History
The first castle in Pencoed was erected in the 13th century and belonged to Sir Richard de la More, then in the fourteenth century, Maurice and Walter de Kemys. Around the 1470, the estate was in the hands of the Morgan family from Tredegar. It was the property of Morgan Ap Jenkin Philip, and then his son, Sir Thomas Morgan, who took part in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. After the War of the Roses, the longer period of peace allowed the rebuilding of the castle into a more comfortable manor house. It was done by Sir Thomas Morgan before 1510, and the extension of the residence was carried out by his grandson, also Sir Thomas, in 1542-1565.
Around 1584 Pencoed became the property of Sir Walter Montagu, husband of granddaughter of Thomas Morgan, Anna. In 1701, the descendants of Montagu sold Pencoed to Mr John Jeffreys. His son, in turn, sold it to Admiral Thomas Mathews of Llandaff in 1749. In later years, the estate was in turn owned by Sir Mark Wood, Sir Robert Salusbury and Thomas Perry, but began to fall into disrepair and was transformed into a farm. At the beginning of the 20th century, small works were undertaken to rebuild the monument, but were never completed.
Architecture
The only remnant of the 13th-century castle is the moat and cylindrical tower on the south-western side with a fragment of the wall. The earliest building of the sixteenth-century residence is the main building of a tower-like character, erected from red sandstone in the south-eastern part of the complex. The entrance was on the west side in the three-story gatehouse with two turrets on the south side. Although it was topped with a parapet on corbels and battlement, its defensive function, due to the large number of windows, was limited. The main range on the east side had three floors and a three-story entrance vestibule. In the north range the kitchen was originally located. In the vicinity of the court, a dovecote was erected in the 16th century.
Current state
The mansion is currently in a state of ruin and urgently expects a new host to renovate it. Given the excellent state of preservation, it can be a great example of a 16th-century building in the form of a transition between a castle and a early modern residence. Currently, the monument is not open to visitors, it is only possible to view it from the outside.
bibliography:
Website gatehouse-gazetteer.info, Pencoed Castle.
Website wikipedia.org, Pencoed Castle.