The Gatehouse website record for Pen y Clawdd Castle, Crucorney

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Llantilio Pertholey; Penyclawdd Court

In the community of Crucorney. In the historic county of Monmouthshire (Modern authority of Monmouthshire, preserved county of Gwent).

A sub-circular ditched mound, c.28-30m in diameter and 2.4m high, with two banks with a medial wet moat beyond the ditch to the NW. To the SE the buildings of Pen-y-Clawdd Court occupy an area c.42m NW-SE by c.72m NE-SW, delimited by scarps to the SE. This area may coincide with the extent of a former bailey, whilst it is suggested that the castle earthworks may have been landscaped. Little is known about the history of the castle although it is thought that the Norman keep that once crowned the motte was one of several strongholds built locally by Roger de Hastings following an uprising of barons against William the Conqueror in the late C11.
Phillips writes 'Penyclawdd should be reassessed as a later fortified house thereby removing it from the list of motte and bailey castles.' (p103) However he does also state that 'excavations revealed a possibility that a motte and bailey castle may have pre-dated the present mound. This possibility is suggested by the depth of the encircling ditch coupled with the potential of the existence of a bailey as suggested by the bank south of the barn complex' (p298) The excavation suggests 'that the mound once supported a large rectangular masonry structure which suffered fire damage' although this building was dated to the C13.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO30992009

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's National Monument Record (Coflein) number is 306454
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 01622g '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.

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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales, the four welsh archaeological trusts and other individuals and organisations. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes. I do not receive any income from this site and I fund it myself.
The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.

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