Builth Wells

The cantref of Buellt, which lends its name to the modern town, was centered around Builth, and remained unusually independent of larger powers during the Early Middle Ages. The first major development recorded at the location of modern Builth was an 11th-century Norman motte-and-bailey castle, built by the marcher lord Philip de Braose on the banks of the Wye, where it overlooked an important ford across the river. Due to its highly strategic position, the castle regularly traded hands between the native Welsh princes and the marcher lords vying for control of the Welsh Marches. Later on, during his conquest of Wales in the late 13th century, the English king Edward I ordered the…