Crug Eryr Castle was a motte and bailey-style castle located atop a hill adjacent to the A44

A44 road

The A44 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Oxford in southern England to Aberystwyth in west Wales.-History:The original route of the A44 was Chipping Norton to Aberystwyth. No changes were made to the route of the A44 in the early years...

 about 2 miles northwest of Llanfihangel Nant Melan

Llanfihangel Nant Melan

Llanfihangel Nant Melan is a small village in Powys, Wales, in the ancient county of Radnorshire. It is around 7 miles from the English border.The village lies in a valley on the A44 road on the edge of the Radnor Forest, and is home to a church and two pubs...

, near New Radnor

New Radnor

New Radnor is a village in Powys, mid Wales. It was the original county town of Radnorshire. The population today is around 400, a higher than normal proportion of which are pensioners...

 in Powys

Powys

Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

. Cryg Eryr, which means "the eagle's mount," was likely situated to block the mountain pass into Maelienydd

Maelienydd

Maelienydd, sometimes spelt Maeliennydd, was a cantref and lordship in east central Wales covering the area from the River Teme to Radnor Forest and the area around Llandrindod Wells. The area, which is mainly upland, is now in Powys...

.

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' (i.e. Maelienydd) son of Cadwallon ap Madog

Cadwallon ap Madog

Cadwallon ap Madog was the son of Madog ab Idnerth who had died in 1140, while Idnerth was a grandson of Elystan Glodrydd who had died in around 1010 and had founded a dynasty in the Middle Marches of Wales, in the area known as Rhwng Gwy a Hafren .-Prince of Maelienydd:After the death of Madog ab...

, received the Archbishop of Canterbury

Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...

 at Crug Eryr Castle in March 1188. 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

Third Crusade

The Third Crusade , also known as the Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin...

.

The later bard known as Llywelyn Crug Eryr took his epithet 'Crug Eryr', having lived at the castle at one time.

External links

• Images from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
• www.castlewales.com/crug.html - pictures of Crug Eryr Castle and some details about it.
• www.elystan.co.uk/Elystan.co.uk/Castles.html - further photographs and details about Castell Crug Eryr