Cefnllys Castle, Radnorshire

The survey described in this article was carried out in the summer of 1985 as part of an investigation into the merits of using photogrammetry in field recording (Browne and Pearson 1985), and the advent of new technology in the Royal Commission has made its broader dissemination now possible. A field visit was undertaken in 2005 to verify the details on file. The authors of the paper have confined themselves to considering the evidence for the medieval castles at Castle Bank and, except where relevant to these buildings, are not concerned with the nature or history of the borough or park of Cefnllys, because the survey did not cover adequately the full extent of these. No archaeological excavations have been carried out at the site. Consequently, our only available evidence for possible sequences of construction must come from historical sources. The evidence from these is considered below after a consideration of the topographic setting of the site. The earthworks are then described in some detail to explain the accompanying drawings and photographs. Lastly, a general interpretation is offered of the probable sequence in which the components of the site were built