extended in a line with the Castle Gates across the isthmus down to the
banks of the river, having a corresponding barrier on the other side of
the castle. It was erected by Robert de Belesme, third Norman Earl of
Shrewsbury, under the idea that his father’s fortifications were not of
sufficient strength to withstand a siege from the forces of Henry I.
which in 1102 marched against him (page 14).
An additional rampart called Roushill, enclosing the space between the
wall of Earl Robert and the Welsh bridge, was added during the
Commonwealth. These walls for many years served as a communication
between the northern and western parts of the town; but in 1835 the more
modern portion was nearly buried in the formation of a new road.