Boughrood Castle

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). 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. Boughrood Castle sits on a slight west-facing spur overlooking the Wye valley. The site consists of the remains of a large motte, standing c.3.5m high, with a base diameter of c.35m and a summit c.10m in diameter. The motte was originally surrounded by a ditch and counterscarp bank, which survived into recent years only on the north-west side where the ditch was c.6m wide and c.1.3m deep and the counterscarp c.8m wide. The south-eastern halves of the motte and ditch were removed by the construction of the adjacent Castle Farm. Earlier sources reported a bank c.4m wide and c.1m high running around the summit of the motte, attesting to the former presence of stone walling here; the area was however landscaped in the 1990s and these features are no longer visible. Some of the stonework may have related to use as part of the garden of the nearby Boughrood 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.