Scheduled MonumentsWalesCastell Dolforwyn
Medieval · Castle

Castell Dolforwyn

Wales
Cadw SAM MG114
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Castell Dolforwyn is a late thirteenth-century Welsh castle built on a hilltop near Newtown in Montgomeryshire. Constructed by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Gwynedd, the castle served as a stronghold to defend Welsh territorial interests against English expansion during the final decades of independent Welsh rule. The site comprises a stone keep and defensive walls positioned strategically on elevated terrain, demonstrating characteristic features of high medieval military architecture adapted to the Welsh borderlands. Following the conquest of Wales by Edward I, the castle was slighted in 1277, effectively ending its military function, though substantial remains of its stone fortifications survive today.

Castell Dolforwyn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG114. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castell Dolforwyn?

Castell Dolforwyn is a late thirteenth-century Welsh castle built on a hilltop near Newtown in Montgomeryshire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG114.

What period does Castell Dolforwyn date from?

Castell Dolforwyn 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 Dolforwyn?

Castell Dolforwyn 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 MG114.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castell Dolforwyn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The Moat Mound and Bailey Castle (5.6 km), Sibwll Wood Camp (6.2 km), Fron Derw Wood Camp (6.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Castell Dolforwyn

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

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

The wider landscape

Around Castell Dolforwyn

Offa's DykeArchaeological site · ~9.1 miles