Simons Castle, Churchstoke

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Symons; Simonds; Symondes; Symonds; Sneth; Snead; Sned; Snet

In the community of Churchstoke. In the historic county of Montgomeryshire (Modern authority of Powys, preserved county of Powys).

An embanked motte, 40m by c.50m, 4.5m high, with a summit, 22m by 30m, truncated to the SW by quarrying, seperated from a bailey platform to the NE, 28m by15m, by a ditch It overlooks and completely controls the road (leading onto the Ceri Ridgeway). The castle would have been an ideal garrison point for controlling passage into and out of the local area. A stone curtain wall was added to the earlier motte (1.8m thick), and enclosed a court 21m across. King writes "This castle is commonly identified with Sneth, but the name may belong to Hyssington"
Powys SMR record reads 'Castle situated on rocky knoll. Rock scarped to form motte separated from bailey by ditch. Bailey area 28m to 15.0m. Bounded by natural slopes 5m-10m long 2.0m- 3.5m height. Poss snead castle recorded 1231 and 1233.
Surveyed 1985, topsoil removed from whole of bailey. Rock ditch shown to be natural feature separating two rock outcrops used as motte and bailey. Dumped clay used to shape bailey edge of ditch. Bailey bank formed of dumped clay (Arnold, C J & Huggett, J W, 1985, 43; Youngs, S M, Clark, J and Barry T 1986, 198).
Excavation in 1986 demonstrated the leveling of the site with dumped clay. Metalled surface ran into bailey. Large quantities of medieval pottery and coins of C12th and C13th. (Huggett, J W & Arnold, C J, 1986, 56).
Traces of buildings noted in bailey as well as fence lines and footings for bridge. Rock in base of ditch left deliberately to support pier for bridge (Arnold, C J, & Huggett, J W, 1987, 62).
Excavation of motte and bailey ditch in 1988. Layout of bailey with timber defences and gateway revealed. Post sockets for bridge across ditch located. Bailey seems to have acted as a bridgehead, only one building located in the bailey and appears temporary or shortlived (Arnold, C J., & Huggett, J W, 1988, 74).
Excavations in 1992: burnt building a completed, no floor surfaces found, building interpreted as timber framed. At the northern end of the excavation the burnt remains of a timber building were located c.4 by 3m. Parts of the retaining wall of the rampart were identified. (Arnold, C & Huggett, J 1992).
Excavation terminated in 1993 with all excavated surfaces having been reinstated. (Cadw 1998)'

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO28599332

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 94940
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 199; 5765 '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.castlewales.com/symons.html
    http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/Archaeology/projects/symon/index.html
    Huggett and Chen, 2000, 3D Interpretative Modelling of Archaeological Sites/ A Computer Reconstruction of a Medieval Timber and Earthwork Castle Internet Archaeology 8, (http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue8/huggett_index.html)
• Books
  • Morgan, Gerald, 2008, Castles in Wales: A Handbook (Talybont: Y Lolfa Cyf.) p246 [listed]
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern) p52
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p152
    Burnham, H., 1995, A Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales: Clwyd and Powys (Cadw, London)
    Arnold, C.J. and Huggett, J.W., 1992, Symon's Castle (Churchstoke. Powys)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p295
    RCAHMW, 1911, An Inventory of Ancient Monuments in Montgomeryshire (HMSO) p24 No118
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47813#s3
• Journal Articles
  • Arnold, C.J. and Huggett, J.W., 1988. 'Symon's Castle. Church Stoke’. Archaeology in Wales Vol28 p74
    Arnold, C.J. and Huggett, J.W., 1987. 'Symon's Castle. Churchstoke’. Archaeology in Wales Vol27 p62
    Youngs, S.M., Clark, J. and Barry, T., 1986, ‘Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1985’, Medieval Archaeology Vol30 p198 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Huggett, J.W. and Arnold, C.J., 1986. ‘Symon's Castle. Churchstoke’. Archaeology in Wales Vol26 p56
    Arnold, C.J. and Huggett, J.W., 1985. 'Symon's Castle. Churchstoke’. Archaeology in Wales Vol25 p43
    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 p36-7, 55-6
    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
    Lewis, E.A., 1915, 'A survey of the lordship of Halcetor, co. Montgomeryshire' Montgomeryshire Collections Vol37 p31-43
    Jones, M.C. and Lloyd, W.V., 1880. ‘Simons Castle’ Montgomeryshire Collections Vol13 169-76 [history only]
• 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