White Castle (Wales)
P3
The main castle from the south
White Castle (Welsh Y Castell Gwyn ) 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 ruins are the best preserved ruins of closely spaced Three Castles on the border between South Wales and England. Originally, the castle was called Castell Llantilio. It took its later name from the bright ring plastered walls. Remnants of the plaster are still visible on the outer walls.
History
Controversial border castle in the 11th and 12th centuries
The castle belonged next to Skenfrith and Grosmont Castle to the so-called Three Castles, which in the Middle Ages on the border between Wales and England secured the important link between Hereford and Monmouth in South Wales as a castle triangle and its history is closely linked.
The castle was probably built as a moth of William FitzOsbern during the conquest of South Wales 1070. William was already made in 1071 in the battle in Flanders and his son Roger in 1075 lost his lands to the Crown. After the castle was in the following years in the hands of various barons, they fell in 1138 as Skenfrith and Grosmont Castle back to the crown. To 1186 square stone keep and the stone curtain wall of the inner castle were built under the Constable Ralph de Grosmont. King John awarded the castle in 1201 to Hubert de Burgh. After Hubert was 1205 fall severely wounded in France in captivity, gave the king in 1206 the castle to William de Braose. Already in 1208 she fell after the betrayal de Braoses back to the crown, in 1215 she was able to 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. 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, the castle finally again the crown passed. Henry III. handed them in 1254 his eldest son Edward. Whether the expansion of nuclear castle under de Burgh in 1230 or only under Edward was in response to an attack by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd at Abergavenny Castle in 1263, is controversial. With the expansion of the old Keep was canceled, but the entrance of the castle were laid and built the mighty round towers of the main castle. 1267 Edward gave the castle to his younger brother Edmund of Lancaster. The castle remained in the possession of 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. Already in 1538 it was a ruin. 1825 sold the Duchy of Lancaster, the castle of the Duke of Beaufort. 1902, the castle was sold to Henry Mather Jackson, who finally in 1922 the state handed. Today, the ruins of Cadw is maintained and can be visited during the day.
Plant
The castle stands on a low hill about 1.5 km northwest of the village Llantilio Crossenny. In contrast to the two other castles of the Three Castles on the westernmost White Castle was primarily built to defend and not as a manor. The walls and earthen ramparts of the castle enclose three sections. Core of the plant is surrounded by a walled moated castle core. South of the main castle is a crescent-shaped, fortified with earthen walls and moat Vorwerk, the main entrance to the castle led by until the mid- 13th century. In the north and northwest of the main castle of the wide courtyard of landscaped in the 13th century bailey lies with today's main entrance, which is surrounded by a stone wall with four towers and a dry moat. The unusually large outer bailey was used to allow troops a safe storage place. Access to the outer bailey is done by a secure double gate towers on the east side.
The oval nucleus castle is surrounded by a walled moat. Built around 1186 stone curtain wall was reinforced in the 13th century by another four round towers and secured by two twin towers gate in the northwest. The residential building and the kitchen leaning against the east side of the curtain wall, of them only foundations remain. The living hall was relatively modest by their dimensions, suggesting with the fact that the castle was not built as a seat of a Marcher Lords, but primarily as a military base. In the southeastern tower of the main castle, there was a chapel, which was lit only by narrow loopholes.