Usk Castle () is a castle site in the town of Usk in central Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, United Kingdom. It was listed Grade I on 16 February 1953. Within the castle, and incorporating parts of its gatehouse, stands Castle House, a Grade I listed building in its own right.
Location
Usk Castle is located immediately to the north of the present-day town on a hill overlooking the streets and main Twyn Square.
History
Early Norman castle
Usk castle and town was probably laid out and established in 1120, after some of the other
Normans settlements and
of the region, such as
Monmouth Castle and Abergavenny Castle. However, the site had a history of previous military, strategic, and local significance, for it was here that the
Roman army had established their early Legionary fortress before relocating it south to
Caerleon. Usk is first mentioned in 1138 in the context of it being captured by the
Welsh people. It passed back into Norman hands, only to be captured by the Welsh again in 1174, as was
Abergavenny, when turmoil again developed into open conflict in this area of the
Welsh Marches.
Marcher lords
The Normans had to control and subjugate the region, and brought in
Marcher Lord Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare who sought to strengthen the castle's defences against Welsh attack, but he was ambushed and killed north of Abergavenny in 1136. The Welsh captured Usk Castle again in 1184. Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford, another holder of Usk Castle, was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn.
Adam of Usk was born at the castle.
Duchy of Lancaster
After the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr (1400–1405), the castle passed to the Duchy of Lancaster and, with stability restored, no further redevelopment or refortification was undertaken and the castle was allowed gradually to decay. It survived the English Civil War with only some
slighting, and was eventually redeveloped when the gatehouse was adapted to become a house in the 1680s.
Today
Today, the remains are quite substantial and include some interesting elements such as the dovecote tower. Among the more unusual features of the gardens are the site of a small narrow-gauge railway used for earth moving during excavations at the castle in the 1930s,
and two Elia naval mines dating from World War II and now disarmed and set on plinths as garden ornaments.
Although the castle is a private residence of the Humphreys family, events are held throughout the summer months. The castle gardens are open to visitors on three days each week.
Gallery
Usk Castle (3375712).jpg|Plate from: "The Castles & Abbeys of Monmouth" J.S. Prout. 1838
Egg-ended boiler garden fountain.jpg|An egg-ended boiler now converted to a fountain
Castle House, Usk castle.jpg|Castle House, Usk originally the castle gatehouse, now a private house
Notes
External links
