Barland is recorded in the Doomsday Book of 1086 as Bernaldeston and was held by a knight called Thorkell under the overlordship of Hugh L'asne (Hugh the Ass) who held the Lordship of Radnor as well as other territory including Norton and Knighton. When Hugh died heirless sometime shortly after 1100 his lands were taken by the Crown, king Henry I. They were soon given on and in the case of the Radnor Lordship the recipient was Philip Braose who held lands around Builth and had presumably supported Henry in the conflict associated with the king's accession in 1100. Barland was granted to the Peytevin family by Philips son William II sometime after 1165. The Braose family held onto Radnor for over 100 years, apart from 1110-12 when they were dispossessed after some kind of trouble with king Henry. Three generations of them controlled the area until 1207 when Philips great grandson William III had an argument with King John that turned into full-scale hostilities resulting in his lands and castles being seized by the Crown. The new tennant at Barland in 1211-12 was one Simon Cook. Eventualy Barland came back to the Peytevins who are recorded as holding it in 1304. The castle itself could have been built any time from the 1080's well into the next century. The position of the site is not that good militarily, and it may well have been more of an elaborate hunting lodge than a castle, although the rubble of a stone tower and traces of stone curtain walls might suggest a more substantial building.