Tomen y Rhodwydd: A Medieval Motte-and-Bailey Castle in Wales
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.5
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Kingdom of Gwynedd
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page5 sections
History
Foundation and destruction
Tomen y Rhodwydd is a medieval Welsh motte-and-bailey castle in Wales, United Kingdom, built in 1149 by Owain Gwynedd, the medieval ruler of Gwynedd in north Wales. It is identified with the Castle of Yale, which Owain established after seizing the hundred of Ial from the kings of Powys. The castle was intended to protect the borders of Gwynedd Is Conwy, the part of the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd lying south of the River Conwy.
In 1157, after Henry II, king of England from 1154 to 1189, raided Gwynedd, the castle was burned by Iorwerth Goch ap Maredudd of Powys. This destruction belongs to a period of conflict between the rulers of Gwynedd and Powys and the English crown.
The Yale castle reference
An English document from 1212 mentions the repair of “Yale castle.” The reference probably concerned Tomen y Faerdre, another castle in the same area about three miles down the valley near Llanarmon-yn-Iâl, rather than Tomen y Rhodwydd. The document therefore provides evidence for a castle called Yale in the wider locality, but does not securely establish a repair at Tomen y Rhodwydd itself.
Remains
Earthwork setting
Tomen y Rhodwydd is arranged as a motte-and-bailey castle, with a raised earth mound, or motte, beside an enclosed area, or bailey, used for defence and occupation. The site lies south-west of Llandegla-yn-Iâl in present-day south-east Denbighshire, at approximately 268 metres above sea level. It occupies an area of fields and low hills, with hilly terrain to the south-west and flatter ground to the north-east. The immediate surroundings are mainly grassland.
