Wales · Ruin
Mathrafal
Mathrafal was the original royal seat of the Kingdom of Powys and later the capital of the southern Powys Wenwynwyn. The medieval site is an earthwork castle, a large motte and an enclosure defended by banks, ditches and the River Banwy, and was destroyed in the early 13th century and not rebuilt.
Its prime
1212
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1212
What Mathrafal looked like in its prime.
A roughly 90 by 80 metre enclosure defined by a raised earthen bank and an outer ditch on three sides with the River Banwy forming the fourth boundary; at one side a prominent grassy motte about 35 by 25 metres and roughly 5 metres high rises above the interior. Little masonry survives; the landscape is pastoral with scattered mature trees and surrounding rolling hills, and the earthworks are grass-covered and gently contoured.
Its story
The story of Mathrafal.
The Seat of Powys and the Division of 1160
Mathrafal sits on the banks of the River Banwy just above its confluence with the Vyrnwy, some 5 km north-east of Llanfair Caereinion and 10 km north-west of Welshpool. It was the seat of the Kings and Princes of Powys probably from the 9th century, the original capital of the kingdom, lying in the cantref of Caereinion.
When Powys was divided in 1160, Mathrafal became the capital of the southern portion, the territory that eventually became known as Powys Wenwynwyn.
The Motte, the Siege and the End, c.1170-1213
The motte, 35 m by 25 m and 5 m high, dates from around the end of the 12th century. Who raised it is not settled: it was probably the work either of Owain Cyfeiliog around 1170, or of Robert de Vieuxpont on behalf of King John in 1212.
In 1212 Prince Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of Powys moved his capital from Mathrafal to Welshpool. Later that same year de Vieuxpont was besieged in the castle by the coalition forces of Gwenwynwyn and Llywelyn the Great, and King John came to his rescue. In 1213 Llywelyn destroyed the castle, and it was never rebuilt.
The York Excavations of 1991 and Scheduled Status
Excavations by the University of York around 1991 recovered an iron and bronze figurine of St Gwynllyw, Woolos the Warrior, from a cavity in a window base. What is known by the name today is a compound of 90 m by 80 m, defended by a bank and outer ditch on three sides with the river closing the fourth; little of the original walling survives. The site, in the community of Llangyniew, is both a scheduled monument and a National Monument of Wales, and is treated as an archaeological site rather than a standing castle.
Step inside
6 places to explore in 1212.
The record describes 6 distinct spots at Mathrafal, including 1 interior: window base (excavation spot). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Build Your Own Castle
Recreate Mathrafal with AI to explore it.
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