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The comprehensive gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Islands.
 
 
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Bryn y Cwn Motte, Flint

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Plas yn Balls; Bryn-cwn; Bryn y cwm

In the community of Flint.
In the historic county of Flintshire.
Modern authority of Flintshire.
Preserved county of Clwyd.

OS Map Grid Reference: SJ23837144
Latitude 53.23447° Longitude -3.14272°

Bryn y Cwn Motte, Flint has been described as a probable Timber Castle.

There are earthwork remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

Description

Bryn-y-Cwn is a large earthwork motte and partially surviving counterscarp bank located about 1 mile north of Flint. The site consists of a tree-clad circular mound, c.55m in diameter and 8.0-12m high, with a summit diameter of 16m, set upon the N end of a spur, ditched to the S. The location of the bailey (if any) has been lost. There is no recorded history for the castle, although possibly it is the site 'palisaded' in 1244 (see Hen Blas as alternative site for this work). Its proximity to the castle at Flint may be an indication that Bryn-y-Cwn Castle served as an outpost or support site for this larger castle nearby. (Dervived from Coflein)

The monument comprises the remains of a motte and bailey castle, a military stronghold built during the medieval period. A motte and bailey castle comprises a large conical or pyramidal mound of soil or stone (the motte) surrounded by, or adjacent to, one or more embanked enclosures (the bailey). Both may be surrounded by wet or dry ditches and could be further strengthened with palisades, revetments, and/or a tower on top of the motte. The motte is roughly circular and stands to a height of 30ft with a flattened top, which measures 90ft in diameter. The ditch on west side rises 15ft to the counterscarp and on the south side of motte, a spur of high ground runs south. This is separated from the field to the west by the ditch which measures 15ft deep with a small stream at the bottom, and from the field to the east by a wide ditch rising 10ft to field boundary. (Scheduling Report)
Links to archaeological and architectural databases, mapping and other online resources

Data >
Coflein   County HER   Scheduling        
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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The information on this web page may be derived from information compiled by and/or copyright of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales, the four welsh archaeological trusts and other individuals and organisations. It may also contain Designated Historic Asset Descriptive Information from The Welsh Historic Environment Service (Cadw), licensed under the Open Government Licence. All the sources given should be consulted to identify the original copyright holder and permission obtained from them before use of the information on this site for commercial purposes.
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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.
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Locations derived from OS grid references and from latitude longitiude may differ by a small distance.
Further information on mapping and location can be seen at this link.
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This record last updated 06/07/2016 16:46:13


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