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Caer Licyn is a medieval motte situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference MM043. The monument consists of an earthen mound characteristic of the motte-and-bailey castle form, which became widespread throughout Wales and the English Marches during the Norman period and High Middle Ages. Mottes served as fortified administrative centres and military strongholds, typically featuring a timber palisade and fortified building atop the raised platform.
The motte at Caer Licyn is constructed upon bedrock of Lower Devonian age, composed of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate. This foundation of Early Devonian rocks, approximately 410 million years old, provided a stable geological base for the earthwork's construction. The underlying geology would have influenced both the motte's placement within the landscape and the methods employed in its creation, as builders worked with the local stone and soil conditions.
The survival of Caer Licyn as an identifiable earthwork reflects the substantial engineering effort invested in its construction. Though now grass-covered and lacking visible timber or masonry structures, the motte remains an important record of medieval settlement patterns and defensive strategies in Wales. Its protection under Cadw ensures ongoing preservation of this significant monument to Wales's medieval past.
Caer Licyn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM043. View the official record →
Caer Licyn is a medieval motte situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference MM043.
Caer Licyn dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Caer Licyn 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 MM043.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including St. Mary's Churchyard Cross, Llanwern (5.3 km), Wilcrick Hill Camp (5.5 km), Medieval Building adjoining Magor Churchyard (6.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Caer Licyn'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.
Caer Licyn stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.