CRICKHOWEL CASTLE.
This castle stands in the suburb of the town of Crickhowel, between it and the Usk, on the left bank of that river, and about a furlong from the parish church.
Its principal and most interesting feature is a large conical mound, wholly artificial, about 50 feet high, and on its table top 60 feet diameter north and south, and 50 feet east and west. This mound has been surrounded by a ditch, traces of which remain on the east, south, and west sides. Towards the north it is encroached upon by a pond and some cottages. Appended to the mound, on its east side, and outside of its ditch, is an enclosure of irregular shape, roughly rectangular, but rounded towards the north-west, and including about two acres. It is contained within a low bank, the exterior slope of which has been scarped, and seems to have descended into an exterior ditch. This was the base-court or ward of the castle, the mound being the keep. On the south face of this ward, where the bank would have abutted upon the ditch of the mound, are the remains of two conjoined towers, one rectangular and one round. The loop-like windows of the former are evidently of Decorated date, and the two towers seem of the same age. Upon the north-east corner of the ward, on the counterscarp of the ditch of the mound is part of a round tower, which, with some heaps of earth about it, seems to be the remains of the gatehouse of the keep, which also was probably connected with a protected staircase ascending the mound, the way up which must have been on this side. These are the only buildings actually remaining upon the enceinte of the ward, but it is evident that a wall was carried round its edge, of which the bank probably contains and conceals the foundation. Buck’s drawing, taken in 1741, shows this curtain, and upon its three angles three drum towers, of which one covered the outer entrance, and is opposite to the gatehouse of the keep. The summit of the mound is much broken up, and there are traces of the foundations of buildings which formerly stood here, and which seem to have been contained within a circular or polygonal shell which formed the keep.
It is evident that Crickhowel, like Caerleon, Cardiff, Abergavenny, Brecon, and Builth, was a moated mound with appended base-court, upon which the Normans, on seizing the estate, constructed a castle. The earliest masonry was probably of the date of Henry II., but enlarged and rebuilt in the reign of Henry III.
Blaen-Llyfni, or Blaen-Llevenny Castle, in Brecknockshire, stands above the Llyfni river, a tributary to Llangorse Lake. It was posted to guard the important pass of the Bwlch, above and a little within which it stands. It was in plan a parallelogram, contained within four curtain walls with towers at the angles, and apparently a gatehouse towards the north-east. Part of the north wall is standing, but the remainder is a heap of ruins. The castle occupied a natural tump; about 20 feet above the outer level and around it is a ditch, in parts wet. The castle stands on a slope, which, towards the north, is very steep and very strong. It was built by, and long belonged to, the Norman lords of Brecknock; and on the occurrence of an attainder or minority was held by the Crown; hence it is not only mentioned in local story, but occurs from time to time in the records of the realm. It seems of the age of Henry III., or perhaps somewhat earlier. In Buck’s time, 1741, much of the curtain remained and parts of the tower.