Coity Castle siegeworks (The Gatehouse Record)

Coity Castle siegeworks

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Coyty

In the community of Coity Higher.
In the historic county of Glamorgan.
Modern authority of Bridgend.
Preserved county of Mid Glamorgan.

OS Map Grid Reference: SS923815
Latitude 51.52202° Longitude -3.55317°

Coity Castle siegeworks has been described as a probable Siege Work.

There are earthwork remains.

Description

The banks and ditches in the field NE of the castle, may have been thrown up when the castle was attacked, possibly during the long siege by Owen Glyndwr in 1404. (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust HER)

In the 1870s, the Victorian antiquary G. T. Clark noted ‘some banks and ditches’ in a field to the north-east of Coity castle. He interpreted these as possible siegeworks, but as depicted on the OS 25" 2nd edn map, they consist of a straight length of earthwork apparently a bank and ditch, with the beginnings of a rounded corner at the northern end, c. 100m north-north-east of the castle. The appearance of the earthwork, which had disappeared by the time the 3rd edn map was drawn up, is more consistent with part of the east side and the north-east angle of a Roman fort than with anything related to the castle. It lies on the line of the possible Roman road heading for the confluence of the Ogmore, Garw and Llynfi valleys a short distance to the north-west. The ridges between and to either side of these valleys are associated with a series of ancient ridgeways, and the castle, one of the major castles of Medieval Glamorgan, controlled these routes where they came down from the uplands into the coastal plain. A Roman fort at this site would have had the same strategic function. There have been no excavations either on or near this earthwork, nor in or around the castle. (Coflein)

Sources of information, references and further reading

The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s) for this site is/are 410001.
The County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) for this site is/are 01164m.

Periodical Articles
- Griffiths, Ralph A., 2001, 'Owain Glyndwr and the Siege of Coity Castle' Morgannwg Vol. 45
  Riley, W., 1894-5, Transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists' Society Vol. 27 Part 2
  Clark, G.T., 1877, 'Coyty Castle and Lordship' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 32 p. 6 online copy

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

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This record last updated before 1 February 2016

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