Llyntro Moated Site

Between Rhostyllen and Johnstown, within the old township of Esclusham(1), just off the Pentre-bychan road is to be found the moated site of Llyntro, sometimes known as the Croesfoel Moated Site. It’s hidden away somewhat, within a scrub of trees and overgrowth, but once found, you can be in no doubt that you are within a moated enclosure.

Remarkably, the moat at the Llyntro site is not only wet, but still has a stream running along much of its length.

We know very little about these moated sites - they barely make an impression in the written records available to us.(2) In fact, it wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that they began to creep into any sort of serious recognition. They are rare in Wales, other than in the border areas of north east Wales, the south east of the country and along the southern coastline. But they are to be found thickly in Maelor Saesneg, with a few examples in the Vale of Clwyd. And their purpose is still a matter of some debate.

Still, there are things about moated sites which are clear enough. For instance, the geography of placement is important. They clearly relate to an English influence, attached to established manors of English origin - especially those that arrived during and in the years after Edward’s Welsh Wars at the end of the 13th century. They exist also in those areas in which remaining Welsh families were apt to take on English ways. So, in the Maelor for example, we find these moats in lands owned by Hanmers, Ravenscrofts, Pulestons, Dymocks and so on. It has even been suggested that the moat in the field beneath Glyndŵr’s Mount reflects the great man’s English leanings before his raging break with the Crown in 1400. Sometimes the name of the site can give more than a hint of their manorial foundations, with many plas, llys and cŵrt to be found attached to them. Whatever else they were, moated sites would have been status symbols. Who owned the site of Llyntro is a bit of a mystery, but it would seem to have been part of the Plas Power Estate at a point perhaps later than its foundation. The site itself is just the throw of a stone from what was Plas Cadwgan Hall, which given its medieval origins may well be a better bet for the site’s original ownership.

Stone work remains at the site - possible foundations of buildings, or even stone revetment of the moat.

The presence of a moat inevitably leads to the suggestion of a castle - perhaps even a motte and bailey. However, these moated sites were generally devoid of any sort of fortification. In fact, the buildings upon these raised platforms surrounded by their moats were almost exclusively domestic. And they were generally small, roughly a third of a hectare in the Maelor and smaller still elsewhere. They were usually square or rectangular in shape, with only the site of Vicarage Meadow in Hanmer being circular. As for their age, they seem to range from the time of Edward’s conquest at the end of the 13th century, through to the 15th and even 16th centuries.

It's probable that the moat served several purposes. It remains unlikely that the moat would have been capable of withstanding an organised attack in force, it may have been enough to deter raiders. In the years following the Edwardian Conquest, such attacks may have been fairly common. A more established theory is that these moated sites were created to defend livestock against four legged dangers - and one can see this being very effective. The moat itself, usually fed by natural springs and streams, would have been a convenient source of fish and fowl. A surprising number of these moats remain wet, and the site at Lyntro is no different, boasting as it does, a source of flowing water which can be traced along much of its circumference. The water would also have provided a convenient means of tackling fires. It is also clear that these moated sites were placed in areas of some of the most fertile lands in the region - having been either sited directly on rich soils or where the woodland had been cleared for arable farming. The lack of moated sites further west has been explained away by the hardening and higher terrain.

The siting of the Llyntro Moated site is more than likely due to several of these reasons, and possibly others yet to be discovered. The site is a good size, some 28 by 24 m and the moat is remarkably well defined - and, as already mentioned, still wet, with running water still flowing along much of its length, (3) from the north west to the south east into the fields. It was accessed from the north, along the line of what is now a footpath. But what is of particular interest are the remains of stone foundations within the precinct. (4) Indeed, it would seem that upstanding buildings remained on site until well into the 20th century, with some of the original timbers used in later buildings. Palmer, writing in 1903 includes a picture of part of the existing remains at Lyntro, and from his illustration, we may tentatively date the buildings to the late medieval, perhaps even earlier. Palmer also states that a Roger Roberts was living at Llyn Tro in 1688.

An illustration of the existing remains at Llyntro in 1903 - from A.N.Palmer, A History of the County Townships of the Old Parish of Wrexham.

Moated sites are fascinating places, and of the many you will find in the Maelor, Llyntro is one of the most easily accessible and interesting examples. And still a mystery.

Derwgwrt a phlas daeargylch,

Dŵr yn gaer i’w droi’n ei gylch.

Llyn perffaith fal llun pwrffil,

Llys o’i fewn, lle iso i fil,

An oaken court and a palace on a circle of earth,

with water to be placed around it like a defence.

A perfect lake like the border of a garment in shape,

and a court within it, a place below for a thousand people,

Guto’r Glyn. In praise of the new house of Sir Siôn Mechain, parson of Llandrinio, Edited by R. Iestyn Daniel

Footnotes

1. More specifically known as Esclusham îs y Clawdd - Esclusham below the Dyke.

2. One of the very few contemporary sources we have of moated sites, is from a work by Guto’r Glyn, dated to around 1470 - In praise of the new house of Sir Siôn Mechain, parson of Llandrinio .

3. I visited in the late Autumn, after some rain, and one would expect the moat to dry up in the summer.

4. It’s tempting to see these stones as revetment for the moat, since they stand close to the existing ditch. An archaeological investigation would be needed to establish the purpose of the stones.