Scheduled MonumentsWalesBoughrood Castle
Medieval · Motte

Boughrood Castle

Radnorshire, Wales
Cadw SAM RD072
Period
Medieval
Site type
Motte
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Boughrood Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortification located in Radnorshire, Wales, dating to the Norman period following the late eleventh-century conquest and colonisation of the region. The site consists of a prominent mound with an attached bailey, a typical earthwork defensive arrangement characteristic of early Norman settlement in the Welsh Marches. The castle occupied a strategically important position within the lordship of Radnor, serving as a centre of Norman control and administration in this contested frontier territory. Though no substantial stone structures survive, the earthwork remains represent an important example of the military infrastructure through which Norman lords established their authority over the Welsh countryside.

Boughrood Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD072. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Boughrood Castle?

Boughrood Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortification located in Radnorshire, Wales, dating to the Norman period following the late eleventh-century conquest and colonisation of the region. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD072.

What period does Boughrood Castle date from?

Boughrood Castle dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Boughrood Castle?

Boughrood Castle 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 RD072.

What other scheduled monuments are near Boughrood Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks (7.4 km), Penywyrlod Chambered Tomb (7.8 km), Cefn Barn Ringwork (7.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Boughrood Castle

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Boughrood Castle's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Boughrood Castle

Boughrood Castle stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Boughrood Castle

KenchesterRoman town · ~19.2 miles