Prominently sited above Heol West Plas, Coity Castle was founded in the early twelfth century and was granted to the Norman family of Turberville.
By the end of the twelfth century the original timber defences were largely replaced by stone. Further defensive improvements were carried out following damage caused by the Welsh uprising of 1404-1405: a new west gate was built to the outer ward, the south tower was converted into a gatehouse and a link wall was built between the inner and outer ward curtain walls. Also the ditch between inner and outer wards was infilled and a north east gatehouse was added to the inner ward, facing St Mary's Church (NPRN 159). By the mid eighteenth century Coity Castle was largely in ruins.
The remains consist of a circular inner ward, with three storey keep on the north west side and a fourteenth century domestic block to the south side. To the north east of this block is the chapel, the interior of which only survives at basement level. There is a well to in the inner ward, along with some stone paving. The inner ward is enclosed on the north, east and south sides by a ditch with a faceted curtain wall, on the west side of which is an outer ward with curtain wall. The high outer ward curtain wall features a fifteenth century gatehouse to the west, which is now the main entrance.
Source: RCAHMW. 1991. Glamorgan III.1a 'the Earlier Castles', pp218-258.
Cadw listed buildings database record number 11254.
Kenyon, J.R. and Spurgeon, C.J. 2001. Coity Castle,Ogmore Castle, Newcastle, Cardiff: Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments.
RCAHMW, 27 February 2008.
Resources
DownloadTypeSourceDescription
application/pdfRCAHMW ExhibitionsBilingual exhibition panel entitled Morgannwg: Y Cestyll Cynnar. Glamorgan: Early Castles, produced by RCAHMW, 2009.
application/pdfCAP - Cambrian Archaeological Projects ArchiveElectronic copy of final report (text) relating to an archaeological watching brief on land at Bro Dawel, adjacent to Coity Castle. Carried out by Cambrian Archaeological Projects, 10/2004: CAP Report No. 339, Project No. 606.