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Dolgarn Moated Site is a medieval moated site located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference CM252. The site sits upon bedrock of Llanvirn age, formed during the Whiterock period from mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. These relatively soft sedimentary rocks, typical of mid-Wales geology, would have influenced both the ease of excavating the moat and the stability of its banks over successive centuries.
Moated sites were characteristic of medieval landholding in Britain, serving as defensive and status-defining features for minor nobility and prosperous farmers from the 12th century onwards. The moat—an artificial water-filled ditch surrounding a raised platform or island—provided both practical protection and visual assertion of authority over the local landscape. The underlying geology at Dolgarn, composed of workable sedimentary materials, would have made the excavation of such earthworks feasible for medieval communities.
The site's preservation as a scheduled monument reflects its archaeological significance as evidence of medieval settlement patterns and land management in Wales. The combination of the moated earthwork with the underlying geology creates a specific local record of how medieval communities adapted their engineering practices to regional conditions, distinguishing Dolgarn within the broader tradition of British moated sites.
Dolgarn Moated Site is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM252. View the official record →
Dolgarn Moated Site is a medieval moated site located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference CM252.
Dolgarn 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.
Dolgarn 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 CM252.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Little Mountain Round Barrow (4.7 km), Llansadurnen Cross-Incised Stone & Other Stones (4.8 km), Pant-Glas Camp (5.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Dolgarn 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.
Dolgarn Moated Site stands on Llanvirn Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Whiterock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.