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Castlemartin Castle is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference PE166. The monument occupies ground underlain by Pridoli rocks—undifferentiated mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formations dating to the Pridoli period. This geology, comprising relatively soft sedimentary layers, would have presented both opportunities and constraints for the site's construction and subsequent preservation.
The enclosure belongs to a class of prehistoric monuments typically constructed during the Neolithic or Bronze Age, when communities across Wales established defended settlements and gathering spaces defined by banks, ditches or stone walls. The specific form and scale of Castlemartin's earthworks reflect the practices and resources available to its builders within this upland Welsh landscape.
Today, the monument remains a significant record of prehistoric settlement patterns in the region. The underlying Pridoli bedrock has influenced how the site's defensive features have weathered over millennia, with softer rock layers subject to differential erosion. Protection under Cadw ensures continued preservation of this archaeological evidence, safeguarding the physical remains and the landscape context that together illuminate prehistoric life in Wales.
Castlemartin Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE166. View the official record →
Castlemartin Castle is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference PE166.
Castlemartin Castle dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Castlemartin Castle 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 PE166.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pricaston Farmhouse (1.9 km), Bulliber Camp (East) (2 km), Bulliber Hill Camp (2.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castlemartin Castle'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.
Castlemartin Castle stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.