Blackwood Enclosure, Trewern

Has been described as a Possible Timber Castle (Ringwork)

There are earthwork remains

NameBlackwood Enclosure, Trewern
Alternative NamesCraig Pwll-du; Terwern in Elfael
Historic CountryRadnorshire
Modern AuthorityPowys
1974 AuthorityPowys
CommunityGlasbury

A natural, flat-topped bluff, set above a bend in the Howey river gorge, is cut off to the S by a rock-cut ditch. The resulting enclosure is 36m by 15m, tapering to 5.0m in the S. (Coflein as unknown defended enclosure)

Poss defended site comprising a single rock cut ditch 4m deep by 14m wide which isolates a 30m by 10m area of a promontory. No further detail. (Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust HER as medieval castle)

Gatehouse Comments

As this appeared in the 1913 Inventory David King should have been aware of the site. Did the isolated and inconvenient position lead to him dismissing this site so totally as to not even bother to put it in his reject list? On location evidence this would seem to be an Iron Age site. This may be the otherwise unidentified Black Rock castle mention by Harvey, it is marked Craig Pwll-du (Rock of the black pool) on the OS map. Remfry gives historic evidence of a castle of Trewern in Elfael. If it was this site then it must have functioned mainly as a hunting lodge.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSO121435
Latitude52.0829200744629
Longitude-3.28420996665955
Eastings312100
Northings243500
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Calculate Print

Books

  • Remfry, P., 2008, The Castles and History of Radnorshire (SCS Publishing)
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern)
  • Remfry, P., 1996, Castles of Radnorshire (Logaston Press) p. 147-8
  • RCAHMW, 1913, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Radnorshire (HMSO) p. 111 no. 445 online copy
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)