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Great House Mound and Bailey Castle is a medieval motte and bailey situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference BR080. The castle comprises two distinctive earthwork components characteristic of Norman-period fortifications: a raised mound or motte, which would have supported a timber or stone stronghold, and an adjoining bailey or courtyard enclosed by a rampart and ditch. This arrangement allowed for defensive strength combined with space for domestic and administrative functions within the bailey.
The monument sits upon Pridoli Rocks, an undifferentiated bedrock formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone typical of the Pridoli geological period. This underlying geology would have influenced both the construction techniques employed and the stability of the earthworks. The particular composition of local stone and soil shaped how the castle's builders could excavate ditches and raise the substantial mound that formed the focal point of the fortification.
As a motte and bailey castle, Great House represents the dominant military architecture of the Norman period and early medieval Wales. Such fortifications served as instruments of conquest and territorial control, providing strongholds from which Norman lords could govern newly conquered lands. The castle's preservation as an earthwork monument allows study of medieval defensive strategies and settlement patterns in Wales.
Great House Mound & Bailey Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR080. View the official record →
Great House Mound and Bailey Castle is a medieval motte and bailey situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference BR080.
Great House Mound & Bailey 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.
Great House Mound & Bailey 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 BR080.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Penywyrlod Chambered Tomb (6.8 km), Trefecca Fawr Garden Earthworks (6.9 km), Cefn Barn Ringwork (7.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Great House Mound & Bailey 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.
Great House Mound & Bailey Castle stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.