View source for Sycharth

{{Short description|Castle in Powys, Wales}}
{{about|the motte-and-bailey castle in Powys|the poem by Iolo Goch|Owain Glyndŵr's Court}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name= Sycharth Motte and Bailey Castle
|partof=
|location=[[Llansilin]], Montgomeryshire, Wales
|map_type = UK Wales
|map_alt = Located in North Wales
|map_caption = Location in Wales
|coordinates = {{coord|52.824498|-3.180842|type:landmark|display=inline}}
|map_size = 160
|image=The motte and bailey of Sycharth - geograph.org.uk - 1635616.jpg
|caption= '''Sycharth from field, showing motte'''
|type= 
|code=
|built=  Norman Period
|builder=
|materials=  Timber Castle
|height= 
|used=
|demolished=   1403
|condition= Grass covered mound with banks and outer bailey.
|ownership=[[Cadw]] guardianship
|controlledby= 
|garrison=
|commanders=
|occupants=
|battles=
|events= <br /> Revolt of [[Owain Glyndŵr]] (1400–09)
}}

'''Sycharth''' was a [[motte and bailey castle]] near [[Llansilin]], [[Powys]], [[Wales]].<ref>Hubbard E, The Buildings of Wales: Clwyd, Penguin/ Yale 1986, 242-3</ref><ref>Melville Richards ‘‘Welsh Territorial and Administrative Units’’ University of Wales Press, 1969, pg. 200</ref>  Until 1996 Sycharth was in the historic county of [[Denbighshire]], but was then  transferred to the [[Area committee|Shire area]] of [[Montgomeryshire]] within [[Powys]]. Sycharth was the birthplace of [[Owain Glyndŵr]].<ref>[http://www.castlewales.com/sycharth.html Sycharth Castle / Castlewales.com]</ref>
[[File:Sycharth home of Owain Glyndwr, Last Prince of Wales 23.jpg|thumb|303x303px|[[Bird's-eye view]] of Sycharth]]

== Location ==

Sycharth sits in the valley of the river Cynllaith, a tributary of the [[Afon Tanat]]. The site of [[Owain Glyndŵr]]’s manor house lies about a kilometre to the west of the boundary between England and Wales with a belt of woodland on the higher ground to the east known as Parc Sycharth. Immediately to the west of the site is a farm that was the courthouse for the township until the 19th century.  The site is on a minor road close to the B4580, south of Llansilin and to the southwest of [[Oswestry]]. The site is in the guardianship of [[Cadw]] and there is a small carpark with information boards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.castlewales.com/sycharth.html|title = Sycharth Castle}}</ref>

==The earlier history of the castle==
{{Quote box |width=300px |align=left |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=left
 |quote  =Domesday Book

'''Mersete Hundred, Shropshire'''
'The same Rainald has in Wales 2 commotes 'Chenlie' [[Cynllaith]] and 'Derniou' [[Edeirnion|Edeyrnion]]. From the one he has 60 shillings by way of 'ferm' and from the other from the Welshmen 8 cows'.
|source = Domesday Book, Folio 255 <br />1086}}

The castle was situated in the Welsh territory of [[Powys Fadog]] which had formed part of the Welsh [[Kingdom of Powys]]. Following the [[Norman Conquest]] two of the [[commotes]], [[Cynllaith]]  and [[Edeirnion|Edeyrnion]] came under the control of the Normans.  There seems little doubt that Sycharth or  ‘Cynllaith Owain’ was originally a [[Motte-and-bailey]] built by the Normans. An entry in the [[Domesday Book]], would indicate that this had taken place before 1086. The Normans also built a castle at [[Rhug]] that would have been the centre for Edeyrnion.<ref>Richards, R., 'Sycharth' " Montgomeryshire Collections' 1948, Vol. 50 p. 183-8</ref>

These commotes passed into the possession of [[Madog Crypl]] c1275-1304, described as Lord of [[Glyndyfrdwy]] and Lord of Cynllaith Owain. Madog was a direct descendant of the Princes of Powys and [[Gruffudd Fychan II]], the father of Owain Glyndŵr,  was probably his grandson. Owain Glyndŵr inherited Sycharth in 1369 and it was here that Glyndŵr lived with his wife [[Margaret Hanmer]] and their children.
{{clear left}}

