Ogmore Castle ( cy, Castell Ogwr) is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

castle ruin located near the village of

Ogmore-by-Sea Ogmore-by-Sea ( Welsh: ''Aberogwr'', meaning "Mouth of the River Ogmore") is a seaside village in St Brides Major community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the western limit of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast of south Wales. The pop ...

, south of the town of

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. It is situated on the south bank of the

River Ewenny The Ewenny River ( cy, Afon Ewenni) is a river in South Wales. For most of its length, it forms the border between the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend. It is a major tributary of the River Ogmore, which it joins near its estuary. Course The riv ...

and the east bank of the

River Ogmore The River Ogmore ( cy, Afon Ogwr) is a river in South Wales that is popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Gilfach Goch, past Bridgend and Ogmore. The River Ogmore rises at Craig Ogwr (527 m) in the ...

. Its construction might have begun in 1106. Ogmore was one of three

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s built in the area in the early 12th century, the others being

Coity Castle Coity Castle ( cy, Castell Coety) in Glamorgan, Wales, is a Norman castle built by Sir Payn "the Demon" de Turberville (fl. 1126), one of the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan supposed to have conquered Glamorgan under the leadership of R ...

and Newcastle Castle. It was in use until the 19th century for a range of purposes, including a court of justice and a prison, but is now a substantial set of remains and a local landmark. It is managed by local authorities.

Etymology

When John Leland wrote his ''Itinerary'', he referred to this fortress as "Ogor Castelle". The name comes from the nearby river, the

( cy, Afon Ogwr).

History

Construction of Ogmore Castle might have started around 1106, its foundation predating the

Norman conquest 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 ...

. In Caradoc of Llancarfan's ''The historie of Cambria, now called Wales: a part of the most famous yland of Brytaine'', Caradoc wrote that the manor and castle were given to William de Londres, one of the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan, by

Robert Fitzhamon Robert Fitzhamon (died March 1107), or Robert FitzHamon (literally, 'Robert, son of Hamon'), Seigneur de Creully in the Calvados region and Torigny in the Manche region of Normandy, was the first Norman feudal baron of Gloucester and the Norma ...

, the Norman conqueror of Glamorgan. In 1116, William de Londres was forced to abandon the castle when the Welsh appeared in force. His butler, Arnold, is credited with protecting the castle from the Welsh attack during the absence of William de Londres, and for this, he was knighted Sir Arnold Butler, also receiving the castle and manor of Dunraven as reward. According to the custom of the times, the founding of a religious institution followed the acquisition of power. William de Londres, or his descendant John, built Ewenny Abbey from the castle. Also nearby was a religious place appended to Ogmore Castle by Morris de Londres or his descendant John, in 1141;

Ewenny Priory Ewenny Priory ( cy, Priordy Ewenni), in Ewenny in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, was a monastery of the Benedictine order, founded in the 12th century. The priory was unusual in having extensive military-style defences and in its state of preserva ...

is from Ogmore Castle. When Thomas' heiress married into the Chaworth family of

Kidwelly Kidwelly ( cy, Cydweli) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. In the 2001 census the community of Kidwelly returned a population of 3,289, inc ...

, the lands passed in 1298 to the first Duke of Lancaster, and ownership remains in the hands of the Duchy of Lancaster to this day.

Architecture

The earthworks were steeply banked and oval in shape, enclosing an area of in length by in width. The inner ward was flat and constructed of timber structures. After completion of the

ringwork A ringwork is a form of fortified defensive structure, usually circular or oval in shape. Ringworks are essentially motte-and-bailey castles without the motte. Defences were usually earthworks in the form of a ditch and bank surrounding the sit ...

, the building material was stone. The windows were round-headed with

Sutton stone Sutton stone is a geologic formation located only in South Wales. Sutton stone consists of white, conglomeratic limestones with pebbles of black chert (silica) and carboniferous limestones, laid down in early Jurassic times. It was named by geolog ...

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 ...

