Caer Siac Motte, Bettws Cedewain

Description

An extensively mutilated ditched motte, c.24m in diameter and 2.0m high. Reports of subsidiary enclosures to the NE and SW may have referred only to extent of the natural ridge upon which the motte is situated. (Coflein)

A small mound-and-bailey castle on the farm of Bettws Hall, occupying the crest of a small hill. The position is not well chosen, as it is much exposed to the prevailing westerly winds, while the saddle upon which it is placed is so narrow that the mound, although of insignificant size, occupies the entire width of the ridge, and cuts off internal communication between its upper and lower baileys. The mound is placed near the northern end of the long and narrow enclosure; its height is from 20 to 25 feet. The summit is flat, with a diameter from N.E. to S.W. (that is, along the line of the ridge) of 25 feet, and from S.E. to N.W. (across the ridge) of 30 feet. So restricted is the space upon the saddle that the moat could not be carried completely round the mound, and is practically nothing more than a deep cut on either side of it. The ditches have an average depth of four feet from the ground level, the counterscarp in each case rising at a very acute angle; they have no protection along their outer margins. The enclosure to the south-west takes in the ridge for a distance of 30 yards, but that at the north-eastern end extends only for about the same number of feet. It is evident that the strength of the position was considered to lie in the steepness of the approaches, and the restricted area at the summit. The physical conditions are similar to those found at Dolforwyn, and it is probable that either this, or the original stronghold there, was the seat of the Welsh chieftains of Cedewen. The present camp is called 'Caer Siac' upon the Ordnance sheet, but that name has apparently been evolved from that of a field at the foot of the hill behind the vicarage, which is well known as 'Cae Siac.' (RCAHMW)