Scheduled MonumentsWalesSt Illtyd Castle Mound
Medieval · Motte

St Illtyd Castle Mound

Wales
Cadw SAM MM141
Period
Medieval
Site type
Motte
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM MM141
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1952-05-14
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

St Illtyd Castle Mound is a medieval motte located in the parish of Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan, Glamorgan, Wales. The earthwork consists of a substantial mound typical of early Norman fortifications, dating to the late eleventh or twelfth century, and represents the defensive architecture established during the Anglo-Norman conquest and settlement of South Wales. The site's proximity to the ecclesiastical centre of Llantwit Major, one of the most significant early medieval monastic foundations in Wales, suggests strategic significance in controlling both secular and religious authority within the region. The monument survives as a scheduled archaeological site under Cadw's protection, preserving evidence of the military organisation and territorial expansion of the Norman lords who dominated Glamorgan during the High Medieval period.

St Illtyd Castle Mound is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM141. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St Illtyd Castle Mound?

St Illtyd Castle Mound is a medieval motte located in the parish of Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan, Glamorgan, Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MM141.

What period does St Illtyd Castle Mound date from?

St Illtyd Castle Mound dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a motte. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting St Illtyd Castle Mound?

St Illtyd Castle Mound 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 MM141.

What other scheduled monuments are near St Illtyd Castle Mound?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pen y Fan Canal Reservoir (2.5 km), Cwmbyrgwm Colliery (3.7 km), Old Beam Pump & Winding Engine, Glyn Pits (5.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about St Illtyd Castle Mound

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of St Illtyd Castle Mound'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 St Illtyd Castle Mound

St Illtyd Castle Mound stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.