Usk Castle
P3
The ruins of the residential buildings of Usk Castle
Usk Castle (Welsh Castell Brynbuga ) is a castle ruin in Monmouthshire in Wales. The classified as a cultural monument is a fine Grade I and protected as a Scheduled Monument ruin lies north of the center of the town of Usk. Although the owner of the castle consistently belonged to the Anglo-Norman and English aristocracy and the castle also frequently inhabited, they played no significant role in the history of Wales.
History
The formation time of a first fix on the place of the present castle is unknown. Maybe a moth with earth and timber fortifications was shortly after the conquest of Gwent under William FitzOsbern from 1067 built on the strategically important ford across the River Usk. According to other data, a first attachment only around 1120 at the northern end of the erected on the ruins of a Roman fort settlement Usk arose. The first mention in writing the castle after it was conquered in 1138 by the Welsh princes Morgan and Iorwerth from Owain of Caerleon. It was recaptured by Gilbert de Clare, the Anglo-Norman Lord of Striguil or his son Richard Strongbow. Richard Strongbow built from the fortifications and built before 1168 a stone tower, later the Keep. However, the castle was conquered in 1174 by Hywel from Iorwerth of Caerleon and only 1184 reclaimed by the Anglo-Normans.
Through his marriage to Isabella de Clare, daughter and heiress of Richard Strongbow, the castle fell in 1189 to William Marshal. Marshal had collected in Palestine and in the service of King Henry II in France varied experience in contemporary castle building. Stimulated by these models he had next to Pembroke and Chepstow Castle after 1200 also expand Usk Castle as a show of force against the Welsh Marcher Lord Reginald and the neighboring de Braose further and build the ring wall around the main castle and the Garrison Tower. Marshals wife and children often lived in the castle. After William 's death, his sons inherited Marshals successively the castle. During the rebellion of Richard Marshal against King Henry III. The castle was besieged in vain in 1233 by the King. After Williams and youngest son Anselm Marshal had died in 1245 without male offspring, inherited Richard de Clare, a son of William Marshal's daughter Isabella of Pembroke Castle. Richard son of Gilbert reinforced it on, leaving in 1289 the new North or treasure tower and put on the outer bailey to the end of the 13th century. After the death of Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford, the castle fell to his sister Elizabeth. This was in 1322 pushed by her brother Hugh le Despenser, Usk and Caerleon in against the inferior rule Gower. After le Despenser was executed as a traitor in 1326, Elizabeth was returned to the castle, which she left to further expand comfortably until her death in 1360. 1352 the chronicler Adam of Usk was born in the castle.
Through marriage Usk fell in 1368 to the Earl of March. 1402, the town was burnt down during the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr, but the castle held against the rebellious Welsh stood. 1405 the rebels were decisively defeated at Usk in the Battle of Pwll Melyn. After the battle alone 300 prisoners Welsh to have been executed in front of the castle. In the 15th century the castle served several times as a retreat for Richard, Duke of York, the steward of the castle was from 1431, William ap Thomas, the father of Black Will Herbert. In the 15th century the keep was further expanded as a dwelling by the stewards, but since the early 16th century used the stewards the bailey as a dwelling, while the main castle fell into disrepair. The Castle House on the grounds of the fore-castle was built around 1680 by Thomas Herbert, who managed as a steward of the Duke of Beaufort Castle as a residence.
The ruins of the castle was bought in 1899 by the family of Adam -Williams, which began with the restoration of the castle. The Castle House now serves as a residence, the area below the castle was converted into gardens. The ruins of the main castle is freely accessible.
Plant
The castle is located on a hill in the north of the town of Usk and east of the River Usk. The Built in the early 13th century curtain wall encloses the rectangular, about 80 times 54 m wide main castle. The wall of broken sandstone has received an average thickness of 2 m, but is only at different heights. The oldest extant building is built around the middle of the 12th century keep. The rectangular tower was originally built as a gate tower. Towards the end of the 13th century it was rebuilt to Keep, the tower was instead a simple west gate broken into the wall. From the semi-circular Flankierungsturm in the 14th century to protect the gate erected small residues can only be obtained. Is the so-called treasure tower at the northern corner of the castle. The three-storey, semi-circular tower was built around 1289. Are the remains of the chapel and the living room, which were built in the early 14th century on the north side of the castle. In the 14th century an outstanding escape from the wall rectangular residential tower was built between chapel and hall. The Garrison Tower in the center of the western wall was built around 1209 on the model of contemporary French towers. The four-storey round tower is still in full, while only residual amounts are obtained from the round tower at the southwest corner of the castle.
The south of the main castle located bailey was walled in the second half of the 14th century. Is the round pigeon tower on the southeast corner. The core of the 1680 in the northeast of the bailey built Castle House is three-storey gate tower from the 14th century.