Llanthomas Castle Mound was built by the Normans after the 1066 Norman Conquest of England, probably after the Norman invasion of Wales in 1081, but before 1215.[1][2][3][4] It was motte and bailey castle design. The building materials were earth, rubble, and timber. The earth was probably obtained from the surrounding ditch and the timber from nearby woods.[5]
Cadw are the Welsh government funded regulatory body for the scheduling of historical assets in Wales. They describe Llanthomas Castle Mound as an important relic of medieval architecture which might extend knowledge of medieval defensive practices.[1] Their scheduled area comprises the motte and a substantial area of lawn at the base of the motte, where related evidence is expected to survive.
History
Antiquarian sources have revealed the link between Llanthomas Castle Mound with Llanigon, Llanthomas and the River Wye.
In Tudor times, Theophilus Jones suggested that Llanigo (Llaneygan in Anglo-Saxon, known today as Llanigon) was named after the first British female saint called Eigen.[6][7][8]Saint Eigen lived around the end of the 1st century in the settlement called Trefynys (known today as Llanthomas).[9] The pre-conquestnucleated settlement grew around a church.[10][11] Possibly on the site of the existing church of St. Eigon, in Llanigon. The earliest reference to the church of St. Eigon is between 1148 and 1155.[12][13] The oldest part of the current church building dates to the 13th century, suggesting that the current building was built on or near the site of an older church.[14] Nothing is known of the history of the Trefynys settlement, "though some relationship with the motte at Llanthomas 700m down the Digeddi Brook seems assured".[12]Lewis Dunn[15] suggests that the dedication of the church of St. Eigon in Llanigon and/or the derivation of the village name Llanigon is unclear.[16][17][18] The dedications might be honouring the first century Saint Eigen or the 6th century Saint Eigion, both are local Welsh saints.[14][19]
The "motte at Llanthomas" is formally called Llanthomas Castle Mound and was part of the Norman Llanthomas lordship, a sub-lordship of the Hay lordship.[12][20] Llanthomas Castle Mound was built in the late 11th or early 12th century. Unlike Hay Tump,[21] it is not known who built Llanthomas Castle Mound, but it is known to have existed from the early days of the Norman conquest.[2][22][4]
John Leyland visited Llanigo and its castle between 1536 and 1539.[23][24] He wrote about the castle "Llanigo apperith a tour tanquam noxiorum custodiae deputata".[25][26] That is, the castle was "intended for guarding against evil-doers". William Camden adds that "at Llanigo appears a castle or tower".[27] The mention of a tower approximately 350 years after construction, suggests that the original wooden keep was refortified with a shell keep and/or a stone keep. These days the surface at the top of Llanthomas Castle Mound is uneven. This is often indicative of buried rubble from a collapsed stone structure. Conversely, a wooden keep tends to result in a level top surface after the above ground wood has rotted.[28][17][5]
John Lloyd wrote "the tumulus below Llanthomas is said to direct to the ford on the Wye".[29][30]William Morgan interpreted this to mean that the castle guarded the road leading down to the River Wye.[17] An ordnance survey map (published in 1888) shows that the road connects to the River Wye via the nearby ford called Little Ffordd-Fawr.
Llanthomas to Little Ffordd-Fawr via Tumulus in 1888 map.
CPAT indicate that Llanthomas is historically significant because it has "a motte from the early days of the Norman Conquest", and in the Tudor era its "ancient mansion" (as Samuel Lewis called it) was owned by a high status individual.[2] Samuel Lewis reveals that around the time of Leyland's visit, the Lord of Llanthomas was Sir Walter Deveraux, the Lord Chief Justice of South Wales.[12][17][30] Edwin Poole listed many of the other high-status individuals who had lived in Llanthomas up to the 20th century (see Notable people below).[16][31][32]
The majority of Motte and Bailey castles, had a mound less than 5m in height, as is Llanthomas Castle Mound.[38]
Nearly a millennium after the construction of Llanthomas Castle Mound the only above ground wood is a self-seeded Hawthorn tree. The evidence of the castle today consists of the motte, the ditch and buried walls. The walls underpinned the wooden fence surrounding the bailey (along Llanthomas lane) and near the top of the ditch "all the way down to the brook" (on the north/north-west side).[1][5]
A bailey covered a considerable land area, and may have used much of the level land from Llanthomas Castle Mound along the single carriageway section of Llanthomas lane in the direction of Llanigon.[39][40] An ordnance survey map (see above) shows that the field that wrapped around the tumulus was fully enclosed by Digeddi brook and Llanthomas lane.[37] The field was used as a grazing meadow and was called Bailey Court.[41][42][5] In recent times the field has been split into multiple private plots/dwellings. Traces of a possible site for a kitchen area within the bailey has been found about 50m to the south-east of the motte.[43] Digeddi brook (a tributary of the River Wye) runs along the base of the ditch offering a vital natural resource for any military settlement.[44]
Field work
Motte and bailey castles were built in an age when written records were sparse, above ground wood has long since rotted and any masonry has been repurposed.[45][46] These days evidence of a bailey can be discerned by geophysical surveys and/or excavation.
