CPAT Regional Historic Environment Record
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Hen Domen castle, motte and bailey

Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 50101
Trust : Clwyd Powys
Community : Montgomery
Unitary authority : Powys
NGR : SO21379803
Site Type (preferred type first) : MEDIEVAL MOTTE AND BAILEY
Status : scheduled monument

Description :
Ditched motte some 9.1 metres high with flat diameter 7.3 metres. Summit and bailey approximately 50m metres by 40 metres internally (the two formerly connected by a timber bridge). Whole enclosed by roughly oval ditch some 2.7 metres deep, Excavations by P A Barker 1960 onwards. Castle probably built c 1071 by Roger of Montgomery.

Excavations 1983: Bailey interior building LIII, 5m by 6m (wooden), possible entrance west side. Two sections across inner bailey ditch contained iron nails and other waterlogged finds (Youngs, S M, Clark, J and Barry, TB 1984, 265).

Excavations 1985: Concentrated on rampart of NE sector of the bailey and small length of crest of outer rampart. Rampart: dump of boulder clay with no stratification or finds; possible internal tower foundation; buried soil of Anglo-Saxon(?) date. Crest of rampart: post and stakeholes from former palisade. Gatehouse(?) identified at entrance to bailey. (Youngs, SM, Clark J and Barry T 1986, 197-8).

Excavations 1988-90 concentrated on a new survey of the motte and bailey, completion of excavation of pre-castle levels in the bailey and excavation of upper levels of the motte top. Excavation revealed the pre-conquest soil and a fence line and timber building. The top of the motte has been eroded or deliberately slighted but massive timber slots for the bridge were identified as were the post holes of a large rectangular timber building. (Nenk, B S, Margeson, S & Hurley, M 1991, 237-8).

Excavations in 1991 & 1992 concentrated on the motte. Five phases were identified:-
I - A wooden structure c6.09m square, flat bottomed pit in basement: possible cistern. 12th century date.
II - Repair of wooden structure and building of new bridge from bailey; late 12th/early 13th century date.
III - Structure reduced in size and finally destroyed by fire. Cistern filled in.
IV - Final building also square, timber. In use to late 13th century?
V - it is suggested that there may have been a later phase the evidence of which has been destroyed by erosion of the motte.
(Nenk, B S, Margeson, S & Hurley, M 1993, 312-313).

Geophysical survey was carried out in the bailey of the castle by Stratascan in 1991 (Stratascan, 1991).



