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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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Bleddfa Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Bledewach; Bledvach; Bledeach; Blethefou

In the community of Llangunllo.
In the historic county of Radnorshire.
Modern authority of Powys.
Preserved county of Powys.

OS Map Grid Reference: SO20876834
Latitude 52.30719° Longitude -3.16215°

Bleddfa Castle has been described as a certain Timber Castle, and also as a probable Masonry Castle.

There are masonry footings remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

Description

The surviving remains of the motte at Beddfa amount to a mutilated oval mound, c.46m by 36m, ditched with a counterscarp. The surrounding bailey is rectangular, measuring approximately 100m by 60m, and is defined by slight scarps and hedgelines. Traces of masonry have been noted on the mound summit. The castle is first recorded 1195 and is said to have been derelict in 1304. (Coflein)

Motte c9.1m high but badly mutilated in west. The moat is partially filled. The bailey is 100m by 60m with the north being bounded by a hedge. Original bank still visible on west. Fragments of a square tower on the summit of the mound are thought to date from 1195 when a grant for repair is recorded. The castle was captured by Llewelyn ap Gruffydd in 1262 but was probably not rebuilt (Silvester, R J 1994b, 19). (Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust HER)

Very overgrown motte and small bailey lies SE of the church, beside a stream. In 1195 Hugh de Say was licenced by Richard I to refortify the castle and the square tower of which slight traces remain on the top of the motte was probably built around that time, although Hugh himself was killed in the battle of Radnor later that same year. It appears that the 3m of the 9m high motte is in fact the buried stump of this keep. The castle was destroyed in 1262 after being captured by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd from the Mortimers. In 1304 Edward I allowed material from the destroyed castle to be used to build the church tower, itself destroyed by the Welsh c.1403. The bailey has slight traces of two former towers and seems to have been defended by an artificial lake on its west and south sides. (Salter 2001)

The monument comprises the remains of a motte and ditch, 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. The site at Bleddfa is a mutilated oval mound, measuring c.46m north-west to south-east by c.36m and up to c.9m high, surrounded by a ditch and counterscarp. Traces of masonry have been noted on the summit. The castle is first mentioned in 1195, when the stone tower may have been built. It was captured by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1262 and is said to have been derelict by 1304. The bailey, an attached defended area, probably lay to the north of the motte within the outline of the modern field. (Scheduling Report)
It has been incorrectly suggested that a Royal licence to crenellate was granted in 1195 (Click on the date for details of this supposed licence.).
Comments

The 1195 record is not, in a meaningful sense, a licence to crenellate although has been called this by some.
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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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.
Lidar coverage in the UK is not complete. The button above will give an idea of the area of coverage. Higher resolution lidar images in both DSM and DTM form may be available from Lle A geo-Portal for Wales (click the preview tag to bring up a map and then select format byclicking on the small blue diamond in the top right corner of the map.)
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This record last updated 04/07/2016 11:09:06


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