Scheduled MonumentsWalesWiston Castle
Medieval · Motte and Bailey

Wiston Castle

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE077
Period
Medieval
Site type
Motte and Bailey
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Wiston Castle is a motte and bailey fortification located in Pembrokeshire, Wales, dating to the Norman period of the early twelfth century. The site comprises a substantial earthen mound with an adjoining bailey enclosure, typical of early Norman defensive architecture in Wales, and represents an important example of the military consolidation of Norman power in South Wales during the early medieval period. The castle's strategic location reflects the Norman settlement pattern in Pembrokeshire, where such fortifications served to control territory and secure communication routes. The monument remains substantially preserved as earthworks and is designated under Cadw's schedule of ancient monuments, reflecting its archaeological and historical significance.

Wiston Castle is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE077. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Wiston Castle?

Wiston Castle is a motte and bailey fortification located in Pembrokeshire, Wales, dating to the Norman period of the early twelfth century. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE077.

What period does Wiston Castle date from?

Wiston 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.

Who is responsible for protecting Wiston Castle?

Wiston 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 PE077.

What other scheduled monuments are near Wiston Castle?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Picton Castle Mound (4.7 km), Sister's House (4.7 km), Castle Lake Camp (5.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Wiston Castle

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

Wiston Castle stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.