Bryn Amlwg Castle (Welsh: Castell Bryn Amlwg, lit.'castle on a prominent hill') was an enclosure castle near Anchor, Shropshire, abutting the England–Wales border. It is a scheduled monument, listed in 1930.[1]

Bryn Amlwg Castle
Anchor, Shropshire
Earthworks of Bryn Amlwyg Castle
Bryn Amlwg Castle is located in Shropshire
Bryn Amlwg Castle
Bryn Amlwg Castle
Coordinates52°27′08″N 3°13′38″W / 52.4521°N 3.2272°W / 52.4521; -3.2272
Grid referencegrid reference SO167845
TypeEnclosure castle
Site information
ConditionEarthworks remain

This was an enclosure castle of the 12th and 13th centuries, and had towers and a gatehouse.[2] Only earthworks now remain. In 1963 the site was excavated by archaeologists, determining that much of the original ringwork wall structure was composed of wood, and was later replaced largely with stone.[1] The castle's adjacency to the England–Wales border and the former stone fortification shows its historical strategic significance as a border fortification. Its builder is unknown, but its resemblance to Dolforwyn Castle may suggest that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd erected the castle, perhaps in the late 1260s. Archaeological evidence of burning suggests the castle fell or was slighted during the war of 1276-77.[3]

The tripoint of Shropshire, Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire is very close by, located at the confluence of the Nant Rhydyfedw and the Nant Rhuddwr valley.

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Castell Bryn Amlwyg: a ringwork and enclosure castle, Bettws-y-Crwyn - 1020148". Historic England. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  2. ^ Somerset Fry, Plantagenet (1980). The David & Charles book of castles. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. p. 196. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3. OCLC 7547072.
  3. ^ Jones, Craig. Princely Ambition: Ideology, castle-building, and landscape in Gwynedd, 1194-1283. University of Hertfordshire Press. pp. 132–3. ISBN 978-1-912260-27-0.