Llanthomas Castle Mound Explained

Llanthomas Castle Mound
Location:Llanigon, Brecknockshire (Powys), Wales
Map Type:Wales Powys
Map Alt:Located in Powys
Coordinates:52.056°N -3.1548°W
Map Size:160
Height:3.5m (11.5feet)
Type:Former motte-and-bailey castle mound
Designations:
Embed:yes
Designation1:UK Scheduled Monument
Designation1 Offname:Llanthomas Castle Mound
Designation1 Number:BR078

Llanthomas Castle Mound was built by the Normans after the 1066 Norman conquest of England but before 1215.[1] [2] It is a first-generation motte and bailey castle design; the building materials were earth and timber. The typical motte and bailey castle would have had a multi-storey wooden watchtower (i.e. the keep) on the summit of the motte, a wooden palisade fence around the bailey (i.e. the courtyard) and a deep ditch surrounding the bailey.

A millennium later the above ground wood has rotted away. The remains of Llanthomas Castle Mound consists of the motte, the ditch and buried masonry underpinning part of the wooden fence surrounding the bailey. Traces of a possible site for a kitchen area within the bailey have been found to the south-east of the motte.[3] Digeddi Brook (a tributary of the River Wye) runs along the base of the ditch.[4]

After translation (from Latin and Tudor English) the Tudor antiquarian John Leyland described the role of Llanthomas Castle Mound as a defensive architecture.[5] [6] Cadw have described Llanthomas Castle Mound as an important relic of medieval architecture which might extend knowledge of medieval defensive practices.

Toponymy

"Llan" is Welsh for the sacred land around a church.[7] Llanthomas translates to Thomas church in English.

Motte and bailey castles without evidence of the original bailey are called castle mounds (or tumps or twts).[8] Until recently the grazing meadow surrounding the motte was called Bailey court. The words bailey and court are of Norman origin.[9]

Antiquarian, Tudor, Edwardian, Victorian and modern sources identify Llanthomas Castle Mound with names reflecting its close proximity to Llanigon and Hay-on-Wye. It has been referred to as Llanthomas Motte,[10] [11] Llanthomas,[12] Llanthomas Mound,[13] and Llanigon Castle.[14] The Ministry of Works published a list of UK monuments whose preservation was considered to be of “national importance”. Llanthomas Castle Mound is associated with Hay Rural and Hay Tump with Hay Urban, referencing the post-1894 civil parishes.[15] [16] Castleologist D. J. Cathcart King in his magnus opus aspired to list all UK castles. Hay Castle[17] is named as Hay No. 1, Hay Tump[18] as Hay No. 2 and Llanthomas Castle Mound as Hay No. 3. The Hay castles are numbered 6, 22 and 23 respectively in the index.[19]

Some antiquarian sources indirectly reference Llanthomas Castle Mound e.g. "the tumulus on the brook below Llanthomas",[20] [21] "the mound at Llanigon Castle",[22] and "the mound in Bailey Court".

Location

Llanthomas Castle Mound is on a private property but is viewable from Llanthomas lane,[23] opposite the walled Llanthomas garden,[24] once part of the Llanthomas estate (c.f. below).

Llanthomas Castle Mound is near the village of Llanigon and less than 2 miles from the "town of books" i.e. Hay-on-Wye. It is on the same lane as the Hay Festival fields (dairy meadows).[25] [26]

Llanthomas Castle Mound[27] is located in Powys, Wales but has a Herefordshire postcode. It is about 2 miles from the border with England, in the area known as the Welsh Marches.[28] Llanthomas Castle Mound is in the foothills of Hay Bluff in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog). It was in the historic county of Brecknockshire which became Powys in 1974.[29]

The location of Llanthomas Castle Mound may have been chosen because it occupies a high point that once overlooked the River Wye less than a mile away. William Camden suggests that there was a watch tower to guard the road leading down to the Wye. Today there is no direct line of sight to the river due to trees, and buildings. The fording point Little Fford Fawr[30] is located between Llanthomas Castle Mound[27] and the south bank of the river. Mottes often had a direct line of sight with a nearby motte as is the case with Llanthomas Castle Mound and Llowes Castle Tump on the north bank of the river.[31] Other surviving Norman castles near Llanthomas Castle Mound, suggest a collective defensive military and trading roles for all the castles along the Middle Wye Valley[32] e.g.

