Colwyn Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Mauds Castle; Mawds; Colunwy; Clun

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

Ringwork. A ditched and counterscarped circular enclosure, c.65m in diameter, set within, and at the junction of, two contiguous subrectangular, ditched and banked enclosures, c.280m by 160m. A castle, refortified in stone, c.1240, on the site of a Roman auxiliary fort. Demolition recorded 1629. Probably begun around 1200 when William Braose was granted rights of conquest in this district and was consequently probably seized from him on his rebellion in 1208. No stonework remains in situ.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SO10765399

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; 92387

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 50274

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/colwyn.html
    http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/colwyn.html
• Books
  • Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of Mid Wales (Malvern) p60
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p181
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p66
    Remfry, P., 1996, Castles of Radnorshire (Logaston Press) p130-1 [plan]
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p200, 238
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p407
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p342
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Howse, W.H., 1949, Radnorshire (Hereford) p267-8
    RCAHMW, 1913, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Radnorshire (HMSO) p108-9
    Armitage, Ella, 1912, The Early Norman Castles of the British Isles (London: John Murray) p293
• Journal Articles
  • Spurgeon, C.J., 1977, ‘Castell Colwyn’, 124th Annual Meeting in Aberystwyth, South Montgomery and North Radnor, 1977, CAA p30-2
    Spurgeon, C.J. and Davies. J. 1975. ‘Colwyn Castle’. Archaeology in Wales 15. 67
    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., 1963, 'Early castles in Wales and the Marches: a preliminary list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol112 p77-124
    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
    Banks, 1875, Archaeologia Cambrensis [ser4] Vol6 p253-4
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/hertseng.html#rad2]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p11