id: sig-20260722-report-pe087
site_id: gb-newport-newport-unoccupied-parts
attribute: designation_report
value: 'Reference Number

  PE087

  Name

  Newport Castle (Unoccupied parts)

  Date of Designation

  Status

  Designated

  Unitary Authority

  Pembrokeshire

  Community

  Newport

  Easting

  205705

  Northing

  238865

  Broad Class

  Defence

  Site Type

  Castle

  Period

  Medieval

  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_url: http://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/sam/FullReport?lang=en&id=3553
source_title: Scheduled Monument Full Report — Newport Castle (Unoccupied parts)
publisher: Cadw
observed_date: '2026-07-22'
collected_by: scripts/build_assessment_batch.py
confidence: high
notes: The designation text. Assess the six bands against THIS evidence only; omit any band
  it does not speak to.