Castlehunting # 8

Coety Bridgend

 

It, too, has a Wiki page.

From here:-

Coity Castle (Welsh: Castell Coety) in Glamorgan, Wales, is a Norman castle built by Sir Payn "the Demon" de Turberville (fl. 1126), one of the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan supposed to have conquered Glamorgan under the leadership of Robert FitzHamon (d. 1107), Lord of Gloucester.

Most Norman castles in Glamorgan (e.g. Caerphilly, Cardiff, Loughor) occupy sites which had previously been Roman forts and it is likely that the Norman castle at Coity occupied the site of an existing structure. Potential Roman military activity at the site is supported by the strategic importance of the location. A Roman fort would have controlled a number of early routes and Heol Spencer, which appears on the earliest maps of the area, has been proposed as a Roman Road because of its age, importance and remarkable straightness (which today, only deviates around the castle grounds itself).

I drove down Heol Spencer.

From castles wales

:-

While FitzHamon (who built Cardiff Castle) doled out his best lands to his favorites, he forced at least one member of his retinue, Sir Payn de Turberville, to acquire land on his own.

Shrewdly venturing into the Lordship of Coity, Payn de Turberville discussed the acquisition of Coity Castle with the Welsh leader, Morgan Gam. Evidently, Morgan agreed to turn over his castle to Sir Payn on one condition: either the Norman had to fight Morgan for the lordship or he had to marry Sybil, Morgan's daughter. Symbolically (and wisely), Payn took the proffered sword in his left hand and clutched Sybil with his right. They married and Sir Payn de Turberville became Lord of Coity.