Essay on Caerphilly Castle. 65 



Girald. identical with Grifl&th ap Rliys, called by Sir R. Hoaie the 



Camb. Cur. descendant of Einon, and who was besieged iu the Castell Coch, 



. oare. ^^ ^y^ Clare, earl of Gloucester, and his eyes, with those of 



his children, put out, previous to their being starved to death, an act well 



worthy of Norman tyranny. 



This Griffith was the last Welsh lord of Senghennyth. A building called 

 Castell Coch, (the Red Castle) though probably erected by De Clare, on 

 the scite of the older structure, soon after this transaction, still remains. 

 It was so styled in contradistinction from Caerphilly, which was called the 

 "Blue Castle." 



From the oifspring of Fitz-hamon, who, it is probable, be- 

 1200. came possessed of it by conquest, the lordship passed through 

 several generations to the De Clares, who came into possession 

 about the commencement of the twelfth century. 



In this year, Reynold Braose, descended from Bernard New- 

 1217. H.TII. march, the conqueror of Brecknock, made peace with his 

 father-in-law, Llewelyn ap Jorvvorth, prince of Wales, and 

 receiving from him the castle of Senghennyth, committed it to the charge 

 of Rhys Vachan. This man, however, seems to have proved a false 

 seneschal, for we find him soon afterwards driving out the Normans, 

 rasing Senghennyth and the castles entrusted to his care, and dividing 

 the lands among his Welsh countiymen. 



About this time also, John GifFard le Rych, issue of John 



Jones, H. of Giffard, of Brunsfield, by his third wife, Margaret Nevile, 



Brec. 11.330. received the custody of Dryslwyn castle, Caermarthen, as well 



Camden. as the castle of Glamorgan and Morgannwc, which, as it can 



be shewn not to have been Cardiff, has been conjectured to be 



Walsingham. Caerphilly. It may be observed also, that a John Gifford is 



mentioned iu the next reign as having, with Edmund Mortimer, 



slain Llewelyn, prince of Wales, and sent his head to the king. 



1221. The castle of Senghennyth was again fortified by John de 



Braose, in 1221, with the consent of prince Llewelyn. 

 1270. About this time, Llewelyn ap Griffith is said to have taken 



Beauties. the castle of Caerphilly, and after his death it was purchased 

 by Gilbert, carl of Clare, wliose widow remarrying, passed it 

 subsequently to Ralph de Mortimer and his heirs.* 

 127C. E. I. Before the reign of Edward the first, there is no evidence of 

 SirR.Hoarc. the occurrence of the name of Caerphilly; nor is there tangi- 

 ble proof of the existence of any strong hold in Wales, in the 

 conBtruction of which any great architectural skill was displayed, excepting 

 only those which had been erected by the Norman invaders. Edward, who 



• It i8 much to be lamented that there are no original authorities cited, in the full 

 and apparently very accurate account of Caerphilly and its siege, given in the volume 

 of the Beauties of England and Wales relating to Glamorgan. 



