Question 1

What is the history of Narberth Castle?

Accepted Answer

Narberth Castle was built as a Norman fortress in the 13th century by Andrew Perrot. It forms part of the Landsker Line and is associated in Welsh tradition with the Mabinogi. The castle never changed hands during the Glyndŵr Rising from 1400 to 1415, but it was slighted after Oliver Cromwell took it during the English Civil War.

Question 2

What is inside Narberth Castle?

Accepted Answer

Inside Narberth Castle, the surviving features include an open earthen courtyard and barrel-vaulted kitchen cellars. The cellars remain intact, with rounded stone ceilings visible at ground level. No upper-storey rooms survive, while the remaining walls are mostly single- and double-storey fragments.

Question 3

Why was Narberth Castle built, and what was it used for?

Accepted Answer

Narberth Castle was built as a Norman fortress in the 13th century. It formed part of the Landsker Line, a frontier zone, and served a defensive purpose rather than surviving as a palace or domestic residence. Later, parts of the castle were used as building material for surrounding houses, leaving the fortress in ruins.

Question 4

Where is Narberth Castle?

Accepted Answer

Narberth Castle is in Narberth, Pembrokeshire. It stands above the town on a terrace overlooking rolling Pembrokeshire countryside and forms part of the Landsker Line. Narberth is the nearest named settlement and the location given for the castle.

Question 5

When was Narberth Castle built?

Accepted Answer

Narberth Castle was built in the 13th century. Its first-raised year is not recorded, while the site’s prime year is given as 1280. A chronicle mentions a castle of Arberth being destroyed in 1116, but that probably referred to nearby Sentence Castle rather than the stone castle at Narberth.

Question 6

Was Narberth Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Accepted Answer

Narberth Castle was attacked in 1116 and during the English Civil War. The 1116 attack by Gruffydd ap Rhys probably concerned nearby Sentence Castle, not the stone castle at Narberth. Oliver Cromwell later took Narberth Castle, after which it was slighted; it also held throughout the Glyndŵr Rising from 1400 to 1415.

Question 7

Which family or clan held Narberth Castle?

Accepted Answer

Narberth Castle was built by the Perrot family, with Andrew Perrot named as its builder. The 13th-century stone castle is described as a fortress of the Perrot family. No later family or clan holding is given in the supplied material.

Question 8

What did Narberth Castle look like in its prime?

Accepted Answer

In its prime, Narberth Castle was a Norman stone fortress with grey-brown rubble masonry on a terrace above rolling green fields. Its silhouette included single- and double-storey wall stumps, a prominent square tower stump with a large rectangular window opening, and curtain walls. The courtyard was open, with barrel-vaulted cellars beneath parts of the ruins.

Question 9

Is Narberth Castle still standing or is it a ruin?

Accepted Answer

Narberth Castle is a ruin. Low fragments of stone wall survive, including single- and double-storey wall stumps, a square tower stump and gaps in the former curtain walls. The barrel-vaulted kitchen cellars remain intact, but no upper-storey rooms survive; surrounding houses have also taken building material from the castle.

Question 10

Is Narberth Castle real, or is it only a legend?

Accepted Answer

The stone castle at Narberth is a real documented Norman ruin, but its identification with the castle in the Mabinogi is contested. Welsh tradition places Rhiannon’s imprisonment there, while at least two other nearby earthworks have also been proposed. The 13th-century stone castle itself was built by Andrew Perrot.

Narberth Castle

What Narberth Castle looked like in its prime.

The story of Narberth Castle.

6 places to explore in 1280.

Recreate Narberth Castle with AI to explore it.

Clans who held Narberth Castle.

Questions about Narberth Castle