Ruthin Castle is a medieval castle fortification in Wales, near the town of Ruthin in the Vale of Clwyd. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, on a red sandstone ridge overlooking the valley. Part of the ancient walls still remain and now form part of the Ruthin Castle Hotel.
Ruthin Castle occupies a site that was first used as an Iron Age fort. In 1277, Edward I of England granted the land to Dafydd ap Gruffydd in gratitude for his assistance during the invasion of North Wales. It is unclear whether there was an existing fort on the site or whether Dafydd established the castle. The castle was originally given the Welsh name of Castell Coch yn yr Gwernfor (Welsh Red Castle in the Great Marsh).
The castle was most notably the base of that branch of the noble de Grey family accorded the title "Barons Grey de Ruthyn" and the head of their marcher lordship of Dyffryn Clwyd. It was a base for Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn – the man who could be said to have sparked the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr.
At the start of the English Civil War the castle was in a state of disrepair and the necessary works were hastily performed to make it defensible. It withstood an eleven-week siege by parliamentary troops in 1646 before surrendering when the attackers announced that they intended to lay mines under the walls. Oliver Cromwell's forces later dismantled and demolished the castle, in a process of organised de-fortification called slighting, to prevent castles being militarily viable in the future.
In modern times
In 1923 the castle became Britain's first private hospital for the investigation and treatment of obscure internal diseases but this was closed in about 1950. Since the 1960s the castle remains have been incorporated into a hotel. A notable guest was Prince Charles, who stayed here for the night before his investiture as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

Ruthin Castle

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Of the mighty fortresses that formed King Edward I's infamous "ring of castles", built to encircle and subdue the native Welsh in the late 13th century, four have been named World Heritage Sites. These four, Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris, are undoubtedly the most visited and best known of Edward's fortresses, and probably the most explored of the castles of Wales. However, several others were erected to buttress Edward's victory over the Welsh. Like their better known siblings, they have survived the centuries and are certainly worthy of our attention. One of the least known of these castles is in Denbigh, a fine town in North East Wales. Though ruinous in comparison to the Big Four in the north west, Denbigh Castle remains an intriguing and distinctive site.
Reaching Denbigh Castle may be a bit daunting, especially if you approach it from the center of town. But, perseverance is the name of the game, and, after a rather harrowing climb along the narrow, winding lane that ends at the castle entrance, you will be glad you made the effort. The massive walls and powerful gatehouse belie the castle's former glory, but, with the tiniest bit of effort, it is easy to imagination medieval Denbigh and the intimidating effect the castle would have had on both foe and friend.
Interestingly, Edward I was not the first castle builder to make use of this strategically important site. The Welsh actually had a fortification on the rocky hilltop, at least as early as the start of the 13th century, and it was probably still occupied by the powerful Princes of Gwynedd when Edward stormed Wales and crushed the unruly Welsh in 1282. Historical records indicate that Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the troublesome brother of Llywelyn the Last, Prince of Wales, had a stronghold at Denbigh, which he may have inherited from his famous ancestor, Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (also known as Llywelyn Fawr, or "the Great"). Indeed, Llywelyn the Great apparently met with an abbot who journeyed to Denbigh from a monastery in England for a meeting in 1230.
Unfortunately, nothing of the native-built castle has survived, but, thanks to historical documents, we do know that it contained a hall, private chambers, a bakehouse, and a buttery. The Welsh inhabitants made a brave showing from inside the castle, lasting a month or so against the might of England's army. Inevitably, however, the English seized the site.
The name, Denbigh, implies that this stalwart hilltop may have been occupied long before the Middle Ages. The word derives from the Welsh, "Dinbych", or "little fort", and, according to CADW: Welsh Historic Monuments, "incorporates the word "dinas" (a rocky fortress), which suggests that it was long regarded as a natural stronghold; there may have been a fort here in the early Christian period," perhaps, as much as 700 years before the medieval castles were constructed. However, nothing tangible survives to prove this theory.
Almost immediately after Edward I defeated the Welsh freedom fighters, he initiated the second phase of his great castle- building program. The lordship and castle at Denbigh were granted to Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln and one of the king's more successful military leaders. We can credit de Lacy with the establishment of the fortress we see today.
