Here
follows a description by the Head of History at St Cenydd of the Morgraig project, my
assignment and the work done by Year 7/8.
What started out as a Year 7 school project in June
1998 has turned into something of an obsession for myself and for some of the pupils at St.Cenydd School, Caerphilly.
The pupils still meet with myself upon a regular basis to discuss the mystery of Castell
Morgraig, and we are still gathering new evidence and contacting historians and
archaeologists world-wide in an attempt to answer one basic question:
Who Built Castell Morgraig?
The build of the castle includes
red marley sandstone aggregate and lime and marl sand mortar. The stonework itself appears
clumsy and rushed. Well, that is how it appears to my un-trained eye! I cannot believe
that the master castle builders of Richard and Gilbert de Clare, rich and powerful as they
were, would have built such a roughshod castle, not when you look at Cardiff and
Caerphilly castle as comparisons. Class 824 to my mind have reached near enough the right
conclusion. Perhaps the Sutton Stone was acquired to build the castle during a period of
'friendliness' between the de Clares and the Lords of Senghenydd. Maybe it was acquired
when Gilbert inherited Glamorgan, as a sign of trust and understanding between the Welsh
in northern Senghenydd and the Normans in what was the southern part of that territory.
The castle structure and position seems to indicate that it was erected by Welsh masons
and in a hurry, but the evidence also points to the fact that it was never fully completed
- not by the Welsh anyway. With Llewelyn steadying himself for a confrontation with the
Normans, finding allies such as Grufydd ap Rhys, and refusing to pay homage to the Kings
of England, it is not surprising that the Welsh were starting, by the 1260's, to think of
defending their homes and lands. It is also not surprising that either Richard, but more
likely Gilbert de Clare, could not allow such a fortification as Castell Morgraig to be
erected overlooking strategically and commercially important Cardiff. Why did the Normans
then allow Castell Morgraig to be built to the size that it was? Who knows..?This is only
a theory, but perhaps they wished to take over a near completed castle in order to further
fortify it against the Welsh - a kind of staging post before the final push into
Caerphilly and beyond.
As I am sure you will agree, this is quite a
mystery!
Martin Williams (Head of History)
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