The castle site above Presteigne is a fairly typical early motte and bailey design. It may have been built prior to the Doomsday survey of 1086. The area was part of the estates of the Lords of Richards Castle and is refered to as 'Humet', later being altered to Preists-humet to distinguish it from Kings-humet which is now Kinsham and at that time was a Crown possession. Presteigne changed hands sometime after 1139 when it came into the possession of Adam Port of Kington. He established the Fraxino family as Lords of Presteigne and here they remained while the overlordship changed, first in 1172 when the Ports were bannished after their involvement in a rebellion and their estates became part of the sherrifdom of Hereford. In 1203 William Braose III bought the barony of Kington and thus gained control of Presteigne. He rebelled in 1208 at which time Thomas Fraxino managed to withdraw his holdings into a separate barony which he held directly from King John. In 1218 Braose was restored and again Presteigne came under his overlordship until his heirless death in 1230 when Ralph Mortimer was appointed as part-custodian to Braose lands. Ralphs son, Roger Mortimer later married Maud Braose and through her inheritance Presteigne became part of the Mortimer estates. The Fraxinos remained here as tennants until 1262 when the castle was captured and destroyed by the Welsh under Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It does not appear to have been rebuilt after this. As no traces of masonry or foundations seem to be present it is likely that it was always a wooden structure and the threat of burning led to its easy capture by the Welsh. The site is now a public park.