Sweeping away any traces of the Welsh castle, de Lacy followed plans probably designed by the great medieval engineer, Master James of St. George (described recently as "the Bill Gates of medieval military construction"), who was working closely with the king at that time. By 1284, Denbigh Castle and its connecting town began to dominate its surroundings.
Essentially, Denbigh Castle was assembled during two phases, the first of which included the rapid construction of rather insubstantial outer defenses along the southern and western sides. The building of the town walls also was initiated at this time. Other features probably begun during the first phase include the eastern towers, part of the curtain wall, and perhaps the great gatehouse. However, these latter structures were not finished until the second phase, which lingered into the 14th century.
The second building period brought the bulk of structures to the site. In response to the short-lived success of the previous year's rebellion led by the fiery Welshman, Madog ap Llywelyn, in 1295 de Lacy began the construction of the splendid gatehouse, the great hall, an extensive residential complex, and massive towers. Dying in 1311, poor Henry de Lacy did not live to see his masterpiece completed. Evidently, it is possible that the fortress was never a finished product.
During the second phase, heavy defenses were added to the castle: the curtain wall was refortified with thicker and higher walls, and huge polygonal towers were constructed on either side of the gatehouse. The gatehouse itself was heavily buttressed with twin towers facing outward and an enormous interior tower, called the Badnes Tower. Together, the three octagonal towers gave the gatehouse incredible strength, and an unusual overall plan. Between the twin towers was a heavily defended gate passage with murder-holes, a series of strategically-placed portcullises, powerful wooden doors, and arrowslits. One of the towers contained the porter's lodgings, while the other served as the prison. An interesting set of latrines still occupies the prison tower.
Modern visitors passing through the gatehouse may find the building fairly confusing, since so much of it is ruined. In recent years, however, restoration efforts have greatly upgraded the overall appearance of the gatehouse. Indeed, visitors cannot help but be impressed by what greets them when they approach the castle's entrance: a fascinating carved figure towers overhead, said by some to be the great Edward I himself. Individualized carvings like this remarkable piece give Denbigh Castle its distinctive character.
The green brilliance of the Inner Ward is startling. Now a large empty area, the ward once bustled with activity during the Middle Ages. Around the perimeter are the ruins of various buildings, most of which date to the second phase. Lengths of the wall-walk have been preserved, and are usable by modern explorers to overlook the Kitchen Tower as well as to experience the marvelous views of the surrounding countryside and the fine castle. High atop the curtain wall, we can appreciate the value of this site to the castle's medieval builders, for any unusual movement certainly would have been noticed. Beware, though - apparently, the ropes placed to safeguard curious visitors have been removed. Tread lightly as you scale the walls!
The eastern part of the Inner Ward contained most of the domestic structures at Denbigh Castle. Now greatly ruined, they may be identified by key features. For example, the hexagonal Kitchen Tower contains two enormous fireplaces. The tower sits adjacent to the Great Hall, of which only the foundations have survived. Inside this huge building are traces of the buttery and pantry, essential to the operation of any adequate dining facility, and the raised dais, where the lord and honored guests sat. At the southern end of the Hall, the lord could withdraw into his own private chambers, which were located inside the so-called White Chamber Tower, another ruin. Alongside this polygonal tower sat a postern gate, through which supplies of water taken from a second well could be accessed. This water probably supplemented the offerings from the castle's huge well, which is located inside the castle, appropriately, near the Kitchen Tower.
The range of buildings known as the Green Chambers sit at the southeastern corner of the Inner Ward. This 14th century structure was named for Gwespyr rock, the greenish stone used in its construction. Notable features include two drains and benches, as well as ribbed vaulting adorned with carvings. This luxurious complex of rooms was the castle's main residential block, clearly befitting a nobleman or his king.
Rounding the curtain walls to the south takes visitors toward what may be Denbigh Castle's most perplexing feature, a complex of structures which seems to mesh into an indistinctive jumble. Here, the town walls still meet the castle's, and adjoining this spot are the remains of the Postern Tower and the Upper Gate, which extend side by side. However, it is what lies beyond these ruins that grips our attention.
