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Neath Castle (Welsh: Castell Nedd) is a Norman castle located in the town centre of Neath, Wales. Its construction was begun by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the nominal Lord of Glamorgan, at a date estimated between 1114 and 1130.^[1]^[2] It is also referred to as "Granville's Castle", after Richard I de Grenville (or Granville or Glanville; died post 1142), Lord of Neath, who has also been credited with its construction.^[3] The town of Neath takes its Welsh name, "Castell-nedd", from the castle.^[4]

History

The first castle in Neath was located west of the river^[1] near the Roman fort of Nidum, and was a timber fortification in a motte and bailey structure.^[5] When Richard de Grenville founded Neath Abbey close by, he abandoned this original castle, and it may have been used by the monks as a source of building material.^[6]

A second castle on the opposite bank of the river, in what is now the centre of the town, is first documented in 1183; shortly afterwards, William de Cogan, son of Miles de Cogan, was appointed constable.^[7] This second castle was built by Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Gloucester.^[8] During the 13th century, being a Norman stronghold, it was subject to attack by the Welsh, notably by Llywelyn the Great, who captured it in 1231 with help from a local Welsh lord, Morgan Gam.^[1]^[5]^[9] Following this, it was substantially rebuilt by Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Gloucester, Gilbert's son.^[10]

It was taken again, and this time destroyed, by Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, in 1321, during the rebellion against King Edward II of England.^[11] Its owner, Hugh Despenser the Younger (who had gained the lordship through his marriage to the heiress Eleanor de Clare), rebuilt it, possibly with the addition of a gatehouse.^[10] In 1376, one Roger Kyngot was the constable,^[12] and the castle was rebuilt in stone in 1377; that is probably when the great gatehouse was built, which is the main surviving feature.^[13] The castle was in use until the 17th century, and has been a recreational area for the town since the 18th century.^[14] The post of "Constable of Neath Castle", a medieval legacy, was held by Sir Humphrey Mackworth from 1703.^[15] The title was eventually absorbed into that of Mayor of Neath. What remains of the castle is designated a Grade II* listed building.^[16]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "In The Footsteps Of Alfred Russel Wallace" (PDF). dramaticheart.wales. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
^ "Neath Castle". Neath Town Council. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan: Volume III: Medieval secular monuments. The early castles - from the Norman Conquest to 1217: Volume III: Medieval secular monuments. The early castles - from the Norman Conquest to 1217. London: HMSO. p. 156. ISBN 0113000359.
^ "The Neath Constituency". Christina Rees, MP for Neath. Neath Constituency Office. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ ^a ^b "List of Castles in Wales". Historic UK. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ Neath Castle from The Cistercian Way
^ Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales (2000). An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan: Volume III - Part 1b: Medieval Secular Monuments the Later Castles from 1217 to the present. ISBN 9781871184228.
^ "The Lordship of Neath". Cymdeithas Hanes Resolfen History Society. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ "Morgan Gam". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ ^a ^b Pettifer, Adrian. Welsh Castles: A Guide by Counties. Boydell & Brewer. p. 100. ISBN 9780851157788.
^ "Neath Castle". The Gatehouse Gazetteer. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ "Ministers' Accounts: Introduction". British History Online. Cardiff Records Committee. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ "Neath Castle". Jeffrey L. Thomas. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ coflein NPRN: 94528. GGAT PRN: 00624w. Cadw SAM: GM039: Neath Castle
^ "Mackworth, Sir Humphrey". History of Parliament. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
^ "Neath Castle, Castle Street, Neath". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 12 July 2015.

Gallery

Neath Castle, 1807, by artist Edward Dayes, 1763–1804, and engraver J. Storer, 1771-1837
The Gnoll and Castle, Neath, 1790-1810 by Hendrik Frans de Cort
Neath Castle ca 1790, by Page
Neath Castle ca 1790
Neath Castle, 1811, by John George Wood (1768-1838)
A view of Neath with a castle in the foreground, 1836 by Peter DeWint (1784-1849)