Painscastle Borough Defences

Has been described as a Questionable Urban Defence

There are earthwork remains

NamePainscastle Borough Defences
Alternative Names
Historic CountryRadnorshire
Modern AuthorityPowys
1974 AuthorityPowys
CommunityPainscastle

A borough was possible contained in the outer bailey of the castle (Soulsby)

Gatehouse Comments

Soulsby's plan and text place the town outside the castle. The bailey is not that large and the suggestion that the early town was contained within it is, at best, speculative. However, the castle and its bailey is contained with a somewhat larger enclosure (which shows well as a thick hedge line on the air photo) which may be a burgus enclosure although it should be noted that the current church (and presumably the medieval church) is outside this enclosure as is the likely location of the town market. However, in Wales, where boroughs often had separate English and Welsh populations, this is not unknown. It maybe that the term 'outer bailey' in the recorded sources means this larger enclosure.

- 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 ReferenceSO166461
Latitude52.1075897216797
Longitude-3.21867990493774
Eastings316640
Northings246150
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

No photos available. If you can provide pictures please contact Castlefacts

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Books

  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 82, 273
  • Murphey, K., 2000, 'The rise and fall of the medieval town in Wales' in Slater, T.R. (ed), Towns in Decline AD 100-1600 (Aldershot; Ashgate) p. 193-213
  • Rowley, T., 1986, The Landscape of the Welsh Marches (London: Michael Joseph)
  • Soulsby, Ian, 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore; Chichester) p. 212-3 (plan)

Journals

  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86