Scheduled MonumentsWalesKenfig Castle & Medieval Town
Medieval · Castle

Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town

Wales
Cadw SAM GM042
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Kenfig Castle is a medieval fortified settlement located in Glamorgan, South Wales, comprising a Norman castle and associated town established in the twelfth century. The castle was founded shortly after the Norman conquest of Glamorgan and served as an important administrative and defensive centre for the lordship, featuring a motte-and-bailey earthwork with stone structures built during the medieval period. The associated town, which developed around the castle, represents a planned medieval settlement typical of Anglo-Norman colonisation in Wales. The site was gradually abandoned following the sixteenth century, with sand dunes eventually engulfing much of the settlement, preserving substantial archaeological remains that continue to yield evidence of medieval occupation and urban planning.

Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM042. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town?

Kenfig Castle is a medieval fortified settlement located in Glamorgan, South Wales, comprising a Norman castle and associated town established in the twelfth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM042.

What period does Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town date from?

Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a castle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town?

Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town 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 GM042.

What other scheduled monuments are near Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Sculptured Cross Llanmihangel Farm (1.5 km), Leat & Dam at Llanmihangel Mill (2 km), Pyle Incised Stone (2.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town

Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town

Caerphilly CastleArchaeological site · ~22.1 miles