Carn Fadryn

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Garn Fadryn; Carn Fadrun; Madryn; Garn Fadrun

In the community of Tudweiliog.
In the historic county of Caernarfonshire (Modern authority of Gwynedd, preserved county of Gwynedd).

This is one of the earliest Welsh stone castles, built by the sons of Owain Gwynedd in the late C12. The Welsh normally built timber fortifications surrounded by earthwork defenses. Here the rudimentary stone buildings are ringed by a low wall more reminiscent of Iron Age hillforts than the new Norman motte and bailey design. An extensive area of stone-walled settlement remains, extending across an area, c.825m N-S by 690m, centred on a titanic stone-walled fort, c.500m N-S by 50-340m, set upon an isolated mynydd summit. The remains comprise a great number of 'house' structures, of a variety of forms, from round to rectangular, associated with 'yards', lanes and terraced ways. Whilst some appear to be contemporary with the fort, others overlie its wreck. A small 'summit fort', c.100m N-S by 30m, thought to be a castle, newly built in 1188. It is clear that the fort represents only an episode in the sequence of occupation apparent at this location.

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 ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SH280352

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; 95275

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 425

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/carn.html
• Books
  • Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p24-5
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles of North Wales (Malvern) p25
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p52
    Davis, Paul R., 1988, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Swansea)
    Avent, Richard, 1983, Castles of the Princes of Gwynedd (Cardiff)
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p32
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles)
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    RCAHM, 1964, ‘Cam Fadrun’, in An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Caernarvonshire, Vol3, West (HMSO) p69-71
• 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
    Morris, 1927, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol82 p355