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Castle Earthwork 200m S of Coed Caeau is a medieval ringwork situated in mid-Wales on solid bedrock of Pridoli age rocks—ancient mudstones, siltstones and sandstones formed in the early Palaeozoic. The earthwork comprises a substantial circular or oval defensive enclosure created by raising an inner bank and outer ditch, a fortification strategy common throughout Wales during the 12th and 13th centuries. Such ringworks typically served as strongholds for minor lords or garrison points, their compact form efficient for both construction and defence.
The site's location on relatively elevated ground within the local landscape afforded commanders clear sightlines across surrounding terrain. The underlying geology—softer sedimentary rocks weathered by millennia—would have provided readily workable material for digging the ditch and building the rampart, though the labour involved in creating such substantial earthworks remained considerable.
Cadw, the historic monuments service of Wales, protects this site under reference BR179, recognising its archaeological significance as evidence of medieval settlement patterns and lordly authority in this region. Though unexcavated, the earthwork's preserved form allows study of medieval Welsh defensive architecture and land use.
Castle Earthwork 200m S of Coed Caeau is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR179. View the official record →
Castle Earthwork 200m S of Coed Caeau is a medieval ringwork situated in mid-Wales on solid bedrock of Pridoli age rocks—ancient mudstones, siltstones and sandstones formed in the early Palaeozoic. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR179.
Castle Earthwork 200m S of Coed Caeau dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a ringwork. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Castle Earthwork 200m S of Coed Caeau 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 BR179.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Twyn-y-Gaer (6 km), Gaer Fach (6.8 km), Moated Site E of Pont-y-Bat Wood (8.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castle Earthwork 200m S of Coed Caeau'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.
Castle Earthwork 200m S of Coed Caeau stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.