The Old Castle, Now Made Use Of As A Prison, Is So
Surrounded By Houses In The Middle Of The
Town, that a stranger
might visit Swansea without knowing that such a building existed.
The Welsh Chronicle informs us, that
It was built by Henry de
Beaumont, earl of Warwick, and that in the year 1113 it was attacked
by Gruffydd ap Rhys, but without success. This castle became
afterwards a part of the possessions of the see of St. David's, and
was rebuilt by bishop Gower. [The old castle is no longer used as a
prison, but as the office of the "Cambria Daily Leader." It is
significant that Swansea is still known to Welshmen, as in the days
of Giraldus, as "Abertawe."]
{93} Lochor, or Llwchwr, was the Leucarum mentioned in the
Itineraries, and the fifth Roman station on the Via Julia. This
small village is situated on a tide-river bearing the same name,
which divides the counties of Glamorgan and Caermarthen, and over
which there is a ferry. "Lochor river partith Kidwelli from West
Gowerlande." - Leland, Itin. tom. v. p. 23. [The ferry is no more.
The river is crossed by a fine railway bridge.]
{94} Wendraeth, or Gwen-draeth, from gwen, white, and traeth, the
sandy beach of the sea. There are two rivers of this name,
Gwendraeth fawr, and Gwendraeth fychan, the great and the little
Gwendraeth, of which Leland thus speaks: "Vendraeth Vawr and
Vendraith Vehan risith both in Eskenning commote: the lesse an
eight milys of from Kydwelli, the other about a ten, and hath but a
little nesche of sand betwixt the places wher thei go into the se,
about a mile beneth the towne of Kidwely."
{95} Cydweli was probably so called from cyd, a junction, and wyl,
a flow, or gushing out, being situated near the junction of the
rivers Gwendraeth fawr and fychan; but Leland gives its name a very
singular derivation, and worthy of our credulous and superstitious
author Giraldus.
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