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Welsh Castle Builders: The Savoyard Style
The Edwardian castles of north Wales were built by a Savoyard master mason, but also by many other artisans from Savoy. What is more extraordinary, is that the constables of Flint, Rhuddlan, Conwy and Harlech were also Savoyards, the Justiciar and Deputy Justiciar at Caernarfon were Savoyards and the head of the English army leading the relief of the sieges of Flint and Rhuddlan was a future Count of Savoy. The explanatory story is fundamentally of two men, the builder of castles, Master James of St George and Justiciar Sir Othon de Grandson, and the relationship of these two men with King Edward I. But it is also the story of many others, a story that begins with the marriage of Alianor de Provence to Edward’s father, Henry III, and the influx of her kinsmen to England, such as Pierre de Savoie. It is impossible to understand the development of the castles in north Wales without an understanding of the Savoyards, where they came from and their impact on English and Welsh history. The defining work of Arnold Taylor in exploring the Savoyard history of Welsh castles is now many years past, and mostly out of print, it is time for the story to be revisited and expanded upon, in the light of new evidence.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2022
9 people want to read
About the author
John Marshall
3 books1 followerHaving moved to Switzerland, and qualified as a historian (Masters, Northumbria University, 2016), the author came across the story of the Savoyards in England and engaged in this important history research project. He founded an association to develop Anglo Swiss relations regarding this story, in liaison with Cadw, Château de Grandson, Yverdon and others.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 14, 2023
Welsh Castle Builders: The Savoyard Style
By John Marshall
Reviewed June 5, 2023
Although I have a strong interest in Medieval England, this book does not cover my usual 15th century, Wars of the Roses stomping ground. Instead, this is about Edward I and the castles he had built in north Wales with the help of Savoyard builders and artisans.
Not strictly a book about the building of castles, though, as it is also the story of the Savoyards who held great sway in England at this time, and of a master mason/architect, Maître Jacques de Saint Georges, often referred to by the English form of his name, Master James of St George.
When Henry III married his Provencal queen, she brought with her an influx of Savoyard relatives who ended up in positions of authority. This annoyed many of the Anglo-Norman barons, who felt these foreigners were infringing upon their territory…but that’s a tale for another day. What is relevant to this story is that she made sure that her son and heir, Edward, was brought up surrounded by his Savoyard relatives.
With this prominent Savoy background, it is little surprise that when it came time to build his Welsh castles, Edward would call upon his Savoyard knights and friends, men like Jean de Bonvillars, Othon de Grandson, and his chief architect, Maître Jacquie de Saint Georges. Through these men, we are able to better appreciate the progress in castle building in north Wales and the impact these mighty buildings had on English and Welsh history, and it came as no surprise to me to realize that many of these castles were still playing a role 200 years later.
In addition to the story of how these castles came to be built, there is a very good section of color plates that include plans for such castles of Rhuddlan, Flint, Conwy, Harlech, Caernarfon, and Beaumaris as well as photographs of these castles, of castles in Savoy on which they were based, and architectural features introduced at this time.
The author, wherever possible, uses the original forms of these peoples’ names. For example, Eleanor reverts to Alianor for Eleanor of Provence, Leonor for Eleanor of Castile, Otto is rendered Othon, and Master James goes back to being Maître Jacques. Places are likewise referred to, especially when it comes to Welsh place names.
I also learned why l, s, and d are often used as shorthand for pounds, shillings, and pence. It’s because in the Latin, in which almost all records were kept at that time, the currency was expressed as libra, solidus and denarius. So libra, solidus and denarius = l, s and d. Simple, right?
Welsh Castle Builders: The Savoyard Style is the author’s effort to update the work of Arnold Taylor, long the leading expert on the subject. Taylor’s books, including his book on Edward I’s Welsh castles, were printed in the 1980s and due for an update. In Welsh Castle Builders, John Marshall incorporates the latest research on the subject.
This isn’t the kind of book I would recommend to the casual reader, but if you’re a castle wonk, you definitely want to read this.
By John Marshall
Reviewed June 5, 2023
Although I have a strong interest in Medieval England, this book does not cover my usual 15th century, Wars of the Roses stomping ground. Instead, this is about Edward I and the castles he had built in north Wales with the help of Savoyard builders and artisans.
Not strictly a book about the building of castles, though, as it is also the story of the Savoyards who held great sway in England at this time, and of a master mason/architect, Maître Jacques de Saint Georges, often referred to by the English form of his name, Master James of St George.
When Henry III married his Provencal queen, she brought with her an influx of Savoyard relatives who ended up in positions of authority. This annoyed many of the Anglo-Norman barons, who felt these foreigners were infringing upon their territory…but that’s a tale for another day. What is relevant to this story is that she made sure that her son and heir, Edward, was brought up surrounded by his Savoyard relatives.
With this prominent Savoy background, it is little surprise that when it came time to build his Welsh castles, Edward would call upon his Savoyard knights and friends, men like Jean de Bonvillars, Othon de Grandson, and his chief architect, Maître Jacquie de Saint Georges. Through these men, we are able to better appreciate the progress in castle building in north Wales and the impact these mighty buildings had on English and Welsh history, and it came as no surprise to me to realize that many of these castles were still playing a role 200 years later.
In addition to the story of how these castles came to be built, there is a very good section of color plates that include plans for such castles of Rhuddlan, Flint, Conwy, Harlech, Caernarfon, and Beaumaris as well as photographs of these castles, of castles in Savoy on which they were based, and architectural features introduced at this time.
The author, wherever possible, uses the original forms of these peoples’ names. For example, Eleanor reverts to Alianor for Eleanor of Provence, Leonor for Eleanor of Castile, Otto is rendered Othon, and Master James goes back to being Maître Jacques. Places are likewise referred to, especially when it comes to Welsh place names.
I also learned why l, s, and d are often used as shorthand for pounds, shillings, and pence. It’s because in the Latin, in which almost all records were kept at that time, the currency was expressed as libra, solidus and denarius. So libra, solidus and denarius = l, s and d. Simple, right?
Welsh Castle Builders: The Savoyard Style is the author’s effort to update the work of Arnold Taylor, long the leading expert on the subject. Taylor’s books, including his book on Edward I’s Welsh castles, were printed in the 1980s and due for an update. In Welsh Castle Builders, John Marshall incorporates the latest research on the subject.
This isn’t the kind of book I would recommend to the casual reader, but if you’re a castle wonk, you definitely want to read this.
Displaying 1 of 1 review