The farmstead known as Troed y Rhiw Issa (lower or inner slopefoot) first makes an appearance in documents during the seventeenth century when it was part of the extensive Crosswood (Trawsgoed) Estate, associated with the Vaughan family (later Earls of Lisburne) (National Library Wales (NLW): CW1, 398). At the time of a 1766 survey of the Estate the farmstead was described as `House and Gardens'; and by the 1843 tithe had become the main tenant farm of the area, its holdings including a number of the other medieval farmsteads in the area such as Penlandoppa (NPRN 405537), Penlanscubor (NPRN 405538) and Troed y Rhiw Ucha (NPRN 40539). The farmstead was abandoned at some time between 1843 and 1891 when the present farmhouse and farm buildings at Troed-y-rhiw were constructed (NPRN 405541). Rent rolls suggest however that the late medieval name of this farm was Penddolfawr Ucha (NLW: CW75, 139a). Its presence in the sixteenth century rent rolls, along with its morphology which has parallels with other farms in the area (NPRN 15220), its name and the tenurial links established in rent rolls, leave little reason to doubt its medieval pedigree, and suggest that this farm too may once have been subordinate to the nearby farm once known as Penddolfawr Issa, and now simply as Penddolfawr (SN 758 661).

The farmstead is situated on the edge of woodland adjacent to a hedged and walled lane (NPRN 405562) which once led to the start of the celebrated `Monks Trod', a ridge route across the Cambrian mountains from the Teifi basin to the upper Wye Valley. It sits beside a stream and a hollow way (NPRN 405557) leading up to the farms of Troed y Rhiw and Troed y Rhiw Uchaf. At the time of the 1766 survey it was half-surrounded by enclosed fields and comprised two buildings, one set in the middle of the larger enclosure A, another set in the north west corner of a circular enclosure B, with a third enclosure C running down to the lane. The surviving walls and earthworks bear some relation to this arrangement; however, these structures were substantially altered or dismantled following abandonment, as part of the improvements which took place following the movement upslope to the current Troed y Rhiw. One of the most substantial earthworks associated with the farm marks its north eastern boundary, situated to the north of the later stone wall which now crosses the site. This survives to a height of 5m and represents the cut made into the hill to create a level platform for the farm, above the rather boggy ground here, and may also have provided building material. Part of this formed the north eastern edge of enclosure A, and it is the line depicted on the first and second Ordnance Survey maps for the (partially new) boundary running down from Troed y Rhiw, a, which attaches itself to the boundary running between Troed y Rhiw Issa and Gilrhyd (NPRN: 405542) as depicted in 1766. In more recent times the current stone wall cutting across Troed y Rhiw Issa was added, making this section of the boundary redundant.

Of the two buildings depicted in the 1766 survey, only the one set in the middle of enclosure A survives. This measures 16.5m by 7m, and is in a very disturbed state, the west wall having been rebuilt to form part of a new boundary wall in place by 1891. It is likely that this was the main house of the farm, built on a platform clearly seen at the southern edge of the building, which would have raised it above what is now rather boggy ground. The remains of the second building now consist of a slight mound with a large oak growing on it. Only parts of the farm's three enclosures survive, the most complete being the circular enclosure B, the outline of which can be traced in earthwork form. Of enclosures A and C only the southern halves survive, the northern sections having been completely removed, following the improvement of the adjacent field. These appear to have originally comprised earthwork boundaries, stretches of which were rebuilt or refaced in stone at a later date. There is evidence for a gate set in the southern corner of enclosure A, and this was most likely the main entrance when approaching from the hedged lane. A gate appears to have been set in the southern side of enclosure B, which then crossed the stream and met the hollow way (NPRN 405557) running to and from the hills.

A detailed survey of this farmstead was carried out by RCAHMW in 2006 as part of a wider study of the Troed y Rhiw area (NPRN 405578).

Sources:
Fleming, A. & Barker, L. 2008 Monks and Local Communities: The Late-medieval Landscape of Troed y Rhiw, Caron Uwch Clawdd, Ceredigion. Medieval Archaeology 52, 261-290

Louise Barker, RCAHMW & Andrew Fleming, June 2007.