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The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
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Tomen y Clawdd, Llantwit Fardre

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Llantwit Vaerdre; Coed y Twr; Monkey Tump

In the community of Llantwit Fardre.
In the historic county of Glamorgan.
Modern authority of Rhondda Cynon Taff.
Preserved county of Mid Glamorgan.

OS Map Grid Reference: ST09168647
Latitude 51.56978° Longitude -3.31208°

Tomen y Clawdd, Llantwit Fardre has been described as a certain Timber Castle.

There are earthwork remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
Description

Minor fortification or abandoned castle site. The circular motte is 3.3m high with a flat top 21m in diameter. It is surrounded by a ditch 6m to 8m wide and 1.7m deep. The ditch has several minor mutilations and infillings. No trace of a bailey was found. (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust HER)

Motte 3m high with encircling ditch now located in a housing estate. (Coflein)

A large earth mound, previously known as 'Coed-y-Twr' but today called 'Tomen-y-Clawdd' is the remains of a typical Norman motte and bailey castle. This had been built in this area to provide defence for the Taff valley against any Welsh chieftains who wished to attack the Normans. The earth mound has a flat top about 20 metres in diameter and the sides are covered with grass and trees, which makes it very attractive when the trees are in leaf. During the early years of the l0th (sic) century it still had a moat surrounding it, but today there is only a circular ditch covered with grass. The local inhabitants call it the 'Monkey Tump' and it used to be a popular place for children to play. But this is now discouraged as it is scheduled as an Ancient Monument. Today it is in the centre of the pleasant Oaklands Housing Estate and the residents there enjoy watching the changing colours of the trees. (The Glamorgan Village Book)

The monument comprises the remains of a motte dating to the medieval period (c. 1066 -1540 AD). A motte is a large conical or pyramidal mound of soil and/or stone, usually surrounded by either a wet or dry ditch, and surmounted by a tower constructed of timber or stone. Tomen y Clawdd is situated at the confluence of two streams on high ground on the edge of the uplands. The uplands were under Welsh control and this area may have marked the northern limit of Norman control in this region. This earthwork castle consists of a motte with steep sides with a circular, flat top. The ditch is boggy in places and may have originally held water. (Scheduling Report)
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

Data >
Coflein   County HER   Scheduling        
Maps >
Streetmap   NLS maps   Where's the path   Old-Maps      
Data/Maps > 
Magic   Historic Wales   V. O. B.   Geology   LIDAR  
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales, the four welsh archaeological trusts and other individuals and organisations. It may also contain Designated Historic Asset Descriptive Information from The Welsh Historic Environment Service (Cadw), licensed under the Open Government Licence. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes.
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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.
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This record last updated 06/07/2016 18:41:46
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