Spanned by a very steep modern footbridge are the remains of the deep pits and footings of the medieval drawbridge. The bridge slopes perilously to the ruined Postern Gate, the lowest gateway into the castle. Anyone passing through this gateway from outside the castle walls was forced to turn abruptly to the left when seeking access. The unusual plan was intended to confuse enemy soldiers, whose disorientation would expose them to the garrison's firepower. Today, we are instantly and almost unavoidably hurled down the incline toward these creatively constructed defenses.
Adjoining the angular pathway is another intriguing feature, the Mantlet. Now a wide open area skirting the south and western walls, the Mantlet was actually a series of terraces cut into the rock face built to thwart an invasion. In some ways, the Mantlet functioned like the ditches (or moats) so commonly found rimming Britain's castles. Denbigh's terraces also impeded undermining of the poorly constructed first phase towers that lined this side of the curtain.
At the southwestern corner of the Inner Ward stand the remains of the Treasure House Tower, where the vital records for the Lordship of Denbigh were once stored. The western side of the curtain once supported auxiliary buildings, such as the stables, workshops, and structures for storing supplies. About midway along the wall, a short descent leads to the sally port, a curious feature once defended with a portcullis and murder holes. Its purpose? To allow rapid and undetected passage to and from the castle. Hopefully, enemy soldiers did not know the sally port's location!
To gain a complete impression of the power of Denbigh Castle, a walk around the exterior is essential. Not only may you examine the fine masonry walling and the ruined towers, you may also detect fascinating features like the limekilns. In addition, solid lengths of Denbigh's medieval town walls have endured the centuries, some portions still connected to the castle, while others head toward the town itself.
Just north of Denbigh Castle, an unusual tower stalwartly stands the test of time. The tower is the only reminder of the medieval chapel that once offered services to the castle and the town. Better known as St. Hilary's, the chapel stood almost midway between the castle gatehouse and the northernmost face the town's walling. Sadly, only the fine fortified tower survived the demolition efforts of 1923. Religious services were moved to a new church in 1874.
Interestingly, beyond St. Hilary's tower lie the ruins of Denbigh Friary, home to Carmelite monks from about 1289. The presence of St. Hilary's Chapel and the friary at first seems a curious contrast to the military nature of this site; however, they remind us of the close relationship between Church and State during the Middle Ages.
Whether or not the structure was ever completed, Denbigh Castle was sturdy enough to endure attacks during the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War. In 1646, it took Cromwell's men some 4 months to bring about the defeat of Denbigh's garrison, the massive structure finally succumbing to the pounding of Parliamentary troops and its inhabitants surrendering in October of that year.

Denbigh Castle

Towering high above the Dee Valley and the bustling town of Llangollen, home of the International Eisteddfod, Castell Dinas Bran occupies one of Britain's most spectacular sites. A rugged, foreboding pinnacle, the hillock was the ideal spot to erect a castle. It seemed completely impenetrable, commanded views for miles around, and offered quick recognition of an approaching visitor, whether friend or foe. Yet, the native Welsh princes of Powys occupied the hilltop for only a few decades.
Today, that same site is open to exploration by the public. Forced to climb to the summit, modern visitors experience the struggle and the exhilaration that the castle's medieval inhabitants - and their Edwardian attackers - must have felt. Without a doubt, the walk is a breathtaking challenge. However, that climb heightens the allure of Dinas Bran. And, it demonstrates the stark reality of medieval castle life.
"Dinas Bran" is variously translated as "Crow Castle," "Crow City," "Hill of the Crow," or "Bran's Stronghold." The castle first appears in 12th century historical documents as part of a medieval piece entitled "Fouke le Fitz Waryn,"or "The Romance of Fulk Fitzwarine." While this work claimed that the castle, known as "Chastiel Bran," was in ruin as early as 1073, the remains we see today date to the occupation of the princes of Powys Fadog in the mid 13th century. Possibly, the Chastiel Bran mentioned in the romance was a Norman timber castle, but nothing of substance supports this conjecture. However, the encompassing ditch and earthen embankments, which enclose the southern and eastern portions of the stone fortress, do date to the Iron Age. They remind us that this hilltop had strategic value long before the princes of Powys, or the Normans, ventured into the region. Interestingly, the word, "Dinas," has its origins in the Iron Age as well, and is found in the names of Iron Age hillforts throughout Wales.
