Castell Moel (also known as Greencastle, Green Castle, Humphreys Castle, or Castle Mole) is the remains of a 16th-century fortified manor house in the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

Llangain Llangain is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, in the south-west of Wales. Located to the west of the River Towy, and south of the town of Carmarthen, the community contains three standing stones, and two chambered tombs as well as the ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, and also a medieval motte about to the south of the manor house. The remains are approximately south-west

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

and north-east of the village of Llangain. Three miles to the north-west is

Castle, and five miles to the south-west is

Llansteffan Castle Llansteffan Castle ( cy, Castell Llansteffan) is a privately owned castle in Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire, Wales, overlooking the River Tywi estuary in Carmarthen Bay. Iron Age The castle sits on a much older Iron Age promontory fort, prov ...

. In 1917 the then ''Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales and Monmouthshire'' (now

RCAHMW The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; cy, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectura ...

) described the site as "showing a few vestiges of the foundation walls of what appears to be a 14th or early 15th century castle". The existence of Castell Moel in the 15th century is confirmed by a poem by Lewis Glyn Cothi, "I Nicolas Ryd o Castell Moel." The castle stands on a plateau overlooking the

River Towy The River Towy ( cy, Afon Tywi, ) is one of the longest rivers flowing entirely within Wales. Its total length is . It is noted for its sea trout and salmon fishing. Route The Towy rises within of the source of the River Teifi on the lower sl ...

, and the overgrown remains are now thought to be of a late medieval L-plan

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples wer ...

, once owned by the Rede family. The main eastern block is a first floor hall and set in the re-entrant angle, is an adjoining high stair turret. The western block is a two-storey wing, with a porch and a cellar and the walls of the castle, once supported a crenellated parapet. It is doubtful that the building was ever intended to be defended. The 1917 report also stated that the remains of a motte and bailey castle were easily traceable, and that it became known as the old castle. A much more recent (sometime after 1990) visit by the

Dyfed Archaeological Trust The Dyfed Archaeological Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Dyfed) is one of the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts established in the mid-1970s with the charitable object 'to advance the education of the public in archaeology'. Its core are ...

could find no trace of the older castle. The Archaeological Trust have not visited Old Castle itself and if you do then the old motte can clearly be seen as stated in the 1917 report. The

Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path ( cy, Llwybr Arfordir Cymru) is a designated long-distance trail which follows, or runs close to, the coastline of Wales. Launched in 2012, the footpath is long and was heralded as the first dedicated coast path in the wor ...

(Carmarthen to

Llansteffan Llansteffan, is a village and a community situated on the south coast of Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Tywi, south of Carmarthen. Description The community includes Llanybri and is bordered by the communities of: L ...

section) passes through the associated Green Castle Woods, a nature reserve managed by the

Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland Natural heritage, heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moel Castle Castles in Carmarthenshire Castle ruins in Wales

See also

References