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Knighton Mound & Bailey Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle situated in Wales. The monument comprises an earthwork of Norman origin, consisting of a substantial mound crowned with a flat platform alongside an adjacent bailey enclosure. The castle exploited the underlying Ludlow Rocks, a bedrock formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have provided stable foundation for the defensive structures.
The motte-and-bailey design reflects a military strategy common throughout the 11th and 12th centuries, whereby a fortified domestic and military hub was established to command the local landscape. The raised mound afforded improved visibility and defensive advantage, whilst the adjoining baileys provided working space for garrison activities and storage. The durable geology beneath the site would have supported the substantial earthwork construction and ongoing maintenance required of such fortifications.
Knighton Mound & Bailey Castle remains a significant example of Norman military engineering in Wales. The monument is protected and recorded by Cadw under the reference RD053, ensuring its preservation as an important record of medieval settlement and territorial control during the post-Conquest period.
Knighton Mound & Bailey Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD053. View the official record →
Knighton Mound & Bailey Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle situated in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD053.
Knighton 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.
Knighton 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 RD053.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Norton Mound And Bailey Castle (5.4 km), Offa's Dyke: Section extending 1125m SW to Gilfach Wood (6.3 km), Offa's Dyke: Section from Whitton-Presteigne Road to River Lugg (6.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Knighton 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.
Knighton Mound & Bailey Castle stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.