A CASTLE in a village next to the Black Mountains is thought to have been left unfinished after the Welsh attacked.

Mystery has surrounded why there were two Norman castles in Longtown, there is the well-kept motte and bailey castle at the top of the village and then just half a mile away towards Clodock lies Ponthendre castle.

Last year, a community archaeology project set out to answer this and started with a three-week dig.

This summer another three-week dig took place at both castles at the same time and altogether 79 people took part, most of whom were volunteers.

Martin Cook, from the The Longtown and District Historical Society, said: "It turns out that the motte and bailey castle at Ponthendre, until now thought to have been the castle of Ewyas, home to the Norman de Lacy family, was neither completed nor occupied.

"It seems likely that the Welsh drove them out before they could complete their defences. When the Normans returned, they successfully built a stronger castle, half a mile away at what is now Longtown."

Opposite this second castle is Castle Green- here the excavations uncovered the remains of what was a thriving town during the 13th century.

The dig found evidence for houses, metalworking, spinning and weaving, and possibly glass making.

Mr Cook said: "There was even a substantial roadway across the green with a typical Herefordshire pothole. Below the roadway the excavators found the remains of a clay oven and beneath that a line of well-preserved timber planks that are 800 years old or more. There were also traces of even earlier occupation with Roman pottery and flint working."

Iron arrowheads were found along with musket and pistol balls.

Mr Cook said: "By the 14th century the town simply disappeared, perhaps as a result of warfare or the Black Death, a plague that devastated many villages across the country."

Children from Longtown and Michaelchurch schools enjoyed tours of Longtown Castle and the excavations, which were also viewed by around 300 visitors, both locals and tourists.

The volunteers and professional archaeologists who worked on the excavations are now awaiting the specialist reports on pottery analysis, environmental samples and radio carbon dating to see if these can add more detail to the discoveries made so far.

The Longtown and District Historical Society working with Herefordshire Archaeology managed to win £78,300 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the project.