Pointz Castle Mound

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 ditch, dating to the medieval period (c. 1066 -1540 AD) and likely constructed in the 12th century by Punch or Ponce, a knight and tenant of Bishop Peter de Leia of St Davids (1176-1199). Referred to as Castrum or Villa Poncii it subsequently became one of the principal granges of the episcopal estate. 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 motte at Pointz Castle measures c36m in diameter at the base, c10.5 in diameter across the top and is c6m high. For the greater part it is surrounded by a ditch 3m wide with a c1.5m counterscarp and is eroded or has been dug into on the south side. On top there are the footings of a rectangular stone structure. No traces of an outer bailey survive, but surveyors in the 1920s noted that it may have lain in the nearby field to the west called Parc y Castle.

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.