© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Ty-Newydd Mound and Bailey Castle is a medieval motte and bailey earthwork located in Wales. The site sits upon bedrock of Ashgill age, composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have influenced both the excavation of ditches and the stability of the defensive structures. This geological foundation provided a relatively workable substrate for the Norman building tradition of raising substantial earthen mounds topped with timber or stone fortifications, a common strategy for establishing control in newly conquered territories during the medieval period.
The monument comprises the characteristic two-part design of a motte and bailey castle: a prominent mound serving as the lord's stronghold, surrounded by an attached or adjacent lower courtyard. Such castles were typically constructed rapidly and required less masonry than stone fortifications, making them economical for establishing a network of feudal strongholds across the Welsh landscape. The earthwork defences would originally have been strengthened by timber palisades and buildings.
The site is protected and managed by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under the reference CN096. This designation recognises Ty-Newydd's significance as evidence of medieval military architecture and the processes of lordship and settlement that shaped the Welsh countryside during the medieval period.
Ty-Newydd Mound & Bailey Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN096. View the official record →
Ty-Newydd Mound and Bailey Castle is a medieval motte and bailey earthwork located in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN096.
Ty-Newydd 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.
Ty-Newydd 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 CN096.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Garn Boduan (3.5 km), Enclosed Hut Group at Clogwyn Bach (4 km), Cromlech Farm Burial Chamber, Four Crosses (5.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Ty-Newydd 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.
Ty-Newydd Mound & Bailey Castle stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.