CD104

Adpar Castle Mound  

20/09/1949  

Designated  

Ceredigion  

Llandyfriog  

230943  

240931  

Defence  

Motte  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a motte, 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, though little trace survives of any here, and surmounted by a tower constructed of timber or stone. Adpar Castle Mound sits on a south-facing slope overlooking Newcastle Emlyn Bridge. It is sub-circular, measures c.22m in diameter at the base, and rises c.7m high on the south side, and c.3.5m high on the north. The summit is c.12m in diameter and has clearly been disturbed by a number of irregular trenches. Late 19th-century maps suggest the presence of ornamental paths on the mound, which may have been re-used as an ornamental feature in the Cilgwyn Estate grounds. 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.