Morgraig Castle

Has been described as a Certain Masonry Castle

There are masonry footings remains

NameMorgraig Castle
Alternative NamesCastell Mor Graig
Historic CountryGlamorgan
Modern AuthorityCaerphilly
1974 AuthorityMid Glamorgan
CommunityCaerphilly

Castell Morgraig was built by the Anglo-Norman de Clare lords of Glamorgan, sometime after 1243 and before 1267, when it was abandoned unfinished as the de Clares defeated the last Welsh native lord in the area and started building Caerphilly nearby. (Iorweth quoting Jack Spurgeon)

Morgraig Castle is thought to have been raised in the mid thirteenth century and possibly never completed. The site consists of a rather irregular pentagonal enclosure, c.38-42m in diameter, defined by walls and towers.. (Coflein)

Castell Morgraig is a ruined medieval Castle, on the ridge top, with a steep drop to the Cardiff plain to the south. The castle has a rectangular plan, with bastions in all four corners. Those on the N side are pentagonal, that on the SW corner has a rounded end, and that on the SE corner is also pentagonal. From a partial excavation in 1903-4 it was concluded that the castle was of C13th date and was never finished. (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust HER)

The monument comprises the remains of a castle, dating to the medieval period. It is located on the southern boundary of the Welsh lands of Senghennydd Is Caech on a ridge top overlooking the Cardiff plain. The ruined remains consist of a walled pentagonal enclosure about 40m in diameter with the angles defined by the remains of four towers and on the east a keep. It is thought to have been built in the mid thirteenth century and may not have been completed. (Scheduling Report)

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceST159843
Latitude51.5517311096191
Longitude-3.21293997764587
Eastings315990
Northings184380
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

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Books

  • Davis, Paul, R., 2011, The Forgotten Castles of Wales (Almeley: Logaston Press) p. 121-25
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p. 240 (listed)
  • Davis, Paul R., 2007, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Y Lolfa) p. 101-3
  • < >RCAHMW, 2000, An Inventory of Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan Vol. 3 Part 1b: The Later Castles (London: HMSO) < > p. 197-208
  • Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p. 92
  • Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p. 54
  • Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p. 55
  • Davis, Paul R., 1988, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Swansea)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 163
  • Davis, Paul R., 1983, Castles of Glamorgan (Alun Books) p. 21
  • Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p. 367
  • Renn, D.F., 1973 (2 edn.), Norman Castles of Britain (London: John Baker) p. 249
  • Hague, D.B., 1971, in Pugh, T.B. (ed), Glamorgan County History Vol. 3 The Middle Ages (Cardiff) p. 443
  • Randall, Henry John, 1961, The Vale of Glamorgan, Studies in Landscape and History (Newport: R.H.Johns Ltd) p. 76
  • Ward, J., Rodger, J.W. and Corbett, J.S., 1906, Castell Morgraig in the county of Glamorgan (Cardiff: William Lewis)
  • Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales online copy

Journals

  • Gill, A.T., 2000, 'Castell Morgraig update' Caerphilly Vol. 6 p. 81-3
  • Iorweth, Dylan, 1997, 'The Mystery at Morgraig' Heritage in Wales Vol. 7 p. 17-19 (reproduced in the Castle Studies Group newsletter Vol. 11 p. 35-39) [online copy > http://www.castlewales.com/morgraig.html]
  • Spurgeon, Jack, 1987, 'The Castles of Glamorgan' Château Gaillard Vol. 13 p. 217
  • Spurgeon, C.J., ‘Castell Morgraig,1983' 130th annual meeting, Vale of Glamorgan, 1983: programme, CAA p. 21, 25
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 116 p. 71-132
  • 1907, 'Review and notices of Books: Castell Morgraig, in the county of Glamorgan By John Ward, F.S.A., J.S. Corbett, and T.W. Rodgers' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 62 p. 339-44 online copy
  • Ward, J., 1905, 'Castell Morgraig' Cardiff Naturalists Society Transactions Vol. 38 p. 3-41