Castell Morgraig

Morgraig Castle Castell Morgraig
Caerphilly, Wales
The ruins of Morgraig Castle and its location below
Morgraig Castle
Coordinates	51°33′07″N 3°12′45″W / 51.551856°N 3.212474°W / 51.551856; -3.212474
Height	Not known
Site information
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Ruin
Site history
Built	13th century
In use	No
Materials	dressed stone
Demolished	Yes, date unknown

Morgraig Castle (Welsh: Castell Morgraig) is a ruined castle, which lies close to the southern borders of the county borough of Caerphilly, overlooking Cardiff in Wales. It was built in the 13th century, but there is some debate as to who actually built the castle, either Gilbert de Clare or the Lord of Senghennydd. The castle appears to have never been occupied or completed. It is now a scheduled monument and a Grade II listed building.

Morgraig Castle is located in Caerphilly, on the escarpment of Craig Llanishen, close to the border between the counties of Caerphilly and Cardiff. It was built after 1243, but before 1267.

The castle was first discovered by a group of archaeologists from the Cardiff Museum led by John Ward in the summer of 1895. Ward was aware of stories telling of an ancient British fort and was interested in the particular site because he had seen maps that showed an unusual rectangular shape. Ward oversaw excavations on the site beginning in summer 1903 with excavation financed by Lord Windsor. Ward along with architect J.W. Rodger and historian J.S. Corbett suggested that the castle was built in the 13th century.

Since its discovery, there has been debate about the ruins. In 1997, newspaper articles appeared claiming that the castle was the location where a Welsh rebellion against English rule was defeated in 1315. In 1997–98, Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh Government, and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales undertook the first major study of the site. Amateur historian Jack Spurgeon believes that the builder of Morgraig was an Anglo-Norman lord. He notes that it has some features that suggest it was of Welsh construction, but that inference is contradicted by the absence of ditches, which he considered indicative of North Welsh design at the time.