Carmarthen Castle

The Archaeology of Government

Neil Ludlow

Carmarthen Castle

Neil Ludlow

Distributed for University of Wales Press

432 pages | 166 halftones | 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 | © 2014
Cloth $55.00 ISBN: 9781783160129 Published September 2014 For sale in North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand only
E-book $55.00 ISBN: 9781783160136 Will Publish October 2019 For sale in North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand only
Carmarthen Castle is one of Wales’s most important but least-known castles. This book examines the history and development of this center of government from the medieval period to the present day. Drawing on recent archaeological excavations and documentary research, Neil Ludlow sheds light on what daily life was like for castle officials and other occupants and provides details of their interactions with the town of Carmarthen, the surrounding region and beyond. Included are several previously unpublished maps, plans, and illustrations that provide context and aid in describing existing and former buildings and their uses. This book restores Carmarthen Castle to its place at the heart of Wales’s medieval history.
Contents
Foreword by Eifion Bowen, Carmarthenshire County Council
Foreword by Kenneth Murphy, Dyfed Archaeological Trust
 
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
 
1. INTRODUCTION: ‘A CERTAIN GOOD DONJON’
A brief overview
Historiography
Location, setting and early settlement
An introductory description
 
2. CARMARTHEN CASTLE AND ITS PLACE IN MEDIEVAL WALES
Origins
Politics and war
A centre of government
The castle in the landscape
 
3. THE PHYSICAL REMAINS
The motte and shell-keep
The curtain walls and towers
The Great Gatehouse and bridge
The castle interior
The gaol wall, yard, and Old Police Station
 
4. RECONSTRUCTION THE CASTLE
Phase 1: The timber castle, 1106-1180
Phase 2: The shell-keep, 1181-1222?
Phase 3: The masonry defense, 1223-1240
Phase 4: Buildings for the king, 1241-1278
Phase 5: More accommodation, 1279-1300
Phase 6: Buildings for the government, 1301-1408
Phase 7: Damage and rebuilding, 1409-c. 1550
Social organisation: the castle as a residence
 
5. DIVISION, DEMOLITION AND DEVELOPMENT: THE POST-MEDIEVAL CASTLE
Decline: the late sixteenth/mid-seventeenth century
Sighting: from Civil War to Restoration, 1642-1660
The late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
The new Country Gaol, 1789-1868
The late nineteenth-century gaol and County Hall, 1868-1993
 
6. POTTERY AND OTHER FINDS
Pottery and glass (Paul Courtney and Dee Williams)
Organics and metalwork from medieval deposits (Mark Redknap)
Small finds from post-medieval deposits (Mark Redknap, Dee Williams and Edward  Besly)
 
7. EPILOGUE: THE CASTLE REDISCOVERED
The castle in the present
The castle in the future
 
Appendix: Documented Development
Bibliography
Index
Review Quotes
John Kenyon, National Library of Wales

“The castle of Carmarthen was the centre of authority of the English Crown in southwest Wales from early Norman Times, with the town alongside growing in importance during the Middle Ages. Although rich in documentation, until recently little was known or understood about the fabric of the castle, but, as this book shows, the work of the author and contributors has transformed our knowledge, and the volume makes a very important contribution to the medieval and later history of Wales.”

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