Scheduled MonumentsWalesHaverfordwest Castle
Medieval · Castle

Haverfordwest Castle

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE366
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM PE366
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1986-02-20
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Haverfordwest Castle is a Norman fortress founded in the early twelfth century, likely established shortly after the Norman conquest of Pembrokeshire around 1110. The castle occupies a naturally defensible promontory above the River Cleddau and originally comprised a motte-and-bailey earthwork with a substantial stone keep, elements of which survive today. The site served as an important administrative and military centre for the Norman lords of Pembrokeshire, controlling access to the haven and surrounding territories. The castle's surviving masonry, including portions of the stone keep, dates from the medieval period and testifies to its significance as a seat of power in Norman South Wales.

Haverfordwest Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE366. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Haverfordwest Castle?

Haverfordwest Castle is a Norman fortress founded in the early twelfth century, likely established shortly after the Norman conquest of Pembrokeshire around 1110. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE366.

What period does Haverfordwest Castle date from?

Haverfordwest Castle 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 Haverfordwest Castle?

Haverfordwest Castle 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 PE366.

What other scheduled monuments are near Haverfordwest Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round Barrow 300m NW of Tallyho (5.8 km), Rosemarket Dovecot (7.5 km), Rosemarket Rath (7.7 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Haverfordwest Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Haverfordwest Castle'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 Haverfordwest Castle

Haverfordwest Castle stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.