Castles / GB / Wales
Castell Cydweli / Kidwelly Castle
Castell Cydweli
Which definitions does it satisfy?
This dataset does not record whether something “is a castle”. It records a verdict against each named definition, with the reasoning that produced it.
| Definition | Verdict | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fortified residence | yes | Cadw CM002 describes a concentric castle held by identified lords (Bishop Roger of Salisbury, the de Chaworths, Henry earl of Lancaster, Sir Rhys ap Thomas) with a square inner ward of four round flanking towers, portcullis gates, an outer curtain of mural towers and a Great Gatehouse fitted with murder holes and machicolations, enclosing halls and lordly accommodation — active defence and lordly residence together. |
| Enclosure fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| State fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Palatial seat | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Revival and folly | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Popularly a castle | yes | The report records the castle taken into State care in 1927 and maintained as a major operated monument — a well-preserved concentric castle of recognised public standing that a general audience would call a castle. |
Facts
| Tradition | european medieval |
|---|---|
| Location | Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales, GB |
| Built | Medieval |
| Confidence | medium |
| First recorded | 2026-07-21 |
| Last updated | 2026-07-22 |
In the registers
Where this structure appears in official inventories. This is what turns an individual record into evidence about a count.
- Cof Cymru — National Historic Assets of Wales —
CM002· Scheduled Monument — SiteType: Castle · entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Upgraded from register-derived to assessed against Cadw report CM002. fortified_residence is strongly supported — a concentric castle of identified lords with round flanking towers, portcullis gates and a Great Gatehouse (murder holes, machicolations) enclosing lordly halls. popular_castle is supported by its taking into State care (1927) as a major operated monument. palatial_seat, revival_folly, state_fortification and enclosure_fortification remain unassessed — the report does not support them.
Sources
- Cof Cymru - National Historic Assets of Wales — Cadw, 2026-07-21
Register entry and full scheduled-monument report; the sole source for this record.
Signals
Raw per-source observations behind this record (2):
sig-20260721-cadw-cm002,
sig-20260722-report-cm002
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.