Ogmore Castle

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Ogmore Castle, view from the west

Ogmore Castle (Welsh Castell Ogwr ) is a ruined castle in Wales in the UK. The classified as a cultural monument is a fine Grade I and protected as a Scheduled Monument ruin is situated near the village of Ogmore -by-Sea south of Bridgend in Glamorgan.

History

When the Normans conquered in the early 12th century Glamorgan, they built on the western edge of their conquests, the castles Newcastle, Coity and Ogmore Castle. The knight William de Londres built Ogmore Castle as a ring wall at a strategically important ford across the River Ewenny. As Gruffydd ap Rhys during his rebellion 1116, the Gower Peninsula plundered, he gave up the castle and brought his cattle to safety. Probably shortly after the death of his father in 1126, Maurice de Londres began the construction of a stone Keeps, which is among the oldest stone buildings of the Normans in south-east Wales. The castle became the center of Anglo-Norman rule Bro Morgannwg. End of the 12th century the castle fell by marriage to Payn de Chaworth, Lord of Kidwelly the. Through the marriage of Matilda Chaworth with Henry Plantagenet, 3rd Earl of Lancaster in 1297 Bro Morgannwg fell to the later Duchy of Lancaster. During the revolt of Owain Glyndwr, the castle was damaged in the early 15th century. The castle lost its military importance and was abandoned after 1530. The outer bailey was used until the beginning of the 19th century as an administrative center of the domain.

The freely accessible Ruin is still owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, and is managed by Cadw.

Plant

The ruin is situated on the south bank of the River Ewenny, shortly before its confluence with the River Ogmore, which opens itself about 1 km in the Bristol Channel. The tidal ford across the River Ewenny is today marked with stepping stones. The roughly rectangular main castle is surrounded by a deep moat, which is filled with water at high water. Oldest remaining part is the built probably after 1126 rectangular Keep on the west side of the castle. The Western outer wall of the tower is still preserved to a height of over 12 m. The original two-storey tower has a floor area of 14 x 9.7 m and contained a living hall upstairs. When at the beginning of the 13th century, the stone curtain wall was built, the tower was heightened by one storey with other living spaces as well as grown a protruding out of the wall escape latrines. Immediately south of the Keeps are the remains of the simple gate-tower, which was secured with a drawbridge over the moat. In addition to the Keep and the gate ordered the ring wall, which is preserved in the east and south, still partially up to the height of the battlements, no towers. Compared with the Keep are the foundations of the so-called Cellar, a built in 12th century building that was probably built into the former mound. From the other, the 13th-century buildings, only the foundations remain. The large rectangular building on the north side, from which one could overlook the river, on the upper floor contained a living hall, another stone building inside was attached to the south side of the curtain wall.

Just west of the main castle located bailey was surrounded by a rampart and a shallow ditch. From the ramparts only small remnants in the south and west are obtained, leading two transversely through the trench of the main castle walls joined probably due to the wooden Palisadenumwehrung. The two walls are provided with openings so that the moat could be flooded at high tide. Are the ruins of the 1454 built the courthouse, which was used until 1803 on the north side of the outer bailey. It was built partly over an old lime kiln, which is still visible on the west side.