ME043

Tomen Las Castle Mound  

 

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Pennal  

269706  

300259  

Defence  

Motte  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. Tomen Las Castle Mound is located in Talgarth Park, in marshy ground alongside a stream in the valley bottom of the Afon Pennal. The monument comprises the remains of a motte and the faint remains of a 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 surviving remains of Tomen Las measure approximately 4m in height and 30m in diameter, with a flat top approximately 15m across. 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.