Tenby Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Dinbych-y-pysgod; Canneby

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

C13 castle. Fragmentry ruins on Castle hill, bounded by remains of wall, c.160m E-W by 52-95m; entry is through a gate tower and barbican on the S, E of this is a c.34m E-W by 20m complex of buildings, currently occupied by the Museum; a battered circular tower, c.5.8m in diameter, having a rectangular annex on the W, occupies the summit. Laid out as a public park.

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.
This site is a Not known if listed listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SN137005

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; 92614

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 3698

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/tenby.html
• Books
  • Hull, Lise, 2005, Castles and Bishops Palaces of Pembrokeshire (Logaston Press) p207-211
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p174-6
    Davis, Paul, 2000, A Company of Forts. A Guide to the Medieval Castles of West Wales (Gomer Press) p109-11
    Soulsby, I., 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore)
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p132
    Salter, Mike, 1996, The Castles of South West Wales (Malvern) p83
    Miles, Dillwyn, 1979 (Revised 1988), Castles of Pembrokeshire (Pembrokeshire Coast National Park) p34-5
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p397
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p381
    Stickings, T.G., 1973, Castles and Strongholds of Pembrokeshire (Tenby) p122-5
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    RCAHMW, 1925, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Pembrokeshire (HMSO) p394-5
    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) p29-33
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p470-72
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p428
• Journal Articles
  • Thomas, W.G., 1976, ‘Tenby Castle’ and ‘Tenby town walls’, The 123rd Annual Meeting in South Pembrokeshire, 1976, CAA p26-8
    Walker, 1969-70, Library of Wales Journal Vol16 p22
    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
    Thomas, W.Gwyn, 1964, 'Tenby [12 sites]' Archaeological Journal Vol119
    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
    1851, Archaeologia Cambrensis [new ser] Vol2 p303-4
• Guidebooks
  • Davies, M., 1979, The Story of Tenby (Tenby Museum)