Llanthomas Castle Mound | |
---|---|
Llanigon, Brecknockshire (Powys), Wales | |
Coordinates | 52°03′22″N3°09′17″W / 52.056°N 3.1548°W |
Type | Former motte-and-bailey castle mound |
Area |
|
Height | 3.5 metres (11 ft) |
Designations | |
Official name | Llanthomas Castle Mound |
Reference no. | BR078 |
Llanthomas Castle Mound was built by the Normans after the 1066 Norman conquest of England but before 1215. [1] [2] It is a first-generation motte and bailey castle design; the building materials were earth and timber.
The typical motte and bailey castle would have had a multi-storey wooden watchtower (i.e. the keep) on the summit of the motte, a wooden palisade fence around the bailey (i.e. the courtyard) and a deep ditch surrounding the bailey.
A millennium later the above ground wood has rotted away. The remains of Llanthomas Castle Mound consists of the motte, the ditch and buried masonry underpinning part of the wooden fence surrounding the bailey. [1] Traces of a possible site for a kitchen area within the bailey have been found to the south-east of the motte. [3] Digeddi Brook (a tributary of the River Wye) runs along the base of the ditch. [4]
After translation (from Latin and Tudor English) the Tudor antiquarian John Leyland described the role of Llanthomas Castle Mound as a defensive architecture. [5] [6] Cadw have described Llanthomas Castle Mound as an important relic of medieval architecture which might extend knowledge of medieval defensive practices. [1]
"Llan" is Welsh for the sacred land around a church. [7] Llanthomas translates to Thomas church in English.
Motte and bailey castles without evidence of the original bailey are called castle mounds (or tumps or twts). [8] Until recently the grazing meadow surrounding the motte was called Bailey court. [6] The words bailey and court are of Norman origin. [9]
Antiquarian, Tudor, Edwardian, Victorian and modern sources identify Llanthomas Castle Mound [10] [11] with names reflecting its close proximity to Llanigon and Hay-on-Wye. It has been referred to as Llanthomas Motte, [5] [12] [13] Llanthomas, [14] Llanthomas Mound, [15] Llanigon Castle, [16] Hay No.3, [10] and Hay Rural. [11]
Some antiquarian sources indirectly reference Llanthomas Castle Mound e.g. "the tumulus on the brook below Llanthomas", [17] [18] "the mound at Llanigon Castle", [19] and "the mound in Bailey Court". [6]
Llanthomas Castle Mound [20] is on a private property but is viewable from Llanthomas lane, [21] opposite the walled Llanthomas garden, [22] once part of the Llanthomas estate (c.f. below). [22]
Llanthomas Castle Mound is near the village of Llanigon [23] and less than 2 miles from the "town of books" i.e. Hay-on-Wye. It is on the same lane as the Hay Festival fields (dairy meadows). [24]
Llanthomas Castle Mound [20] is located in Powys, Wales but has a Herefordshire postcode. It is about 2 miles from the border with England, in the area known as the Welsh Marches. [25] Llanthomas Castle Mound is in the foothills of Hay Bluff in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog). It was in the historic county of Brecknockshire which became Powys in 1974. [26]
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. William Camden suggests that there was a watch tower to guard the road leading down to the Wye. [27] Today there is no direct line of sight to the river due to trees, and buildings. The fording point Little Fford Fawr [28] is located between Llanthomas Castle Mound [20] 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. [29] Other surviving Norman castles near Llanthomas Castle Mound, suggest a collective defensive military and trading roles for all the castles along the Middle Wye Valley [30] [19] e.g.
Cadw are the Welsh government funded regulatory body for the scheduling of historical assets in Wales. Scheduled monuments receive legal protection under the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016 [35] 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 have both structural evidence and intact associated deposits. The report concludes that Llanthomas Castle Mound is an important relic of the medieval landscape. [1]
The Welsh archaeological trusts maintain regional historic environment records on behalf of the Welsh government. The Clwyd–Powys Archaeological Trust(CPAT) records for Llanthomas Castle Mound include past Cadw reports: PRN 443 (1986), [36] 38278 (1988), [37] 2586 (1995). [38]
The Coflein online database, stores the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW). The archive is located in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The archive record for Llanthomas Castle Mound (PRN 306308 [39] ) include a hundred years of reports: 6057064, 6054097, 6064626, 6140925, 6140927, 6359576, 6464877, 6140926, 6140924, 6054098, 6059886, 6519900.
