6. The Black Tower

The Black Tower was built in the 13th century to defend the Castle’s southern entrance. The Castle was owned at this time by Gilbert de Clare: there’s a portrait of him in the centre of this information panel.

The de Clares were a powerful, French-speaking, Norman family – believed to be descendants of William the Conqueror himself. They owned Cardiff Castle for almost 100 years.

During this time, they reinforced the Castle against the ever-present threat of attack from the native Welsh population. They built a massive stone wall, connecting the Black Tower to the Keep, up on the mound. You could walk from the Black Tower right across the battlements, and enter the Keep safely at first floor level.

But, as well as being part of the Castle’s defences, the Black Tower was also used as a prison. In fact, it’s sometimes called the ‘Dungeon Tower’, because of the two dark cells on the ground-floor. And it has certainly witnessed some grim events over the centuries. We know, for example, that some of the prisoners held here were being punished for their religious beliefs. Rawlins White was a local fisherman during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary, in the 16th century. White, who was a Protestant, was locked up here for a year, before being burnt at the stake as a heretic. And in the 17th century – when the Penal Laws against Catholics were in force – two Roman Catholic priests, Father Philip Evans and Father John Lloyd, were imprisoned here together. They were later hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason.