Craig Ruperra Motte

Has been described as a Certain Timber Castle (Motte)

There are earthwork remains

NameCraig Ruperra Motte
Alternative NamesCastell Breiniog; Castell y ddraenen; Coed Craig Ruperra; Castell Breiniol; Remmi; Remni; Rubina
Historic CountryGlamorgan
Modern AuthorityCaerphilly
1974 AuthorityMid Glamorgan
CommunityRudry

A roughly circular mound 32m in diameter and 6m high surrounded by a ditch and counterscarp bank, well-defined on the N and W but apparently slighter on the S and E, though partly obscured here by masking vegetation. Located at the NE end of a hillfort. Motte re-used as a landscape feature, with a revetted spiral path (extant) leading to a summerhouse, built before 1785, not noted 1875, upon the summit. (Coflein)

Suggested by Armitage as possible site of castle Remmi or Remni mentioned in Pipe Roll of 1184. Country Life records a letter of Rev. W. Watkins, c1762, recording the bizarre discovery of an erect skeleton in a room 2.5m square during the digging of the foundations of a summer-house at Ruperra (Owen, Edward (ed), 1922, Catalogue of MSS Relating to Wales in the British Museum Vol. 4 p. 847)

Not scheduled

Not Listed

The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceST223866
Latitude51.5737609863281
Longitude-3.12205004692078
Eastings322330
Northings186670
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Copyright Dave Barlow of Abaroths World All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Dave Barlow of Abaroths World All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Dave Barlow of Abaroths World All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
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Books

  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p. 240 (listed)
  • < >RCAHMW, 1991, An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan Vol. 3 Part 1a: The Early Castles (London: HMSO) < > MO4 p. 59-61
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 169
  • Davis, Paul R., 1983, Castles of Glamorgan (Alun Books) p. 47
  • Hague, D.B., 1971, in Pugh, T.B. (ed), Glamorgan County History Vol. 3 The Middle Ages (Cardiff) p. 446
  • Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p. 297 online copy

Journals

  • 1986, Oct 23, Country Life p. 1277-9
  • Spurgeon, C.J. and Thomas, H.J., 1980, 'Craig Ruperra' Archaeology in Wales Vol. 20 p. 26-7
  • 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
  • Clark, G.T., 1889, 'Contribution towards a complete list of moated mounds or burhs' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 46 p. 197-217 (Clark lists this twice, once in Monmouthshire and then in South Wales) online copy
  • Clark, G.T., 1875, 'Moated mounds' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 30 p. 68-9 online copy