Longtown Castle, also termed Ewias Lacey Castle in early accounts, is a ruined
Norman motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy t ...
fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere ...
in
Longtown,
Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouths ...
. It was established in the 11th century by
Walter de Lacy, reusing former
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
earthworks. The castle was then rebuilt in stone by Gilbert de Lacy after 1148, who also established the adjacent town to help pay for the work. By the 14th century, Longtown Castle had fallen into decline. Despite being pressed back into use during the
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...
rising in 1403, it fell into ruin. In the 21st century the castle is maintained by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
and operated as a tourist attraction.
History
Earlier sites
The first fortification at Longtown was a
Roman fort
In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term.
In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...
, close to a
Roman road
Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
that ran along the borderlands.
The fort was square, and protected by a ditch and a timber palisade. The Roman defences were reinforced, probably in 1055, after a Welsh attack on
Hereford
Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester, England, Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. ...
.
[
]
Initial construction
After the Norman invasion of England
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...
and Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
in 1066, a small castle began to be built at Pont Hendre, close to the site of the current castle, by Walter de Lacy in order to protect the river crossing there.[; ] Following Welsh attacks, Walter abandoned Pont Hendre and instead started to build a castle at Longtown, on the site of the old Roman fort.[ The early castle was occasionally also called Ewias Lacey, named after the wider lordship; "Ewias" was a term meaning "sheep district".
Longtown Castle was designed as a ]motte and bailey
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy t ...
castle, on high ground alongside the River Monnow
The River Monnow ( cy, Afon Mynwy) marks the England–Wales border for much of its length. After flowing through southwest Herefordshire, England, and eastern Monmouthshire, Wales, its confluence with the River Wye is approximately south of ...
. More defensible sites on higher ground existed nearby, but this location was strategically well located close to the River, an important transport route. It had a high motte and an unusual rectangular bailey design around by , divided into three parts, two baileys in the west and one in the east, each capable of being defended independently and enclosing around in total. The 12th-century castle was built primarily of timber with at least some stone in its design, but this stone was then reused when the castle was rebuilt in the 13th century.[; ; ] Two circuits of earthworks to the north and south of the castle, possibly with wooden palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymology
''Palisade ...
s, enclosed the early settlement of Longtown. The region was troubled for the rest of the century, with revolts by the local Welsh against Anglo-Norman rule.
The de Lacys lost their lands in the region after conspiring against William II, but around 1148, Gilbert de Lacy regained the estates.[ Gilbert probably then rebuilt the castle in stone, at a considerable cost of £37, financed by the construction of a new borough alongside it. The stone keep was constructed in the form of a circular great tower, with walls thick and three turrets spaced evenly around the outside and a hall on the first floor. This circular design is particular to the Welsh Marches, and is also seen at ]Skenfrith
Skenfrith ( cy, Ynysgynwraidd) is a small village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales. It is located on the River Monnow, close to the border between Wales and England, about north-west of Monmouth. The road through the village (B4521) was once ...
and Caldicot. The reason for this choice is unclear, as it appears to have carried few military advantages. The stonework is made up of sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
rubble with cut ashlar
Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
detailing; the walls are around thick, but the keep's foundations are extremely shallow. An inner gate to the western baileys was built to a simple design with two small turrets, and seems to have been fitted with a portcullis, while a thick wall encircled the rest of the inner western bailey; another stone wall seems to have protected the outer half of the bailey. Inside the inner western bailey appears to have been the castle's great hall and other service buildings.
Expansion and decline
The de Lacy family controlled Longtown Castle until Walter de Lacy's death in 1234. John Fitzgeoffrey then acquired the castle, during a period of increased conflict and tension between the Welsh princes Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and d ...
and Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn (''c.'' March 1212 – 25 February 1246) was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was the first ruler in Wales to claim the title Prince of Wales.
Birth and descent
Though birth years of 1208, 1206, and 1215 have ...
and the English marcher lords. The castle reverted to the de Lacy family and became part of the inheritance of Margery (or Margaret) de Lacy, daughter of Gilbert de Lacy, who had predeceased his father Walter de Lacy, Lord of Meath, and his wife Isabel Bigod, daughter of Sir Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk
Hugh Bigod ( – 18 February 1225) was a member of the powerful early Norman Bigod family
and was for a short time the 3rd Earl of Norfolk.
Origins
He was born c. 1182, the eldest son of Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk by his wife Ida de To ...
