Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Talley Mound and Bailey Castle
Talley, Carmarthenshire, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Scheduled monument
- Site type
- Motte and Bailey
- Period
- Medieval
- Community
- Talley
- Unitary authority
- Carmarthenshire
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates (centre of the scheduled area)
- 51.98189, -3.99406
- SAM number
- CM077
- Cadw record number
- 215
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1860 "41. Caermathen." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Summary description and reason for designation
The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The monument comprises the remains of a motte and bailey castle, a military stronghold built during the medieval period and situated on an isthmus between the two lakes, facing across the upper lake to the ruins of Talley Abbey. 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). The earthworks at Talley occupy a roughly oval 0.5m high platform measuring about 82m east-west by 56m at the centre of which is the motte; c 30m in diameter and c 5.0m high. Ditches c 0.4m deep separate this from the bailey on the east and another smaller outwork on the west.
The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval defensive organisation. The well-preserved monument forms an important element within the wider medieval context and the structure itself 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.
Nearby in the register
- Parish Church of St MichaelReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Ruin of Talley AbbeyReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Sunday SchoolroomReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Talley AbbeyAbbeyunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.