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Bank House Medieval Settlement is a deserted rural settlement of medieval date protected by Cadw under reference RD159. Located in Wales, the site occupies land underlain by Ordovician mafic tuff, part of the ancient volcanic bedrock that characterises upland areas of the Welsh landscape. This geological foundation would have presented both challenges and opportunities to medieval settlers, offering stone suitable for building yet demanding resilient farming practices.
The settlement represents a common pattern of medieval rural occupation across Wales, where scattered farmsteads and hamlets supported agricultural communities distant from major centres. The specific topography and geology of Bank House would have shaped the choices of its medieval inhabitants, from the siting of buildings to the management of surrounding land and water resources.
The abandonment of such rural settlements was a widespread phenomenon across medieval Britain, resulting from economic change, shifts in land use, or the consolidation of populations. Bank House survives today as an archaeological site where surface features and subsurface deposits preserve evidence of daily medieval life. Its protection by Cadw ensures that the settlement remains a resource for understanding rural society and the changing relationship between communities and the Welsh landscape during the medieval period.
Bank House Medieval Settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD159. View the official record →
Bank House Medieval Settlement is a deserted rural settlement of medieval date protected by Cadw under reference RD159.
Bank House Medieval Settlement dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a deserted rural settlement. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Bank House Medieval Settlement is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is RD159.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Fforest Wood Mound & Bailey Castle (7.8 km), Cwmblaenerw Enclosed Long Hut (8.5 km), Penarth Mount Castle Mound (8.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Bank House Medieval Settlement's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Bank House Medieval Settlement stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic tuff.