© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Clyro Castle is a medieval motte located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD066. The monument sits upon bedrock of Pridoli age, a formation of undifferentiated mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that dates to the Pridoli epoch of the Silurian period. This geology provided the natural foundation for the castle's construction.
The motte represents a common form of Norman defensive architecture, consisting of an artificial mound that would have supported a timber or stone fortification on its summit. The earthwork demonstrates the strategic use of the landscape typical of medieval castle-building in Wales, where such fortifications served as centres of lordly power and control. The underlying Pridoli rocks, being relatively soft sedimentary deposits, would have presented both opportunity and challenge for the initial construction and long-term stability of the earthwork.
As a scheduled monument under Cadw's stewardship, Clyro Castle preserves important evidence of medieval Welsh and Norman history. The survival of the motte's earthwork allows visitors and scholars to appreciate the scale and form of this medieval defensive structure and its relationship to the surrounding landscape.
Clyro Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD066. View the official record →
Clyro Castle is a medieval motte located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD066.
Clyro Castle dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Clyro 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 RD066.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Little Lodge Long Barrow (6.4 km), Remains of Blaenau Stone Circle (6.7 km), Great House Mound & Bailey Castle (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Clyro 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.
Clyro Castle stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.