ON a rocky knoll around five miles west of Llandeilo sits the remains of the medieval Dryslwyn Castle.

Not much is known about the origin of the castle, but it is known to be associated with the time following Lord Rhys’ death.

There had been questions as to whether there were prehistoric fortifications under the castle but there has been no evidence to suggest this.

The first evidence of the castle’s existence comes in 1246 relating to a siege of the castle but some archaeological work carried out in the last decade suggests it was in place much before then.

The castle is believed to have been built around the time after Rhys ap Gruffydd, the Lord Rhys ruled the kingdom of Deheubarth which he ran from 1171 until his death in 1197, helping to ensure relative peace and harmony as well as presiding over and helping Welsh culture, religious life, legal and administrative affairs to thrive.

Unfortunately for those in the kingdom, it then became a lot less important as Rhys’ sons fought over who inherited the kingdom, with it believed that his son Gruffydd ap Rhys – being the eldest and legitimate heir – inherit.

But this did not sit well with his siblings and a number of years of conflict between the brothers led to the castles in the area being captured a number of times – however, it is not known whether Dryslwyn is one of them as it cannot be confirmed when it was built.

The aforementioned first record of Dryslwyn comes from Annales Cambrie, a Latin chronicle, which mentions the siege in passing. The siege is said to have been carried out by the ‘seneschal of Carmarthen’ on behalf of the castle’s ‘rightful owner.’ However, according to castlewales.com, there is no indication of who the rightful owner is said to be or what happened in the siege.

CastleWales.com also said that it is believed the castle was first raised during the second quarter of the 13th century, meaning that it is unlikely that the castle – which is near to Dinefwr Castle, that played an important part in the kingdom of Deheubarth - was involved in the aforementioned conflict between Lord Rhys’ sons and was likely to have been built later under the stewardship of those who had been granted part of the kingdom in the 1216 settlement to end the hostility.

The castle was described as having the round tower or keep, with an adjoining ward of polygonal shape which was enclosed with a curtain wall. It also had a simple gateway entrance and inside there was a large hall with open ground and bedrock to the north.

There was also a small cluster of wooden buildings in the east and a small stone building to the south – which was believed to be a kitchen. There was also potentially a prison in the north-west corner where there was a small structure.

It followed the pattern of many early Welsh castles – perched on hilltops to overlook the valleys, a strong tower and defended ward. It bears much similarity to neighbouring Dinefwr in its layout.

A middle ward was added to the castle in the mid-13th century to the north and east of the initial defences.

A new hall was built to the east of the large hall. It is believed that in the 1280s, Rhys ap Maredudd carried out more developments on the castle using the wealth he had been given from the crown for his loyalty during the 1282-83 war.

He raised walls in the inner ward and the hall was remodelled. He also had a series of apartments built onto the hall and a chapel tower at the eastern end. There was also the addition of a newly mortared courtyard at the centre of the complex and a third ward, this time an outer one, was added.

MORE NEWS:

This work was believed to have been completed by 1287 and the castle was said to be one of the largest masonry castles raised by native Welsh lords.

The castle in that year would become the scene of a large siege after Rhys ap Maredudd began feuding with the justiciar of west Wales, Robert de Tibetot. Rhys ap Maredudd would attack and capture Dinefwr, Carreg Cennen and Llandovery Castles in June 1287, killing the constables and leaving many defenders for dead.

This did not go down well with the English and on July 16, writs were dispatched to the lords of the march to raise their forces. On August 9, 4,000 men joined Earl Edmund of Cornwall – King Edward I’s lieutenant in England and cousin – on a march to Dryslwyn. The men were comprised of some from England and some locals raised by Robert de Tibetot.

They were joined by 6,700 men under Reginald Grey on August 15 who marched from Chester and also Roger L’Estrange who marched from Montgomery.

In the second week of August, they carried out the siege on the castle – which had been established as Rhys ap Maredudd’s defensive headquarters.

A number of the men who came from Chester were craftsmen who had been working on castles in north Wales for the king. They used their skills to construct a trebuchet out of timber, hides, rope and lead. It cost £14 to make and 20 quarrymen and 24 carters were employed to shape and move the large stone balls to be used in the trebuchet.

Alongside this, they were able to bring down a section of the castle walls near the chapel block when they were undermining the castle walls.

According to records, a wall collapsed and crushed nobles to death. The nobles – including the earl of Stafford Sir William de Monte Caniso and Sir John de Bonvillars – were inspecting the work at the time of the collapse.

By September 5, the castle was captured by the forces, however, Rhys ap Maredudd had escaped and fled. Despite his escape, his wife and son were not as lucky and were captured.

It is said that repairs were carried out on the castle shortly after it was taken by the English, highlighting the extensive damage done.

Rhys ap Maredudd was eventually captured in April 1292 and was executed for treason in York.

In 1403, the castle was taken by Owain Glyndwr but was later recaptured by the English.

Early in the 15th century, the castle was decommissioned. This was deliberately done so that Dryslwyn court no longer be used as a front-line stronghold.

To ensure this was a success, the passage through the main gatehouse was walled up and access to the round tower’s basement was blocked.

The castle was also looted, with hinges from the doors taken and the stone treads removed from the steps.

At some point following the decommission, the castle was torched deliberately, with all major buildings burnt to the ground. The walls were also demolished aside from two sections on the south side.

There has been archaeological excavation of the site over the years which has found a number of items from the siege.

Included in the findings according to CastleWales.com were two stone balls of more than 16 inches in size, many smaller stones, links of chain mail, more than 100 long sharply pointed arrowheads, slingshots and a spearhead.