Castles / GB / Wales
Llantrisant 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 | Built c.1250 by Richard de Clare, Lord of Glamorgan, to hold the district of Meisgyn (an identified private lord), with a circular great tower (the 'raven') giving onto a wall-walk, a curtain wall skirting the spur, a half-round projecting mural tower and flanking ditches providing active defence — both halves met, though the report details defence more fully than domestic accommodation. |
| 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 | Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taff, 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 —
GM074· Scheduled Monument — SiteType: Castle · entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Upgraded to an assessed record from Cadw's full report (GM074). fortified_residence assessed 'yes' — an identified lord (Richard de Clare) and active defensive fabric (great tower, curtain wall, wall-walk, projecting tower, ditches). Other bands omitted; the report gives no usage evidence for popular_castle.
Sources
- Scheduled Monument Full Report — Llantrisant Castle — Cadw, 2026-07-22
Full scheduled-monument report; the basis for the assessed verdict.
Signals
Raw per-source observations behind this record (2):
sig-20260721-cadw-gm074,
sig-20260722-report-gm074
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.