Scheduled MonumentsWalesCastell Oxwich
Medieval · Castle

Castell Oxwich

Wales
Cadw SAM GM043
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Castell Oxwich is a medieval fortified settlement located in the Gower Peninsula, Swansea, Wales. The castle dates primarily to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, representing a transitional defensive structure between the medieval period and early modern era. The site comprises the remains of a stone-built castle with associated outworks and domestic structures, reflecting its role as both a defensive stronghold and residence for a prominent local family. The castle's position on the Gower Peninsula made it strategically significant for controlling the surrounding coastal territory during the late medieval period.

Castell Oxwich is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM043. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castell Oxwich?

Castell Oxwich is a medieval fortified settlement located in the Gower Peninsula, Swansea, Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM043.

What period does Castell Oxwich date from?

Castell Oxwich dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a castle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Castell Oxwich?

Castell Oxwich is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is GM043.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castell Oxwich?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tower NE of Oxwich Castle (0.1 km), Limestone Quarry and Kiln at Oxwich (0.1 km), Norton Camp (0.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Castell Oxwich

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castell Oxwich's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Castell Oxwich

Castell Oxwich stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.