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Kemeys Inferior Mound and Bailey Castle is a Norman ringwork situated in the parish of Kemeys Inferior in Monmouthshire, Wales. The site consists of a substantial earthen mound surrounded by a ditch and outer bailey, typical of early Norman defensive works constructed in Wales during the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The ringwork represents one of the early methods of fortification employed by Norman settlers in the region, predating the development of stone castles. The monument remains largely unexcavated, preserving its original earthwork form and contributing to our understanding of Norman settlement patterns and military strategy in medieval Wales.
Kemeys Inferior Mound & Bailey Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM039. View the official record →
Kemeys Inferior Mound and Bailey Castle is a Norman ringwork situated in the parish of Kemeys Inferior in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MM039.
Kemeys Inferior Mound & Bailey Castle dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a ringwork. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Kemeys Inferior 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 MM039.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bishton Castle (5.8 km), Deserted Medieval Village W of St Mary's Church (6.3 km), St. Mary's Churchyard Cross, Llanwern (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Kemeys Inferior 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.
Kemeys Inferior Mound & Bailey Castle stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.