In 1988, the professionalarchaeologist Peter Dorling[48][49][50][51][52] with the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust conducted an excavation of a possible site for the bailey courtyard. They discovered activity associated with the motte. Artefacts were found including a sherd from the base of a medievalcooking pot. The work included topsoil stripping, site levelling and excavation of foundation trenches. Their report describes a number of visible stone-filled features. They state "Four definite features were noted during the excavation ... The most distinctive of these was a stone-filled pit or ditch butt-end ... its basal fill contained some quantity of charcoal".[53] The archaeologist's report concluded it is likely to have been a kitchen within the bailey.[43][54][55]
Llanthomas was known as Trefynys from the 1st century to around Norman times.[57][17] The Welsh words "Tref" and "ynys" mean "settlement" (or "town") and "island", respectively.[59] Trefynys is used in Welsh place names to denote a populated area or settlement. By the 14th century, Trefynys was known as Thomascherche (or Seint Thomas chirche).[60][61][62] Sometime later it became known as Llanthomas, the French and English derivations of "Thomas church" respectively. The settlement contained a chapel of rest probably dedicated to Saint Thomas.[9] Today, Llanthomas is a settlement within the village of Llanigon.
The French words "motte" and "bailey" mean "mound" and "enclosure" respectively in English.[63]Motte and bailey castles without evidence of the original bailey are called castle mounds (or tumps or twts). Until recently, the grazing field around Llanthomas Castle Mound[64] was called Bailey Court.[5] The words "bailey" and "court" are of Norman origin.[65] The Normans used the word "donjon" for the keep. It is derived from the Latin word "dominarium" meaning "lordship", emphasising the link between the castle and the Lord of the manor.[66]
Antiquarian and modern sources identify Llanthomas Castle Mound with names reflecting its close proximity to Llanigon and Hay-on-Wye. It has been referred to as "Llanthomas Motte",[26][67][68] "Llanthomas",[69] "Llanthomas Mound",[70] and "Llanigon Castle".[20] Others group Llanthomas Castle Mound with the Hay-on-Wye castles. In 1961, castleologist, D. J. Cathcart King in his magnus opus aspired to list all UK castles. Hay Castle[71] is listed as Hay No. 1, Hay Tump[21] as Hay No. 2 and Llanthomas Castle Mound[72] as Hay No. 3. The Hay castles are numbered 6, 22 and 23 respectively in his index.[73] Also in 1961 the Ministry of Works published a list of UK monuments whose preservation was considered to be of "national importance". Llanthomas Castle Mound is associated with Hay Rural and Hay Tump with Hay Urban, referencing the post-1894 civil parishes.[74][75] Some antiquarian sources allude to Llanthomas Castle Mound e.g. "the tumulus on the brook below Llanthomas",[16][29] "the mound at Llanigon Castle",[76] "the ruins of the castle at Llanigon to Llowes ford"[36] and "the mound in Bailey Court".[5]
Location
Hay BluffRiver Wye at Hay-on-Wye
Llanthomas Castle Mound[77] is on a private property but is viewable from the single carriageway section of Llanthomas lane,[78][79] opposite the walled Llanthomas gardens.[80][81][82] Adjacent private properties on Llanthomas lane are mentioned in the Francis Kilvert diaries including Llanthomas cottage,[79] Llanthomas lodge[5] and Llanthomas gardens.[83] The associated land for these Victorian/Edwardian properties were once part of the Llanthomas lordship (see below).[83] Kilvert frequently visited the nearby Llanthomas Hall[84][85][86] and the vicarage of St. Eigon.
