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Coed Henblas Moated Site is a medieval moated site located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference DE232. The site occupies land underlain by Dinantian limestone with subordinate bands of sandstone and mudstone, deposited during the Mississippian period some 320 million years ago. This solid geology would have provided a firm foundation for the medieval settlement, though the softer argillaceous rocks may have influenced water drainage and the development of the moat itself.
The moated site represents a characteristic form of medieval fortified residence, in which a substantial dwelling and its associated buildings were surrounded by a water-filled ditch. Such sites became common in Wales and the English Marches from the twelfth century onwards, serving both as defensive structures and status symbols for gentry and minor nobility. The moat would have required maintenance to remain water-filled, and the choice of location on the limestone bedrock may have been deliberate to aid water retention.
Today Coed Henblas survives as an earthwork monument, its ditches and banks forming a visible record of medieval settlement patterns in the Welsh landscape. The protected status afforded by Cadw recognises its value as evidence of social hierarchy and domestic organisation in the medieval period, contributing to our understanding of how territory was controlled and occupied in medieval Wales.
Coed Henblas Moated Site is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE232. View the official record →
Coed Henblas Moated Site is a medieval moated site located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference DE232.
Coed Henblas Moated Site dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a moated site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Coed Henblas Moated Site 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 DE232.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rhos-Ddigre Caves (4.4 km), Tomen y Rhodwydd (Castell yr Adwy) Mound and Bailey Castle (4.6 km), Mynydd Cricor Barrow (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Coed Henblas Moated Site'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.
Coed Henblas Moated Site stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.