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Womaston Castle Mound is a medieval motte and bailey situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD118. The monument occupies ground underlain by Wenlock Rocks, a formation of Silurian age comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have shaped both the earthwork's construction and drainage. This bedrock geology is typical of much of the Welsh borderland and would have influenced medieval builders' choice of site and method.
The motte and bailey represents a common Norman and post-Norman defensive form, consisting of a raised mound topped by a wooden or stone structure, adjoined by an embanked and ditched enclosure. Such fortifications were established throughout Wales following the Norman advance from the eleventh century onwards, serving as administrative centres and military strongholds. Womaston's position demonstrates the strategic importance of castle placement in the Welsh landscape during this period.
The site retains the characteristic earthwork features of this fortification type: the prominent mound and associated defensive ditches remain visible in the modern landscape. As a scheduled monument under Cadw's care, Womaston Castle Mound preserves important evidence of medieval settlement and military organisation in Wales, its survival allowing study of Norman-period defensive architecture and territorial control.
Womaston Castle Mound is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD118. View the official record →
Womaston Castle Mound is a medieval motte and bailey situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD118.
Womaston Castle Mound 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.
Womaston 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 RD118.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Worsell Wood cairn cemetery (2.9 km), Mound 150yds (140m) N of church (4.4 km), Churchyard cross in St Mary the Virgin's churchyard (4.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Womaston Castle Mound'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.
Womaston Castle Mound stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.