ME150

Cymmer Castle  

26/09/1994  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Llanelltyd  

273175  

319538  

Defence  

Motte  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. Cymmer Castle stands on a prominent hilltop overlooking the valley leading down to the Mawddach estuary. The site is of considerable importance as the earliest surviving example of a castle mound constructed by a Welsh Lord. The Brut y Tywysogion records that it was built by Uchdryd ab Edwin in 1116. The centre of the mound has been disturbed by a more recent folly or 'gazebo' which stands on the top. The steep-sided mound measures about 40m across and rises approximately 5-8m above the surrounding ground. The top is flat, measuring about 14m across from NNW-SSE. The sides are particularly steep around the N, W and S, but on the E side there is a more gradual ramped approach, probably associated with the folly which crowns the mound. The folly or 'gazebo' is a rectangular, stone-built tower, probably associated with the Nannau Estate, it measures approximately 6.5m by 7.5m but is now ruined. It appears to have had three floors; a cellar sunk partly into the mound, a main floor with a corner fireplace, and an attic. There are openings on the E and N and indications of an opening on the S side. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval settlement and defence. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The mound and tower may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.