Skenfrith Castle
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The Keep of Skenfrith Castle
Skenfrith Castle (Welsh Castell Ynysgynwraidd ) is a castle ruin in Monmouthshire in Wales. The classified as a cultural monument is a fine Grade II * and protected as a Scheduled Monument ruins located in the small village of Skenfrith 9 km north-west of Monmouth and 19 km northeast of Abergavenny. Together with Grosmont and White Castle it belongs to the so-called Three Castles, which in the Middle Ages secured the border between Wales and England as a castle triangle and its history is closely linked. Since the 12th century the three castles formed a joint rule.
History
The English king Henry II built a castle first to secure the main road between Herefordshire and South Wales in 1160. 1187 Officer of the King Ralph de Grosmont with the expansion of the castle to a stone fortress. However, the construction remained unfinished, the king already in 1188 the castle einschätzte as no longer significant, and the further construction stopped. 1193 was William de Braose, the then Sheriff of Herefordshire, the unfinished castle again with wood and earthworks fix and used the facility as a prison. How Grosmont and White Castle forgave King John Castle in 1201 to Hubert de Burgh. After de Burgh was 1205 fall severely wounded in France in captivity, gave the king 1206, the castle just off William de Braose. Already in 1208 she fell after the rebellion de Braoses back to the crown. 1215 they could conquer Reginald de Braose, son Williams, with the help of the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, but he had to return in 1219 to Hubert de Burgh. De Burgh continued the expansion of the castle, but a flood of the River Monnow 1220 destroyed the unfinished plant. De Burgh was built on the ruins of the old castle a new one. Between 1228 and 1230 the castle was briefly owned by John de Braose, a grandson of William de Braose, but then fell back to de Burgh. 1239 had de Burgh Castle return again to the Crown. Henry III. handed it to his son Edward in 1254 and 1267 to his younger son Edmund of Lancaster. The castle remained in the possession of the descendants Edmunds, the Earls and Dukes of Lancaster, until they fell again in 1399 with the accession of Henry Bolingbroke to the Crown. During the revolt of Owain Glyndwr, the castle was once fought over 1404-1405, after which it fell into disrepair and was already in 1538 as a ruin. 1825 sold the Duchy of Lancaster, the castle of the Duke of Beaufort. In the 1920s, the ruin was transferred to state ownership. In the 1950s, excavations took place, where the remains of the 1220 flooded buildings were uncovered. Today the castle is owned by the National Trust, the ruin is managed by Cadw and is freely accessible during the day.
Plant
The castle is situated right on the western banks of the Monnow. Except for the river-facing side of the castle was surrounded by a six meter deep moat brick, but this was filled. The system consists of a curtain wall that encloses an irregular quadrilateral, and circular or semi-circular corner towers and a further semi-circular tower on the west side. The wall on the east side, and probably the northeast tower date from the 12th century, the remaining parts of the wall are from the expansion occurred after 1220. The simple gatehouse on the north side is almost completely destroyed. The courtyard was filled in after the flood of 1220 with gravel. From the living room, and the other buildings on the western and southern wall foundations are still preserved, including the foundations of the 1220 flooded hall, which was filled in later. Set within the castle courtyard rises the detached round keep, which was built around 1230 on an artificial hill to impede the approach Perform siege machines.