Castell Cyfeiliog, Darowen

Description

Appears to have been stone structure here, scanty description does not suggest fortified building but a possible C13 welsh castle. (King)

A farm situate a quarter of mile south-east of the sanctuary stone on Cefn coch uchaf; on the old 1-inch Survey Map marked as 'Castell,' where also the adjoining wood Coed yr Allt is marked as 'Coed y Castell,' by which name it likewise appears on the Tithe Map. Pen craig mawr, the promontory close to the farmhouse, overlooking towards the north-east the valley of the Twymyn, has, within the last 30 years, been quarried for slate, which has probably destroyed "one apartment still to be traced by its foundations, 33 feet in length by 27 feet in depth. The present tenants heard that some of the walls were taken down and the stones used in buildings on the farm" (Mont. Coll., 1870, iii, 195). The last tenant, Mr. Richard Jones, now retired and resident at Darowen, after a quarter of a century's farming of Castell Cyfeiliog, has no remembrance of ever having seen the "foundations," alluded to by his immediate predecessor on the farm. (RCAHMW)

Comments

The poor quality of lime mortar in this part of Wales does mean that buildings do decompose into rubble that is basically indistinguishable from natural and easy to reuse or remove. That some foundation were visible might actually suggest either a better quality medieval building or a more recent early modern building. It seems most unlikely this building was a castle or significantly fortified but perhaps had some martial features and/or a tenant owing some military service.