The March of Ewyas, by Martin Cook and Neil Kidd

The March of Ewyas, by Martin Cook and Neil Kidd

Subtitled 'The Story of Longtown Castle and the de Lacy Dynasty'

Book published by Logaston in 2020, 254 pages. Paperback - c.17cm by 24cm (N7878)

Brand New Book

From the rear side cover: This book begins with the story of a community archaeology project that set out to answer the mystery of why a parish on the Welsh border apparently had two castles. Over a two-year period, a group of volunteers and professional archaeologists excavated at both castle sites. In the process, evidence for a previously undocumented Roman fort was discovered, many of the conclusions reached by previous historians were overturned and fresh conclusions were reached on the early Norman annexation of this part of the Welsh border and the siting of some of the first castles in the Marches.

This book gives a detailed account of the de Lacy dynasty and makes a convincing case for which of them built Longtown Castle, establishing this as one of the earliest round keeps in Britain. It also presents new evidence for Longtown Castle’s active involvement in conflict, and insights into the founding of its borough.


This is a must-have book for anyone with an interest in the archaeology and history of the Welsh border region from earliest times to the medieval period.