. Marjory married John de Verdun of Alton
Alton may refer to:
People
*Alton (given name)
*Alton (surname)
Places Australia
*Alton National Park, Queensland
* Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne
Canada
* Alton, Ontario
*Alton, Nova Scotia
New Zealand
* Alton, New Zealand, ...
, son of Theobald le Botiller
Theobald le Botiller, also known as Theobald Butler, 2nd Baron Butler (January 1200 – 19 July 1230) was the son of Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler and Maud le Vavasour. He had livery of his lands on 18 July 1222.
Marriage and Childre ...
and Roesia de Verdun
Roesia de Verdun (c1204 - 10 February 1247), also spelled ''Rohese'' and ''Rose'', was a Norman femme sole and one of the most powerful women of Ireland in the 13th century.
Biography
Very little is known about the early life of Roesia de Ve ...
. The de Verduns struggled with local lawlessness and the Welsh revolts which continued until the end of the century.[ ]King Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...
temporarily confiscated the castle and estates from John's son, Theobald de Verdun, 1st Baron Verdun. On Theobald's death, the castle passed to his son Theobald de Verdun, 2nd Baron Verdun
Theobald de Verdun (1278–1316) was the second and eldest surviving son of Theobald de Verdun, 1st Baron Verdun, of Alton, Staffordshire, and his wife Margery de Bohun. The elder Theobald was the son of John de Verdon, otherwise Le Botiller, ...
, who died in 1316 without surviving male heirs, whereupon the castle became part of the inheritance of his 2nd daughter Elizabeth and by right of his wife passed to her husband Bartholomew Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh
Bartholomew Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh (died 3 August 1355, Dover), called "the elder", was an English nobleman and soldier, a younger son of Robert Burghersh, 1st Baron Burghersh and Maud Badlesmere, sister of Bartholomew Badlesmere, 1st Baro ...
.[ The castle continued to be used as a fortification, and in 1317 orders were given to garrison it with 30 men.][
The castle began to decline in importance, however, and in 1369 passed to the Despensers and then the Beauchamps, neither of whom used the castle.][ It was temporarily refortified by Henry IV in response to the ]Owain Glyndŵr
Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...
uprising in North Wales
, area_land_km2 = 6,172
, postal_code_type = Postcode
, postal_code = LL, CH, SY
, image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg
, map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...
in 1403. The Nevilles acquired the property in the 15th century and it remained in the control of the Lords of Abergavenny
Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...
until the 1970s.[ After the ]Black Death
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
the town's population fell away sharply as well, the protected area north of the castle was abandoned, and by the 16th century it was no longer a functioning trading centre.
It is unclear if the castle and town played any part in the English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
between 1642–45, although cannonballs from the period have been discovered within the castle. Local oral tradition states that the castle was slighted
Slighting is the deliberate damage of high-status buildings to reduce their value as military, administrative or social structures. This destruction of property sometimes extended to the contents of buildings and the surrounding landscape. It is ...
, or deliberately destroyed, during the war. Stones from the castle were used for local building work by the 17th century onwards, and by the 18th century a house and shop had been constructed in the eastern bailey of the castle, along with a yard and garden.[ A ]gallows
A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...
operated at the castle until 1790.[ Buildings continued to encroach on the castle. By the end of the 19th century a school and a house, Castle Lodge, had been built in the castle grounds.][ Other buildings were built as lean-tos against the castle walls.][
]
20th - 21st centuries
Longtown Castle was acquired by the Ministry of Works in the 1970s. It was in a poor condition and extensive restoration work was carried out, including the removal of many of the buildings that had encroached on the walls. In the 21st century, the central parts of Longtown Castle, including the ruined keep, the internal gatehouse and fragments of the curtain wall, are maintained by English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
as a tourist attraction, although the wider earthworks lie on common land. In 2016, the Longtown and District Historical Society obtained Heritage Lottery Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom.
History
The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
ing for a community archaeology project to research Longtown Castle over the next two years. The castle is protected as a scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
See also
*Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 10 ...
*List of castles in England
This list of castles in England is not a list of every building and site that has "castle" as part of its name, nor does it list only buildings that conform to a strict definition of a castle as a medieval fortified residence. It is not a li ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
3D survey of Longtown Castle
Longtown Castles Project
English Heritage
{{Good article
English Heritage sites in Herefordshire
Ruins in Herefordshire
Castles in Herefordshire
Castle, Longtown