In the 13th century King Edward I granted a charter to Roger Mortimer of Wigmore Castle to establish a new town in the Manor of Cedewain, Newtown, as it quickly became known. This mound, or “motte,” was built to provide the usual fortified protection of a medieval town. A timber keep was probably built on it. The town was built in a bend in the river. Two defensive banks were built, one to meet the river to the north (excavated in 2022 and 2025) and the other to the east, meeting the river further downstream, thus providing a near-rectangular site for the town. In the event, there was little need for defenses, and the fortifications fell into disuse.
Did you know?
The motte (mound) fortification was built by Roger de Mortimer to defend his new town.
The motte consists of a D-shaped mound measuring 55m x 35m at the base and 40m x 15m on top.
During the Civil War period, when Sir John Pryce of Newtown Hall fortified the motte on behalf of Parliament in early 1642, the ditch was recut along the earthworks to the river to bring water back into the moat.
In 1910, excavations revealed the ruins of a stone structure. This is likely to date to the Georgian period when the grounds of Newtown Hall were turned into parkland and gardens.
The castle motte stands in a public park formed from the grounds of Newtown Hall, home of the Pryce family.
It was investigated by archaeologists in 2022 and 2025.