Reid (1973) speculated that the hill at Dinas Bran was occupied in the 8th century by a man named Eliseg. The same Eliseg also gave his name to an ancient pillar that stands just north of Valle Crucis Abbey, near Llangollen. The mystery man may have been an ancestor of the princes of Powys who later dominated the area, but there is no real proof to support this assertion.
The historical record also conflicts over whom really built the remains at Dinas Bran. The most reliable sources state that Gruffydd Maelor II, son of Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor I, began the castle in the late 1260's. The elder Madog founded nearby Valle Crucis Abbey, where both men were buried. Some references offer an earlier date for the castle, placing it in the 1230's, when Madog would have been alive and, therefore, its builder. Regardless of whom actually erected the buildings that now survive in ruin, they were part of the last building effort at Dinas Bran. Incredibly, assuming the later date to be most accurate, the Welsh princes only occupied the site for two decades.
During those final two decades, the castle on the hilltop became a prized possession of the princes of Powys Fadog. Dinas Bran's power did not go unnoticed by English forces. In 1277, during Edward I's initial foray into Wales, the Earl of Lincoln, Henry de Lacy, besieged the castle. The Welsh lord of Dinas Bran was forced to submit to the invading army, which promptly set the site afire, completely destroying it.
Even after its devastation, Henry de Lacy marveled at the vigor of the forlorn castle, and recommended that the king make repairs. Lacy noted that the exterior masonry was still intact and that the restored castle could be used by the English, who faced more battles with the Welsh. The Earl of Lincoln exclaimed to his king that there was no greater Welsh castle, nor one in England that could compare with the might of Castell Dinas Bran. Edward I was not impressed, and the castle was never restored.
Shortly after that, however, Castell Dinas Bran and the lands of Bromfield were granted to John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, a formidable Marcher lord. However, Warenne was more interested fortifying his estates at Holt than in repairing his decaying Welsh stronghold. In 1282, during Edward's second campaign into Wales, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, Llywelyn the Last's rebellious brother, held Dinas Bran. But, Edward's armies captured Dafydd soon after Llywelyn's death at Cilmeri, and took him to a painful execution in England.
As late as the 15th century, Castell Dinas Bran still had value. Then the property of Thomas Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel, the castle was targeted by the legendary folkhero, Owain Glyndwr, who unsuccessfully attempted to capture the site in 1402. During the reign of King Henry VIII, John Leland, the king's well-traveled chronicler, described Dinas Bran as a total ruin. He claimed that the only living being willing to inhabit the castle ruins was the eagle who returned each year to breed.
In more recent centuries, Castell Dinas Bran was recognized for its dramatic placement high above the Welsh valleys. Painters, like Turner and Wilson, captured the essence of the place on canvas. Wordsworth also visited Dinas Bran, lamenting the castle's fate as follows:
"Relics of kings, wreck of forgotten wars, To the winds abandoned and the prying stars."
From afar, we can readily spot the tumbledown ruins of Castell Dinas Bran. In many ways, it was a typical Welsh-built castle. Surprisingly simple in design, its stone curtain wall traced the outline of the hilltop upon which it stood. Essentially rectangular, the wall enclosed an area about 300 feet long and 130 feet wide. At the eastern end, a plain square keep connected to the curtain wall. Like many other keeps, access was at the first level above the ground floor, using a movable wooden ladder.
Immediately to the right (north) of the keep stood the great twin-towered gatehouse, a primitive structure when compared to its Edwardian counterparts under construction at the same time. This native Welsh gatehouse was rib-vaulted and had a narrow passage into the inner bailey. Little remains except the foundations.
Midway along the southern wall, a characteristically-Welsh apsidal tower protrudes outward from the castle walls. The intriguing D-shaped tower still offers panoramic views of the less-sloping western approach to the castle, the sector which would have been most vulnerable to attack. Adjacent to this tower are the scanty remains of the hall block, once the castle's focal point, where the lord would have entertained his guests. The castle's priest may have offered religious services on an upper level.

