An early reference to a castle at
Kenfig can be found in 1080, when
Iestyn ap Gwrgan was said to have refortified it, but probably this was a different structure to that raised alongside the town that developed there in the mid-12th century. In its day, it was an important Norman stronghold and was built by
Robert, Earl of Gloucester, in the early 12th century. It was set on a mound with the river to the west and north. The square, free-standing keep had an entrance at the southwest corner. It was a tall, elegant structure with buttresses of dressed stone at each corner and the centre of each side, as well as a hall and offices. The bailey lies to the south, surrounded by the remains of a bank and ditch. The castle acted as an administrative centre, and by 1183, a borough had grown up to the south. In the 1920s and early 1930s, much of the sand was excavated as an archaeological dig. The sands reinvaded the site and only the top of the keep is now visible. ==See also==