Nantcribba Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; The Gaer, Nant y Cribbau; Gwyddgrug; Wydrug; Wyrebruch; Nant Cribau

In the community of Forden with Leighton and Trelystan.
In the historic county of Montgomeryshire (Modern authority of Powys, preserved county of Powys).

This site has changed due to modern quarrying. It stands beside Offa's Dyke, and a ditch on the hill side may show some continuity between a Dark Ages site and a medieval site. The final traces of a stone wall remain on the hill top, and probably enclosed an area of around 40mx35m. Round towers may have stood at the south and west corners. The site was probably the castle of Gwyddgrwg begun around 1260 by the owner of Caus Castle (Thomas Corbet), and destroyed in 1263 by Gryffydd ap Gwenwynwyn.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle
Timber Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry foundations remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ23740140

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Monuments Record number; 306979

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 139

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/nantcri.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern) p47
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p152
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p55
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p296 Vol2 p563
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p367
    RCAHMW, 1911, An Inventory of Ancient Monuments in Montgomeryshire (HMSO) p35-6 No175
• Journal Articles
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1970, 'Castles in Wales and the Marches (Additions and corrections to lists published in 1963 and 1967)', Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol119 p119-124
    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 p35-6
    1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p262
    Spurgeon, C.J., 1961-2, ‘Gwyddrug Castle (Forden) and the Gorddwr dispute in the thirteenth century’, Montgomeryshire Collections Vol59 p1-59
    Spurgeon, C.J., 1962, Montgomeryshire Collections Vol57 p125-36 [plan]
    Vize, 1884, Montgomeryshire Collections Vol17 p112-4
    Clark, 1880, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser4] Vol11 p208
    Clark, 1877, Montgomeryshire Collections Vol10 p337