The location of Llanthomas Castle Mound may have been chosen because it occupies a high point that once overlooked the River Wye less than a mile away. Currently there is no direct line of sight to the river due to hedges, trees, and buildings. The fording point Little Ffordd-Fawr[91] is located between Llanthomas Castle Mound[77] and the south bank of the river. Mottes often had a direct line of sight with a nearby motte as is the case with Llanthomas Castle Mound and Llowes Castle Tump on the north bank of the river.[92] Nearby, Clyro and Hay castles may also have been twinned. The strategic purpose for twinning was to control both sides of the river connected by a fording point, reinforcing Norman dominance along the Middle Wye Valley.[93]
Other surviving Norman castles near Llanthomas Castle Mound, reveals the collective defensive military and trading roles for all the castles along the Middle Wye Valley[10][76] e.g.
In more peaceful times, Llanthomas Castle Mound and Llowes Castle Tump protected a trading route between Brecknockshire (south of the River Wye) and Radnorshire (north of the River Wye). Small quarries were once active in the area "for the limestone which occurs in narrow banks within the sandstone of the Black Mountains".[4] Limestone was carted through Llanigon parish on to Radnorshire via Llanthomas road (now lane) and the fording point Little Ffordd-Fawr.[5] By the 19th century limestone, building stone and roofing tiles were quarried locally.[99] There were also mills on the Digeddi brook close to Llanthomas Castle Mound at Llanthomas lodge[5] and at Penglomen (the "pigeon's head").[5][37]
Visit by archaeology and local history enthusiasts, July 2025
Bungalow built on the site of the bailey kitchen
Cows grazing on the motte and bailey
Sunflowers
Rainbow over motte, bailey and ditch
Sunset
Moon
Winter
Self-seeded hawthorn tree on partially mown motte
Male pheasant
Male and female pheasants
Mowing the motte
Adjacent to motte an ancient oak tree (with a TPO)
Non-scheduled areas unearth many flat stones
Motte summit view of Hay Bluff
Motte summit view of Maesllwch Castle Glasbury, see Cadw: PGW (Po)18(POW)
Bailey court was bounded by Digeddi brook and Llanthomas lane (between the 18th/19th century floodway bridges, see Cadw 16102)
Buried masonry visible from Llanthomas lane that underpinned the original palisade fence around the bailey
Motte viewed from the splayed drive on Llanthomas lane
Bailey viewed from the base of the ditch
Digeddi brook viewed from the base of the ditch
St Davids Day
Springtime view from Llanthomas lane
Welsh Sunshine
Welsh Government records
Cadwscheduled monuments receive legal protection under the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016[100] and the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Cadw provide an initial scheduling report and assign a field monument warden, a professional archaeologist, to keep a watching brief on the scheduled site. The Cadw scheduled report for Llanthomas Castle Mound (BR078[1]) states that there is a strong possibility that Llanthomas Castle Mound and the scheduled area (the grassed area at the base of the motte) have both structural evidence and intact associated deposits. The report concludes that Llanthomas Castle Mound is an important relic of the medieval landscape.[1]
Motte and bailey castles were a vital Norman defensive architecture. A castle would have been built soon after the lordship was allocated to a knight.[122]
By 1340, Llanigon is known to have had a chapel of ease called Thomascherche (PRN 81681).[61][60] In the 14th century the Llanthomas lordship was known as Llanthomas manor. The manor had considerable land including Llanthomas Castle Mound, farmland, orchards(PRN 78372, 2586, 139277) etc.[128][129][130] The manor included a proprietary church called Thomaschurch, probably the Llanigon chapel of ease, as its name is the translation from the French. The chapel was located near the domicile of the lord of the manor.[131] The proprietary church was funded by the lord of the manor, who provided its vicar with a stipend making the chapel financially independent of the diocese in the established church. Documented references to the proprietary church had disappeared by the 18th century.[4]
