Kerry Motte
Kerry Motte is one of the best preserved Welsh built motte and bailey castles in mid Wales. Raised around 1135 by Madog ap Idnerth, it commanded the ancient route along the Ceri Ridge and acted as the capital of the commote of Ceri, forming a direct challenge to the rising power of the Mortimers in neighbouring Montgomeryshire. The entire fortification was timber, with a steep, ditched motte supporting a tower or platform and a distinctive kidney shaped bailey cut into the hillside to the south west. The motte rises to nearly 9 metres, with the encircling ditch and the scarp of the bailey still sharply defined. Its striking form and survival make it an exceptional example of a twelfth century Welsh administrative centre. Later references describe the site as a vicarage, but the medieval earthworks remain dominant. Although the castle was eventually eclipsed by stronger marcher fortresses, its strategic purpose is still clear from its commanding view over the ridgeway. The monument sits on private farmland just south of Kerry but is visible from nearby rights of way. It is a scheduled ancient monument, protected for its excellent preservation and importance in understanding native Welsh castle building in the twelfth century. Alternate names: Kerry Motte, Ceri Motte, Moat Mound Castle, Castell Ceri
Kerry Motte
Kerry Motte is one of the best preserved Welsh built motte and bailey castles in mid Wales. Raised around 1135 by Madog ap Idnerth, it commanded the ancient route along the Ceri Ridge and acted as the capital of the commote of Ceri, forming a direct challenge to the rising power of the Mortimers in neighbouring Montgomeryshire. The entire fortification was timber, with a steep, ditched motte supporting a tower or platform and a distinctive kidney shaped bailey cut into the hillside to the south west. The motte rises to nearly 9 metres, with the encircling ditch and the scarp of the bailey still sharply defined. Its striking form and survival make it an exceptional example of a twelfth century Welsh administrative centre. Later references describe the site as a vicarage, but the medieval earthworks remain dominant. Although the castle was eventually eclipsed by stronger marcher fortresses, its strategic purpose is still clear from its commanding view over the ridgeway. The monument sits on private farmland just south of Kerry but is visible from nearby rights of way. It is a scheduled ancient monument, protected for its excellent preservation and importance in understanding native Welsh castle building in the twelfth century.