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Moated Site near Groesfoel Farm, Rhostyllen is a medieval defensive enclosure protected as an ancient monument by Cadw. The site consists of a substantial ditch forming an approximately rectangular moat, which originally enclosed a residential platform. Positioned in the borderland landscape of Wales, it exemplifies the military and social architecture adopted by Norman and Anglo-Norman settlers during the medieval period.
The monument sits upon bedrock of the Warwickshire Group, Early Permian siltstone and sandstone with subordinate mudstone, which would have provided material for construction and affected drainage patterns around the moat. The ditch, now visible as an earthwork feature across the rural terrain near Groesfoel Farm, once served both defensive and status functions, marking the boundary of an elevated dwelling of some social standing.
Such moated sites proliferated across the Welsh Marches and lowland England from the 11th to 14th centuries, typically associated with the residences of knights or minor gentry. The example at Rhostyllen reflects the medieval settlement hierarchy and the strategic considerations that shaped the occupation and fortification of this region during a formative period of Welsh and English cultural interaction.
Moated Site near Groesfoel Farm, Rhostyllen is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE193. View the official record →
Moated Site near Groesfoel Farm, Rhostyllen is a medieval defensive enclosure protected as an ancient monument by Cadw. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference DE193.
Moated Site near Groesfoel Farm, Rhostyllen dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a moated site. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Moated Site near Groesfoel Farm, Rhostyllen 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 DE193.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wynnstay Colliery Winding Engine House (5 km), Offa's Dyke: Section N of Home Farm (5.2 km), Darland Wood Round Barrows (6.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Moated Site near Groesfoel Farm, Rhostyllen'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.
Moated Site near Groesfoel Farm, Rhostyllen stands on Warwickshire Group, bedrock that formed in the Early Permian. The rock here is siltstone and sandstone with subordinate mudstone.