Roft Motte

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; The Rofft; Rofft Mount; Marford; Hoseley; Bromfield

In the community of Gresford. In the historic county of Flintshire (Modern authority of Wrexham, preserved county of Clwyd).

Site damaged by railway and quarrying (King writes destroyed in 1952). Mentioned in 1161-62 and, if correctly identified as Bromfield, as destroyed in 1140. Was motte and bailey on promontory site. The RCAHM described the motte as 3,8m high with a summit 20m in diameter. Possibly the castrum de Glynn of the 1391 survey of Bromfield. Possibly destroyed during rebellion of Madog ap Llewleyn 1294-5. Possibly mentioned in Domesday book and Pipe Rolls of 1160-61 (Pratt, 1984 p4) Roft Mount, rose 18ft above the surrounding ground level with a dry moat. Iron Age promontory fort used as outer bailey. Possibly site of the court of Osbern Fitztesso (1086). Site badly damaged March 1140. Rebuilt to become llys of Madog ap Maredudd (d. 1160). Fell into disrepair in C13. Manor house constructed in bailey by 1315 (Pratt, 1992, p33-5).

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ35725623

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 County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 101298 '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.

• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles of North Wales (Malvern) p87 [slight]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p105, 155
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Jones, E.S., 1955, Trevors of Trevalyn
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p268
    RCAHMW, 1912, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Flintshire (HMSO) p57
• Journal Articles
  • Pratt, D., 1992, 'Fourteenth Century Marford And Hoseley: A Mardref In Transition' Denbighshire Historical Society Transactions Vol41 p25-69
    Pratt, D., 1984, 'Some Sidelights On The Early History Of Gresford Church' Denbighshire Historical Society Transactions Vol33 p1-25
    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
    Price, 1967, Denbighshire Historical Society Vol16 p10-20
    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
    Palmer, A.N., 1905, 'History of the old parish of Gresford in the counties of Denbigh and Flint' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol60 p187