Bronllys Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Brunless; Brynllys; Brendlais

In the community of Bronllys. In the historic county of Brecknockshire (Modern authority of Powys, preserved county of Powys).

Late C11/early C12 motte with C13 round stone keep. Three floors, with fine views. To the north are two baileys each with a bank and ditch. The sites of bastion towers may be detected where there are breaks in the bank and ditch of the outer bailey. A cylindrical tower its base draped in a low mound, at the apex of an irregularly pentagonal enclosure, c.156m by 136m, defined by lengths of banks and ditches. Remains of castle buildings, possibly C16, incorporated in stables of later house , whose gardens have obscured the castle remains. The present tower, probably early- mid-C13, is a second stone rebuild of an earlier C12 structure. Circular plan of 3-storeys plus basement, built of sandstone with no roof. The walls stand to almost full height. The windows are rebated internally for shutters. Vaulted basement.
Motte 8m high topped by a round keep with main and outer baileys defined by a bank and ditch lying to the north. Apparent bastion sites visible as breaks in bank and ditch of outer bailey. The first castle, which had wooden buildings, was probably built by Richard fitz Pons around 1138. The tower was built during the mid C13. It is entered at first floor level and contained a basement for storage or for a prison plus second floor living rooms. DuringC14 the windows were enlarged and replaced and a top storey was added for a chamber with three windows, a latrine and a fireplace. (Burnham, H 1995, 159-161).

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO14933463

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's National Monument Record (Coflein) number is 96535
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 72134; 539 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=30
    http://www.castlewales.com/bronllys.html
    http://www.cpat.org.uk/educate/guides/brecast/brecast.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/bronllys.html
• Books
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p49-50
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern)p14-
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p9-10
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p33
    Remfry, Paul, 1998. Castles of Breconshire (Logaston Press) p135--9 [plans]
    Burnham, H., 1995, A Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales: Clwyd and Powys (Cadw, London)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p327
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works Vol2: the Middle Ages (London: HMSO) p582
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p169-70
    Fenton, R., 1917, Tours in Wales 1902-13
    Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval Military Architecture in England  (Wyman and Sons) Vol1 p283-5 [Reprint of 1866 Arch. Camb. article]
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p485-7
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47804#s4
    King, Edward, 1799-1805, Munimenta Antiqua Vol3 p31-8
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p353
• Journal Articles
  • Knight, J.K., 1974, ‘Bronllys Castle’, The 121st Annual Meeting in South Brecknock, 1974, CAA p12-14
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    Renn, D.F., 1961, 'The round keeps of the Brecon region' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol110 p138 and plan
    King, D.J.C., 1961, ‘The castles of Breconshire’ Brycheiniog Vol7 p76
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 p249-280 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p90-121] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28195904%2974%3A291%3C249%3AALOC1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-P
    Jones, H.E., 1910, 'Bronlyss Tower' Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club p154-7
    Clark, G.T., 1904, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol59 p158-60
    Clark, G.T., 1866, 'Some remarks upon Bronllys Tower' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol21 p441-5
    (Banks), 1862, 'Bronllys Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol16 p81-92
• Guidebooks
  • Smith, J.B. and Knight, J.K., 1981, Bronllys Castle/Castell Bronllys, Powys (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents - This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Giraldus Cambrensis, c.1188, Journey Through Wales [http://www.building-history.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Primary/Gerald2.htm]
    Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p101
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1906, Leland's Itinerary in Wales (Bell and Sons; London) p111 http://www.archive.org/details/itineraryinwales00lelauoft
    
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such.)
  • Hankinson, R., 1995, Talgarth Bypass, Powys: archaeological assessment (CPAT report)