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 people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

of Llangain in

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

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

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

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

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 () 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, proving Llansteffan has been ...

. 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; ; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectural and historic environment of Wales. ...

) 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 (, ; also known as the River 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 Teif ...

, 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 became known as the old castle. A much more recent (sometime after 1990) visit by the

Dyfed Archaeological Trust The Dyfed Archaeological Trust () was one of the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts established in the mid-1970s and dissolved in 2024 when it became Heneb, an archaeological organisation covering all of Wales. Overview It had the charitable ...

could find no trace of the older castle. The Archaeological Trust has yet to visit Old Castle. If you do, the old motte can be seen as stated in the 1917 report. The

Wales Coast Path The Wales Coast Path () 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 world to cover the entire len ...

(Carmarthen to Llansteffan 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 heritage. It has planted over 68 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Tru ...

References

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

See also

References