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Mathrafal Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortification situated in Powys, Wales, dating to the Norman period of the twelfth century. The site comprises a substantial earthen mound with a flattened summit, characteristic of early medieval defensive architecture, surrounded by a ditch and outer bailey. The castle served as an important stronghold within the lordship of Powys during the Anglo-Norman conquest and settlement of Wales. Though now reduced to earthworks with no surviving stonework, the monument preserves significant archaeological evidence of medieval fortification strategy in the Welsh Marches.
Mathrafal Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG044. View the official record →
Mathrafal Castle is a motte-and-bailey fortification situated in Powys, Wales, dating to the Norman period of the twelfth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG044.
Mathrafal Castle dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a castle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Mathrafal 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 MG044.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pentre Camp (1.9 km), Cefn-Du Camp (2.3 km), Pen y Coed Hillfort, Cyfronydd (3.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Mathrafal 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.
Mathrafal Castle stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.