Mathrafal Castle
 Mathrafal within Wales
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| Location | Near Welshpool |
|---|---|
| Region | Powys, Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°41′17″N 3°17′15″W / 52.68806°N 3.28750°WCoordinates: 52°41′17″N 3°17′15″W / 52.68806°N 3.28750°W |
| Type | Motte and Bailey Castle |
| Part of | Capital of the Kingdom of Powys until 1160, then of Powys Wenwynwyn until 1212. |
| Length | 90 m |
| Width | 80 m |
| History | |
| Founded | 9th century |
| Abandoned | 1212 |
| Periods | Medieval |
| Associated with |
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1991 |
| Archaeologists | University of York |
| Condition | Ruin - mainly earthworks remaining |
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Maredudd ap Bleddyn
Madog ap Maredudd
Owain Cyfeiliog
Mathrafal near Welshpool, in Powys, Mid Wales, was the seat of the Kings and Princes of Powys probably from the 9th century until its destruction in 1212 by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) of Gwynedd.
On the banks of the River Banwy, just above its confluence with the river Vyrnwy, about 5 km (3 miles) NE of Llanfair Caereinion and 10 km (6 miles) NW of Welshpool on the A495 at its junction with the B4389.
Entry to the earthworks and view towards the motte
View from the motte
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, in the cantref of Caereinion. After the division of Powys in 1160 it became the capital of the southern portion which eventually became known as Powys Wenwynwyn.
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 town of Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter).
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Wikipedia