In 1921, the Reverend William Edward Thomas Morgan vicar at the pre-conquest church of St. Eigon, Llanigon, [40] [41] an amateur archaeologist hosted a visit from the Woolhope club. [6] The club study the natural history, geology, archaeology and the history of Herefordshire, England. William dug a small excavation trench on the summit of the motte, but no artefacts were found. [42] There is no known record of any professional level archaeological excavation or geophysical survey of Llanthomas Castle Mound.
In 1988, a professional excavation of a possible site for the bailey courtyard revealed activity associated with the motte. A number of artefacts were found including a sherd from the base of a medieval cooking pot, and a charcoal filled pit. The archaeologist's report suggests that this may have been the kitchen area within the bailey. [3] A private bungalow has since been built over the excavated site. [43]
When possible the Normans speeded up castle construction by building on existing Iron age or Bronze age hillforts, or Roman ruins or ditch, augmenting the castle's defensive architecture. Some antiquarian scholars believed that Llanthomas Castle Mound was built on an Iron Age tumulus. [17] [44] [45] [19] [9]
The second Norman invasion of Wales was successful, unlike the first. It was led by the Norman lord Bernard de Neufmarché (c.1050–c.1125). Brycheiniog (now Wales) was conquered between 1088 and 1095. Brycheiniog was divided into lesser lordships, and gifted to the knights who contributed to the conquest. [46]
Llanthomas Castle Mound was in the Llanthomas lordship. [16] [38] Motte and bailey castles were a vital Norman defensive architecture. Castle construction would have occurred soon after the lordship was allocated to a knight. [47] Llanthomas Castle Mound is likely to have been built in the late 11th or early 12th century. 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] [25] [48]
The Llanthomas lordship was part of the Hay lordship owned by William Revel, one of Bernard's knights. [16] Revel is thought to have built Hay Castle Motte, near St Mary's Church, Hay-on-Wye. [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] St. Marys was separated from the ancient parish of Llanigon (and St. Eigon) around 1115 A.D. [54]
In 1340 Llanigon had a chapel of ease named Thomascherche(PRN 81681). [55] [56] By the 14th century Llanthomas lordship became known as Llanthomas manor. It included the domicile of the lord of the manor and considerable land including Llanthomas Castle Mound, farmland, orchards(PRN 78372, 2586, 139277) etc. [57] [58] [59] The manor included a proprietary church called Thomaschurch, possibly the same chapel of ease, as its name is a translation from the French. [48] 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 Church in Wales. Documented references to the proprietary church disappeared by the 18th century. [48]
A local historian has suggested that one of the first lords of the manor may have been the English Earl,
From the Norman era through to the Victorian era, the Llanthomas lordship has been owned by nobility, the wealthy and the infamous. Authoritative historical primary sources and secondary sources show that there were many high status owners including descendants of the Devereux family who fought with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. It is believed that the Devereux family had several estates in Herefordshire since the time of King John, if not earlier. [60] [61]
Over the last millennium Llanthomas lordship has been known as Llanthomas [23] or Llanthomas estate, or Llanthomas manor. [72] [68] [73] The main domicile was known as Llanthomas house [71] [74] or Llanthomas mansion [75] or Llanthomas hall. [76] Over recent centuries many geographical areas of the original lordship were sold [77] including the land around Llanthomas Castle Mound which was sold for farming. Llanthomas Castle Mound is now part of a private residential property.
Llanthomas Castle Mound is included in many online lists of medieval period castles in Wales:
Other online sites that reference Llanthomas Castle Mound include:
Hay-on-Wye, known locally as Hay, is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire. With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as a "town of books"; it is both the National Book Town of Wales and the site of the annual Hay Festival.
Powys is a county and preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham to the north; the English ceremonial counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire to the east; Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Neath Port Talbot to the south; and Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion to the west. The largest settlement is Newtown, and the administrative centre is Llandrindod Wells.
Llanwrtyd is a small settlement in Powys, mid-Wales, giving its name to a community, in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), through which flows the River Irfon. It lies 1.5 miles north of the town of Llanwrtyd Wells.
