Old Castle Mound

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 or ringwork 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. A ringwork is similar but has a distinct bank around the edge of the summit. Old Castle Mound stands above a steep scarp overlooking the river Irfon, which runs immediately to its south. The central mound is c.40m in diameter at its base, with a roughly D-shaped summit, measuring c.16m north-south by c.13.5m. The summit is surrounded by a bank on all sides apart from the south, where it is open above the river. The mound as a whole is surrounded by a ditch c.0.5m deep on its west, north and east, which again runs out into the natural scarp on the south. A bailey has been suggested to the north-west, though little trace of this is now visible.

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.