A Brief History Of Chepstow Castle - Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire Wales

A brief history of Chepstow Castle in Monmouthshire, Wales.
If you are interested in visiting Chepstow Castle, you can find more information on Cadw's website here: ( *Please note that the Brief History KZbin channel is not affiliated with , nor should this video be considered any type of endorsement by or partnership with, Cadw)
cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-t...
Time Stamps
0:00 Intro
0:59 History & Ownership
24:26 Construction & Layout
35:11 Chepstow Castle Today
Attribution
Photos
All pictures were collected under creative commons license, public domain, royalty free websites or with permission from copyright holders. Any photos not notated below were collected via public domain. If there is an error in this, please contact me and I will adjust accordingly as it has been done unintentionally.
Chepstow Castle Artist Reconstruction- Norman Castle - © Crown copyright (2024) Cadw; illustration by Chris Jones-Jenkins
Chepstow Castle Artist Reconstruction- Marshal Updates- © Crown copyright (2024) Cadw; illustration by Chris Jones-Jenkins
Chepstow Castle Artist Reconstruction- Bigod Updates- © Crown copyright (2024) Cadw; illustration by Chris Jones-Jenkins
Chepstow Castle Artist Reconstruction- Tudor Updates- © Crown copyright (2024) Cadw; illustration by Chris Jones-Jenkins
Chepstow Castle Great Tower Artist Reconstruction- Norman Tower- © Crown copyright (2024) Cadw; illustration by Terry Ball
Chepstow Castle Great Tower Artist Reconstruction- Marshal Updates- © Crown copyright (2024) Cadw; illustration by Terry Ball
Chepstow Castle Plan- © Hawlfraint y Goron / © Crown copyright (2024) Cymru Wales
Welsh Marches- XrysD, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Motte & Bailey Wood Castle- Julien CHATELAIN, CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/b..., via Wikimedia Commons
Richard De Clare Adjusted- Gerald de Barri, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
William Marshal Statue- Storye book, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Ragland Castle- Tyssil, CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
All images referenced in the "Chepstow Castle Today" section of the video were cited at the time they were shown in the video due to limited space available to cite in this video description (number of characters limited). All of the images shown in this section, fall under the following creative licenses:
CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Steve Slater - Chepstow Exterior Near Marten's Tower
kitmasterbloke - Front View Of Gatehouse
Andy Dolman - Central Passage North Block Lower Bailey
Andy Dolman - Stairs Up To Hall North Block Lower Bailey
Andy Dolman - Cellar Window North Block Lower Bailey
Roy Parkhouse - Nicholas Kemeys Plaque Lower Bailey
kitmasterbloke - Facing Great Tower From Middle Bailey
Tyssil - Great Tower Facing East Looking At Stair Opening In Corner
kitmasterbloke - Marshal's Tower Facing Towards Gate
CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
WFan - Back Of Gatehouse From Lower Bailey
Robert Powell - Elevated View Of Hall Block From Lower Bailey
Tyssil - Cupboards In Passage Way North Hall Block Lower Bailey
Andy Dingley - Earls Chamber Facing South Towards Blocked Door
Tyssil - Medieval Door In Porch
Tyssil - View Of Rear Of Eastern Curtain Wall From Middle Bailey
CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Rob Farrow - Earls Chamber Facing North Towards Entrance
Michael Garlick - North Wall Of Interior Of Great Tower
Michael Garlick - Gallery Facing Middle Bailey
Michael Garlick - Gallery Windows Overlooking Wye
Michael Garlick - Marshal's Tower's Windows
Michael Garlick - Interior Of SW Open Backed Tower Upper Barbican
CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Cossackal - Under Gatehouse Counter Weight Shafts
WelshDave - Back Of Marten's Tower & Gunport Lower Bailey
Lucy Sheers - View Of Upper Bailey Gate Near Marshal's Tower
Videos
All videos not notated below were collected through royalty free websites and require no attribution.
Music
Medieval Astrology- Underbelly & Ty Mayer
Dreams Become Real- "Dreams Become Real by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/"
Calcutta Sunset- E's Jammy Jams
No. 7 Alone With My Thoughts - Esther Abrami
Sources
Chepstow Castle Guidebook - Cadw
Chepstow Castle Official Handbook - Department Of Environment
wikipedia.org
*Errors &, Corrections:

[@BriefHistoryOfficial]

