Ystrad Peithyll

Rhosgoch Motte still stands as a twenty-metre earthen disc beside the River Peithyll, marking the exact spot where Gruffydd ap Rhys drowned a Norman outpost in flame during the early 12th-century rebellion. The castle belonged to Gilbert Fitz Richard and his steward Razo, yet Razo escaped the initial slaughter only because he happened to be guarding Ystrad Antarron when the attackers broke through the local defences. That narrow margin of distance turned a certain death into a temporary retreat, while the men left behind paid the ultimate price for a border drawn in soil and obedience.