Bronllys is a village and community situated in Powys, Wales, nestled between the towns of Brecon and Talgarth. The village is part of the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) and serves as an electoral ward for Powys County Council. The community also encompasses the nearby village of Llyswen.
Three Cocks or Aberllynfi is a village near Glasbury in Powys, Wales. The Welsh name refers to the mouth of the Afon Llynfi which enters the River Wye a mile from the village. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye some 5 miles (8.5 km) to the northeast.
Clyro is a village and community in Radnorshire, Powys, Wales, with 781 inhabitants as of the 2011 UK Census. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south-east.
Hen Domen Welsh, meaning "old mound", is the site of a medieval timber motte-and-bailey castle in Powys, Wales. It is the site of the original Montgomery Castle, and was built by Roger de Montgomery in 1070. From 1105 the castle was the home of the de Boulers (Bowdler) family, and it is from Baldwin de Boulers that Montgomery gets its Welsh name, Trefaldwyn "The Town of Baldwin". When the castle was rebuilt in stone (1223–1234), it was decided to rebuild it on a rocky promontory a mile to the southeast—the location of the current town of Montgomery, Powys. The Hen Domen site has been extensively excavated.
Hay Castle is a medieval fortification and 17th-century mansion house in the small town of Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Wales. Originally constructed as part of the Norman invasion of Wales, the castle was designed as a ringwork overlooking the town in either the late 11th or the early 12th centuries. It was rebuilt in stone around 1200 by the de Braose family and then had a turbulent history, being attacked and burnt several times during the First and Second Barons' Wars, the wars with the Welsh princes, the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr and the Wars of the Roses. In the 17th century a Jacobean mansion house was built alongside the medieval keep and the property became a private home. Serious fires in 1939 and 1977 gutted the castle and, despite repairs in the 1980s, by the early 21st century much of the building was derelict and unstable. Since 2011 it has been owned by Hay Castle Trust who have restored the property to form a centre for arts, literature and learning. Following the restoration, partly funded by grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund of over £5m, the castle opened to the public on 26 May 2022.
Glasbury, also known as Glasbury-on-Wye, is a village and community in Powys, Wales. The village lies at an important crossing point on the River Wye, connecting the historic counties of Brecknockshire and Radnorshire, and is located just outside the Brecon Beacons National Park, north of the Black Mountains. The village is split between the communities of Glasbury and Gwernyfed. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 4 miles (6 km) to the north east. The nearest city is Hereford in England, some 25 miles (40 km) to the east. Glasbury is a popular location for river fishing, canoeing and kayaking. The population of Glasbury community in Radnorshire was 994, in 1841 it was 838.
Llanigon is a village and community in Powys, Wales on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, north of the Black Mountains, Wales. The community population was 478. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye, some 1.5 miles (2 km) to the east. It is in the historic county of Brecknockshire.
Pipton is a small settlement and former civil parish in Powys, Wales on the Afon Llynfi near its confluence with the River Wye. It was formerly in the county of Brecknockshire and is now part of the community of Bronllys. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye some 5 miles (8.0 km) to the east.
Llandyssil is a village in the community of Abermule with Llandyssil, in Powys, Wales, in the traditional county of Montgomeryshire. It is about two miles from the town of Montgomery.
Tomen yr Allt was a Medieval motte and bailey defensive castle near Llanfyllin in Powys, Wales. "Tomen ar hallt" is modern Welsh for "mound on the wooded hillside."
The farm at Great Porthamel, at Talgarth in Powys, Wales, comprises a range of buildings including the farmhouse, the gate tower and an agricultural building. They form the remnants of a major medieval manor that was the principal seat of the Vaughan family. The complex has been described as "one of the more remarkable mediaeval houses of Wales". The gatehouse is a Grade I listed building, and a scheduled monument, while the farmhouse is listed at Grade II* and the agricultural building at Grade II.
Reverend William Jones Thomas (1811–1886) was a 19th-century Welsh Anglican priest. He was vicar at the pre-conquest church of St. Eigon, Llanigon, Wales.
Reverend William Edward Thomas Morgan (1847–1940) was a 19th-century Welsh Anglican priest. He was vicar at the pre-conquest church of St. Eigon, Llanigon, Wales.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: date and year (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)