Welsh Government records for Llanthomas Castle Mound

Cadw are the Welsh government funded regulatory body for the scheduling of historical assets in Wales. Scheduled monuments receive legal protection under the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016[36] and the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Cadw provide an initial scheduling report and assign a field monument warden, a professional archaeologist, to keep a watching brief on the scheduled site. The Cadw scheduled report for Llanthomas Castle Mound (BR078) states that there is a strong possibility that Llanthomas Castle Mound and the scheduled area have both structural evidence and intact associated deposits. The report concludes that Llanthomas Castle Mound is an important relic of the medieval landscape.

The Welsh archaeological trusts maintain regional historic environment records on behalf of the Welsh government. The Clwyd–Powys Archaeological Trust(CPAT) records for Llanthomas Castle Mound include past Cadw reports: PRN 443 (1986),[37] 38278 (1988),[38] 2586 (1995).[39]

The Coflein online database, stores the National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW). The archive is located in the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The archive record for Llanthomas Castle Mound (PRN 306308 [40]) include a hundred years of reports: 6057064, 6054097, 6064626, 6140925, 6140927, 6359576, 6464877, 6140926, 6140924, 6054098, 6059886, 6519900.

In 1921, the Reverend William Edward Thomas Morgan vicar at the pre-conquest church of St. Eigon, Llanigon,[41] [42] an amateur archaeologist hosted a visit from the Woolhope club. The club study the natural history, geology, archaeology and the history of Herefordshire, England. William dug a small excavation trench on the summit of the motte, but no artefacts were found.[43] There is no known record of any professional level archaeological excavation or geophysical survey of Llanthomas Castle Mound.

In 1988, a professional excavation of a possible site for the bailey courtyard revealed activity associated with the motte. A number of artefacts were found including a sherd from the base of a medieval cooking pot, and a charcoal filled pit. The archaeologist's report suggests that this may have been the kitchen area within the bailey. A private bungalow has since been built over the excavated site.[44]

Llanthomas and Llanthomas Castle Mound

When possible the Normans speeded up castle construction by building on existing Iron age or Bronze age hillforts, or Roman ruins or ditch, augmenting the castle's defensive architecture. Some antiquarian scholars believed that Llanthomas Castle Mound was built on an Iron Age tumulus.[45] [46]

The second Norman invasion of Wales was successful, unlike the first. It was led by the Norman lord Bernard de Neufmarché (c.1050–c.1125). Brycheiniog (now Wales) was conquered between 1088 and 1095. Brycheiniog was divided into lesser lordships, and gifted to the knights who contributed to the conquest.[47]

Llanthomas Castle Mound was in the Llanthomas lordship. Motte and bailey castles were a vital Norman defensive architecture. Castle construction would have occurred soon after the lordship was allocated to a knight.[48] Llanthomas Castle Mound is likely to have been built in the late 11th or early 12th century. It is not known who built Llanthomas Castle Mound but it is known to have existed from the early days of the Norman conquest.[49]

The Llanthomas lordship was part of the Hay lordship owned by William Revel, one of Bernard's knights. Revel is thought to have built Hay Tump, near St Mary's Church, Hay-on-Wye.[50] [51] [52] [53] [54] St. Marys was separated from the ancient parish of Llanigon (and St. Eigon) around 1115 A.D.[55]

In 1340 Llanigon had a chapel of ease named Thomascherche(PRN 81681).[56] By the 14th century Llanthomas lordship became known as Llanthomas manor. It included the domicile of the lord of the manor and considerable land including Llanthomas Castle Mound, farmland, orchards(PRN 78372, 2586, 139277) etc.[57] [58] [59] The manor included a proprietary church called Thomaschurch, possibly the same chapel of ease, as its name is a translation from the French. The proprietary church was funded by the lord of the manor, who provided its vicar with a stipend making the chapel financially independent of the diocese in the Church in Wales. Documented references to the proprietary church disappeared by the 18th century.

