Pontfadog (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Domen; Pontfadoc; Pont Fadoc

In the civil parish of Kinnerley.
In the historic county of Shropshire.
Modern Authority of Shropshire.
1974 county of Shropshire.
Medieval County of Shropshire.

OS Map Grid Reference: SJ29312114
Latitude 52.78328° Longitude -3.04956°

Pontfadog has been described as a probable Timber Castle.

There are earthwork remains.

Description

SJ 29312114 A roughly circular motte, 26.0m. in diameter and now 1.0m. high is situated in marshy ground near a stream crossing. Traces of a shallow ditch are visible on the NE side of the mound, but there is no evidence of a bailey. A roughly dressed triangular stone near the centre of the motte is probably a modern memorial stone (F1 MHB 04-JAN-72).
This location falls within the area mapped from aerial photographs by RCHME's Marches Uplands Mapping Project, but the mound was not recorded by that survey.
Assessed for scheduling, which has been rejected. As described above, although it may also have been a little higher and may have supported a watch-tower. There is evidence of a buried ditch 5m wide around the motte. Normal planning controls should apply (Reid 1999). (PastScape)

Marked as DOMEN on OS 6in map of 1902. A roughly circular motte, 26m in diameter and now 1m high is situated in marshy ground near a stream crossing. Traces of a shallow ditch are visible on the NE side of the mound, but there is no evidence of a bailey. A roughly dressed triangular stone near the centre of the motte is probably a modern memorial stone (OS FI 1972)
Recorded by the Ordnance Survey as a motte, this mound is situated close to a long-established crossing point across the River Morda, which it would appear to have once controlled. It is about 5km south west of the motte and bailey castle at Knockin, with which it may have been associated, and lies within the grounds of Pentre-uchaf Hall, a country house built in 1740. The mound measures apx 26m by 30m and stands up to 0.8m high. It would have originally stood much taller and would appear to have served as a base for a watch tower. It was probably reduced in height during the 18th century at the time when the parkland surrounding Pentre-uchaf Hall was established. Although no longer visible at ground level, a ditch from which the material was quarried during the construction of the monument, surrounds the mound. This has become infilled over the years but will survive as a buried feature, apx 5m wide (Reid 1999). (Shropshire HER)

Sources of information, references and further reading

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 66003.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) 01564.

Books
- Duckers, Peter and Anne, 2006, Castles of Shropshire (Stroud: Tempus) p. 128
  Salter, Mike, 2001 (2edn), The Castles and Moated Mansions of Shropshire (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 88 (slight)
  Jackson, M.J.,1988, Castles of Shropshire (Shrewsbury: Shropshire Libraries) p. 46
Periodical Articles
- Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 112 p. 77-124 (possible)
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Reid, M.L., 06-Sep-1999, Non-Scheduling Alternative Action Report Submission 22

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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.

The possible site or monument is represented on maps as a point location. This is a guide only. It should be noted that OS grid references defines an area, not a point location. In practice this means the actual center of the site or monument may often, but not always, be to the North East of the point shown. Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.

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