Skenfrith Castle (Welsh: Ynysgynwraidd) is a medieval castle located in Monmouthshire, Wales. The castle is the centre of the village of Skenfrith, located on the banks of the river Monnow, just five miles to the north of the town of Monmouth. The first defenses were built shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066, although the remains of the castle that stand today date from the early thirteenth century. Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The main gatehouse of Harlech Castle, Wales. ... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location relative to the some of the British Isles (other parts of the UK shown on the map are in pink). ... The River Monnow (Welsh: Afon Mynwÿ) flows through south-west Herefordshire, England and east Monmouthshire, Wales. ... This is about the Welsh town of Monmouth. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... Events January 6 - Harold II is crowned King of England the day after Edward the Confessor dies. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ...

Grouped with White Castle and Grosmont Castle, Skenfrith is one of the “Three Castles” built in the Monnow Valley as part of the Norman conquest of South Wales. White Castle (Castell Gwyn) is a castle in Monmouthshire, Wales. ...

History of “The Three Castles”

The term “The Three Castles” is used to collectively describe White Castle, Skenfrith Castle and Grosmont Castle, all of which are located in the Monnow Valley in south Wales (modern day Monmouthshire). The Monnow Valley was an important route between Hereford and South Wales in medieval times, due to its position as an area of relatively open land, which provided a break between the river cliffs of the Wye Valley to the south, and the hills around Abergavenny to the west. The Three Castles are usually grouped together by historians because for almost their entire history they were part of a block of territory under the control of a single lord. The River Monnow (Welsh: Afon Mynwÿ) flows through south-west Herefordshire, England and east Monmouthshire, Wales. ... National motto: Cymru am byth (Welsh: Wales for ever) Waless location relative to the some of the British Isles (other parts of the UK shown on the map are in pink). ... Hereford Cathedral Hereford (pronounced hÄ›r-É™-füd or hÄ›r-i-füd) Welsh: Henffordd (pronounced Henforth) is a city in the west of England, close to the border with Wales and on the River Wye. ... The Wye at Hay-on-Wye The Wye at Tintern This article is about the river that flows along the Anglo-Welsh border, for the river in Derbyshire see River Wye, Derbyshire. ... This article incorporates text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, which is in the public domain. ...

All three sites have evidence for early Norman earthworks, possibly built by William fitz Osbern, who was made Earl of Hereford by William the Conqueror a few months after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. From his castles at Monmouth and Chepstow, William was the first Norman lord to conquer central and eastern Monmouthshire, including the future sites for the Three Castles. The defenses raised at this time would have been of earth and timber, probably in the classic Norman motte-and-bailey style. The Normans (adapted from the name Northmen or Norsemen) were a mixture of the indigenous Gauls of France and the Viking invaders under the leadership of Rollo (Gange Rolf). ... In civil engineering, earthworks are engineering works created through the moving of massive quantities of soil or unformed stone. ... William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... Events January 6 - Harold II is crowned King of England the day after Edward the Confessor dies. ... This is about the Welsh town of Monmouth. ... Chepstow Castle from the old Wye Bridge Interior of Chepstow Castle Chepstow Castle, located in Chepstow on top of cliffs overlooking the River Wye, was built by the Norman lord William FitzOsbern from 1067. ... A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle. ...

Fitz Osbern died in 1071, and his lands were forfeited to the crown after his son was involved in a rebellion against King William in 1075. In order to prevent the rise of such a powerful magnate, the king divided up this strategically important territory – the only time in their active history that the Three Castles were owned separately. They were reunited by King Stephen in the 1130’s as a response to Welsh rebellion in the southern March, and would remain a single lordship until the nineteenth century. Events Byzantine Empire loses Battle of Manzikert to Turkish army under Alp Arslan. ... Stephen (1096 – October 25, 1154), the last Norman King of England, reigned from 1135 to 1154, when he was succeeded by his cousin Henry II, the first of the Angevin or Plantagenet Kings. ... In European history, marches are border regions between centres of power. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

