Henry VII was here? Castle dig points to more likely birthplace

KING HENRY VII may have been born next door to the tower named after him, archaeologists have discovered.

The first monarch of the House of Tudor is historically believed to have been born in a tower at Pembroke Castle in Wales on Jan 28 1457.

However, a new archaeological excavations in the castle’s grounds reveal a late medieval winged hall-house that dates from the 15th century and which, experts believe, was “clearly of high status” and would be a “better candidate” for the birthplace of a king.

Neil Ludlow, a consultant to Pembroke Castle, said: “It’s quite possible that what we are discovering could well be the birthplace of Henry VII ... all our indications are pointing to a late-medieval building which was clearly of high status within Pembrokeshire.

“It looks as if it was at least two storeys, which possibly makes it a better candidate for the birthplace of a king rather than the tower that currently bears his name.”

Dyfed Archaeological Trust has been carrying out a dig at the site for a week following a geophysical survey in 2016.

Mr Ludlow said: “We’ve always known about these buildings as a couple of walls were still standing in the 18th century, although they were very ruinous, which possibly included a doorway, and the outline of the building has always shown up in dry weather as a parch-mark.”

The castle’s former owner, Sir Ivor Philipps, partly dug the site in the 1930s but kept no records of his discoveries.

The current dig, which is funded by the Pembroke Castle Trust, is revealing important new evidence.

Mr Ludlow said: “There’s no doubt that this would have been an extremely important building in Pembrokeshire and a highly significant domestic building of its time.

“The former lawned area is now somewhere where people can visualise something on an extremely grand scale.

“It really is an important find for Pembrokeshire and an extremely exciting time for Pembroke Castle.”