Talyfan Castle

Castle

What is recorded here

Talyfan Castle governed a wide lordship north of Cowbridge from perhaps the twelfth century. Conflict damaged it in 1316 and 1321, rebuilding followed, and maintenance continued into the 1400s; stone-robbing later reduced its great round tower, curtain and halls to fragments.

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Who built and held it

Talyfan may have begun under the St Quentin family in the twelfth century. Richard Siward held its lordship until rebellion cost him the estate in 1245, after which the lords of Glamorgan controlled it; the Despenser family later received the property.

Attack, change and use

Welsh rising and warfare damaged the castle in 1316, and rebel barons ravaged it in 1321 during the struggle against Hugh Despenser. Rebuilding is recorded in 1349, when a park also existed, and the stronghold remained maintained until late in the fifteenth century.

What survives

A broad ditch surrounded an oval stone court once lined by a hall, private rooms, offices, a grand entrance and perhaps wall towers. Only part of the huge round tower remains; extensive removal of stone between about 1828 and 1860 left the later farmhouse more prominent.

Why it mattered

Talyfan was the military heart of a lordship covering several parishes and guarded the northward road from Cowbridge. Damage during national struggles mattered locally because it reduced income and disrupted the estate whose land and people were governed from this exact ridge.