There is little evidence of building activity at any of the castles until the late twelfth century, when they were fortified by Ralph of Grosmont, a royal official who supervised building work for the king in Hereford. The castles were then completely overhauled by Hubert de Burgh, who was granted lordship of the Three Castles by King John in 1201. Control of the Three Castles was briefly granted to William de Braose in 1205, when Hubert was a prisoner of Philip Augustus, the king of France, but William quickly fell out of favor, and by 1207 John had forced him into ruin. Hubert de Burgh returned to power, and was appointed Justiciar in 1215, but did not recover ownership of the Three Castles from the de Braose heirs until 1219, when the twelve year old Henry III was king. (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Hubert de Burgh (~1165 - May 12, 1243) was Earl of Kent, Justiciar of England and Ireland, and one of the most influential men in England during the reigns of John and Henry III. De Burgh came from a minor gentry family about which little is known. ... John (French: Jean) (December 24, c. ... // Events The town of Riga was chartered as a city. ... William de Braose, Fourth Lord of Bramber (1140/1150 - August 9, 1211) at his peak was also lord of Gower, Abergavenny, Brecknock, Builth, Radnor, Kington, Limerick, Skenfrith, Grosmont, and White Castle. ... Events January 6 - Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans April 14 - Battle of Adrianople (1205) between Bulgars and Latins August 20 - Following certain news of Baldwin Is death, Henry of Flanders is crowned Emperor of the Latin Empire Births Deaths July 13 Hubert Walter Archbishop of Canterbury... Philip II (French: Philippe II), called Philip Augustus (French: Philippe Auguste) (August 21, 1165 – July 14, 1223), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. ... Events Stephen Langton consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury June 17 by Pope Innocent III Births September 8 - King Sancho II of Portugal October 1 - King Henry III of England (d. ... In the medieval England and Scotland, a justiciar was an important legal and political figure. ... // Events A certified copy of the Magna Carta June 15 - King John of England forced to put his seal to the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning men (nobles and knights) and restricting the kings power. ... // Events Saint Francis of Assisi introduces Catholicism into Egypt, during the Fifth Crusade The Flag of Denmark fell from the sky during the Battle of Lyndanisse Ongoing events Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) Births Christopher I of Denmark (died 1259) Frederick II of Austria (died 1246) Guillaume de Gisors, supposedly the... Henry III (October 1, 1207 – November 16, 1272) is one of the least-known British monarchs, considering the great length of his reign. ...

From his time fighting in France Hubert had a knowledge of the latest in military architecture, and in the years after 1219 he was a prosperous lord who had great influence with King Henry III. He rebuilt Skenfrith and Grosmont in stone, adding domestic apartments to both castles, so that they could be used as lordly residences. He held the Three Castles until 1239, although they were briefly taken from him after he fell out of royal favor in 1232 (they were returned after his reconciliation to the king two years later). // Events Births June 17 - King Edward I of England (died 1307) December 17 - Kujo Yoritsugu, Japanese shogun (died 1256) Peter III of Aragon (died 1285) John II, Duke of Brittany (died 1305) Ippen, Japanese monk (died 1289) Deaths March 3 - Vladimir III Rurikovich, Grand Prince of Kiev (born 1187) March... // Events Canonization of Saint Anthony of Padua, patron of lost items Pope Gregory IX driven from Rome by a revolt, taking refuge at Anagni First edition of Tripitaka Koreana destroyed by Mongol invaders Battle of Agridi 15 June 1232 Births Arnolfo di Cambio, Florentine architect (died 1310) Manfred of Sicily...

After Hubert de Burgh, the Three Castles were held in royal hands, and in 1254 Henry III granted them to his eldest son, the future Edward I. In the 1260’s the southern March was threatened by the Welsh prince Llewelyn ap Gruffudd, who annexed the lordship of Brecon, and attacked nearby Abergavenny. Gilbert Talbot was appointed constable of the Three Castles, and ordered to garrison them ‘at whatever cost’. Although Llewelyn’s attack on Abergavenny failed, the Treaty of Montgomery in 1267 recognized his southern conquests, and he was considered a significant threat. It was around this time that White Castle was refortified in the latest defensive style. For broader historical context, see 1250s and 13th century. ... King Edward I of England (June 17, 1239 – July 7, 1307), popularly known as Longshanks because of his 6 foot 2 inch frame and the Hammer of the Scots (his tombstone, in Latin, read, Hic est Edwardvs Primus Scottorum Malleus, Here lies Edward I, Hammer of the Scots), achieved fame... By means of the Treaty of Montgomery (1267), Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was able to get his new title Prince of Wales acknowledged by the English king Henry III. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd finished the work his grandfather, Llywelyn the Great, had started: by force and diplomacy all the other Welsh dynasties... For broader historical context, see 1260s and 13th century. ...

