county · British Isles

Lordship of Gower

1106 CE – 1536 CE (approx.) · capital Swansea

A marcher lordship on the Gower peninsula and around Swansea, created by Henry de Beaumont, Earl of Warwick, in the early 12th century.

Origins

Henry de Beaumont, Earl of Warwick, took Gower from its Welsh rulers around 1106 and built a castle at Swansea. English and Flemish settlers occupied the southern part of the peninsula, which developed a lasting English-speaking character.

Rule and society

Gower was divided between an Anglicised lowland 'Englishry' and a Welsh upland 'Welshry'. The lords held their own courts and granted Swansea its first charter. The lordship passed to the de Braose family and later to the Mowbrays and the Herberts, and was repeatedly fought over by the lords of Glamorgan and Welsh princes.

Decline and legacy

The Laws in Wales Act of 1536 attached Gower to the new county of Glamorgan. Its distinct dialect and Anglo-Norman churches remain, and in 1956 it became Britain's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Lineage

Lordship of GowerKingdom of England 927 CE – 1707 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Lordship of Gower. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-gower
MLA
“Lordship of Gower.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-gower. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Lordship of Gower.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-gower.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Lordship of Gower’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/lordship-of-gower (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