Castles / GB / Wales
Penlle'r Castell
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 motte-and-bailey castle — a sub-rectangular mound divided by a broad ditch and girdled by a deep V-shaped ditch, with drystone structures on top — raised during the late-13th-century border dispute between the lords William de Breos and Rhys Fychan; the report notes only temporary occupation, but the form and lordly context are those of a private fortified work. |
| 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 | Mawr, Swansea, 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 —
GM255· Scheduled Monument — SiteType: Castle · entry
Location
Approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Notes
Assessed 2026-07-22 from Cadw's full scheduled-monument report (sig-20260722-report-gm255). fortified_residence upgraded to assessed on the motte-and-bailey form (a castle type this band includes) and its lordly frontier context; the report's note of "only temporary occupation" weakens the residence half but does not negate the character of a lord's fortified work. enclosure_fortification omitted — this is a lorded motte-and-bailey, not an unlorded hillfort/ringfort. All other bands omitted — the report does not speak to popular usage, palatial conversion, revival, or state tenure.
Sources
- Cof Cymru - National Historic Assets of Wales — Cadw, 2026-07-22
Scheduled-monument register entry and full designation report; the source assessed for the band verdict.
Signals
Raw per-source observations behind this record (2):
sig-20260721-cadw-gm255,
sig-20260722-report-gm255
Record file · dataset licensed CC BY 4.0 — see provenance.