Chepstow Castle - Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales (Cadw)
The castle at Chepstow, high above a bend in the River Wye, guarded this important crossing site from the eleventh century onwards and the town below was a flourishing port until the nineteenth century. The area enclosed within the castle's perimeter walls is huge - as you enter, you go up in height and back in time through the successive stages of building and architectural styles.
Chepstow castle is mentioned in the Doomsday Book as having been built by Earl William, so William fitz Osbern. lord of a small town in Calvados in Normandy, had been promptly rewarded by King William I after his service during the invasion of Britain. He was made the earl of Hereford and his castle became the base of his incursions into Gwent. The natural defenses either side of the castle, steep slopes on the south and the impregnable river cliff on the north, meant that this, the earliest datable secular stone building in Britain, remained in use right up until the late seventeenth century. The earliest part is the stone hall-keep, built by Earl William around 1067-8. It was originally two storied and relied on its massive stone walls with no low windows for its defense. A stone curtain wall extended to the east and west, enclosing two baileys where domestic buildings were sited. William was killed in battle in Flanders in 1071 and his son, Roger, rebelled against the king in 1075. The castle came under the king's direct rule for a time, then it was granted to the de Clare family around 1115 by Henry I. As the stone keep was still more than capable for its intended use, no major alterations were made until the de Clare heiress, Isabella, married the renowned soldier William Marshall around 1190. His experience fighting for the king in France had brought him into contact with the latest architectural developments in defense and attack. He strengthened Chepstow with high walls and two round towers on the eastern wall, providing an all round field of fire through arrow slits. He also fortified his other minor castles, such as Usk, to the north-west.
The keep-hall, from the river.
William Marshall died in 1219, leaving five sons who succeeded in turn, all without issue. The building at Chepstow continued however, with the hall-keep raised higher, with large decorative windows on the less vulnerable river side. The rectangular tower and gatehouse in the upper bailey was built, followed by a new lower bailey outside the original walls, with a sturdy gatehouse, seen below. Another square tower was built and a major improvement in defense along the west end, a new Barbican. By the youngest Marshall's death in 1245, Chepstow was much as we see it today.
The last great builder at Chepstow was Roger Bigod III, earl of Norfolk, who inherited the castle in 1270. Under Roger, the town walls of Chepstow were built, along with further work at the Barbican end, another heightening of the hall-keep and a more luxurious standard of accommodation, worthy of his rank and position. The accounts for this stage of refurbishment and building have survived, showing how much was spent on the new Hall Range along the river side at the entrance to the castle. He was also a major patron of Tintern Abbey, further up river, and his arms were displayed in the stained glass of the east end. In 1306, Roger died leaving no children and his estates passed to the Crown and Edward I.
Edward I's conquest over Wales meant that the military role of Chepstow declined. Some further building work did continue however, probably including the sculpted figures on the parapet of Marten's Tower, similar to those at Alnwick. Edward II granted the castle to his half-brother, but it was in the hands of his favourite, Hugh le Despenser, for some time. While here, he built up a power base in south Wales and when he fell from favour in 1326, he fled with his father to Chepstow. They attempted to flee to Ireland by boat from the castle, but were forced by unfavourable tides to land at Cardiff, where they were captured.
In 1403, the castle was garrisoned by Thomas Mowbray, duke of Norfolk, against Owain Glyndwr. Glydwyr's advance was halted at Usk however, so no action was seen at the castle at that time. During the Wars of the Roses in the fifteenth century, Chepstow housed the Woodvilles briefly, but they were handed over without a fight to the earl of Warwick.
Many of the inner walls of the lower bailey show signs of the addition to them of domestic lodgings from the sixteenth century. The buildings were half-timbered but all that remains are the windows, doors and lintels on the older stone walls. The more peaceable age also meant that larger windows and fireplaces were added to the great gatehouse. The castle was then in the hands of the Somersets, earls of Worcester, who were based at Raglan Castle.
At the outbreak of the Civil War in the seventeenth century, Chepstow was a Royalist stronghold until it was forced to surrender in 1645. In 1648, it was seized by another Royalist supporter, Sir Nicholas Kemeys but once again fell to Cromwell's troops, this time with the outer wall breached by artillery on the south side. The castle and the marquis of Worcester's lands came under Cromwell's control and became a military barracks and state prison right up until 1690. Many alterations and improvements to its military capabilities were carried out to bring it up to date for the modern artillery warfare.
After the Civil War, the usual story of decline commenced, although parts were still roofed and floored and lived in until the 1950s, when the then owner gave the castle into state care. It is now maintained by Cadw.