Oxwich Castle facts for kids
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Oxwich Castle (Welsh: Castell Oxwich) is a very old and important building in Wales. It sits on a wooded hill overlooking Oxwich Bay on the Gower Peninsula. Even though it's called a castle, it's actually a grand, fortified house from the Tudor period. It was built in a style that looks like a castle but was mostly for living in.
Exploring Oxwich Castle
People think there might have been an older fort here even before the current castle. A document from 1306 mentions military tenants at Oxwich. This suggests some kind of defense was in place long ago. The de Penres family owned the land back then. Today, you can still see a ruined tower that might be from this earlier time.
Most of the buildings you see today were built in the 1500s. You enter through a grand Gateway, which leads into a courtyard. On one side of the courtyard is the Hall, and on another is the South Range. At the corner of the Hall and the South Range stands the tall, six-story South-East Tower. You can also find the remains of a large stone dovecote nearby.
The Gateway has a special stone plaque above it. This plaque shows the coats of arms of the Mansell family and other families they were connected to. The Hall was a very large room, probably used for big gatherings. It was connected to the South-East Tower, which had many rooms for people to stay in. Building this huge section might have even caused money problems for the owner, Sir Edward Mansell! The South Range of the castle held the kitchen.
Castle History
Oxwich Castle was first built by Sir Rice Mansel. He also owned another castle called Old Beaupre Castle. Sir Rice Mansel started building Oxwich Castle on the site of an older ruined fort. This older fort had belonged to the de la Mare family in the 1200s and 1300s.
After Sir Rice Mansel passed away in 1559, his son, Sir Edward Mansel, took over. Between 1560 and 1580, Sir Edward made the castle even grander. He created what was called the "Great House." This huge house could host many guests and servants. It was one of the most impressive "prodigy houses" in Wales. A "prodigy house" was a very large, fancy country house built by wealthy people in the Elizabethan era.
However, by 1632, the Mansell family was already renting out the castle. Parts of the building fell down in the 1700s. After this, some sections of the South Range were rebuilt. The castle was even used as a farmhouse well into the 1900s. In 1949, Oxwich Castle was almost torn down, but luckily, it was saved! It was then given to the State and is now looked after by Cadw, a Welsh government group that cares for historic sites.
The Oxwich Brooch
In 1968, something amazing was found during maintenance work at the castle. A worker named Cyril Grove discovered a gold brooch! This brooch is a very rare and beautiful example of medieval British jewelry.
The brooch is a gold ring with special mounts. It was made between 1320 and 1340 and is about two inches wide. It has three shiny rubies and three cameos. Cameos are small carvings, often made from shells or stones. People believe the cameos were added later. The brooch might have originally had sapphires instead of rubies.
Some historians think this brooch might have once belonged to King Edward II or was a special family treasure of the Mansel family. Today, you can see this incredible Oxwich Brooch on display at the National Museum Cardiff.
