Pembroke Castle

Date: 1093 [unknown]
Location: Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Surname/tag: Montgomery, Tudor

History

Pembroke Castle is located in Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was built in 1093 by Arnulf of Montgomery during the Norman invasion of Wales. Arnulf of Montgomery’s father Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury founded the first castle on the site in the 11th century. It was within the territory in southwest Wales which was controlled by the Normans. In 1138, the ownership was transferred to Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke who used it as part of his base when the Normans invaded Ireland.

In 1189 Gilbert’s granddaughter Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke married William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke who received the castle and the title Earl of Pembroke from Richard the Lioneheart in the 12 century and rebuilt the castle and keep in stone. William Marshal’s son Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke died childless. William Marshal's granddaughter Joan de Munchensi, Countess of Pembroke married William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who was a half-brother to Henry III and in 1247, William de Valence inherited the castle.

The de Valence family held the castle for 70 years during which time the walls were fortified when the castle was used as a military base for fighting the Welsh princes during Edward I’s conquest of North Wales. When William de Valence’s son Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke died, it passed through marriage to the Hastings family. When it’s owner John Hastings, 3rd Earl of Pembroke died in 1389, the castle reverted to Richard II.

Afterward, the castle and the earldom went to Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, Earl of Pembroke who was the half-brother to Henry VI. After the death of Jasper's brother Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, Jasper brought Edmund's widowed wife Margaret Beaufort to Pembroke Castle where she gave birth to Henry VII of England.

Modern depiction of the birth of Henry VII at Pembroke Castle

In 1648, during the Second Civil War, Oliver Cromwell took the castle after a long siege. Afterward, the castle was abandoned and fell into decay until 1880 when there was a restoration.

In 1928, Major-General Sir Ivor Philipps acquired the castle and began another restoration. Since his death, it has been jointly managed by the Philipps family and Pembroke town council. It is currently a Grade I listed building and it is the largest privately-owned castle in Wales and is open to the public.

Sources

• Wikipedia contributors, "Pembroke Castle", Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pembroke_Castle&oldid=961916273 (accessed June 21, 2020).