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Cefnllys Castle is a motte and bailey castle situated in Radnorshire, Wales, established in the Norman period following the Anglo-Norman conquest of the region. The site comprises a substantial earthen motte with an adjoining bailey, representing a typical early medieval fortification constructed to assert Norman control over the Welsh borderlands. The castle was built in association with the settlement at Cefnllys and served as a defensive stronghold during the twelfth century, a period of considerable military activity as Anglo-Norman lords consolidated their territorial claims in mid-Wales. The earthwork remains are well-preserved, demonstrating the characteristic form of early Norman military architecture before the widespread adoption of stone keeps in the region.
Cefnllys Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD008. View the official record →
Cefnllys Castle is a motte and bailey castle situated in Radnorshire, Wales, established in the Norman period following the Anglo-Norman conquest of the region. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD008.
Cefnllys Castle dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte and bailey. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cefnllys 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 RD008.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bryntwppa stone row (7.3 km), Colwyn Castle (7.7 km), Carneddau Round Cairn (7.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cefnllys 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.
Cefnllys Castle stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic tuff.