© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Castell Pen-Gawsai is a medieval earthwork castle situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under the reference PE289. The monument occupies ground underlain by Arenig Rocks of Arenigian age, a formation composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. This bedrock geology determined both the site's accessibility and the materials available for construction during the medieval period.
The earthwork survives as a defensive work of medieval date, representing the type of fortification common throughout Wales during the medieval centuries. Such castles often served administrative, military and residential functions, commanding their surrounding landscape and controlling important routes or territories. The choice of location at Pen-Gawsai would have offered strategic advantages suited to medieval settlement and defensive needs.
As an unclassified earthwork, the site retains archaeological potential for understanding medieval settlement patterns and military architecture in Wales. The monument's preservation under Cadw protection reflects its significance within the heritage landscape. The underlying geology of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone would have influenced both the construction techniques employed and the earthwork's response to erosion and weathering over subsequent centuries.
Castell Pen-Gawsai is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE289. View the official record →
Castell Pen-Gawsai is a medieval earthwork castle situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under the reference PE289.
Castell Pen-Gawsai dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a earthwork (unclassified). It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Castell Pen-Gawsai 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 PE289.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castell Gwyn (6.3 km), Inscribed Stone in outer face of wall of St Michael's Church (now in Llandissilio Church) (6.3 km), Defended Enclosure 300m NW of Closbach (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castell Pen-Gawsai'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.
Castell Pen-Gawsai stands on Arenig Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Arenigian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.