Dinas Brân

Ewloe Castle is a native Welsh castle near the town of Ewloe in Flintshire, Wales. The castle, which was one of the last fortifications to be built by the sovereign Princes of Wales, was abandoned at the beginning of the invasion of Wales by Edward I in 1277. Its construction, using locally quarried sandstone, appears to have continued piecemeal over many years and may have not been completed. On taking the castle, the English Crown gave it little military value and allowed it to fall into ruin.
The Welsh sited Ewloe on high ground within their lands of North East Wales. Standing near the Chester road, it maintained a strategic position near the Wales–England border. The castle is located on a steeply-sloped promontory within a forested valley. It overlooks the junction of two streams with higher ground to the south.
Layout
Ewloe Castle combines features from both motte-and-bailey and earlier enclosure castles. An asymmetrical curtain wall – with parapets – encloses two courtyards. A rock-cut neck ditch defends the southern side of the castle. In the upper triangular inner ward is a D-shaped tower known as the "Welsh keep". This stands on a stone outcrop that forms the motte; it has a stone revetment around its base (a basic Chemise). The lower outer ward is enclosed by two separate sections of wall that meet at a circular fortified tower, which stands upon a rocky knoll. As the curtain walls are not joined together, ladders would have had to be used to reach their parapets.
No gateways connect the inner ward to the outer courtyard. Access into Ewloe Castle was entirely via wooden ramps. The outer ward had several wooden buildings. An external defensive rampart occupies the higher ground to the south of the castle above the neck ditch.
Within the inner ward is a D-shaped (or horseshoe-shaped) tower known as the "Welsh Keep". Although a flight of stairs lead up to a first floor gateway – a similarity shared with contemporary military architecture, the shape of the tower does not conform with keeps of the later Plantagenet period. D-shaped towers usually projected out from a wall or gatehouse but at Ewloe the castle builders placed the tower/keep on a motte in the upper ward surrounded by its own curtain wall. This feature has precedence in Welsh military architecture. Llywelyn the Great built a similar D-shaped tower at Castell y Bere at Llanfihangel-y-pennant in Gwynedd in the 1220s.
The tower's outer walls – which are 2 m (6 ft 7 in) at their base – rose to about 11 m (36 ft). They were higher than the upper storey to protect its pitched roof from projectiles. A parapet ran around the top of the tower. Spaces in the stonework show where storage slots were placed in the upper roof spaces. The tower had a single first floor hall that stood above a lower ground floor chamber. Defensive arrowslits were placed on the curved sides of the tower. The flat side, which overlooks the outer ward, has a Romanesque window.
History
Background
Ewloe Castle, which was built around 1257, is a relic of a brief triumph that the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd had over the English Crown and the Anglo-Norman Marcher Lords in the mid 13th century. Until then, this part of north east Wales had been the starting point for repeated Norman invasions of Gwynedd for more than 150 years.
But beginning in the early 1230s various Welsh leaders had started to gain the upper hand against the Anglo-Normans and Plantagenets who had taken territory in North Wales. Eventually by the late 1250s successive Princes of Gwynedd had reached Ewloe retaking lands up to Wales' historic borders.
Construction
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd completed Ewloe Castle. The work, which began in 1257, incorporated previous works undertaken by both Owain Gwynedd and Llywelyn the Great. A fortification had existed on or near the site since the Battle of Ewloe (Welsh: Brwydr Cwnsyllt) in 1157, when the Welsh successfully ambushed an English force under the command of Henry II (as they marched to Twthill at Rhuddlan). The English king only narrowly avoiding being killed himself having been rescued by Roger, Earl of Hertford.
The castle was built from local stone. Its design – such as the Welsh Keep – suggests it was conceived and built entirely by a Welsh workforce.
Demise
In July 1277, Edward I began the first Welsh War by marching his forces out of the castle at Chester and up the west coast of the Dee Estuary. After an advanced base was established at Flint (a day's travel from Chester), building work immediately began on Flint Castle. Ewloe Castle is not mentioned in chronicles of the 1277 invasion suggesting the Welsh had abandoned the area; retreating to stronger defensive positions along the Clwydian Hills further to the west.