*Errors & Corrections: In the video I stated at one point that the Chepstow Hall was the oldest stone "structure" in Britian, when in fact I mean that it was the oldest stone "castle structure" in Britain. Additionally, I stated that the Chepstow door was the oldest door in Britain, when in fact I mean that Chepstow was the oldest "castle door" in Britain. Cheers.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content 😊😊

[@dc-4ever201]

Yes I was about to comment how Stonehenge might want a word about being the oldest stone structure in Britain, the Romans left plenty, there's also St Peters Church Sunderland the oldest church in Britain 674 AD was once an Abbey until Henry VIII had his way, but the church still stands and is used to this day.

[@fjell6543]

The Romans built stone castles in Britain a thousand years before Chepstow. You could argue that Scottish Brochs are small castles. There are also numerous Bronze & Iron Age Hillforts that were built with stone ramparts etc. such as The White Caterthun Hillfort.

[@chrisnairne-clark2218]

I hope more and more people find this great channel!

[@willgibbons1733]

This is my favourite channel on youtube

[@motoninja2747]

This has to be the single most informative and well presented video on the Chepstow castle you do the town and region a true justice with your time and effort. As someone who lives in here I can say there is more information in the first 5 seconds then can be seen in the majority of all the other videos on the subject. well done

[@karynhitchman2498]

Thanks for such a detailed description of this castle, one of my favourites. I was lucky enough to visit there last year and it’s great to see again everything we learned whilst there in even more detail.

[@melvynblunt]

Having visited the castle several times, I find this by far the most informative and comprehensive video on the castle. Well done and please do more.

[@newyardleysinclair9960]

Such an interesting topic. Esp for being a sorta niche subject. Medieval castles. The history behind these castles is fascinating. I will never be able to learn enough about history to be truly satisfied

[@jonathanstempleton7864]

Hereford is one of the earliest castles in Britain and was, at its height, one of the grandest. Unfortunately there's not much left of it after the Civil War 🫤

[@Art-in-Making]

Great video. I love history and castles. Just discovered your channel today and subscribed. I very much like your look on history telling. Thanks.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content! You always make My day 😊😊😊❤❤

[@AnOrdinaryJoe]

Using this for my GCSE’s (final exams) thanks!

[@SB-qm5wg]

800 year old door. That's pretty old. Great video. TY

[@secretsquirrel726]

That second window in the wall at 14 seconds and 1.43 they show was supposedly installed by one of the Bigods for more light, I think it was Roger Bigod, when he split his living space and put a library on one side. Isabel De Clare married William Marshall, and Maud married Hugh Bigod. The Bigods were barristers and rode around in a circuit between the castle and London. Most of the later nobles had their living quarters in the lower baily over the kitchens, where it was warmer.

[@nancymorgan5505]

Wow! Just wow…😮

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

And suggestion: after you finish with british monarchs can you do Austrians? AEIOU

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

Nice! I lived in Norris castle as a child. I walked Wales as well, Great info you're right.

[@bonzey1171]

This and Castell Carreg Cennan are my 2 favorite catles. Both are well worth a visit, and both sit atop high cliffs on one side that make them pretty spectacular

[@osborne9255]

Brilliant!

[@grahamcheshire9787]

An excellent history. I am very familiar with this castle as I have lived in Chepstow for more than 40 years. One of my closest friends lives opposite the castle on the river bank.

[@TracyD2]

Nice.

[@jamesboyd304]

Love it! Hope at some point you can do one on Bronllys Castle.

[@tonnurserychristaylor669]

This seems to be very well researched😊

[@davidjarkeld2333]

29:00 The Neolithic houses on Orkney are way older.

[@CH-vv2hr]

What a fortress...

[@GMT439]

Hydro Power is an interesting thing I find..

[@willgibbons1733]

Any chance you could make a video about Tonbridge castle? I think William II Rufus may have held it for a bit. And maybe it witnessed some action in the english civil war. I'm not 100 percent certain on the facts though lol

[@BriefHistoryOfficial]

Hello. Thanks for the comment. Yes it is always a possibility!

[@djowen5192]

William the Marshall deserves a video to himself.

