Welsh councillors are up in arms over plans to name Caerphilly housing estate after 13th century English baron who led a war against the Principality
- De Clare Gardens in Caerphilly, south Wales, is named after Gilbert De Clare
- De Clare built a castle in the town to keep the Welsh under his control
- Site being built by Redrow, who claim they are ‘very proud of our Welsh heritage’
- Locals slammed Redrow for showing ‘insensitivity’ and claim name is ‘total insult’
Welsh councillors are up in arms over plans to name a Caerphilly housing estate after a 13th-century English baron who led an invasion of Wales.
De Clare Gardens in Caerphilly, south Wales, has been named after Gilbert De Clare, an Englishman who built a castle in the town to keep the Welsh under his control.
The site is being built by Redrow, who claim they are ‘very proud of our Welsh heritage’ and picked the name as it reflects the ‘history and landmarks’ of the area.
Welsh councillors are up in arms over plans to name a Caerphilly housing estate (pictured) after a 13th-century English baron who led an invasion of Wales
They said 13th-century Caerphilly Castle – built by Lord De Clare – is a ‘fantastic asset for the local community and a popular heritage attraction’.
De Clare Gardens in Caerphilly, south Wales, has been named after Gilbert De Clare (a depiction, pictured), an Englishman who built a castle in the town to keep the Welsh under his control
But locals have slammed the firm, whose headquarters are in Wales, for showing ‘insensitivity’ and claim the name is a ‘total insult’.
Caerphilly Councillor Lindsay Whittle has ordered Redrow to scrap the proposed name – and pick one more suitable with consultation from the local community.
Lord De Clare is understood to have insisted on commanding a 1282 attack into southern Wales during King Edward I’s invasion of the country.
He lead the southern army but was stripped of his position following a devastating defeat near Llandeilo, south Wales.
In 1264, he lead a massacre of 500 Jews at Canterbury during the Second Barons’ War.
Caerphilly Councillor Lindsay Whittle said: ‘Gilbert De Clare built Caerphilly Castle in the 13th century.
‘An ally of Henry III, he had the castle constructed to keep the unruly Welsh people down.
‘He is also said to have led the massacre of the Jews at Canterbury, hardly the sort of person you should be naming a development after.
‘I’m very surprised that a house-builder with its headquarters in Wales should show such insensitivity. Didn’t someone at Redrow do some research on De Clare?
‘To give this part of Caerphilly this name is also a total insult to the campaigners who fought Redrow. It gives an impression of Redrow showing contempt for local public opinion.’
Redrow insist the name is a temporary working name and the council will be consulted over the permanent naming of the site upon completion.
Beverley Wookey, sales director for Redrow in south Wales, said: ‘As a company headquartered in Wales, we are very proud of our Welsh heritage.
‘We choose the temporary working names of our sites to reflect the history and landmarks of local communities.
‘This site has been temporarily named after Gilbert De Clare as he built Caerphilly Castle in the 13th century, a fantastic asset for the local community and a popular heritage attraction.
‘As with all of our developments, the local authority will have responsibility for naming streets once we have finished on-site, and the temporary development name no longer exists.’
The site (pictured) is being built by Redrow, who claim they are ‘very proud of our Welsh heritage’ and picked the name as it reflects the ‘history and landmarks’ of the area