As Edward I's castles at Flint and Rhuddlan could be provisioned by sea, Ewloe was never used by the English military.
The only contemporary reference to the Ewloe Castle is in the Chester Plea Rolls that mentions a report sent to Edward II in 1311. The Justice of Chester wrote to the King regarding the history of the manor at Ewloe from the middle of the 12th century. The rolls record that by 1257 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd had regained Ewloe from the English and built a castle in the wood; noting in 1311 that much of the castle was still standing.
By the late medieval period, the site was in ruins. Much of the castle's dressed stone work from its curtain walls and keep were carted away for reuse in later buildings around Flint, Mold and Connah's Quay.
Ownership
Ewloe Castle, which is a Grade I listed building, is incorporated within Wepre Park; a country park managed by Flintshire County Council. The castle is under the care of Cadw – the national heritage agency for Wales. It can be reached by footpaths through Wepre Woods. Public access is free.
In November 2009, the castle was among five lots of farmland and woodland put up for sale by Flintshire County Council. The local authority stressed Ewloe and the site it occupies were protected from any development.It was sold at auction to an anonymous farmer along with 24 acres (9.7 ha) of surrounding land for £122,000.

Ewloe Castle

Flint Castle located in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales.
The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales. The castle was only one day's march from Chester, supplies could be brought along the River Dee and there was by a ford across to England that could be used at low tide.
Construction
Building work began in 1277 initially under Richard L'Engenour, who would later become Mayor of Chester in 1304. The castle and its earthworks were built by 1,800 laborers and masons using local Millstone Grit ashlar and sandstone. James of Saint George was assigned "ad ordiandum opera castorum ibidem"("Mason charged with the design, technical direction and management of the works underway in Wales" - including Flint) in April 1278. November 1280 saw the Savoyard master mason James of Saint George began directly overseeing construction at Flint for Edward I as the initially very slow construction pace was accelerated. He remained at the castle for 17 months. James of Saint George then moved onto Rhuddlan to oversee its completion.
When work ceased in 1286, Flint Castle had an inner ward and an outer bailey. They were separated by a tidal moat and were connected with gatehouse and drawbridge. A plantation town was also laid out beyond the outer bailey. The inner ward had three large towers and a detached keep. This isolated tower protected the inner gatehouse and outer bailey. In total expenditure, Edward I spent £6068.7.5d. creating the fortress and the town (£4.9 million as of 2008).
Flint, which was sited on the western shore of the River Dee estuary, could be supplied by river or sea. Its harbour was protected by a defensive wall. The castle lies opposite to the English shore and Shotwick Castle in England. Before the river's course was drastically changed in the 18th century, passage across the estuary at this point could be made directly by boat at high tide or by fording at low tide.
Unique fortress design
The castle is based on Savoyard models where one of the corner towers is enlarged and isolated. This independent structure served as both corner tower and keep or donjon, like at Dourdan, France. Flint's keep has been compared to the donjon at Aigues-Mortes, France. Edward I may have been familiar with Aigues-Mortes having passed through the fortress on the way to join the Eighth Crusade in 1270. An alternative possibility is the influence of Jean Mésot on James of Saint George, Mésot having worked in Southern France before influencing Saint George in Savoy. The castle at Flint has also been described as a "classic Carrė Savoyard" as it is very similar to Yverdon Castle. Its ground dimensions are a third bigger but it shares the classic shape and style, along with the use of a corner tower as keep (donjon). Most historians attribute this to input from Edward's premier architect and castle builder James of Saint George. Although construction began in 1277 and James of Saint George didn't begin work at Flint, Flintshire until 1280, he was in England from 1278 and was described as "ad ordinandum opera castorum ibidem" that is charged with the design of the works at Flint, Flintshire.
