Castell Machen: A Medieval Welsh Castle near Newport
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 5
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Norman, Welsh
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Castell Machen is a medieval castle in the United Kingdom, near Newport in southeastern Wales, first fortified by the native Welsh princes of Gwynllwg in the late twelfth century. Also called Castell Meredydd, and recorded as Machen, Maghay, or Maghhay, it was established by Meredydd Gethin, a Welsh nobleman. The castle is described as the only stone castle in Gwent built by native Welsh princes.
Foundation and Morgan ap Hywel
Around 1215, Morgan ap Hywel succeeded his father, Hywel, as lord of Gwynllwg, a medieval Welsh lordship in southeastern Wales. After forces led by William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, took Caerleon in October 1217, Morgan retained Castell Machen for most of his life. He strengthened the castle and probably built its round keep in 1217.
Gilbert Marshal captured Castell Machen in 1236 during a truce between Llywelyn the Great, the leading ruler of Gwynedd and one of the strongest Welsh princes of the thirteenth century, and Henry III, king of England from 1216 to 1272. Marshal appears to have added the outer bailey and curtain wall, a defensive wall enclosing a castle yard. The truce, or concern about Llywelyn’s response, led to the castle’s return to Morgan.
Expansion and Anglo-Norman Control
Morgan died shortly before 15 March 1248. His grandson, Meredudd ap Gruffudd, inherited Castell Machen and expanded it further before his death in 1270. In 1266, Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester and Lord of Glamorgan, captured the castle while overrunning Senghenydd.
Castell Machen was still recorded as the property of the last earl in 1314, after which it disappears from the surviving records. The construction of nearby Caerphilly Castle reduced its importance, and Castell Machen subsequently fell into decay. The ruined castle is protected as a scheduled monument.
Remains
Castell Machen occupies a ledge on a south-facing hillside near Machen, across two natural rocky knolls. The eastern knoll carried a small round keep or tower, while the larger western knoll supported a residential hall. These central features were separated from a substantial northern bailey by a deep ditch and a wall. Masonry foundation footings survive, although the castle has been described both as a timber and as a masonry fortification.
Castle Core
Round Keep
The eastern knoll held a round keep, the castle’s principal fortified tower. It measured about 10 metres across, with walls approximately 2 metres thick. A latrine chute ran from the tower and discharged down the southern cliff.
Residential Hall
A larger building on the western knoll is interpreted as a residential hall. It measured approximately 18 by 10 metres and occupied the broader of the two rocky elevations forming the castle core.
Bailey and Defences
The core was divided from the large northern bailey by a deep ditch and a wall. The bailey, an enclosed castle yard, measured about 60 metres square and was bounded by its own wall and ditch. The enclosure around the central knolls extended approximately 56 metres from east to west and between 30 and 56 metres from north to south.
Higher ground to the north overlooked the bailey, leaving the castle weakly defended despite its walls and ditches. The outer bailey was probably added during Gilbert Marshal’s occupation, giving the castle a larger fortified area beyond its original keep and hall.
Nearby sites
