CD096

Castle Tan-y-Castell  

16/09/1949  

Designated  

Ceredigion  

Llanfarian  

258502  

278998  

Defence  

Ringwork and bailey  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a well preserved castle-ringwork and bailey, which dates to the medieval period (c. AD 1066 - 1485). Castell Tan-y-Castell is reputed to be the site of the first Norman Castle at Aberystwyth. The monument stands at the point of a ridge, with a high defensive bank formed by scarping, an outer ditch at the bottom of the scarp and a slight counterscarp bank. The main bank stands c.6.8m high above the bottom of the ditch, though it is quite low on its inner side. The counterscarp bank is only c.1.6m high. There is a simple entrance on the south side. Lying to the south of the ringwork is a sub-rectangular bailey c.50m long with a bank but no ditch visible. Structures of some form may have stood within both enclosures to provide accommodation, but the earthworks were the main defence. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval defensive practices. The monument is well-preserved and an important relic of the medieval landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both structural evidence and intact associated deposits. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.