The keep is an impressive structure. Its stone walls are 7 metres (23 ft) thick at the base and 5 metres (16 ft) above. Access was gained by crossing a drawbridge into a central entrance chamber on the first floor. Originally there would have been at least one additional storey. These floors had small rooms built into the thick walls. A timber gallery was built on top of the keep for the visit of Edward, Prince of Wales in 1301. On the ground floor is a vaulted passage that runs all the way around the inside of the keep.
Flint's design was not repeated in any other castle built by Edward I in North Wales. The layout at Flint remains unique within the British Isles.
History
Flint was the first castle of what would later become known as Edward I's "Iron Ring". A chain of fortresses designed to encircle North Wales and oppress the Welsh. Its construction began almost immediately after Edward I began the First Welsh War in 1277.
Five years later Welsh forces under the command of Dafydd ap Gruffydd, brother of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, besieged the castle in an attempted uprising against the English Crown. In 1294 Flint was attacked again during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn; this time the constable of the castle was forced to set fire to the fortress to prevent its capture by the Welsh. The castle was later repaired and partly rebuilt.
With the conclusion to the Welsh Wars, English settlers and merchants were given property titles in the new town that was laid out in front of the castle. The plantation borough was protected by a defensive ditch with a wooden palisade on earth banking. Its outline remains visible in streets patterns.
In 1399 Richard II of England was held by Henry Bolingbroke at Flint before being returned to London.
During the English Civil War, Flint Castle was held by the Royalists. It was finally captured by the Parliamentarians in 1647 after a three-month siege. To prevent its reuse in the conflict, the castle was then slighted in accordance with Cromwell's destruction order. The ruins are what remain today.
By the 19th century part of the site's outer bailey was used as Flintshire's County Jail. A quarry also operated nearby.
Present day
Flint Castle, which has been managed as public monument for 90 years, is now maintained by Cadw, a Welsh-government body that protects, conserves and promotes the building heritage of Wales. Access is free and via a path. Most parts of the castle, such as the isolated keep, are open to the public.
In mid August 2009, the agency temporarily closed Flint Castle to the public because of problems with anti-social behaviour. Cadw said youths were drinking on the site and vandalising the castle.

Flint Castle

Bodelwyddan Castle, close to the village of Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl, Denbighshire in Wales, was built around 1460 by the Humphreys family of Anglesey as a manor house. Its most important association was with the Williams-Wynn family, which extended for around 200 years from 1690. It is now a Grade II* Listed Building and is open to the public as a historic house museum.
History
The castle was bought from the Humphreys by Sir William Williams, Speaker in the House of Commons from 1680–1681.
The castle which stands today was reconstructed between 1830 and 1832 by Sir John Hay Williams, who employed the architects Joseph Hansom (inventor of the Hansom cab) and Edward Welch to refurbish and extend the house. The Williams' family fortunes started to decline in the 1850s, due to the loss of the main source of income for the estate, lead mining. The castle has been described as one of Hansom's most ambitious projects, "being wildly dramatic and owing nothing to its predecessors". At the same time works were carried out to construct an estate wall and formal gardens.
Further refurbishment work was carried out in the 1880s by Sir Herbert, 7th Baronet, who inherited Bodelwyddan Castle from his heirless cousin.By the First World War the house had become a recuperation hospital for wounded soldiers. During this time, the grounds of the estate were used by soldiers based at the nearby Kinmel Camp for trench warfare training. Traces of these trenches can still be seen.
Lowther College
By 1920, the cost of maintaining the castle and estate had grown too burdensome, and the Williams-Wynn family leased Bodelwyddan to Lowther College, a girls private school. The school was formed in 1896 at Lytham St. Annes in Lancashire, by Mrs Florence Morris (later Lindley). Lowther College purchased the property five years later, in 1925. The school is thought to be one of the first private schools for girls to have its own swimming pool. It also had a private golf course. The Lowther College Tableaux were well regarded within the community for their musical excellence. Boys were admitted from 1977. The school closed in 1982 due to financial problems.
Museum and arts centre
In the 1980s, the site was bought by Clwyd County Council with the aim of developing the castle as a visitor attraction. Partnerships were formed with the National Portrait Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts, so that the castle could be used to display objects from these collections. In order to house these items, the interior of the castle was restored by Roderick Gradidge, an expert on Victorian architecture. Part of the site was leased to the Rank Organisation in 1994 for development into a luxury hotel, Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel, and is now run by Warners, who are part of the Bourne Leisure. The historic house and grounds are not part of the hotel but are managed by Bodelwyddan Castle Trust, an independent registered charity, and are open to the public.
