Castles of Radnorshire.
*Radnor, or Maes Hyvaidd.—Though this castle is not mentioned in the Brut till 1196, when it was burnt by Rhys ap Griffith, it must have been built by the Normans at a very early period. The English had penetrated into the Radnor district even before the Norman Conquest,[971] and the Normans were not slow to follow them. A charter of Philip de Braose is granted at “Raddenoam” not later than 1096.[972] There are mottes both at Old and New Radnor, towns three miles distant from each other, so that it is impossible to say which was the Maes Hyvaidd of the Brut. Both may have been originally De Braose castles, but New Radnor evidently became the more important place, and has massive remains in masonry. The town was a burgus.
*Gemaron, or Cwm Aron ([Fig. 42]).—Near Llandewi-Ystrad-denny. The Brut mentions its repair by Hugh Mortimer in 1145.[973] The 6-inch O.M. shows a square central bailey of 1 acre, containing some remains of masonry, lying between an oblong motte in the S. and an outer enclosure on the N., the whole being further defended by a high counterscarp bank on the W. It commands a ford over the river Aran. There is no village attached to it.
*Maud’s Castle, otherwise Colwyn or Clun.[974]—A ditched motte with square bailey on the left bank of the river Edwy, near the village of Forest Colwyn. The statement that this castle was repaired in 1145 shows that it must have been older than the time of Maude de Braose, from whom it is generally supposed to have taken its name. It was rebuilt by Henry III. in 1231.[975]
*Payn’s Castle, otherwise “the castle of Elvael.”—First mentioned in 1196, when it was taken by Rhys ap Griffith. This is also a motte-castle (and an exceptionally fine one), placed on a road leading from Kington in Hereford to Builth. Rebuilt in stone by Henry III. in 1231.[976] ([Fig. 42].)
*Knighton, in Welsh Trefclawdd.—First mentioned in the Pipe Roll of 1181. The motte still remains, near the church. There is another motte just outside the village, called Bryn y Castell. It may be a siege castle.
*Norton.—First mentioned in the Pipe Roll of 1191. A motte remains close to the church, and two sides of a bailey which ran down to the Norton brook.
*Bleddfa, the Bledewach of the Pipe Roll of 1195-1196, when £5 was given to Hugh de Saye ad firmandum castellum, an expression which may mean either building or repairing. An oval motte, and traces of a bailey, are marked in the 6-inch O.M.
Tynboeth, alias Dyneneboth, Tinbech,[977] and Llananno.—First mentioned in Pipe Roll of 1196-1197. There is a fine large motte in a commanding situation, and a crescent-shaped bailey, now marked only by a scarp. There are some remains of masonry, and the castle was evidently an important one. It is first mentioned in the Pipe Roll of 1196, and it occurs in lists of the Mortimer castles in the 14th century.[978] It is not far from two fords of the river Ithon. [H. W.]
These four castles are not mentioned in the Brut y Tywysogion, though the Annales Cambriæ mentions the capture of Bleddfa, Knighton, and Norton by the Welsh in 1262. They all command important roads. Knighton and Norton were boroughs.
Cardiff.
Loughor.
Fig. 43.—Motte-Castles of South Wales.