Montgomery Castle

-1071-1074

Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, built Montgomery Castle with stone, which replaced an earlier motte and bailey structure called Hen Domen. 

-1102 (Destroyed)

After Robert of Belleme’s rebellion in 1102, the castle changed hands to Baldwin de Boulers. The de Boulers or later ‘Bowdler’ held possession of the castle until 1215 when Prince Llweyln ab Lorwertyh destroyed the fortification. 

-1223

Hubert de Burgh, the famous architect of the time, oversaw the rebuild of the Montgomery Castle in 1223. The castle rebuild was a mile to the southeast of the original castle site. The building took five years and consisted of an inner ward, two gatehouses, two D-shaped towers, and apartments around the inner wards’ curtain wall. 

-1228 (Attack)

Prince Llywelyn ab Lorwerth tried to attack the castle unsuccessfully; the occupants built a middle and outer ward for extra protection. Another attack in 1233 damaged the well tower, which they had to re-roof. 

-1227

Montgomery was granted a Royal Charter and hosted negotiations for the Treaty of Montgomery. In this treaty, King Henry III gave the title of Prince of Wales to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.

-1282

The Montgomery Castle garrison was part of the army that defeated Llewellyn at the Battle of Orewin Bridge. After this battle, the castle diminished in its capacity as a military fortification and served as a prison.

-1300

The motte and bailey were refortified and served as an outpost to the new stone castle until around 1300. 

-1402 (Attack)

Owain Glyndŵr amassed a fierce army and attacked the walled town of Montgomery in 1402. The town walls were never rebuilt, and the area remained a ruin for almost two centuries. Only the town ditch remains as the original walls have disappeared over the years. 

-1642

The First English Civil War began, and the predominantly royalist Mid Wales had Edward Herbert holding the castle for Charles I.

-1644 (Battle)

Edward Herbert surrendered to parliamentarian forces under Sir Thomas Myddelton and Thomas Mytton. Shortly afterwards, the royalists attempted to retake the castle in the biggest battle of the Civil War and suffered defeat at the hands of the parliamentarians. However, the parliamentarian Sir John Pryce switched allegiances in 1645.

-1648 (Demolished)

Wales became embroiled in the Second English Civil war, and the parliamentarians demolished the castle walls despite the objection of Richard Herbert, the son of Edward Herbert. This strategy was part of a broader campaign to seize the castles that may have been used again in a military capacity.

-1655 

Richard Herbert was the last person to occupy the castle despite the vast damage inflicted on the outer defensive castle structures. Richard Herbert lived in the castle and was buried at Montgomery in 1655. 

-Present

The castle survives as a poorly preserved ruin and offers visitors low remnants of the upper and middle ward. One of the gatehouse walls and fragments of the horseshoe tower remains, there is evidence of an inner ditch and kitchen, and there are remnants of 16th-century residential buildings.

The castle is a scheduled monument designated by Cadw as a medieval defensive castle. It is also a Grade I listed building in Powys and protected by law, record number MG022.