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Castell Waunberllan is a medieval moated site located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CM251. The monument comprises a rectangular defensive enclosure defined by substantial earthwork banks and a surrounding moat, a common layout for high-status residences of the medieval period. The site sits on bedrock of Wenlock formation—mudstone, siltstone and sandstone—which would have influenced both the ease of moat excavation and the character of the landscape surrounding the dwelling.
Moated sites became prevalent across Wales and the English borderlands from the 12th century onwards, serving as fortified homes for the medieval gentry and Norman settlers. They offered modest but practical defence through their water-filled ditches whilst allowing their residents to display status and territorial authority within their local communities. The earthworks at Castell Waunberllan remain substantially visible, preserving the plan of the medieval occupation even where the superstructure has long vanished.
The site's survival as earthworks rather than stone ruins is typical of many Welsh moated sites, where the emphasis lay on engineering the landscape rather than elaborate stonework. Such monuments are valuable records of medieval settlement patterns and the distribution of local power across the Welsh countryside during the medieval period.
Castell Waunberllan is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM251. View the official record →
Castell Waunberllan is a medieval moated site located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CM251.
Castell Waunberllan dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a moated site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Castell Waunberllan 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 CM251.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Nant Tarw Stone Circles (6.4 km), Stone Setting on Waun Llwyd (6.8 km), Twyn yr Esgair Settlement (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castell Waunberllan'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 Waunberllan stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.