Hull, Lise, 2005, Castles and Bishops Palaces of Pembrokeshire (Logaston Press) p96-108
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p161-2
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p78-81 [plan and reconstruction]
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p90-1
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p58-60
    Miles, Dillwyn, 1979 (Revised 1988), Castles of Pembrokeshire (Pembrokeshire Coast National Park) p16-22
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p393
    Soulsby, I., 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p358
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Stickings, T.G., 1973, Castles and Strongholds of Pembrokeshire (Tenby) p56-62
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p670-1
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p200
    RCAHMW, 1925, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Pembrokeshire (HMSO) p109-10
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p280
    Edwards, Emily Hewlett, 1909, Castles and Strongholds of Pembrokeshire (Tenby) p34-7
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p480-2
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p419
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol7 p108-9
• Journal Articles
  • Crane, P., 2004, 'Excavation at Hayguard Lane, Heverfordwest, 1978 and 2003' Archaeology in Wales Vol44 p61-8
    Thompson, M.W., 1986, 'Associated monasteries and castles in the Middle Ages: a tentative list' Archaeological Journal Vol143 p313
    King, D.J.C., 1976, ‘Haverfordwest Castle’, The 123rd Annual Meeting in South Pembrokeshire, 1976, CAA p37-8
    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
    Phillips, 1922, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser7] Vol2 p447-56
    Phillips, 1913, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser6] Vol13 p265-74
    Owen, 1911, 'Calendar of Public Records relating to Pembrokeshire' Cymmrodorion Record Series Vol7 pt1 p161-72 [historical documents]
    1903, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser6] Vol3 p40-1 [survey of 1577]
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#pemb6]