. The first-floor great hall had an ornate fireplace. William's son Maurice is credited with building the oblong

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

; it is perhaps the oldest Norman keep in Glamorgan. Situated north of the main gateway, the keep was the first masonry building and was probably built in the 1120s. It is both the castle's tallest surviving building, and one of the oldest buildings in South Wales. Though only three of the original walls survive, their structure is characterized by irregularly shaped field stones, glacial pebbles,

Lias Lias may refer to: Geology * Lias Formation, a geologic formation in France *Lias Group, a lithostratigraphic unit in western Europe * Early Jurassic, an epoch People * Godfrey Lias, British author * Mohd Shamsudin Lias (born 1953), Malaysian ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

slabs, and brown mortar. Thomas de Londres replaced a timber

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' ...

with a stone wall in around 1200. In the early 13th century, a second storey was added that housed private apartments.

Garderobe Garderobe is a historic term for a room in a medieval castle. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' gives as its first meaning a store-room for valuables, but also acknowledges "by extension, a private room, a bed-chamber; also a privy". The word der ...

s were featured on two levels and a

latrine A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation, a hole in the ground (pit latrine), or m ...

tower was part of the exterior. A well-preserved lime kiln was built over an indeterminate 13th-century structure. Subsequently, a courthouse dating to the 14th century and rebuilt in the mid-15th century, was probably the third building to occupy the same spot. The building was rectangular in shape with a simple doorway and was flanked by two chambers. Having sustained damage during

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 ...

's revolt, a new courthouse, situated in the castle's outer bailey, was built in 1454 and was in use until at least 1631. The present-day castle remains consist of the keep and some outer walls.

Grounds

Stepping Stones on River Ogmore, Ogmore Castle, Ogmore, near Bridgend, Wales - geograph

A deep, rock-cut ditch surrounded the castle grounds, which were dry except when the River Ewenny flooded the area during high tide. While the ditch that enclosed the castle's inner bailey filled at high tide, the flow was regulated by an embedded stone wall that blocked rising waters so that the interior of the castle did not flood. Looking towards the sea from the castle ruins, the view includes

sandhill A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and be ...

s that proceed up the coast nearly as far as the town of

Briton Ferry Briton Ferry ( cy, Llansawel) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. The Welsh name may indicate that the church, ''llan'', is protected from the wind, ''awel''. Alternatively, ''Sawel'' may be a derivative ...

. Opposite from Ogmore Castle is

Merthyr Mawr Merthyr Mawr is a village and community in Bridgend, Wales. The village is about 2½ miles from the centre of Bridgend town. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 267. The community occupies the area west of the Ewenny River, be ...

, where there are two sculptured crosses; the village can be reached by a footpath from the castle. Also near the castle are a popular set of stepping stones across the river which are a

Scheduled Ancient 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 ...

. A short distance to the southeast are several shallows filled with water that are said to have sunk spontaneously. One of them is circular, measuring approximately in diameter.

''Y Ladi Wen''

The ghost '' Y Ladi Wen'' ("the White Lady") is said to guard the castle's hidden treasure. In the story, a spirit was long said to wander the wider area until a man finally had the courage to approach her. When such a man eventually did so, the spirit led him to a treasure (a cauldron filled with gold) hidden under a heavy stone within the old castle tower, and allowed the man to take half the treasure for himself. However, the man later returned and took the more of the treasure. This angered the spirit, who, with her fingers turning into claws, attacked the man as he returned home. The man became gravely ill, but only died once he had confessed his greed. After that, an ailment known as ''Y Ladi Wen's revenge'' was said to befall any person who died prior to disclosing hidden treasure. The Ladi Wen stories associated with the castle, are likely related to a tradition that the River Ogmore itself contains the spirits of those who died without disclosing the location of hidden treasures. The tradition states that these spirits may only rest when their treasures are found and thrown downstream into the river (throwing treasures upstream would not help the spirits).

References

External links

Castles of Wales website
(includes other photos and further historical background)

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Ogmore CastleBBC Wales panoramic of the castle
* {{Bridgend Castles in Bridgend County Borough Castle ruins in Wales 1116 establishments in Wales Grade I listed castles in Wales Grade I listed buildings in the Vale of Glamorgan 12th-century establishments in Wales