1267 also saw the Three Castles being granted to Edward’s younger brother Edmund, Earl of Lancaster. Although the Welsh threat was soon subdued with the death of Llywelyn in 1282, the Three Castles were used as residences and centres for local authority. The castles passed down through the earls of Lancaster until the death of Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster, whose daughter Blanche married John of Gaunt, son of Edward III. John of Gaunt was made duke of Lancaster in 1364, and the Three Castles would remain part of the duchy of Lancaster until 1825. John and Blanche’s son, Henry of Bolingbroke, deposed Richard II in 1399 and became King Henry IV, at which time the Three Castles also became royal possessions once more. Edmund Crouchback (January 16, 1245 - June 5, 1296) was the second surviving son of Eleanor of Provence and King Henry III of England. ... For broader historical context, see 1280s and 13th century. ... Henry of Grosmont, Duke of Lancaster (c. ... Blanche of Lancaster (March 25, 1345 - September 12, 1369) was an English noblewoman, daughter of Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster by his wife Isabel de Beaumont. ... John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 – February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault, gained his name, John of Gaunt, because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ... Centuries: 13th century - 14th century - 15th century Decades: 1310s 1320s 1330s 1340s 1350s - 1360s - 1370s 1380s 1390s 1400s 1410s Years: 1359 1360 1361 1362 1363 - 1364 - 1365 1366 1367 1368 1369 See also: 1364 state leaders Events Foundation of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków The Breton War of Succession... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Henry IV (April 3, 1367 – March 20, 1413) was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence the other name by which he was known, Henry of Bolingbroke. His father, John of Gaunt was the third and oldest surviving son of King Edward III of England, and enjoyed a position of... Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan The Fair Maid of Kent. He was born at Bordeaux and became his fathers heir when his elder brother died in infancy. ... Events September 30 - Accession of Henry IV of England October 13 - Coronation of Henry IV of England November 1 - Accession of John VI, Duke of Brittany Births William Canynge, English merchant (approximate date; died 1474) Zara Yaqob, Emperor of Ethiopia (died 1468) Deaths January 4 - Nicolas Eymeric, Spanish theologian and...

Although the Three Castles briefly saw action during the rebellion of Owain Glyn Dwr in 1404-05, they never again played a major role in military affairs. Henry IV carried out repairs to White Castle and Skenfrith Castle in the mid fifteenth century, but by 1538 the castles were abandoned, and ruinous. In 1825 the duchy of Lancaster sold the castles to the duke of Beaufort, whose estate divided them and sold each to different local landowners in 1902. White Castle was given to the State in 1922, followed by Grosmont in 1923. Skenfrith passed through several hands before being given to the National Trust. All three castles are now conserved and maintained by Cadw, and are open to the public. Seal of Owain Glyndŵr The Banner of the Arms of Owain Glyndŵr showing his parentage Owain Glyndŵr, sometimes anglicised as Owen Glendower (1359–c. ... Events June 14 - Owain Glyndwr of Wales allies with the French against the English and the Henry of Lancaster. ... Events May 29 - Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmoreland, meets Archbishop Richard Scrope of York and Earl of Norfolk Thomas Mowbray in Shipton Moor, tricks them to send their rebellious army home and then imprisons them June 8 - Archbishop Richard Scrope of York and Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Norfolk, executed in... Henry VI (December 6, 1421 – May 21/22, 1471) was King of England from 1422 to 1461 (though with a Regent until 1437) and then from 1470 to 1471. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Events Treaty of Nagyvarad. ... The title Duke of Beaufort in the Peerage of England was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, illegitimate son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as The National Trust, NT or The Trust, is an organisation which works to preserve and protect coastline, countryside and buildings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ... Cadw is a semi-autonomous publicly-funded body which with the mission to protect, conserve, and to promote the built heritage of Wales — the Welsh equivalent of English Heritage and Historic Scotland. ...

Building of Skenfrith Castle

The remains of the castle as it stands today date entirely from Hubert de Burgh’s work, when he totally rebuilt the castle between 1219-32. Excavation has shown that the castle sits on an artificial gravel platform, up to twelve feet thick, which is most likely the leveled mound of an earlier earth and timber castle. Evidence suggests that a defensive ditch would have surrounded the site, with timber walls. This early castle probably dates back to just after the Norman Conquest. For excavation in civil engineering see earthworks (engineering). ...

Ralph of Grosmont is recorded as having spent 43 pounds on Skenfrith Castle in the Pipe Roll of 1186-87. In the same excavation that discovered the early Norman defensive ditch, a twelfth century stone wall was found, which suggests that Ralph was building in stone. A well carved decorative capital of red sandstone from the same period suggests a building of high quality, possibly a keep or hall. The location of the stonework, close to the early earthen defenses of the castle, suggests that a such a keep or hall would have stood alongside the perimeter of the castle, just as is the case of the hall at Grosmont castle, which was built in the same period. The pound sterling is the official currency of the United Kingdom (UK). ... Events John the Chanter becomes Bishop of Exeter. ... // Events May 1 - Battle of Cresson - Saladin defeats the crusaders July 4 - Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, at the Battle of Hattin. ... 12th century keep (Rouen, France) A keep is a strong central tower which forms the heart of a castle. ... A great hall was the main room of a royal palace, a noblemans castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. ...

