Wiston Castle

Until the late eleventh century, this part of southwestern Wales was part of the Welsh state of Deheubarth. The exact administrative structure of Dehubarth is unclear, but it may have been something of an amalgamation of sub-kingdoms, there being a Lord of Dyfed (named Cadifor) in this period, from the earlier line of rulers of Dyfed. Under King William I, Rhys ap Tewdwr, the ruling king of Deheubarth, accepted William's suzerainty, and enjoyed support as a loyal vassal. In 1088, however, when William died, Rhys, believing his vassalage to be for William's life only, attacked Worcester (in alliance with other powerful rebel vassals); in theory, treason made his lands forfeit. In 1092,…

Wiston Castle is considered one of the best preserved motte-and-bailey castles in Wales. It is built on the summit of a hill to the north of Wiston with the motte about 9 m above the base of the ditch. Surrounding the flat top there is a shell-keep that would have been the main fortification inside which all the buildings, mostly made of timber, would have been placed. The external face of the shell-keep is polygonal, with eighteen short sections, but some of these have subsided into the ditch on the north side. The inside of the shell-keep is circular. There is an arched entrance on the south side and on either side of this there are draw-bar holes which would have been used to secure the…