Wales · Ruin
Ogmore Castle
Castell Ogwr
Ogmore Castle is a medieval stone castle ruin on the south bank of the Ewenny River and east bank of the River Ogmore in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The site preserves a Norman oblong keep, fragments of curtain wall, and earthwork defences surrounding an inner ward and outer bailey; parts were adapted as a courthouse and other functions through the later Middle Ages and early modern period.
First raised
1106
Its prime
1454
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1454
What Ogmore Castle looked like in its prime.
Ogmore Castle in its prime is a compact ringwork castle sited beside the confluence of two rivers, with an oblong masonry keep standing north of the main gateway and stone curtain walls closing the oval inner ward. Walls are built of irregular field stones, glacial pebbles and Lias limestone with brown mortar; windows are round‑headed with Sutton stone ashlar. The castle is surrounded by a deep rock‑cut ditch and faces low sandhills and tidal river flats.
Its story
The story of Ogmore Castle.
The Founding and the Welsh Assault of 1116
The site had been in some use before the Norman invasion of Wales: two carved stone crosses were recovered there, and one of them, recording a gift of land to God and to Glywys by a man named Arthmail, is now held in the National Museum of Wales. Construction of the Norman castle proper might have begun in 1106; it was one of three castles raised in the area in the early 12th century, alongside Coity and Newcastle. According to Caradoc of Llancarfan's chronicle, the manor and castle had been granted to William de Londres, counted among the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan, by Robert Fitzhamon, the Norman conqueror of Glamorgan.
In 1116 William de Londres was forced to abandon the castle when the Welsh appeared in force. His butler, Arnold, is credited with holding it against the attack during William's absence; for this he was knighted Sir Arnold Butler and given the castle and manor of Dunraven as his reward.
The Keep and the Stone Wall, 1120s–Early 13th Century
William's son Maurice is credited with building the castle's oblong keep, probably raised in the 1120s and among the oldest Norman keeps in Glamorgan. Around 1200 Thomas de Londres replaced the timber palisade enclosing the site with a stone wall, and in the early 13th century a second storey housing private apartments was added to the keep.
The Chaworth Marriage and the Duchy of Lancaster, 1298
Because Thomas de Londres's heiress, Hawyse de Londres, had married into the Chaworth family of Kidwelly, the Ogmore lands passed jure uxoris in 1298 to Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, husband of Maud de Chaworth. Ownership has remained with the Duchy of Lancaster ever since.
Courthouse and Prison, 14th Century to the Present
A courthouse stood within the castle from the 14th century. Damaged during Owain Glyndŵr's revolt, it was replaced in 1454 by a new courthouse built in the outer bailey, which remained in use until at least 1631. The castle went on serving as a court of justice and a prison until the 19th century.
What survives today, chiefly the keep and outer walls within earthwork defences, is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster and managed by Cadw, with free admission at all reasonable times. The site is a Grade I listed building, designated in 1999, and a scheduled monument.
Step inside
11 places to explore in 1454.
The record describes 11 distinct spots at Ogmore Castle, including 3 interiors: great hall on the keep's first floor, second‑storey private apartments, courthouse in the outer bailey. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Clans who held Ogmore Castle.
The families that held Ogmore Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
de Londres
Held by the de Londres family; Thomas de Londres walled the castle in stone around 1200, and the heiress Hawyse carried it to the Chaworths.
Chaworth
Held by the Chaworths of Kidwelly from Hawyse de Londres's marriage until 1298.
Lancaster
Passed jure uxoris in 1298 to Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster; ownership remains with the Duchy of Lancaster today.
Nearby
