Description

The monument comprises the remains of a motte and bailey castle, a military stronghold built during the medieval period. A motte and bailey castle comprises a large conical or pyramidal mound of soil or stone (the motte) surrounded by, or adjacent to, one or more embanked enclosures (the bailey). Both may be surrounded by wet or dry ditches and would have been further strengthened with palisades, revetments, and/or a tower on top of the motte. In this example, which stands on a spur at an altitude of 390m, with superb views NW towards the Wye valley, the bailey is unusually small. The bailey takes the form of a fairly regular circle, raised c.3m above the surrounding surface, from which it is separated by an earthen rampart with an average height of c.1m with a shallow ditch outside it. The motte, which is c.5-6m high, is surrounded by an even shallower ditch which connects with that surrounding the bailey. The site is first mentioned c.1188 by Giraldus Cambrensis when it was the seat of Maelgwyn, son of Cadwallon ap Madog of Powys, and is thought to have remained in Welsh hands through most of the Medieval period.

The monument is of national importance as one of the few documented motte and bailey castles of almost certain Welsh origin and for its potential to enhance our knowledge of Welsh medieval defensive and domestic architecture and practices. The well-preserved earthworks may be expected to contain archaeological information relating to chronology, building techniques and functional detail.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.

Source: Cadw