Scheduled MonumentsWalesCastle Ring
Prehistoric · Enclosure

Castle Ring

Radnorshire, Wales
Cadw SAM RD062
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Enclosure
Broad class
Monument
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Castle Ring is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD062. The monument sits upon bedrock of the Ludlow formation, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits that date to the Ludlow period of the Silurian era. This solid geological foundation has supported the site through millennia of occupation and environmental change.

The enclosure belongs to a widespread class of prehistoric earthwork found across Britain, typically comprising an area enclosed by one or more banks and ditches. Such monuments served multiple purposes in prehistoric communities, functioning as defended settlements, ceremonial centres, or stock enclosures depending on their date and context. Castle Ring's position within the Welsh landscape reflects the strategic use of high ground characteristic of many such sites.

The survival of Castle Ring as an earthwork demonstrates the durability of such monuments when constructed upon stable bedrock. The Ludlow rocks beneath the site have resisted significant erosion, allowing the enclosure's banks and ditches to remain visible features of the contemporary landscape. As a scheduled monument, Castle Ring remains an important witness to prehistoric settlement patterns and land use in Wales.

Castle Ring is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD062. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Castle Ring?

Castle Ring is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD062.

What period does Castle Ring date from?

Castle Ring dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Castle Ring?

Castle Ring 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 RD062.

What other scheduled monuments are near Castle Ring?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Three Roman Camps (revealed by aerial photography) NE of Walton (4 km), Castle Nimble (4.6 km), Old Radnor Castle (4.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Castle Ring

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castle Ring'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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Castle Ring

Castle Ring stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.