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Manorbier Castle is a Norman castle situated on the Pembrokeshire coast near Tenby, dating from the early twelfth century with significant modifications and expansions through the medieval period. Founded by the de Barri family, the castle occupies a naturally defensive promontory overlooking Manorbier Bay and comprises a keep, defensive walls, and associated domestic structures arranged within its curtain walls. The site is particularly notable as the birthplace and childhood home of Gerald of Wales, the prominent twelfth-century cleric and chronicler, whose own writings provide valuable contemporary documentation of the castle and its inhabitants. The castle remains substantially intact, retaining much of its medieval masonry and layout, and represents a well-preserved example of Norman military architecture adapted to coastal defence in Wales.
Manorbier Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE004. View the official record →
Manorbier Castle is a Norman castle situated on the Pembrokeshire coast near Tenby, dating from the early twelfth century with significant modifications and expansions through the medieval period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE004.
Manorbier 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.
Manorbier 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 PE004.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Manorbier Dovecot (0.2 km), King's Quoit Burial Chamber (0.7 km), Radar Station, Old Castle Head (1.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Manorbier Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Manorbier Castle stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.