Llansteffan Castle
{{Short description|Castle in Carmarthenshire, Wales}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
File:Llansteffan Castle and Beach.jpg
File:Lanstephar Castle, Caermarthenshire (1129613).jpg
Llansteffan Castle ({{langx|cy|Castell Llansteffan}}) is a privately owned castle in Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire, Wales, overlooking the River Tywi estuary in Carmarthen Bay.
Iron Age
The castle sits on a much older Iron Age promontory fort, proving Llansteffan has been inhabited for several millennia.{{cite journal|last=Guilbert and Schweiso|first=G C and J J|title=Llanstephan Castle. An interim discussion of the 1971 excavation|journal=The Carmarthenshire Antiquity|year=1972|volume=8|pages=75–90}} The hill where the castle stands commands the River Tywi estuary. The hill would have been stripped of trees so that foot soldiers were vulnerable to attack by archers.
The original earthworks can still be seen and were used as part of the modern castle's defence system—the castle proper rests within the earthwork rings.
Conquest of West Wales
File:Llansteffan Castle keep and walls exterior.jpg
The castle was built by the Normans after 1100 as part of their invasion of Wales and granted to the Marmion family before passing to the Camvilles through marriage.{{Citation |title = Complete Peerage | location = London | publisher = George Bell & Sons. | author = George Edward Cokayne | type = hardback | year = 1893}}{{Citation |title = History of the Baronial Family of Marmion, Lords of the Castle of Tamworth, etc. | publisher = J. Thompson | location = Tamworth | author = Charles Ferrers R. Palmer | type = hardback | year = 1875}}
It was captured by Maredudd ap Gruffydd in 1146{{cite book|last1=Lloyd|first1=Thomas|last2=Orbach|first2=Julian|last3=Scourfield|first3=Robert|title=Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion|year=2006|publisher=Yale University Press|location=London|isbn=0-300-10179-1|pages=331–332|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wEkcJb2lHx8C&q=%22Llansteffan+castle%22&pg=PA331}} against the forces of Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan and his brother William FitzGerald, Lord of Emlyn who were the leading Norman settlers of the region, members of the Fitzgerald dynasty.
The castle was retaken by the Normans in 1158. Llywelyn the Great recaptured the castle for the Welsh in 1215 and taken back by the Camville family sometime after 1223. The castle fell to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1257 but returned to the Camvilles by the 1260s.
Owain Glyndŵr
The castle was captured twice by the forces of Owain Glyndŵr in 1403 and c.1405. It was recaptured by Sir John Pennes in 1408. The castle was later granted to the Crown and the two-tower Gatehouse was converted into a residence.
Preservation
The castle, which is privately owned, is under a deed of guardianship with Cadw.{{cite web| url= http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/llansteffancastle/?lang=en | title = Llansteffan Castle | work = Days Out | publisher = Cadw | access-date = 29 Aug 2012}}
In the media
In 2022 a six episode television series, Teulu'r Castell (meaning 'Castle Family') was broadcast on the Welsh language channel, S4C. The series follows businesswoman Marian Evans, her husband and two daughters,{{cite news|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/teulur-castell--castle-family-23911991 |title=Teulu'r Castell – The Castle family mum who mucked out cows on farm as a child is now queen of her own castle |work=Wales Online|date=10 May 2022 |access-date=8 January 2023 }} after they purchased the 100-acre Plas Farm several years beforehand in a confidential deal, including ownership and responsibility for Llansteffan Castle.{{cite news|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/marian-evans-elevate-llansteffan-castle-18685703 |title=The successful but humble businesswoman who bought herself a Welsh castle |work=Wales Online|date=1 August 2020 |access-date=8 January 2023 }} The Evans family renovate the farm buildings and develop the castle into a wedding venue.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.llansteffancastle.com/ Official website]
- [https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/castell-llansteffan Castell Llansteffan at Cadw]
{{Commons category|Llansteffan Castle}}
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{{Castles in Carmarthenshire}}
Category:Archaeological sites in Carmarthenshire
Category:Castles in Carmarthenshire
Category:Hillforts in Carmarthenshire
Category:Castle ruins in Wales