The Birth of Brecon Castle. 1093

The region hereabouts has a chequered history. The royal centres, before the establishment of Brecon are uncertain, but towards the end of the 10th century the region appears to have been ruled over by the kingdom of Deheubarth in south-west Wales. In the 11th century it was acquired as a sub-kingdom by the expansionist kingdom of Gwynedd under its ruler Gruffudd ap Llywelyn. Native rule finally came to an end with the Norman conquest of Brycheiniog by Bernard de Neufmarché when the defeat of Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Deuheubarth, ruler of south Wales and overlord of Brycheiniog in 1093 brought the rule of Bleddin ap Maenarch of Brycheiniog to an end.

This painting records the battle that is rumoured to have taken place while Bernard de Neufmarche was building the early motte and bailey.. The great earth mound, now in the Bishop's Palace garden, opposite the hotel, was the motte on top of which there was originally a timber keep. The bailey or courtyard below the motte extended to cover the present garden and, presumably part of the site of the hotel; the embankment on the North side can be clearly seen in the garden. Even in this early stage the castle must have been a daunting sight. This is exactly what the Normans intended; a deterrent to subdue the hostile Welsh.

The superior armour and organisation of the Normans succeeded in acheiving victory in the battle. One version of the legend states that the high alter of the cathedral was built on the site where the Welsh lords died, although other suggestions place the site of the battle further north at the village of ‘battle’.

The figure on the horse is Bernard de Neufmarche (He took his surname from the village of Neufmarche near Rouen, the capital of Normandy) is said by some to have been one of the knights who came with William in the conquest of 1066, although it is more likely that was second generation. There is no record of his personal insignia, so the shield decorations used in the painting have been selected from one of the knights depicted on the bayeux tapestry, and represents a kind of ‘proto-heraldry’.