Castles / GB / Wales
Llandovery Castle
Which definitions does it satisfy?
This dataset does not record whether something “is a castle”. It records a verdict against each named definition, with the reasoning that produced it.
| Definition | Verdict | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fortified residence | yes | A 12th-century motte-and-bailey castle later refortified in stone — a shell keep on the motte, a strong D-shaped tower and a twin-towered gatehouse with a well turret — held by lords such as John Giffard, granted Cantref Bychan by Edward I; a fortified lordly residence. |
| Enclosure fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| State fortification | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Palatial seat | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Revival and folly | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
| Popularly a castle | unassessed | No source consulted so far speaks to this definition. Unassessed is not the same as no. |
Facts
| Tradition | european medieval |
|---|---|
| Location | Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, Wales, GB |
| Built | Medieval |
| Confidence | medium |
| First recorded | 2026-07-21 |
| Last updated | 2026-07-22 |
In the registers
Where this structure appears in official inventories. This is what turns an individual record into evidence about a count.
- Cof Cymru — National Historic Assets of Wales —
CM015· Scheduled Monument — SiteType: Castle · entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Band assessed from Cadw's full scheduled-monument report (CM015). fortified_residence yes — a motte-and-bailey later stone-refortified with a shell keep, D-shaped tower and twin-towered gatehouse, held by lords. Other bands omitted as unassessed: the report shows no palace conversion, folly, popular-usage evidence, enclosure type or state tenure.
Sources
- Scheduled Monument Full Report — Llandovery Castle — Cadw, 2026-07-22
Cadw scheduled-monument full report (CM015); consulted in full for the band assessment.
Signals
Raw per-source observations behind this record (2):
sig-20260721-cadw-cm015,
sig-20260722-report-cm015
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.