St Quintins Castle: A Norman Medieval Fortress in Wales
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Norman
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page10 sections
History
St Quintins Castle is a Norman medieval castle in Wales, United Kingdom, near Cowbridge, whose first defensive structure was established around 1102. Also called St Quentins Castle and Llanblethian Castle, it stands in Llanblethian village in the Vale of Glamorgan and developed through successive phases of Norman and Anglo-Norman rule.
Norman foundation and the St Quentin family
Robert Fitzhamon, the first Norman lord of Glamorgan, granted the lordship of Llanblethian to Herbert de St Quentin. Herbert is thought to have built the first fortification on the site, which was initially a defensive earthwork with timber walls. The lordship remained in the hands of the St Quentin family until 1233.
Seizure and de Clare control
In 1233, Richard Siward seized the lordship. He later lost the land to Earl Richard de Clare in 1245. Richard de Clare belonged to the powerful Anglo-Norman de Clare family, whose earls controlled extensive territory in Glamorgan.
The fourteenth-century stone castle
Earl Gilbert de Clare, Richard de Clare’s grandson, began constructing the stone castle that largely created the form represented by the present ruins, probably after 1307. The gatehouse and further building work followed around 1312. Gilbert de Clare was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, before the castle was complete. The lack of buildings within the inner courtyard and the weakness of the surrounding defensive wall have led modern historians to conclude that the project may never have been finished.
Later use and protection
The castle was later used as a prison and was described as ruinous by 1741. St Quintins Castle is now cared for by Cadw, the Welsh national historic-environment service. It is both a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building. The listed designation, under the official name St Quintin’s Castle (Llanblethian Castle), was recorded on 22 February 1963.
Remains
The surviving castle occupies a spur above steep slopes on every side except the east. Its rectangular stone enclosure extends approximately 64 metres from east to west, with walls about 1.2 metres thick. The steep descent toward the River Thaw made the southern side especially defensible, while the more vulnerable eastern approach was protected by a fortified entrance and additional towers.
Enclosure and entrance defences
Gatehouse
The gatehouse stands between the southeast and southwest corner towers. It contains openings for two portcullises, heavy vertically sliding gates used to secure the entrance, as well as fittings for sets of substantial doors. The structure is large in relation to the surviving enclosure and is now extensively covered with ivy.
Eastern and corner towers
A pair of towers protected the eastern entrance facade. At the southeast corner, the base of a semi-octagonal tower survives, while parts of another tower remain at the southwest corner. Together, these remains define the principal fortified approach to the enclosure.
Keep and bailey
The earliest defensive installation is believed to have been a roughly circular ringwork, an earthwork fortification formed from a bank and ditch with a timber defensive wall. A rectangular stone keep was built in the late twelfth century, possibly replacing an earlier wooden structure, and its surviving remains are incorporated into the later gatehouse. The keep is now largely rubble. The bailey, the enclosed area adjoining the castle’s main fortified structure, survives only in limited stretches of wall on the east, north, and south sides.
