Clun Castle

The dramatic riverside ruins and extensive earthworks of a Welsh Border castle, its tall 13th century keep unusually set on the side of its mound.

Information panels tell the story of the castle and the nearby town.

History

Clun Castle started as a motte and bailey castle, built by the Norman, Robert de Say, around 1140-50, as part of the Marcher lordship known as the Honour of Clun. Overlooking the River Clun and close to the confluence of the Clun and River Usk, the site was chosen for its defensive advantage and the presence of a natural rocky mound which could easily serve as the motte. The castle was originally built with timber defenses, but, probably within 20 years, stone replaced the vulnerable wood and Clun Castle became a typical Norman fortress.

In 1196, Clun Castle was besieged and burned by the Welsh, under the leadership of the great Lord Rhys in 1196. However, it became the property of the prestigious Fitzalan family, who modified the structure into its present form (sans ruins!) and is responsible for the establishment of the associated village.

The Fitzalans, lords of Clun and Oswestry, are better known as the Earls of Arundel, builders of mighty Arundel Castle in Southern England. Arundel is now the home of the Dukes of Norfolk, but many of the Fitzalans are interred in the adjacent chapel.

While Clun Castle pales in comparison to the Fitzalan's fortress at Arundel, it is a marvelous example of a Marcher castle, intended to keep the unruly Welsh under Norman control.