Kenfig Town Defences

Has been described as a Certain Urban Defence

There are earthwork remains

NameKenfig Town Defences
Alternative NamesKenefeg; Kenfeg
Historic CountryGlamorgan
Modern AuthorityBridgend
1974 AuthorityMid Glamorgan
CommunityCynffig

The outer enclosure of 8 acres, with a substantial earthen rampart and ditch, should perhaps be regarded as a small town rather than a bailey. (Hogg and King 1967)

it is clear that a town had been established by that date (1135-54) and had already been surrounded by an earth and timber palisade (Richards p. 163) the borough was enclosed with walls which are mentioned in 1147, but we know nothing of their course. They were initially of earth and timber and were rebuilt with the same materials after the Welsh attack of 1183 when one Hywel of Caerleon was charged with despatching stakes from Chepstow 'in order to enclose the town and castle'. The 'Town Walls and Gates' are further mentioned in the 1330 Ordinances, but there is nothing to suggest they were ever reconstructed in stone. (Soulsby ref. Clark p. 244)

The monument consists of the remains of a fortified medieval town and castle. Ramparts comprising a bank and ditch define the town enclosure at the south west and the north east angles forming a roughly quadrangular enclosure of about 3.34 ha. The rampart disappears to the south under the large dunes over the south west quarter of the town. To the north it ends in front of the south end of a building. In the south west area of the town, the rampart re-emerges from the dunes and runs straight for 76m to the south west, fronted by a wide ditch. The castle keep is c. 14x15m, with a 2 m. wide entrance at the south west corner. The walls are composed of stone and pebbles and are c. 2 m. thick. They stand 3-4m. The south side is the lowest, with an external height of 1-2 m. and internal height of 2.5 m. The north wall is the best preserved with an internal height of 3m and with intact gun loop. South of the keep is a complex of low walls. (Scheduling Report)

Gatehouse Comments

Otherwise it has been described as a bailey. Salter writes the town had a bank and ditch but does not identify it with the 8 acre bailey. Bond writes town C12 earthworks have vanished. Spurgeon gives a full description and history of the town and is defenses both of which are buried under sand dunes (and have been since Leland described it as 'almost shokid (chocked) and devourid with the sands that the Severn Sea there castith up.' Soulsby's, notes the archaeological potential of this site, since the sands protect the remains of the town. His plan puts the town and parish church outside the castle bailey, whilst noting some houses were within the bailey, and do not show a line of town defences. Time Team excavation showed defences were a timber pallisade, never rebuilt in stone. The town was densely inhabited within a relatively small defended area.

- Philip Davis

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 ReferenceSS800825
Latitude51.5292701721191
Longitude-3.73001003265381
Eastings280090
Northings182570
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 173
  • Griffiths, Barrie, 2011, The First Borough of Kenfig 1147-1439 (Kenfig Society)
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 64, 82, 83, 217, 272, 278
  • < >RCAHMW, 1991, An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan Vol. 3 Part 1a: The Early Castles (London: HMSO) < > p. 325-6
  • Salter, Mike, 1991, The Castles of Gwent, Glamorgan and Gower (Malvern) p. 51
  • Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds), Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  • Soulsby, Ian, 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore; Chichester) p. 149-151 (plan)
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 175
  • Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) The plans and topography of medieval towns in England and Wales (CBA Research Report 14) p. 57-71 online copy
  • Beresford, Maurice, 1967, New towns of the Middle Ages: town plantation in England, Wales and Gascony (London: Lutterworth Press) p. 555
  • Gray, Thomas, 1909, The Buried City of Kenfig (New York) online copy
  • Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales online copy

Antiquarian

  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1906, Leland's Itinerary in Wales  (Bell and Sons; London) p. 124-5 online copy

Journals

  • Brennan, N., 2016, ''Devoured with the sands': a Time Team evaluation at Kenfig, Bridgend, Glamorgan' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 164 p. 221-29
  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  • Spurgeon, C.J., 2001, 'The Medieval Town Defences of Glamorgan' Studia Celtica Vol. 35 p. 161-212 esp p. 188-195
  • Bond J., 2001, 'Earthen Castles, Outer Enclosures and the Earthworks at Ascott d'Oilly Castle, Oxfordshire' Oxoniensia Vol. 46 p. 65-6 (Appendix: Norman earthwork castles with failed towns in outer enclosures) online copy
  • 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
  • Richard, A.J., 1927, 'Kenfig Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 82 p. 161-82
  • Clark, 1871, 'Kenfig Charters' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 26 p. 172-190, 243-256, 313-319 online copy

Primary Sources

  • The Great Roll of the Pipe for the thirty-first year of the reign of King Henry II A.D. 1184-1185 (Pipe Roll Society 34) p. 5-6 (Grant of £16 to enclose town)
  • Clark, 1871, 'Kenfig Charters' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 26 p. 172-190, 243-256, 313-319 online copy
  • - < >Also see the Gatehouse murage pages for full details of murage [grants > http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/murage/murindex.html], [petitions > http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/murage/mupindex.html ] and [other such > http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/murage/muaindex.html]. < >

Other

  • Wessex Archaeology, 2012, Kenfig, Bridgend Glamorgan, South Wales Archaeological Evaluation and Assessment of Results (Wessex Archaeology 77509.01) online copy
  • Time Team (Frances Pryor et al), 2012, March 18 (1st broadcast), 'Secrets of the Dunes' Time Team TV Programme (Time Team, a Videotext/Picture House production for Channel 4) view online