== Iolo Goch's description ==

[[Iolo Goch]] [[Owain Glyndŵr's Court|described Sycharth]] as containing ‘nine plated buildings on the scale of eighteen mansions, fair wooden buildings on top of a green hill’ and ‘a tiled roof on every house with frowning forehead, and a chimney from which the smoke would grow; nine symmetrical, identical halls, and nine wardrobes by each one’.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mansel-jones.com/Owain-Glyn-Dwr.php|title=Owain Glyn Dwr|last=Mansel Jones|access-date=12 August 2012}}</ref>

== Archaeological evidence ==

Excavations in the early 1960s revealed the presence of two timber halls on the flat topped mound, one being 43 metres in length and provided evidence of the site being burned, as it was by Harry of Monmouth, later to become [[King Henry V]] when he was present to oversee the total destruction of the site in May 1403.

== Destruction ==

Prince Henry wrote to his father [[Henry IV of England|King Henry IV]] on May 15, 1403, that "we took our people and went to a place of the said Oweyn, well built, which was his principal mansion called Saghern, where we supposed that we should have found him if he had been willing to have fought in the manner as he said, but upon our arrival we found no one; hence we caused the whole place and many of his other houses of his tenants in the neighbourhood to be burnt and then went directly to his other place of Glyndourdy ([[Glyndyfrdwy]]) to seek for him there. We caused a fine lodge in his park to be burned and all the country therabout and we lodged at rest there all that night..."

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Sycharth, Llansilin 01.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and Bailey Castle, Llansilin, Powys
File:Sycharth, Llansilin 10.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and  Bailey Castle looking towards Llansilin
File:Sycharth, Llansilin 03.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and Bailey Castle and adjacent farmhouse
File:Sycharth, Llansilin 04.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and Bailey Castle with the woodland of Parc Sycharth
File:Sycharth, Llansilin 05.JPG|Sycharth, Motte from the south.
File:Sycharth, Llansilin 06.JPG|Sycharth, Looking from inner bank to Medieval fishpond. 
File:Sycharth, Llansilin 07.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and bank on N side.
File:Sycharth, Llansilin 08.JPG|Sycharth, Motte and  bank on N side.
</gallery>

== See also ==

* [[Buildings associated with Owain Glyndŵr]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Literature==
* Burnham, Helen, ''A Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales: Clwyd and Powys'', 1995, CADW/HMSO
* Davies, R R, ''The Revolt of Owain Glyndwr'', 1995 
* Hague, Douglas & Warhurst, Cynthia, Excavations at Sycharth Castle, Denbighshire 1962–3, "Archaeologia Cambrensis"  1966 vol. 115, 108–27
* Higham, Robert  & Barker, Philip, ''Timber Castles'', Batsford, London, 1992
* Johnston Dafydd, ''Iolo Goch: The Poems'', Gomer Welsh Classics Series, Llandysul, 1993.
* Richards, R., ''The mediaeval castles of north Montgomeryshire: a topographical survey''.  "Montgomeryshire Collections" 1942, Vol. 47 p.&nbsp;164-82 
* Richards, R., '' 'Sycharth'''  " Montgomeryshire Collections' 1948, Vol. 50 p. 183-8 
* Smith, Spencer Gavin,  ''Report on the Geophysical and Historical Survey at Sycharth Motte and Bailey'', "Transactions of the Denbighshire Historical Society", Vol 52, 2003, pp17–36

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Sycharth}}
*{{oscoor gbx|SJ204251}}
* [http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/Welshsites/292.html Aerial photo of the site]
* Details on [[Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales|RCHMW]] sites, including photographs of 1963 excavations. [http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/306999/details/SYCHARTH+CASTLE,+LLANSILIN%3BSYCARTH+CASTLE/]
* Details on Castlefacts [http://castlefacts.info/castledetails/details.aspx?uin=20292]
* BBC video [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/media/pages/h_medieval_sycharth.shtml]

{{coord|52.81754|N|3.18256|W|region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SJ204251)|display=title}}<!-- Note: WGS84 lat/long, converted from OSGB36 grid ref -->

{{Powys}}

[[Category:History of Denbighshire]]
[[Category:Castles in Powys]]
[[Category:Motte-and-bailey castles]]