A local historian has suggested that one of the first lords of the manor may have been the English Earl,

From the Norman era through to the Victorian era, the Llanthomas lordship has been owned by nobility, the wealthy and the infamous. Authoritative historical primary sources and secondary sources show that there were many high status owners including descendants of the Devereux family who fought with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. It is believed that the Devereux family had several estates in Herefordshire since the time of King John, if not earlier.[60]

Over the last millennium Llanthomas lordship has been known as Llanthomas[65] or Llanthomas estate, or Llanthomas manor.[66] [67] [68] The main domicile was known as Llanthomas house[69] [70] or Llanthomas mansion[71] or Llanthomas hall.[72] Over recent centuries many geographical areas of the original lordship were sold[73] including the land around Llanthomas Castle Mound which was sold for farming. Llanthomas Castle Mound is now part of a private residential property.

Notable people

Online sources

Llanthomas Castle Mound is included in many online lists of medieval period castles in Wales:

Other online sites that reference Llanthomas Castle Mound include:

Antiquarian sources

Modern sources

Selected journal sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cadw BR078 - Llanthomas Castle Mound - Scheduled Monument, Full Report . 2024-02-22 . cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net.
  2. Web site: CPAT - Brecon Beacons National Park Historic Settlements . 2024-02-22 . cpat.org.uk.
  3. Dorling . P. . Early Christian and Medieval: Llanthomas Motte. Llanigon . Archaeology in Wales . 28 . 68.
  4. Web site: British Listed Buildings - Bridge Over Digedi Brook, Llanigon, Powys . 2024-05-29 . britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.
  5. Book: Leyland, John . The itinerary in Wales, 1536-1539 . 1906 . Lucy Toulmin Smith . 1906 . 108.
  6. Web site: Morgan . W.E.T. . 1921 . TRANSACTIONS - The Woolhope Club - Further notes on the parish of Llanigon . 2024-02-23 . woolhopeclub.org.uk . 14.
  7. Web site: What's in a name? Llan . 2024-04-07 . westwaleslifeandstyle.co.uk.
  8. Web site: Herefordshire Archaeology . Herefordshire Council . 2015-03-02 . Herefordshire Through Time - Castles in Herefordshire . 2024-02-22 . htt.herefordshire.gov.uk.
  9. Web site: Bailey Court - Recorded name - Historic Place Names of Wales . 2024-02-25 . historicplacenames.rcahmw.gov.uk.
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  12. Book: Morgan, Gerald . Castles in Wales - a Handbook . 2013-09-03 . Y Lolfa . 978-1-84771-031-4 . 1st . 232 . English.
  13. Web site: Hogg . A.H.A. . King . D.J.C. . 1963 . National library of Wales - Archaeologia Cambrensis - Early Castles in Wales and the Marches . 2024-03-18 . journals.library.wales . Vol. 112 . 95 . en.
  14. Book: Remfry, Paul Martin . Castles of Breconshire: No. 8 . 1999-04-15 . Logaston Press . 978-1-873827-80-2 . Herefordshire . 122 . English.
  15. Web site: Hay Registration District . 2024-11-20 . www.ukbmd.org.uk.
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  31. Web site: Earthwork Castles of Gwent and Ergyng AD 1050-1250 - Castle - Middle Ages . 2024-05-15 . Scribd . en.
  32. Web site: Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust - Gwernyfed, Llanigon and Talgarth, Powys . 2024-06-07 . cpat.org.uk.
  33. Web site: Llowes Castle Tump (The Gatehouse Record) . 2024-05-13 . gatehouse-gazetteer.info.
  34. Web site: Aberllynfi Castle (The Gatehouse Record) . 2024-05-13 . gatehouse-gazetteer.info.
  35. Web site: Castle Kinsey, Court Evan Gwynne (The Gatehouse Record) . 2024-05-13 . gatehouse-gazetteer.info.
  36. Web site: National Assembly for Wales . Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016 .
  37. Web site: CPAT PRN443 - Llanthomas motte . 2024-05-13 . archwilio.org.uk.
  38. Web site: CPAT PRN38278 - Llanthomas motte, watching brief 1988 . 2024-05-13 . archwilio.org.uk.
  39. Web site: CPAT PRN2586 - Llanthomas . 2024-05-13 . archwilio.org.uk.
  40. Web site: Coflein - Llanthomas, Motte . 2024-05-13 . coflein.gov.uk.
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  57. Web site: CPAT78372 . 2024-10-15 . archwilio.org.uk.
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