Rhayader Town Defences

Has been described as a Possible Urban Defence

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameRhayader Town Defences
Alternative Names
Historic CountryRadnorshire
Modern AuthorityPowys
1974 AuthorityPowys
CommunityRhayader

Rhayader appears to have been a defended town and the line of a ditch can still be traced following the outer limits of the property boundaries. (Soulsby 1983)

Town defences inferred from documents. Prob planted borough of circa 1360-1. Presumed earthwork defences unlocated OS 1980. Prob now destroyed. suggested Roman origin (Spurgeon, C J, 1978). (Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust HER)

A town ditch may exist as the outer boundary of the burgage plots (M. Beresford, New Towns 573). (Turner 1971)

In Bond's list of New post-Conquest medieval defensive circuits consisting only of gates and/or earthen defences and coded as Earthern bank and /or ditch. Fragmentary remains only. No documentary evidence. No. archaeological excavations known.

Gatehouse Comments

Soulsby references Williams, J., History of Radnorshire, 285 but there seems to be nothing of this at that reference and where Williams account of Rhayader (pp. 247-260) mentions the 'fortifications of the town' (p. 251) these are clearly to the castle and other nearby earthwork castles and are of regional defences based on the River Wye not town walls/banks or gates. If there were any boundary earthworks these may just have be boundary ditches, functioning as markers and drains, rather than defensive banks. There does seem to be a wide acceptance of earthen defences at Rhayader and Gatehouse is recording these as possible on that bases. However, in fact, there seems to be no historical or physical evidence of defences and in personal opinion of Not scheduled

Not Listed

The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSN970680
Latitude52.3010787963867
Longitude-3.51320004463196
Eastings297000
Northings268000
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 273
  • Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds), Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  • Soulsby, Ian, 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore; Chichester) p. 224-6 (plan of town only)
  • Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 218
  • Beresford, M.G., 1967, New Towns of the Middle Ages (Lutterworth Press, London) p. 573
  • Williams, J., 1859, The History of Radnorshire (Tenby) ('Reprinted from Archaeologia Cambrensis ') online copy

Journals

  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  • Spurgeon, C.J., 1978, 'Rhayader' Archaeology in Wales Vol. 18 p. 59
  • Williams, S.W., 1898, 'Rhayader and its antiquities' Montgomeryshire Collections Vol. 30 p. 211-35 online copy

Other

  • Silvester, R.J., 1994, Radnorshire Historic Settlements (CPAT report) p. 146 online copy