It was obvious once I knew it was there. Its on the OS map of 1872 for goodness sake. Still, there is the rather moving distraction at it's centre, which does quite rightly command your attention. The pinfold in Caergwrle has been reused as the surround for the magnificent war memorial. Standing beneath the castle, next to the old police station on the A541 Mold Road, it hides behind its more recent use as a reminder of the Caergwrle men lost to two world wars.
Pinfolds were used to collect errant livestock that had gone a wandering during fairs and markets, their owners having to pay a fee to have them released. They were situated, it seems to me, close to the taverns within which many of their owners spent the money they made. The Caergwrle pinfold is just across the road from the Ye Olde Castle Inn, and not far from the roundhouse gaol that once stood on the corner of High Street and Castle Street.
In Henri Gastineau's work of 1840, it is just possible to see the gate of the pinfold, between the gaol on the left and the Ye Old Castle Inn on the right. The remains of the castle loom impressively above.
I find it absolutely reassuring that someone saw the possibility of reusing the pinfold for a noble cause, instead of simply levelling it as many pinfolds were, their stone reused elsewhere.
You will find another pinfold, if you've a mind to, at Caerwys.