Trecastell, Pen-y-clawdd

Trecastell stands on a low rise near the village of Pen-y-clawdd in Monmouthshire. It is a small medieval mound built of earth and stone without the usual surrounding defensive wall. Such mottes were raised across Wales between the late 11th and the second half of the 12th century. The Normans introduced this style of fortification from France and Welsh lords adopted the design. Cadw recognises the site and lists it as SAM MM098. The greatest concentration of these mottes in Britain lies along the Welsh borderlands, including Shropshire, Cheshire, Herefordshire, Powys and Flintshire. Visitors find a simple grassy mound about five metres high with a flat top. A shallow ditch once surrounded the base, though it is now partly filled. The view stretches over rolling farmland towards the Black Mountains. The site is quiet, with only the sound of wind and distant traffic.