Castell Gwallter, also known as Walter's Castle and sometimes Castell Penweddig, is the remains of a Norman motte-and-bailey castle situated on a large hill above the old village of Llandre (Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn) in northern Ceredigion, Wales, four miles northeast of Aberystwyth.
Castell Gwallter was built around 1120 by Walter de Bec, who was one of the tenants of Gilbert Fitz Richard. Walter was a "distinguished knight who had chief command at the 'Battle of the Standard' in 1138, and is said to have stood on the wagon of the Standards, and to have inspired his troops by an oration in a voice like a trumpet". He was one of the great feudal knights with estates in the North of England. [1] The castle was captured in 1136 by Owain Gwynedd but was retaken in 1153 by Lord Rhys and his brothers. After this, history does not relate what happened to the castle, but it may have been demolished. [2]
Castell Gwallter is situated in a prominent position about half a mile west of the village of Llandre. It is one of about 300 castles of its type in the area built to try to subdue the Welsh, a motte-and-bailey type fortification which originally had a tower built on a large mound. The motte is surrounded by a ditch and the inner bailey is small, and is surrounded by a larger outer enclosure. The whole site is very well-preserved and as there is no sign of building stone on top of the mound, the tower may have been made of wood. There is steep ground to the east and the north which provides natural defences, and the site is about 90 m (300 ft) higher than St Michael’s Church, Llandre to which it is adjacent. [2]
The castle is on private land but can be seen from a public right of way which passes close by. [2]
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to build with unskilled labour, but still militarily formidable, these castles were built across northern Europe from the 10th century onwards, spreading from Normandy and Anjou in France, into the Holy Roman Empire, as well as the Low Countries it controlled, in the 11th century, when these castles were popularized in the area that became the Netherlands. The Normans introduced the design into England and Wales. Motte-and-bailey castles were adopted in Scotland, Ireland, and Denmark in the 12th and 13th centuries. By the end of the 13th century, the design was largely superseded by alternative forms of fortification, but the earthworks remain a prominent feature in many countries.
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Llandre, or Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn, is a village in Ceredigion, Wales. It lies 5 miles north of Aberystwyth in the north-west of the county, on the road from Rhydypennau to Borth. To the north of the community lies the village of Dôl-y-bont. The community is called Geneu'r Glyn.
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Buddugre Castle was a motte and bailey defensive fortification overlooking the River Ithon, located in the community of Llanddewi Ystradenny, in Radnorshire, Wales. It is believed to have been built as a defensive measure in the medieval period, during the 12th century, as a timber castle.
Builth Castle was a castle built under King Edward I, just outside Builth Wells, Powys, Wales. At one time it was an impressive stone-built castle but all the masonry has been removed over the years and all that remains are the mound on which it stood, the ditches and embankments.
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