[@English_Dawn]

William Marshall the "Greatest Knight" and Dixie. Coffee-table quickie. Famed throughout Europe, loyal to his kings. Brave and benefactor to the Church. There is a church near where I live, Cartmel Priory, that he founded and is still gong strong. Married to Strongbow's daughter. Long story, short. Irish chieftains invited the Normans in to solve a dispute. If Strongbow was Donald Trump, William Marshall was Andrew Carnegie. Ireland has no coal, they burn peat, an organic matter. Marshall, as Earl of Pembroke, was at the heart of the great South Wales coalfield. He quickly becomes a coal magnate to keep Irish hearths burning. Problem, John who was king at the time, found the port the Romans used, Chester, was no longer applicable as the River Dee had started to silt up. He chose a fishing village to use instead > Liverpool. He built his castle there. Fast forward,, the last act of the American Civil War took place there months after Appomattox when the CSS Shenandoah struck her colours and the crew went for a feast(?) in St. George's Hall, (still there). Across the River Mersey was built the CSS Alabama, the company still survives. The Federal Government took Her Majesty's ((Victoria's) Government to court which was the first, I believe, international court judgment of it's kind. The Federal Government won substantial damages.

[@English_Dawn]

Hi. Thank you for the update. 😊👍 Fact is, did castles work? Were they worth the expense and trouble of construction? Yea, three times yea. Very few as a proportion, were captured by assault. Normally they were starved out. One of the most important things was to have a well. It was a good attempt but am afraid some of your evidence was ropey. The great tower circa 1067 oldest stone structure in Britain. Really! There's a huge number of stone structures before that. St Augustine of Canterbury was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to Christianise the English and was the first Archbishop of Canterbury in 597. The original church survives. He was sent as a Latin Churchman. He wasn't the first Christian. The Celtic Christians were already well-established in places like Lindisfarne pre-viking. They had wooden and some stone buildings, even in Wales. They had their own saints like Saint Patrick of course, St. Chad. St. Ebbe, St. Dunstan, St. Aidan, St. Mungo, St. Ninian etc. However a millennium before Hugh Bigod arrived the Romans had arrived and built villas, roads, forts, amphitheatres, flour mills, even had gold mines in Wales. York for example was where Constantine the Great was elected emperor, the first Christian Emperor who went on to found Constantinople. Places like York are full of Roman structures. Even in London in what are modern offices, in cellars or basements you will find Roman walls. The Grand Daddy of them all is perhaps Hardrian's Wall built by the Romans from the Solway Firth to Wallsend-on-Tyne across England. An already ancient structure when the Normans arrived. It was the final frontier, where the Roman Empire ended and like Stonehenge a landmark. Beyond it lay woad-painted barbarians, the Scots and the Picts. There was Antonine's Wall too in Northern Scotland. It was really Emperor Hardrian that left his mark. The Romans were here before the birth of our Saviour, indeed Joseph of Arimathea by legend visited Glastonbury. Being here 400 years the Romans left their mark in stone etc. The roads were magnificently constructed and many used today. Some substrata were packed with clay. This proved irresistible to the Saxons who removed the layers to get to the clay for their pots hence leaving "potholes". Lots of forts on Hardrian's Wall. Some Roman forts throughout England were kept by the Normans and extended , Pevensey, Portchester... William the Conqueror was crowned on Christmas Day 1066 in Westminster Abbey which was, already built, like so many Saxon Churches, many like Westminster Abbey still exist. Westminster Abbey was founded famously by Edward the Confessor. It is also in Westminster Abbey where it is acknowledged really is the oldest door. It's made of oak. I think dendrodating suggests the oak was a sapling as the Romans were leaving in the 400's. Unless someone knows better! Are you please going to do a programme on the "Eleanor Crosses"! 😊

[@BriefHistoryOfficial]