Lloyd provides a detailed geographical description of the estate around the start of the 19th century, before many parts were sold off.[29] In Victorian times, the Llanthomas estate was described as a rectangle of land. The length was Llanthomas lane, the breadth was from the Old Forge to Cy Terrig (formerly the Vicarage for St. Eigon).[79] Since then many more parts of the original lordship have been sold,[153] including the land around Llanthomas Castle Mound which was sold for farming. In recent times the original Llanthomas lordship[20][103] includes Llanthomas Castle Mound and 18th/19th century private dwellings including Glandwr, Ty-mawr, Llanthomas cottage,[79] Llanthomas farm,[154][155] Llanthomas hall (built on the site of the original hall),[84] Llanthomas lodge[5] and Llanthomas Gardens etc.[83]
Notable people
Saint Eigen (sometimes spelt as Eurgen, Eurgain or Eurgan) was the daughter of Caratacus. She may have lived in Trefynys (now Llanthomas), around the end of the 1st century.[57][17][9] Caratacus led the British resistance to the Roman conquest in AD 43.[147] Caratacus and his family were captured and taken to Rome, where they converted to Christianity. After their release, Caratacus, Saint Eigen, Saint Cyllin and Saint Ilid returned to Wales. It has been suggested that Saint Eigen assisted the early entry of Christianity into Britain.[6][7][8]
John Leyland (1503–1552) was a Tudorantiquarian, poet, archaeologist, and chaplain to King Henry VIII. John visited Llanthomas Castle Mound in the 16th century. He died young, suffering from mental illness in his latter days. The notes of his visits were available to William Camden and other antiquarians. The notes were formally published at the start of the 20th century. He is known as the father of English local history and is a primary source for British history scholars.
Sir Walter Devereux (c.1361-1402) was a knight during the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV. He married Agnes de Crophull. Records in 1402 show that Walter held the manors of Brilley, Pipton, Thomascherche i.e. Llanthomas/Llanigon and part of La Hay i.e. Hay-on-Wye.[133][60]
Sir Walter Devereux (1387–1419) of Bodenham was a knight during the reigns of Henry IV and Henry V. He married Elizabeth Bromwich. He inherited only part of the lands of his father when he came of age. His mother, Agnes de Crophull held the majority of his estates in dower during Walter's lifetime. It is not known whether Agnes or Walter owned Llanthomas.[133][60]
Lord Walter Devereux (1541–1576) was Lettice Devereux's first husband.[133] He was created the 1st Earl of Essex, by Queen Elizabeth I.[156] He was a prominent English nobleman and known for his brutal military campaigns in Ireland.
William Watkins (died 1702) was in the parliamentarian army against Charles I, and a "propagator of the Gospel in South Wales".[157] In 1672 an act of parliament allowed nonconformist groups to meet in their own homes. The Llanigon Dissenters held meetings at Penyrwyrlodd, his other mansion in Llanigon. Their son John was wounded in a duel, leading to his opponent's death. Fearing capture, he hid in Hay Castle but died whilst searching for a safer hiding place. His widow lived in Llanthomas until her death in 1734. A Watkins descendent also called William Watkins, lived in Llanthomas in 1772.[11][142][17]
James Jones High Sheriff of Brecknockshire (in 1810) sold Llanthomas estate (including its farm) and Llwyn Llwyd farm in Llanigon to Thynne Howe Gwynne in July 1814.[158]
Esquire Thynne Howe Gwynne (c.1780-1855) was married to the Honourable Georgianna Marianna Devereux, daughter of George the 13th Viscount Hereford of Tregoyd. He "modernized with great taste, forming a handsome and prominent object in the scenery of the village, close to which it is situated".[30]
ReverendWilliam Jones Thomas (1811–1886) was vicar at St. Eigon, Llanigon. He is remembered for his rejection of Francis Kilvert as a suitor for one of his five daughters. There are many references to the Thomas family in the Francis Kilvert's Diaries of 1870-1879. William and his descendants were to be the last owners of the Llanthomas estate and hall. They sold the estate land and the contents of the hall to pay off accumulated debts. The hall was demolished in 1954.[145][85] A modern home has been built on part of the footing of the old hall.
Antiquarian sources
Leyland, John (1906). The itinerary in Wales, 1536-1539 (Lucy Toulmin Smith ed.).[26][24]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
