Troed yr Harn Motte

Has been described as a Possible Timber Castle (Motte), and also as a Possible Siege Work

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameTroed yr Harn Motte
Alternative NamesTy'n y Caeau; Ty'n y Caernau; Alexanderstone Motte
Historic CountryBrecknockshire
Modern AuthorityPowys
1974 AuthorityPowys
CommunityBrecon

Very feeble motte in a very boggy field in the bottom of a valley full of brooks. It is not very clear what useful function it could play; it is exceptional small, and not the least useful for observation purposes. There was no bailey; the ditch of the motte has silted up. When the valley in its natural state it cannot have been at all easy to access. (King)

A circular, possibly ditched mound, c.20m in diameter and c1.5m high, set in marshy ground by a stream. (Coflein)

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, originally surmounted by a tower constructed of timber or stone. The Castle Mound is circular in plan, around 18m in diameter and 2m high with a flat summit approximately 12m in diameter. On the western side of the mound are the faint traces of a ditch, but this is not visible around the whole circumference of the Motte. There are no traces of a bailey or of structures on the summit of the monument. (Scheduling Report)

Gatehouse Comments

Remfry suggest a possible siege work of the early 1270's. Close to road but isolated from settlement. Does not seem to have a name (the given names all relate to nearby, but distinct, places). Not only would access be difficult but construction, even of a small mound, would have required considerable effort and an exceptionally dry season unless this was a natural glacial mound. If it is a natural glacial mound then was it actually ever used as a motte? Would this mound have been identified as a motte if it were not in the Welsh marches?

- Philip Davis

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 ReferenceSO070294
Latitude51.9560012817383
Longitude-3.35479998588562
Eastings307010
Northings229480
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p. 231 (listed)
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern) p. 11
  • Remfry, Paul, 1998, Castles of Breconshire (Logaston Press) p. 130
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 17

Journals

  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 112 p. 77-124
  • King, D.J.C., 1961, ‘The castles of Breconshire’ Brycheiniog Vol. 7 p. 85 no. 17 online copy
  • Renn, D.F., 1959, 'Mottes: a classification' Antiquity Vol. 33 p. 106-12 (listed as precussor to Alexanderstone)