© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Simon's Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle sited in Wales on bedrock of Ordovician mafic tuff, an ancient extrusive rock formed during the Ordovician period. The castle comprises the characteristic two elements of motte-and-bailey design: a steep-sided earthen mound crowned with timber or stone fortifications, and an adjacent bailey or outer defensive enclosure. This type of fortification was favoured by Norman and post-Conquest lords as a swift means of establishing control across newly acquired territories.
The geological foundation of Ordovician tuff would have presented both advantages and challenges to the castle's builders. The hard volcanic rock would have provided stable ground for the earthwork's construction, though extracting stone for any masonry elements would have required significant labour. The uneven terrain typical of areas with exposed Ordovician geology may have influenced the motte's positioning and the layout of the surrounding defences.
Simon's Castle is protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under reference MG207. The site represents an important survival of medieval military architecture and continues to be a significant record of post-Conquest settlement and lordship in Wales, preserving evidence of the strategies by which Norman and Anglo-Norman landholders sought to consolidate their holdings through strategic fortification.
Simon's Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG207. View the official record →
Simon's Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle sited in Wales on bedrock of Ordovician mafic tuff, an ancient extrusive rock formed during the Ordovician period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG207.
Simon's 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.
Simon's 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 MG207.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Small enclosed settlement in Knuck Wood (6.6 km), Small enclosed Iron Age or Romano-British settlement and adjacent cultivation remains, 450m north west of Cwm Farm (7.7 km), Offa's Dyke: section 400m east of Cwm Farm (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Simon's 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.
Simon's Castle stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic tuff.