Hello. Thanks for the comment. I was perplexed when reading your comments as to where I could have implied that the stone building was the earliest stone "structure" in Britain, but I see now what you are referencing. I am certainly aware of the Roman stonework, as not only did I reference Roman stone being used in the construction of the great tower, which implies roman structures, but there are obviously Roman stone structures that literally exist as part of or very near other British castles grounds today (Dover for instance). It appears that semantics has gotten the better of me here, as in the section you are referencing, I spoke of the great tower at Chepstow being the oldest "structure" at the castle (which is true), and then carried that forward to reference the oldest stone structure in Britain, when in fact I meant oldest stone "castle" structure in Britain. Early in the video at 3:24 I refer to it properly. I think (and hope) that the context gives proper clarification on this, but perhaps it doesn't. The question is, would someone watching this video understand that I am referencing within the realm of post Roman stone structures, as the series is about the "Castles" of Britain, not the "Structures" of Britain. Perhaps not. This also applies to the door. I agree, that I should have said "castle door" in Britain, but in my mind this was implied. Unfortunately, it has become a lot of work putting these together and these clarifications (two simple words in an 11.3K worded video) sometime slip through the cracks. I don't, however, think that this negates the vast amount information I attempted to provide in the video as your "it was a good attempt " comment may or may not imply. Hopefully anyone who knows this information, will understand what I mean, although I do now worry that anyone who may not be aware of the door at westminster or the pre Norman castle structures will be led astray, however slight it may be. For this reason I do intend to add this to the errors and corrections section to clarify my position. I also don't see this video reaching a larger audience either based on how my other castle videos seem to be doing, so perhaps a mute point. Nevertheless, thanks again for pointing this out, and cheers to you.

[@English_Dawn]

​@@BriefHistoryOfficialThank you for the detailed explanation I know how laboriously you endeavour in your videos, over monarchs etc and rarely are in error. As an Angle I have learnt much from your videos, that simply aren't taught. For most English children history is a whistle stop tour and only a fraction gets covered. For instance you mention Towton. Sadly probably 99% of the citizens have never even heard of Towton or know where this it is despite it being generally referred to as the "English Gettysburg" whereupon you make the most of history and the National Park Service like Matt Anderson do so much to interpret it. Love his Southern Mississipi accent! Memorials abound, same at Vicksburg, Shiloh etc. Only Bosworth comes close in England. You'd go past many sites and there's practically nothing. The "English Gettysburg" was over 2 days not three and is pretty unique. Hostilities commenced the day before at Ferrybridge. It was on a scale different to any other battle, yet goes almost totally disregarded. Only 1% will know it and may visit it. There is a stone plaque, I think, a solitary one and around Palm Sunday red & white roses are placed there by locals. Roman Britain. ------------------------ Quick guide. They arrived in 55 B. C. The Roman Province Brittannia was split into two types of Prinicipae, the South administered originally from Colchester (not London) and the North from York. York had a Praetorium. The New York Stock Exchange gives you some idea what it would have looked like. Thank you so much. I will try a pen-portrait of William Marshall, benefactor, that you may be aware of or not and your Southern accent gives you away. ☺️👌

[@brianpeck4035]

@@BriefHistoryOfficial I assumed you were talking about stone castles. I also assumed you were talking about the oldest known door in general and not particular to castles. I wish that door would be brought inside and sealed in a climate controlled luxury. Future tech should be able to scan for amazing information while Ai will tell us the stories. Thanks for this presentation.

[@GaryHalloway48]

Hey bro, when are you going to do the French Kings history?

[@English_Dawn]

BH thank you so much concerning Striguil. Like in the states etymology and placenames in particular are an interesting subject, intrinsically. With native American names juxtaposing with names out of the Bible or a Scottish glen. You can generally tell, at a glance, who founded it, just by the placename itself and mostly just by the last syllable. Carlisle is the only English city with a Celtic name for instance. There is an avalanche of casters, chesters, cesters and the like telling you who stopped by in their togas and sandals. Striguil to Chepstow tells you one thing above all, who calls the shots. Welsh Celtic to English and a particular English at that. "stow" is from "Ivanhoe" country, thats were you find most of 'em, Eastern Central England.

[@direfranchement]

Not a single video on any of the Anglo-Saxon Kings but you’re doing castles? I feel like we’re being punk’d.

[@English_Dawn]

Hopefully BH will do one on the White Horse of Uffington and Alfred the Great. 🤗

[@ianhillis123]

good God. By 8 min I was so confused and completely lost!! Too much, too fast. Yikes

[@jaimedavis439]

You're doing that on purlplepiss, by God. Saying norfolk with that particular 'respect' to their name. It's Norfolk. Even if the 'l' were silent, which it isn't (certainly not in Americana, which is what you're speaking), even if it were there's no 'u' regardless. Kudos I just wanted to say "purlplepiss" anyway

[@lukemcintosh8894]

not another castle video chile 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@Brinta3]

I truly hate all the filler images and the same zooming effect on everyone of them and their many repetitions. Can’t watch this.

[@markasbury1084]

just show us the Castle.