id: sig-20260722-report-me049
site_id: gb-llanuwchllyn-carn-dochan
attribute: designation_report
value: 'Reference Number

  ME049

  Name

  Castell Carn Dochan

  Date of Designation

  Status

  Designated

  Unitary Authority

  Gwynedd

  Community

  Llanuwchllyn

  Easting

  284705

  Northing

  330660

  Broad Class

  Defence

  Site Type

  Castle

  Period

  Medieval

  The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

  A Welsh castle, probably built by Llywellyn ap Iorwerth between 1215 and 1230.  It is situated
  on a rocky summit above the Lliw valley, at the NE end of a ridge, with superb views.  The
  remains consist of a curtain wall, with three towers built into its line, and a central
  tower.  A rock-cut ditch (which may also have served as a quarry) forms a further defence
  from the ridge on the SW side. To the SW of the ditch is the base of a limekiln, presumably
  used in the production of mortar during construction of the castle walls.

  The simple entrance is in the S curtain wall, against the E wall of the apsidal tower.

  The apsidal tower at the W end is of coursed, mortared masonry, and built to a higher standard
  than the rest of the masonry.  The E wall stands 1.5 m high from the E side, with well-preserved
  masonry, but on the interior the inner wall face has fallen away from the upper courses.  In
  the SE corner the rubble has been dug away to expose the wall to a height of 2.5 - 3 m.  The
  N wall contains a 2-m wide break.  The apsidal W end, standing just over 1 m high, appears
  partly corbelled at the upper levels.  Much of the inner face of the wall has fallen away.

  The N curtain wall is a low, grass-covered stone wall, with parts of the inner face visible
  in the centre of its length.

  The round tower at the NE end is dug into solid rock on the S, E and W sides.  The remaining
  masonry is poor and uncoursed.

  The S curtain wall is a low, grass-covered stone wall, incorporating a D-shaped tower at
  its S end, close to the entrance.

  The inner, square tower, is largely obscured by rubble, although the inner face of the N
  wall is visible to a height of 0.5m.  The remains of a poorly constructed dry-stone wall
  connects the central tower with the apsidal tower.  Its character is different to any other
  masonry on the site and may be a later addition.

  The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval
  settlement and defence.  It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong
  probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits.  The structures
  themselves may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and
  building techniques.

  The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related
  evidence may be expected to survive.'
source_url: http://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/sam/FullReport?lang=en&id=3208
source_title: Scheduled Monument Full Report — Castell Carn Dochan
publisher: Cadw
observed_date: '2026-07-22'
collected_by: scripts/build_assessment_batch.py
confidence: high
notes: The designation text. Assess the six bands against THIS evidence only; omit any band
  it does not speak to.