Scheduled MonumentsWalesCastell Dinefwr
Medieval · Castle

Castell Dinefwr

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM029
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Castell Dinefwr is a medieval castle occupying a prominent hilltop position near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The site was a seat of the princes of Deheubarth from at least the twelfth century, with the surviving stone structures primarily dating from the thirteenth century when it served as a stronghold of the Welsh princely house. The castle comprises a substantial round tower or keep, defensive walls, and associated earthwork defences characteristic of Welsh medieval fortifications. Dinefwr represents an important example of princely rather than Norman baronial castle architecture and remains one of the most significant medieval sites in South Wales, designated as a scheduled ancient monument under the Cadw management system.

Castell Dinefwr is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM029. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castell Dinefwr?

Castell Dinefwr is a medieval castle occupying a prominent hilltop position near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CM029.

What period does Castell Dinefwr date from?

Castell Dinefwr dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a castle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Castell Dinefwr?

Castell Dinefwr 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 CM029.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castell Dinefwr?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two Burnt Mounds 600m ESE of Rhyd-y-Ffynnon Farm (3.2 km), Cincoed Limestone Quarries and Kilns (5.3 km), Limekilns East of Cincoed (5.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Castell Dinefwr

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castell Dinefwr'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 Castell Dinefwr

Castell Dinefwr stands on Llanvirn Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Whiterock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.