Oxwich Castle - the magnificent Tudor mansion created by Sir Rice Mansel and his son Edward stands on a headland above the wide sweep of Oxwich Bay. The house is known as Oxwich Castle, and there indeed appears to have been an earlier true stronghold on the site. Philip Mansel is recorded as holding the site in 1459. However, the remains we see today are best regarded as those of a mock-fortified manor house, with clear evidence of sumptuous accommodation, and raised during the peaceful and prosperous years of the 16th century.
The Mansels were one of a number of minor gentry families in south Wales who gained in power, prestige and property under the Tudor monarchs. The growth of this powerful gentry class, whose lifestyle resembled that of earlier feudal magnates is reflected in the appearance of similar manor houses throughout south Wales. Beaupre in the Vale of Glamorgan, for example, was another Mansel house, and Sir Richard Williams created an imposing mansion in part of the former abbey at Neath.
As completed, Oxwich was arranged around an enclosed courtyard with some military pretension. It was entered through a showy gateway, and, typical of the period, was emblazoned with the arms of Sir Rice Mansel. Within, there are two adjacent ranges of buildings which appear to have been designed independently, each capable of functioning as a household in its own right at Oxwich Castle.
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