Morganstown Motte
Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Ringwork)
There are earthwork remains
Name | Morganstown Motte |
Alternative Names | Tongwynlais; Ty nant motte |
Historic Country | Glamorgan |
Modern Authority | Cardiff |
1974 Authority | South Glamorgan |
Community | Radyr |
A low-lying motte on an alluvial terrace near W bank of Taff is a flat-topped mound 30m in diameter at base, 13m at top, and 3.8m high, surrounded by a flat-bottomed ditch 7m wide and averaging 0.5m deep. An adjoining bailey of rectilinear form is vaguely outlined by scarps to the E of the motte. Some damage has been caused to the bailey by recent nearby developments. (Coflein)
A castle mound 38m in diameter and 5.5m high, in good condition, the top being flat and tree-covered. The surrounding ditch is 6.5m wide and water-filled. There are no traces of a bailey, and no signs of masonry. (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust HER)
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 motte stands c. 4m high with steep sides and a flat top c. 14m in diameter. The ditch around the mound is variable: on the south side it is c. 6m wide with an outer bank c. 1m high and 2.5m wide; on the west side the ditch is the same; on the north and east sides there is no external bank. To the north-east of the mound, near the field boundary, there is a slight ditch and bank running north-south on slightly higher ground. The ditch is 3m wide and the bank is 0.7m high on the outer side of the ditch. (Scheduling Report)
This site is a scheduled monument protected by law
Not Listed
The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid Reference | ST128818 |
Latitude | 51.5289688110352 |
Longitude | -3.25833988189697 |
Eastings | 312810 |
Northings | 181870 |