Manorbier Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Meanor Pir; Manorbeer; Manober

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

Odo de Barri built the first castle at Manorbier, in the C11, an earth and timber fortification which his son, William de Barri, refortified in stone during C12. William's son was Giraldus Cambrensis who described the castle as "excellently well defended turrets and bulwarks, and is situated on the summit of a hill extending on the western side towards the seaport, having on the northern and southern sides a fine fish-pond under its walls". The fine ruins remain.

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 SS06389779

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; 94195

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 4221

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/manor.html
    http://www.castlewales.com/manor1.html
    http://www.greatcastlesofwales.co.uk/manorbier.htm
    http://www.worldwidewales.tv/index2.php?mid=212
    http://www.forgottenhouses.freeserve.co.uk/html/housep/manorbier.html
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/158/manorbiercastle.htm
    http://www.worldwidewales.tv/index2.php
• Books
  • Hull, Lise, 2005, Castles and Bishops Palaces of Pembrokeshire (Logaston Press) p132-140
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p163-6
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p47, 93-5 [reconstructions]
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p103-4
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p64-7 [plan]
    Miles, Dillwyn, 1979 (Revised 1988), Castles of Pembrokeshire (Pembrokeshire Coast National Park) p24-5
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p394-5
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p365
    Stickings, T.G., 1973, Castles and Strongholds of Pembrokeshire (Tenby) p32-38
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p209-10
    RCAHMW, 1925, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Pembrokeshire (HMSO) p211-4
    Edwards, Emily Hewlett, 1909, Castles and Strongholds of Pembrokeshire (Tenby) p26-30
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p476-7
    1780, Antiquarian Repertory Vol3 p276 plate
    1779, Antiquarian Repertory Vol2 p213-4, 280, plates
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p423
    Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol7 p111-2
• Journal Articles
  • King and Perks, 1970, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol119 p83-118
    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
    Hussey, 1939, Country Life Vol86 p308-12
    Duckett, Sir J., 1891, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser5] Vol8 p190-209, 277-96
    Duckett, Sir J., 1882, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser4] Vol13 p166-73
    Duckett, Sir J. and Cobb,1880, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser4] Vol11 p134-45, 286-91
    Smith, 1849, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol4 p204-7
• Guidebooks
  • Dashwood, Caroline, c.2003, Manorbier Castle, Pembrokeshire
    Vlitos, R., n.d., Manorbier Castle and Gerald of Wales. (Llandeilo: Dragon Publishing)
    Dashwood, Francis, 1966, A brief Guide to Manorbier Castle in the County of Pembroke
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#pemb2]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p61