Description

The monument consists of the remains of a castle, dating to the medieval period which is situated on a short spur of ground on the lower slopes of Mynydd Carningli about 100m south west of the parish church of Newport and 600m south of the inlet to the Afon Nyfer. It comprises a gatehouse, three corner towers and an internal building with an undercroft linked originally by a single curtain wall of which very little remains. All the masonry remains are 13th century or later. The castle was surrounded by a large moat and counterscarp bank which might be the remains of an earlier ringwork. A castle at Newport was founded by William Fitzmartin son of Robert Fitzmartin who first conquered Cemais in the 12th century and is first recorded in 1215 when it was taken by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth; restored to the Fitzmartins not long afterwards, and then again in 1257 when both castle and town were burned by Llywelyn ap Gruffyd. These records however could either to the possible ringwork or to another earthwork on the banks of the Afon Nyfer to the north (scheduled as PE404 The Old Castle). Therefore the new castle’s date cannot be confirmed before 1277-78 when a gaol is recorded there. In 1324-5 the castle passed to the Audley family by descent, repairs were made in 1398 but the castle was reported destroyed in 1408 as a result of the Glyndwr uprising. In 1497 the after the execution of James, Lord Audley the castle passed to the crown before returning to the Audley’s in 1534. It was then bought in 1543 by William Owen the father of George Owen the famous Elizabethan Antiquarian who later described the castle in 1583 as having been in ruins for some time when the moat was in use as a fishpond. In 1859-60 the ruins of the gatehouse were converted into a house designed by R.K. Penson.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval defensive practices. The monument is well-preserved and an important relic of the medieval landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both structural evidence and intact associated deposits.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive, it excludes the gatehouse and also the moat and outer earthworks.

Source: Cadw