Castell Morgraig

on the Cefn-Onn ridge above Cardiff, south Wales
ST 160 843

Above: the overgrown ruins of the castle rise above a car park and public house

Cadw: Full Report for Listed Buildings

Medieval castle, built between 1243 and 1267 on the border of the English Lordship of Cardiff and Senghenydd. It was certainly built by 1267 when Lord Gilbert de Clare of Glamorgan had taken control of Senghenydd and the construction of Caerphilly Castle was about to begin. The form of the castle is unusual and has no comparisons elsewhere: the keep and gateway are archaic, whilst the flanking towers and dressings are unlikely to be earlier than the mid C13. Debate has centred on whether the castle was built by the Welsh Lords of Senghenydd, or by the Norman Lords of Glamorgan. The most likely contenders are Gruffydd ap Rhys (1256-67) or Earl Richard de Clare (1243-62). Another possibility is that it was built by the former and taken over by the latter. It may have been a border garrison housing small cavalry units. In 1630 the castle was owned by Sir Edward Lewis of Van, and subsequently the Plymouth Estate. The castle was excavated in 1903-4 and it was concluded that the castle had never been completed, although it stood above 1st floor level.

Below: the arms of Gruffydd ap Rhys and Richard de Clare

According to historian John Northall, his exploration of Castell Morgraig yielded substantial evidence of Welsh castle-building still present at the site. Specifically:

"The square tower seems to be older than the rest of the castle and is a typical example of a "Welsh Tower". The stone enclosure and rounded towers were added later and the way they are adapted to the topography is more Welsh in character than Norman, as befits the more limited funds of the local lords. The stone used appears to have come from the rocky ridge on which the castle and its contiguous linear rampart stand and need not have come from a quarry in the Norman controlled lowlands. The position of the castle overlooking the steep slope up from the southern plain provides a bulwark against assaults from the direction of Cardiff. It is less protected from assaults originating in the Welsh held lands to the north."