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Dolforwyn Castle
Also known as, or recorded in historical
documents as; Castle at Abrunol; Abermule; Aber miwi; Bachyranneleu; Dolvoreyn; Castell Dol-y-Vorwyn
In the community of Llandyssil.
In the historic county of Montgomeryshire (Modern authority
of Powys, preserved county of Powys).
The remains of this castle, begun by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ('the last') in 1273 and captured by the English in 1277, have recently been revealed by extensive archaeological excavations. Remains date from 1270s, although there are unsubstantiated claims that the castle has an earlier history, and was ruinous by the end of the C14. Roughly rectangular in plan, the walls, standing c1.5m high, are of roughly coursed local siltstone. The castle is bounded by a curtain wall and contains a substantial round tower at the end and a rectangular keep at the W. Ranges of rooms to NE, SE, and SW with the aisled hall to NW.
This site is a scheduled
monument protected by law.
This site is a
Listed but grading unknown listed
building protected by law*.
The Ordnance Survey Map Grid
Reference is SO15189501
National Monuments Record number; 300392
County Sites and Monuments Record number; 50092
- Web site links
- Books
- Gravett, Christopher, 2007, The Castles of Edward I in Wales 1277-1307 (Osprey Fortress series 64)
Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern) p38-9 [plan]
Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p147
Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p78
Davis, Paul R., 1988, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Swansea)
Avent, Richard, 1983, Castles of the Princes of Gwynedd (Cardiff)
King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus)
Arnold, C. et al, 1983. Interim reports on excavations at three castles in Wales 1981-1982. (Cardiff: Department of Extra-Mural Studies, University College)
Butler, L., 1981. Dolforwyn Castle. Interim Report on the Excavations 1981
Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p349
RCAHMW, 1911, An Inventory of Ancient Monuments in Montgomeryshire (HMSO) p8-9 No34
Clark, G.T., 1884, Medieval military architecture in England (Wyman and Sons) Vol2 p3-4 [dimensions in yards, should be feet-Reprint of 1877 article]
Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47800#s4
Grose, F., 1756, Antiquities of England and Wales Vol7 p93-5
- Journal Articles
- Butler, L., 2000, 'The siege of Dolforwyn Castlein 1277' Château Gaillard Vol19 p25-6
Butler, L., 1998. ‘Dolforwyn Castle. Abermule’ Archaeology in Wales Vol38
Butler, L., 1995. ‘Dolforwyn Castle. Abermule’ Archaeology in Wales Vol35 p69
Butler, L., 1995. ‘Dolforwyn Castle, Montgomery, Powys. Second report: the excavations 1987-1994' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol146 p133-203
Butler, L., 1994. ‘Dolforwyn Castle’ Archaeology in Wales Vol34 p72-4
Butler, L., 1993. ‘Dolforwyn Castle’ Archaeology in Wales Vol33 p82
Butler, L., 1992. ‘Dolforwyn Castle. Powys’ Archaeology in Wales Vol32 p83-4
Butler, L., 1992, Internationales Burgen Institut: Bulletin Vol47 p41-48
Butler, L., 1991. ‘Dolforwyn Castle. Powys’ Archaeology in Wales Vol31 p48-9
Butler, L., 1991, Dolforwyn Castle, Powys, Wales : excavations 1985-90’ Château Gaillard Vol15 p73-82
Butler, L., 1991, Fortress Vol8 p15-24
Butler, L., 1990, 'Dolforwyn - Welsh castle' Current Archaeology, Vol120 p418-423
Butler, L., 1990. ‘Excavations at Dolforwyn Castle. Powys. 1986-90’ Archaeology in Wales Vol30 p19-20, 68-9
Butler, L., 1989. ‘Dolforwyn Castle’ Archaeology in Wales Vol29 p6
Butler, L., 1989. ‘Dolforwyn Castle, Montgomery, Powys. First report: the excavations 1981-1986' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol138 p78-98
Youngs, S.M. et al, 1988 ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1987’ Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p312 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1987, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1986’ Medieval Archaeology Vol31 p197 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1986, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1985’ Medieval Archaeology Vol30 p263-4 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
Butler, L., 1985, Dolforwyn Castle, Powys, Wales: excavations 1981-4’, Château Gaillard Vol12 p167-77
Butler, L. and Arnold, C., 1985. ‘Dolforwyn Castle’ Archaeology in Wales Vol25 p42
Butler, L. and Arnold, C., 1984. ‘Dolforwyn Castle’ Archaeology in Wales Vol24 p69-70
Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1984, 'Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1983’ Medieval Archaeology Vol28 p228-9 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
Butler, L., and Arnold, C., 1983. ‘Dolforwyn Castle’ Archaeology in Wales Vol23 p62-3
Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T.B., 1983, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1982’ Medieval Archaeology Vol27 p227 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
Spurgeon, C.J., 1966, ‘The castles of Montgomeryshire’ Montgomeryshire Collections Vol58 p39-42
Craster, 1962, Programme Cambrian Archaeological Association Summer Meeting p24-5
Lloyd, J.E., 1941, Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies Vol10 p306-9
Williams, R., 1901, 'Dolforwyn Castle and its Lords' Archaeologia CambrensisVol56 p299-317 [history]
Williams, R., 1894, Montgomeryshire Collections Vol28 p145-64
Clark, G.T., 1877, ‘The castle of Dolforwyn’. Montgomeryshire Collections Vol10 p326-328
- Guidebooks
- Butler, L. and Knight, J.K., 2004, Dolforwyn Castle, Montgomery Castle (CADW)
- Primary
(Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents. This
section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted
for full references.)
- Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p320-1
- Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London)
- Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
- Butler. L. 1998. Dolforwyn Castle. Abermule. Powys (SO 152 950) - Interim Report on Excavations (July 4th - August 1st 1998)
Butler. L. 1994. Dolforwyn Castle. Powys. Interim Report on Excavations July 3rd-July 30th 1994
Butler. L. 1989. Dolforwyn Castle. Powys. Interim Report on Excavations: July 2nd - July 22nd 1989
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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 indivduals and organisations.
All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original
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Scheduled Ancient Monument without consent. It is a destruction of
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*The listed building
may no be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site
of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.
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