Caerphilly Castle, South Wales

Caerphilly Castle was built in the 13th Century as a new castle on a previously unused site.  Because of this, it could be planned from the start, rather than adapted from a previous building or location.  The site was chosen by Gilbert de Clare as part of his campaign to conquer Glamorgan in South Wales. 

De Clare chose to build his castle at Caerphilly in a new way, he decided to build a concentric castle.  Concentric castles had more than one curtain wall, and appear almost as though there is one castle set inside another. This meant that if the enemy managed to get through the first curtain wall, they found themselves faced by a second one, from which the castle garrison could attack and they would have the first stonewall behind them, creating a death trap. 

Concentric Castles had defences, which were uniform in all directions. Instead of there being a line from which to be behind, these castles defended all fronts. The garrison would move freely around the castle using a rampart walk or wall walk.  These were built at the top of the curtain wall to aid in defence.

Caerphilly was built to aid the advance of the English into Wales. Shortly after de Clare began work at Caerphilly in 1268, the site was attacked by the Welsh Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and burnt. De Clare was determined and continued the building works at speed but while he built much of the castle, it was finally completed by his son, also Gilbert de Clare.  

The castle at Caerphilly sits on an island with moated defences for its protection, which are also surrounded by several artificial lakes.  Something similar can be seen at the castle at Kenilworth and de Clare may have taken inspiration from there. 

Caerphilly rendered many of the siege war tactics useless, protected by a series of wall and water defences.  The lakes made it impossible to get close enough to use catapults, siege ladders could not get near the walls, and you couldn’t tunnel under the water to undermine the walls.  The castle is virtually impregnable.

De Clare’s son, also named Gilbert, took for his wife Alice of Angouleme. We know that Alice was half niece of Henry III and that she came to England after the death of her father.  What little we know about their marriage, is that they produced two daughters but lived apart from 1271, with the marriage being annulled in 1285.  Legend then fills in the details. The story tells us that Alice fell in love with another man, possibly named Gruffudd or Tew and was unfaithful.  Her lover confessed to a monk about the affair and the monk told de Clare.  Her lover, in his anger, killed the monk. De Clare then killed the lover and sent his wife back to France, where she died soon after of a broken heart. 

After de Clare’s death the castle passed to his eldest daughter Eleanor, who was married to Hugh Despenser.  Caerphilly Castle found itself under siege in 1326 by the Queen of England. On Isabella’s return to England from France in 1326, she and Roger de Mortimer attempted to removed her husband Edward II from the throne.  Edward II fled London and headed to Wales and to Hugh Despenser, with the seal of England and it's coffers.  Edward II and Despenser headed for Caerphilly Castle but soon left the safety of the castle to head for Neath Abbey, a decision they would later regret.  On their way back to Caerphilly they were captured.  Edward II was moved to Berkeley Castle and Despenser was condemned to death, to be hanged, drawn and quartered and his head displayed on London Bridge.  Isabella turned her attentions to Caerphilly, perhaps she was not done extracting her revenge on Despenser, or perhaps the castle held the seal of England or the coffers Edward II took from London but in November of 1326 she besieged the castle of Caerphilly.  The castle held a garrison of 120 and the only way to effectively take Caerphilly Castle, was to starve the garrison out.  In March of 1327 the garrison surrendered the castle with their lives spared.