Bleddfa Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Bledewach; Bledvach; Bledeach

In the community of Llangunllo.
In the historic county of Radnorshire (Modern authority of Powys, preserved county of Powys).

Very overgrown motte and small bailey lies SE of the church, beside a stream. In 1195 Hugh de Say was licenced by Richard I to refortify the castle and the square tower of which slight traces remain on the top of the motte was probably built around that time, although Hugh himself was killed in the battle of Radnor later that same year. It appears that the 3m of the 9m high motte is in fact the buried stump of this keep. The castle was destroyed in 1262 after being captured by Llywelyn ap Gruffydd from the Mortimers. In 1304 Edward I allowed material from the destroyed castle to be used to build the church tower, itself destroyed by the Welsh c.1403. The bailey has slight traces of two former towers and seems to have been defended by an artificial lake on its west and south sides. The 1195 record is not, in a meaningful sense, a licence to crenellate although has been called this by some.

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 SO20876834

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; 306354

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 280

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/bleddfa.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern) p55
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p181
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p31
    Remfry, P., 1996, Castles of Radnorshire (Logaston Press) p116
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p406
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p326
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    RCAHMW, 1913, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Radnorshire (HMSO) p15
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p293
• Journal Articles
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    Butler, l., 1962. ‘The excavations of a mound at Bleddfa Church’ Transactions of the Radnorshire Society 25-42
    Butler, 1963, Archaeology in Wales Vol3 p20
    Butler, 1962, Archaeology in Wales Vol2 p18
    Butler, 1961, Archaeology in Wales Vol1 p15
    Brown, R, Allen, 1959, 'A List of Castles, 1154–1216' English Historical Review Vol74 [Reprinted in Brown, R. Allen, 1989, Castles, conquest and charters: collected papers (Woodbridge: Boydell Press)] pp90-121
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents. This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Pipe Roll, 7 Ric. I, 108