Neath Castle

Neath Castle,West Glamorgan Photo © Chris Shaw, August 2005

Neath Castle,West Glamorgan Photo © Chris Shaw, August 2005

Neath Castle is a Norman castle located in the town centre of Neath, Wales.

--HISTORY OF NEATH CASTLE.

The poor remains of Neath castle, an ancient fortress built by Richard de Greenfield for the defence of the place in the reign of William Rufus, stands in part concealed by the houses on one side of the town. The area within the castle walls, appears overgrown with trees, in the midst of which arises to a vast height, a solitary fragment of one of the old walls, which being perfectly detached from the rest of the ruin, assumes a singular appearance. There is no impediment to preclude the curious from inspecting the shell of the western front of the building. This displays two formidable rounded towers, and between them a noble gateway, the arch of which is pointed. This was no doubt a part of the original Norman structure. The accompanyments are no way pleasing, being nothing more than a cluster of mean dirty cottages, but a rich drapery of ivy overmantles the broken battlements, to enhance the beauty of the mouldering ruin itself.

Few particulars of the military history of this castle remain on record. The founder caused it to be garrisoned with English and Norman soldiers, who appear to have remained in quiet possession of the place for years after his death. Nevertheless, we ate not to suppose that it could be exempt from the vicissitudes of misfortune, when the Welsh princes on several occasions opposed with so much success the authority of the English, and nearly expelled them from Glamorganshire. While Henry the Second reigned king of England, this castle was wrested from the English by the victorious Llewelyn, prince of Wales, who plundered and destroyed the castle, after putting the garrison to the sword. This dreadful affray took place, according to the Welsh chronicles, in the year 1231. The Castle was again taken, and burnt by the combined forces of the earl of Hereford, Boger Mortimer and his nephew, in the time of Edward the Second, at which period it formed an inconsiderable portion of the princely domains of the powerful baron, Hugh le Despenser. This was the castle of the borough and manor of Neath, formerly a lordship marcher, and certain privileges are yet enjoyed by the lord of the castle, in pursuance of this delegated authority.

Neath was indebted to the devotion of Richard de Greenfield, the founder of this hostile building, for another structure of far greater celebrity:— the abbey church.

The ruins of this edifice we inspected after leaving the castle. Upon a near approach the shattered remnants of this abbey does not completely accord with the venerable aspect it assumes in the remoter view. — They fail to excite that interest, that pensive musing of the mind, which buildings far less important will sometimes inspire. We contemplate the remains of such religious structures, fallen to decay through the avarice, the neglect, or the impiety of ages paat, and now mouldering to the dust, with infinitely greater veneration when the surrounding objects are in unison with the peaceful melancholy of the time-worn ruin we are pausing over; and the heart is allowed to enjoy, in undisturbed tranquility, the emotions they inspire. — The favourite haunts of contemplation are silent, solemn, remote from intrusion; but neither silence, nor solemnity, have a local habitation here:— the spot in which it stands is contiguous to the copper works and collieries, and the ruin is itself become the abode of wretchedness: a receptacle for the miserable families of the poorer workmen employed in those concerns.

Before this edifice fell into decay, it was esteemed the finest monastic pile of building in the Principality. Leland, who visited this place about .the time of the dissolution, calls it the "fairest abbey in Wales," and the testimony of the antiquary is certainly worthy of our credit: his evidence is confirmed by the appearance of the ruin which still retains
proof of the former magnitude and grandeur of the building. The founder, as the page of history asserts, upon receiving the lordship of Neath for his services from Fitzhamon, appropriated the greater part of the revenues arising from it, to the building and future maintenance of this abbey; and after vesting it with the monks of the cistertiau order, returned to spend the remainder of his life at his castle and manor of Bydford in Devonshire. There was a chapel within the castle, the revenues of which it is rather supposed, however, were alone appointed for the support of this abbey, after the expences of the building itself was defrayed out of the income arising from the lordship of Neath.

To the unfortunate Edward the Second, this abbey afforded a temporary asylum after his unsuccessful attempt to escape by sea from his cruel queen Isabella, and the barons confederated with her against him. The ship in which he embarked, after being exposed to the fury of a storm, was at length driven by the perversity of the winds upon the coast near Swansea. From the perils of shipwreck he escaped with difficulty. He next retreated to Neath, where some believe he was concealed with his faithful followers for a time in this abbey. Drayton tells- us, he obtained admittance into the castle of Neath, which was then a strong fortress, and within the privilege of the abbey sanctuary, but that the town being threatened with a siege by his enemies, the king was obliged to leave it. — The castle of Lantriesant still held out for him, and had, he reached that place, he might have remained secure till fortune proved more propitious to his welfare. But he was unfortunately betrayed; the monk upon whom the incautious monarch had relied to conduct him thither in disguise, delivering him into the hands of his implacable enemies. The last sad vengeance his unhappy destiny had reserved for him, is well known. He was immediately conveyed to Berkley castle, where the murderous hands of the assassins shortly after put a final period to those misfortune which had unrelentingly pursued him, through the course of his eventful life.

This is the only memorable circumstance connected with the history of the abbey. At the dissolution it shared the common fate of other religious institutions; was deprived of its estates, became neglected, and since that period has been suffered, to fall into ruin.

The abbey belongs at this time to lord Dinevawr, who from the best of motives permits its forlorn inhabitants to reside within its walls, in any part that can possibly be converted into a dwelling. But from the ruinous state of the building, it is rather to be hoped for, than trusted, that this humane indulgence may not terminate in some heavy misfortune. Many vaulted apartments of large dimensions, are shewn within. The dining room (as it is called) of the nuns, occasionally answers the purpose of a chapel for itinerant lecturers of the methotlistical persusion, whose proselytes are numerous in this country. Another called the kitchen, has a remarkable large fire-place. As to the dungeon for the confinement of disobedient nuns, mentioned by tourists, nothing certain is known; a man lately living, when a boy, remembers being carried down upon a man's shoulders, and seeing this dungeon, which could never afterwards be discovered. Some of the window frames retain examples of the elegant ornamental carved-work in stone, with which they were formerly embellished. Among the rubbish within the ruins, we observed also fragments of the glazed earthen tiles with which the church was paved in former times: these are exactly similar to those found in Ewenny priory.

For two or three miles on the road beyond Neath, the face of the country wears a more pleasant aspect than in the immediate vicinity of the town. Still, as we proceed, the smoke of furnaces distributed over the distances at intervals, remind us of the mineral riches of this tract. Agriculture is not neglected, and the collier, the smelter, and the husbandman, seem to follow their respective concerns without material interruption to each other.

A more beautiful display of landscape than opened on the view as we rode towards Morristown, had not intervened for some miles; at least it so appeared, illuminated as it was at this time with the resplendent glories of the setting sun. A bold obtrusive hill lay directly before us, half concealed in shadow, chequered with clouds of whitened smoke arising from the furnaces below, and studded with cottages, some of which were perfectly visible, while the rest were half enveloped in obscurity. But the most striking feature appeared upon the summit of the hill, an elegant villa surrounded by trees, behind which the sun was gradually descending in solemn majesty, which gave at once a glorious finish to the prospect.

DESCRIPTIVE EXCURSIONS THROUGH SOUTH WALES AND MONMOUTHSHIRE - VOLUME 2 BY EDWARD DONOVAN, 1805--