Castell Hywel

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a motte and ditch, dating to the medieval period (c. 1066 -1540 AD). A motte is a large conical or pyramidal mound of soil and/or stone, usually surrounded by either a wet or dry ditch, and surmounted by a tower constructed of timber or stone. The mound at Castell Hywel stands c.8m above the road which adjoins it on the west. It is c.12m across the top and has a ditch on the east and south which peters out on the north, where a steep slope runs down to a stream, and the west, where the road may have cut through it. There has been some disturbance to the top of the motte, with an old trench c.8m long and up to c.2m deep running in from the east side. There was possibly once an enclosure on its east side.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval defensive practices. The monument is well-preserved and an important relic of the medieval landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both structural evidence and intact associated deposits.

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