Hubert de Burgh leveled these early defenses, and no visible trace of them can be found. His new castle was built in the style of a concentric castle (which was quite cutting-edge for the time), albeit on a very modest scale. The castle consisted of a round keep with three floors, surrounded by a curtain wall with a round tower at each corner. Around the wall would have been a moat with a stone revetment, as seen at White Castle. The moat was filled with water from a connection to the Monnow river, which passes just to the eastern side of the castle. The entrance to the castle was in the northern wall – today it is simply a gap, but an engraving by the Buck brothers in 1732 shows the remains of a simple arch of stone in the center of the wall. Along the eastern wall a flight of steps leads down to a lower archway which probably served as a water gate, giving access to the moat. Next to the south-east corner tower is a blocked archway which may have been a postern gate to the rear of the castle. A concentric castle (or multiple castle) is a castle within a castle, with two or more concentric rings of curtain walls and a keep in the centre. ... Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. ...

The curtain walls have a sloping batter (the wall slopes down to be thicker at the base than along the top) for extra defense, and would have included a wall walk all the way around the inner edge. Support holes in the curtain wall, just below the level of the wall walk, were to support a timber hourding, or fighting gallery, which projected out from the wall and protected the defenders atop the wall. Each corner tower was built with a solid circular basement, presumably accessed by a wooden ladder from the upper levels. The towers would have been entered on the first floor via a wooden staircase from the outside. There were no windows, just arrowslits, suggesting that the towers were purely for defense, not residence. A basement is a storey or several storeys of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. ...

Within the bailey there was a two story hall block running along the inside of the western wall. The ground level was filled in with gravel in the thirteenth or fourteenth century when the level of the castle’s interior was raised in an effort to combat winter flooding. A later room was added along the northern wall, forming these buildings into an ‘L’ shaped block. Given this room’s size and east-west orientation, this may have been the castle chapel. The upper floor was divided into three rooms, and the fine quality fireplaces and stonework suggests domestic apartments, and possibly a Great Hall. On the southern end of this block of buildings was a square tank which was the castle reservoir. Places In Canada: Bailey, New Brunswick Bailey Corners, Ontario Baileys Beach, Ontario Baileys Brook, Nova Scotia In the United States of America: Bailey, Colorado Bailey, Michigan Bailey, Mississippi Bailey, North Carolina Bailey, Texas Bailey County, Texas Bailey Island, Maine Bailey Lakes, Ohio Baileys Crossroads, Virginia Elsewhere: Bailey... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ...

Across the bailey, along the eastern wall between the south-east tower and the water gate would have been the kitchens. The lightly built foundations suggest that the buildings were timber, built up against the curtain wall, with stone fireplaces, hearths, and ovens.

The main residence for the lord of the castle would have been in the round tower-keep which sits at the middle of the inner bailey. Entrance to the keep would have been, like the corner towers, through a doorway above the ground level, reached by a wooden stairway from the bailey. The bottom level is again a basement, while the upper two floors would have contained apartments. A turret projects from the western side of the keep, this would have held the spiral staircase that gave access to the upper levels. The well-appointed apartments included large windows, hooded fireplaces, and a private latrine. The keep was topped by a circular wooden hourding, similar to the one that surmounted the curtain wall.

Very little alteration has been made to the castle over the centuries. The level of the castle was raised, as was mentioned earlier, and at some point earth was piled around the bottom of the keep, giving it the impression of being set atop a mound. A door was also cut into the keep at ground level, bypassing the first floor entrance. Along the western wall, an external tower was added. This tower is solid to the level of the wall walk, and was probably added in the thirteenth century.

Visiting the Castle

Skenfrith is located on the B4521, five miles north of Monmouth, and is an open site, which may be visited free of charge at any reasonable time of day. The moat has been filled in, and the castle is now surrounded by a grassy lawn in the center of the small village of Skenfrith. Three of the four corner towers still stand, as does the curtain wall up to the level of the wall walk. The round keep is intact, and the foundations of the hall block along the western wall have been excavated as well.

Sources

• Davies, R.R. Lordship and Society in the March of Wales 1282-1400 (Oxford, 1978)
• Davies, R.R. Conquest, Coexistence and Change: Wales 1063-1415 (Oxford, 1987); reprinted in paperback as, The Age of Conquest: Wales 1063-1415 (Oxford 1991)
• Knight, Jeremy K. “The Road to Harlech: Aspects of Some Early Thirteenth-Century Welsh Castles”, in J.R. Kenyon and R. Avent, eds. Castles in Wales and the Marches (Cardiff, 1987), pp. 75-88
• Knight, Jeremy K. The Three Castles (Cadw, 2000)
• Renn, D.F. “Round Keeps of the Brecon Region”, Archaeologica Cambrensis, 110 (1961), pp. 129-43
• Roderick, A.J. and Rees, W., “The Lordships of Abergavenny, Grosmont, Skenfrith and White Castle: Accounts of the Ministers for the year 1256-57”, South Wales and Monmouth Record Society Publications, 2 (1953), pp. 68-125; 3 (1954), pp. 22-47

External Links

• Castles of Wales
• Cadw – Skenfrith Castle