Brecon Castle

The Mortimer involvement in Brecon was restricted to just a few years from 1263 to 1266, and it didn’t go well!

It was around 1093 when Bernard de Neufmarché (dc1125) built the original motte and bailey castle on higher ground across the road from the hotel. As Brecon castle was chosen as the headquarters of the extensive Neufmarché lordship, the timber defences were soon replaced by stone, and succeeding generations saw the development of a complex and imposing castle. Little is left above ground today, the most impressive bit being a part of the 13th century great hall with a semi-octagonal tower of the early 14th century. The outside of this can be viewed from the hotel grounds. There are also the remains of a shell keep on the original motte.

On Neufmarché’s death, Brecon passed to his daughter Sybil, and thence to her husband, Miles of Gloucester (d1143) earl of Hereford. Miles had five sons, who all died without children, and when the last of these died in 1165, Brecon passed to his daughter Bertha who was married to William de Braose, 3rd lord of Bramber. Their son William (d1211) 4th lord of Bramber was the court favourite of King John, until his spectacular fall from grace, when Brecon and his other possessions were taken from the family. They were subsequently restored, and remained in Braose hands, Brecon eventually passing to Eleanor de Braose who was married to Humphrey de Bohun (d1265), eldest son of the 2nd earl of Hereford.

Throughout the 13th century Brecon seems to have been in the front line of conflict with the Welsh. In the early years Llewelyn ab Iorwerth (d1240) repeatedly attacked it, though unsuccessfully. In early 1263 Brecon was taken from Humphrey de Bohun and given into the keeping of Roger Mortimer (d1282). Roger complained of the intransigence of the local people and, after he was injured in battle, his garrison ignominiously surrendered to Llewelyn ap Gruffudd (d1282). What happened next isn’t quite clear. The Lord Edward (later Edward I) apparently retook the castle in 1265, but Llewelyn regained control after Roger Mortimer was decisively defeated outside the town in 1266. This ended the Mortimer involvement with Brecon, the Bohuns eventually regaining both the castle and the lordship.