Crickadarn Ringwork

Crickadarn is a D-shaped ringwork castle lying just west of the church in the village of the same name. The ringwork is 50-60m across and is surrounded by a ditch of 3 to 4m, "except towards the main ridge where it appears to have been filled in" (Salter). The ringwork ditch is supplemented by a counterscarp on all sides except to the north "where the fall is slightly greater" (Remfry). Greater counterscarping found on the eastern side of the ditch is possibly an indication that this was the main entrance to the castle, and traces of a possible round tower have been found in the northwest corner of the platform. Although a fair amount of rubble can be found in the ringwork ditch, there is no real evidence of masonry fortification at the site (Remfry).

Very little is known about the castle's history. Paul Remfry notes that "a grant of land in the region to Abbey Dore in 1170, probably indicates that the ringwork predates this," and that "disturbances in this region in the 13th century suggest that a fortress here would have been useful to both the Normans and the Welsh". There is another ringwork (Crickadarn II) laying about 2km west of the site of Crickadarn I.