Pen Y Clawdd Castle

Pen y Clawdd Castle is an earthwork situated on low lying ground between a number of steep sided hills which overlooks the valley of the Afon Rhonddu, which flows about half a mile to the north-east. To the south are the buildings of Penyclawdd Court, a farm which started out as a 16th century manorial; cenrte. The earthwork cannot be seen from any public roads, although a public footpath lies a short distance to the south.

The earthwork consists of a low flat topped circular mound, with a “C” shaped bank surrounding it, but not to the south-east where the farm buildings are. A ditch follows the outer edge of this bank, and separates the bank from the central mound; it once encircled the mound but has been filled in. The central mound is about 30 metres across the base, and two metres high, the bank is about the same height, separated from the mound by four metres or so. The outer ditch is water filled in places. Excavation and geophysics have confirmed that the mound supported a large rectangular building, destroyed by fire, and that it probably had a stone encircling wall. A second wall may have existed on top of the outer bank.

The manor of Penyclawdd was held by the Hastings family, and was probably founded as a motte and bailey castle in the 11th or early 12th century. The archaeology has demonstrated that the motte had a shell-keep of a sort, and a rectangular hall-keep within by the 13th century, and doubtless there were other buildings in the now vanished bailey. However we do not know for certain the full nature of this castle, and a date for the destruction had not yet been confirmed. By the mid 14th it was held from Laurence de Hastings by Walter de Kymbard for half a knight’s fee, and it is likely that by this date the place had declined in importance. It is tempting to suggest that it was destroyed in the Glyndwr rebellion c1400, or else during the Wars of the Roses given that the earliest phases of Penyclawdd Court are believed to be c1500 in origin.

RCAHMW Coflein database entry