Crug Eryr Castle

Crug Eryr Castle (Castell Crug Eryr) was a motte and bailey-style castle located atop a hill adjacent to the A44 about 2 miles northwest of Llanfihangel Nant Melan, near New Radnor in Powys, Wales. Crug Eryr, which means "the eagle's mount," was likely situated to block the mountain pass into Maelienydd.

The castle's exact origins are unclear, though some scholars believe it belonged to the princes of Maelienydd, considering that Maelgwn ap Cadwallon, 'Prince of Melenia'[1] (i.e. Maelienydd) son of Cadwallon ap Madog, received the Archbishop of Canterbury at Crug Eryr Castle in March 1188.[2] This occasion was an early stop on the Tour of Wales during which the Archbishop was accompanied by Gerald of Wales. This tour was intended as a recruiting campaign of the Third Crusade.

The herald-bard Llywelyn Crug Eryr lived here in about 1300.[3]

References
  1. Gerald of Wales, The Itinerary through Wales, Book 1, Chapter 1: Journey through Hereford and Radnor
  2. British Archaeology, Issue 34, May 1998
  3. Haslam, Richard (1979). The Buildings of Wales – Powys : (Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, Breconshire). Harmondsworth: Penguin. p. 253. ISBN 0140710515.

Further reading
  • Rees, W. (1960), "Crugerudd castle", Archaeologia Cambrensis, 108: 157–158

52.2254°N 3.2347°W / 52.2254; -3.2347


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.