Crug Eryr Castle

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Crug Eryr Castle (Castell Crug Eryr) was a motte and bailey-style castle located atop a hill adjacent to the A44 about 2 miles northwest of Llanfihangel Nant Melan, near New Radnor in Powys, Wales. Crug Eryr, which means "the eagle's mount," was likely situated to block the mountain pass into Maelienydd.

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The castle's exact origins are unclear, though some scholars believe it belonged to the princes of Maelienydd, considering that Maelgwn ap Cadwallon, 'Prince of Melenia' [1] (i.e. Maelienydd) son of Cadwallon ap Madog, received the Archbishop of Canterbury at Crug Eryr Castle in March 1188. [2] This occasion was an early stop on the Tour of Wales during which the Archbishop was accompanied by Gerald of Wales. This tour was intended as a recruiting campaign of the Third Crusade.

The herald-bard Llywelyn Crug Eryr lived here in about 1300. [3]

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References

  1. Gerald of Wales, The Itinerary through Wales, Book 1, Chapter 1: Journey through Hereford and Radnor
  2. British Archaeology, Issue 34, May 1998
  3. Haslam, Richard (1979). The Buildings of Wales – Powys : (Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, Breconshire). Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 253. ISBN   0140710515.

Further reading

Coordinates: 52°13′31″N3°14′05″W / 52.2254°N 3.2347°W / 52.2254; -3.2347