GM370

Felin Isaf Castle Mound  

06/03/1975  

Designated  

Vale of Glamorgan  

Pendoylan  

306071  

179267  

Defence  

Motte  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. 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, and surmounted by a tower constructed of timber or stone. The motte measures c. 4m high and stands beside the old river bed of the Ely. On the north-west side there is a ramp to the top about 4m wide. The ditch, which survives best on the east, averages 8.5m wide and 0.6m deep. There is no sign of an outer bailey. 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.