Reviews

And the King has heard and in part seen that Llywelyns ancestors and himself had the power within their boundaries to build and construct castles and fortresses and set up markets without prohibition by anyone. (Introduction, from a letter by Llywelyn, Prince of Wales to Edward 1, 1273) Over 500 castle sites have been identified in Wales and the Marches -- a testament, as the author tells us, to the tenacity of Welsh resistance as well as the unrelenting invasive force of the Normans and the English. Although most sites are now harsh skeletons of faded splendour, neglected ruins, or carefully preserved fragments surrounded by manicured lawns, they capture the Welsh imagination -- sites of deep symbolic and historical importance -- a record of the long and bloody struggle for Welsh independence and of its own domestic struggles between feuding native princes and their families. Davis places the beginning of the story of the Welsh castle with the invasion of the Normans in 1066 -- even though it was another forty years before any current document records the construction of a castle by a Welshman. Not shy of adopting some of the ideas of their invaders, the Welsh began to build castles using some of the successful principles of fortification employed by the Normans. Whilst the great Anglo-Norman castles of Wales such as Caernarfon, Harlech and Pembroke still attract plenty of visitors, they undeservedly overshadow the strongholds built by the Welsh. The purpose of the book is to pay tribute to the unique qualities and diversity of styles of all the known and presumed fortifications raised by the native princes and rulers during the period of Welsh independence (roughly 1066--1283). It uses plans, reconstructive drawings and photographs in a delightfully well presented book. The drawings by the author deserve a commendation in themselves. As well as a thorough introduction to the general architecture of Welsh castles, each individual castle is described in clear sections according to the ruling dynasties of the three major kingdoms which dominated society and politics up until the end of the thirteenth century: Gwynedd, Deheubarth and Powys. There follows another section on the castles of the lesser dynasties such as Aberafan, Hen Gastell and Plas Baglan. There is also an interesting though necessarily brief look at the construction of welsh abbeys and monasteries at the time (including Strata Florida, Abbey Cwm-hir, Valle Crucis and Penmon) -- Military might and religious fervour went hand in hand in the Middle Ages, Davis writes. Bloodthirsty warlords would endow their religious establishments for the good of their souls, as a sort of insurance policy for the next life. This is an excellent short introduction to an immense subject and provides a useful resource for anyone wanting to begin researching into this period in Welsh history. Jane MacNamee It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council. Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru. -- Welsh Books Council