Mathrafal near

Welshpool Welshpool ( ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Powys, Wales, historically in the Historic counties of Wales, county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn. The c ...

, in

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

Mid Wales Mid Wales ( or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands"), or Central Wales, is a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and South Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the Senedd covered the unitary autho ...

, was the seat of the Kings and Princes of

probably from the 9th century until its destruction in 1213 by Prince

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...

Location

On the banks of the River Banwy, just above its confluence with the

river Vyrnwy The River Vyrnwy (, ) flows through northern Powys, Wales, and Shropshire, England. The name derives from Severn, the river of which it is a tributary. Course The river used to be sourced from the many rivers and streams running off the mount ...

, about 5 km (3 miles) NE of Llanfair Caereinion and 10 km (6 miles) NW of

on the A495 at its junction with the B4389. Entry To The Earthworks - geograph

Llyn Coed-y-Dinas from the hide - geograph

Description

The site known today as "Mathrafal Castle" is a 90 m by 80 m compound defended by a bank and outer ditch on three sides, the fourth side being the river. Little remains of the original walls. Mathrafal is the original capital of the

Kingdom of Powys The Kingdom of Powys (; ) was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. It very roughly covered the northern two-thirds of the modern county of Pow ...

, in the

cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a Wales in the Early Middle Ages, medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divid ...

of Caereinion. After the division of Powys in 1160 it became the capital of the southern portion which eventually became known as

Powys Wenwynwyn Powys Wenwynwyn or Powys Cyfeiliog was a Welsh kingdom which existed during the high Middle Ages. The realm was the southern portion of the former princely state of Kingdom of Powys, Powys which split following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of P ...

. This structure probably replaced an earlier hill fort, about 1 km away to the NW, which dates from around 656 at the time of the fall of the neighbouring Kingdom of Pengwern, or perhaps as early as 520 when the capital of Powys was moved from the old Roman city of Viroconium Cornoviorum ( Wroxeter). The 35m by 25m by 5m high

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortificati ...

of Mathrafal Castle dates from around the end of the 12th century and was probably built either by

Owain Cyfeiliog Owain ap Gruffydd (c. 1130–1197) was a prince of the southern part of Powys and a poet. He is usually known as Owain Cyfeiliog to distinguish him from other rulers named Owain, particularly his contemporary, Owain ap Gruffydd of Gwynedd, who is ...

(circa 1170) or Robert de Vieuxpont on behalf of King John in 1212. Prince Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of Powys moved his capital from Mathrafal to

(Y Trallwng) in 1212. Later in 1212, Robert de Vieuxpont was besieged in the castle by the coalition forces of Gwenwynwyn and

, he was rescued by King John. The castle was destroyed and never rebuilt. Excavations by the University of York around 1991 found an iron and bronze figurine of St Gwynllyw (or Woolos the Warrior) in a cavity in a window base.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Mathrafal on Castle of Wales websiteAerial views of the Mathrafal enclosure
Castles in Powys * History of Powys Archaeological sites in Powys Castle ruins in Wales