Sources :
Anon , 1877 , title unknown - Hen Domen castle, motte and bailey
Barker, P & Higham, R , 1988 , Hen Domen, Montgomery. A Timber Castle on the English-Welsh Border. Excavations 1960-1988. A Summary Report ( © Barker, P & Higham, R)
Barker, P A , 1961 , Hen Domen
Barker, P A , 1962 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 2 : 17
Barker, P A , 1963 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 3 : 20
Barker, P A , 1964 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 4 : 21
Barker, P A , 1965 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 5 : 33
Barker, P A , 1966 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 6 : 22
Barker, P A , 1967 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 7 : 17
Barker, P A , 1968 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 8 : 25
Barker, P A , 1969 , Hen Domen , Chateau Gaillard : 3 : 15-27
Barker, P A , 1969 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 9 : 27
Barker, P A , 1970 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 10 : 27
Barker, P A , 1972 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 12 : 39-40
Barker, P A , 1973 , Hen Domen , Archaeology in Wales : 13 : 54
Barker, P A , 1976 , Hen Domen , West Midlands Archaeology Newsletter : 19 : 66-8
Barker, P A , 1977 , Hen Domen , West Midlands Archaeology Newsletter : 20 : 83
Barker, P A , 1977 , Hen Domen, 1969-70 , Archaeological Journal : 134 : 101-105
Barker, P A & Lawson, J , 1971 , A pre-Norman field system at Hen Domen, Montgomery , Medieval Archaeology : 15 : 58-72
Barker, P., & Higham, R., 1982 , Hen Domen, Montgomery A Timber Castle on the English-Welsh Border
Briggs, C Stephen (ed) , 2003 , Towards a Research Agenda for Welsh Archaeology. Proceedings of the IFA Wales/Cymru Conference, Aberystwyth 2001
Britnell, W. J., Martin, C. H. R., & Hankinson, R , 2000 , Bro Trefaldwyn Historic Landscape: historic landscape characterization ( © Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust)
Burnham, H., 1995 , A Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales: Clwyd and Powys
Cadw , 1986 , Scheduling map - Mg013(POW)
Cadw , 1987 , Cadw scheduling description - Mg013(POW)
Cadw , 1993 , Cadw Field Monument Wardens Report - Mg013(POW)
Cadw , 2002 , Cadw Field Monument Wardens Report - Mg013(POW)
Cadw , 2013 , Scheduled Monument consent letter ( © Cadw)
Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust , 1978 , Site visit record - PRN50101
Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust , 1985 , CPAT Project Archive
Higham, R., A., & Barker, P., A., 2000 , Hen Domen, Montgomery: A timber castle on the English-Welsh border
Hurst & Wilson , 1964 , title unknown - Hen Domen castle
Kerr, N , 1983 , Cestyll 83: The Year Of The Castle , Popular Archaeology : 5 : 3-8
Nenk, B S, Margeson, S & Hurley, M , 1991 , Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1990 , Medieval Archaeology : 35 : 126-238
Nenk, B S, Margeson, S & Hurley, M , 1993 , Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1992 , Medieval Archaeology : 37 : 240-313
Ordnance Survey , 1973 , OS record card SO29NW 8
Ordnance Survey , 1973 , OS record card SO29NW 8
Ordnance Survey , 1981 , OS record card SO29NW 8
Rowley, T., 2001 , The Welsh Border Archaeology, History & Landscape
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire , 1911 , Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments of the County of Montgomery ( © Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire)
Seymour, W P , 1980 , title unknown - Hen Domen castle
Spurgeon, C. J , 1966 , The castles of Montgomeryshire , The Montgomeryshire Collections : 58 : 1-59
Stratascan , 1991 , Motte and bailey castle at Hen Domen ( © Stratascan)
Webster, L E & Cherry, J , 1976 , Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1975 , Medieval Archaeology : 20 : 158-201
Webster, L E & Cherry, J , 1977 , title unknown - Hen Domen castle
Webster, L E & Cherry, J , 1978 , title unknown - Hen Domen castle
Welsh Office Ancient Monuments Branch , 1974 , Schedule of Ancient Monuments in Wales
Welsh Office Ancient Monuments Branch , 1980 , Scheduling map - Mg013(POW)
Welsh Office Ancient Monuments Branch , 1981 , Schedule of Ancient Monuments in Wales
Wilson, D M & Moorhouse, S , 1971 , Medieval Britain in 1970 , Medieval Archaeology : 15 : 124-179
Youngs, S M, Clark, J & Barry, T , 1984 , Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1983 , Medieval Archaeology : 28 : 203-65
Youngs, S. M., Clark, J., & Barry, T , 1986 , Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1985 , Medieval Archaeology : 30 : 114-198

Events :
70538 : Hen Domen castle, excavation 1960-92 (year : 1967)
70704 : Hen Domen castle, geophysical survey 1991 (year : 1991)
39365 : Historic Landscape Characterisation, Vale of Montgomery 1999-2000 (year : 1999-2000)

Related records
CPAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 165

Compiled date : 31-12-1980


Images :



Archaeological data, from the Historic Environment Record, supplied by The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust in partnership with Local Authorities, Cadw and the partners of ENDEX © CPAT, 2025 (and in part © Crown, 2025). It is intended to be used for private research only and is not for use as part of commercial projects. If you wish to use this information for publication in printed or multimedia form or to compile resources for commercial use, prior permission must be obtained in writing. Use of this information is subject to the terms and conditions of access to HER data published on CPAT's website. Please contact the HER if you have any further questions regarding this information. Please quote the Primary Reference Numbers (PRNs) in any correspondence.

March 28, 2025, 1:50 pm - File produced for Archwilio from CPAT's Regional HER.
Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust, The Offices, Coed y Dinas, Welshpool, Powys, SY21 8RP
tel (01938) 553670, email her@cpat.org.uk, website www.cpat.org.uk

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