The castle's association with the National Portrait Gallery came to an end in 2017 after its funding was cut by Denbighshire County Council.


Bodelwyddan Castle

Hawarden Old Castle is a Grade I listed medieval castle near Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales.
Its oldest origins are indeterminate and the oldest fortifications on this site may date back to the Iron Age, later being used as a Norman Motte-and-bailey castle which was reportedly destroyed and replaced in a short period during the 13th century.
The castle played an important role during the Welsh struggle for independence in the 13th century. At Easter 1282, Dafydd ap Gruffudd attacked Hawarden Castle, thereby starting the final Welsh conflict with Norman England, in the course of which Welsh independence was lost. King Edward I's sense of outrage was such that he designed a punishment for Dafydd harsher than any previous form of capital punishment; Dafydd was hanged, drawn, and quartered in Shrewsbury in October 1283. In 1294 the castle was captured during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn.
After the English Civil War in the 17th century the castle was slighted on the orders of Oliver Cromwell. Its ruins are on the New Hawarden Castle estate and are open to the public on some Sundays, typically the second and fourth Sundays in summertime.

Hawarden Castle

(New) Hawarden Castle is a house in Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales. It was the estate of the former British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, having previously belonged to the family of his wife, Catherine Glynne. Built in the mid-18th century, it was later enlarged and externally remodelled in the Gothic taste.
The core of present house is formed by a mansion built in 1752–57 for Sir John Glynne, 6th baronet, to the designs of Samuel Turner the elder of Whitchurch. It replaced the 16th century Broadlane Hall, the seat of the Ravenscroft family, which stood some way to the south. Glynne had acquired the estate through marriage. The new house was of brick with stone dressings. The main block was three storeys high, and seven bays wide, with a projecting three bay central pediment. Two flanking side pavilions were planned but may not have been completed.
In the early nineteenth century, Sir Stephen Richard Glynne, 8th Baronet inherited the estate. In 1809 to 1810, he had the house enlarged, and the exterior completely remodelled in a crenellated Gothic Revival style, by the London architect Thomas Cundy the elder, although the Georgian interiors were preserved. He died prematurely and Sir Stephen Glynne, the 9th Baronet was left to make further improvements. He was the Lord Lieutenant of Flintshire, Member of Parliament for the Borough of Flint from 1832 to 1837, and for the County of Flint from 1837 to 1847. In around 1830, he had the main entrance moved from the south side of the house to the north, and had a vaulted porch added. On the death of the 9th Baronet, the estate passed to his brother-in-law, the liberal politician William Ewart Gladstone. There were further alterations to the house during Gladstone's occupancy, including a wing housing a library, designed by George Shaw of Saddleworth, built in the mid-1860s, a muniment room for the storage of his papers (1887–88), and an enlarged porch (1889), these last two both by Douglas and Fordham.
In 1896 the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Edward Benson died at the castle and his body was put on the train at nearby Sandycroft station to be returned to London.
Gladstone occupied the house until his death there in 1898, when it passed to his grandson William Glynne Charles Gladstone (son of W. E. Gladstone's eldest son, William Henry Gladstone, who had been High Sheriff of Flintshire for 1888 but had died in 1891). W. G. C. Gladstone was killed in the First World War. The estate was subsequently purchased by his uncle Henry Gladstone, 1st Baron Gladstone of Hawarden. The house and estate are still a private residence (although some of the grounds are open to the public) and are still owned by the Gladstone family.
In the grounds of the building lie the ruins of a medieval castle, Hawarden Castle. This was built on the site of an Iron Age fort by the Normans and had a round keep built on a motte. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd captured the stronghold in 1265, defeating Robert de Montalt and destroying the castle. De Montalt later reneged on a promise not to rebuild his stronghold and the present massive keep was built. This was besieged in 1281 by Llywelyn's brother, Dafydd. The fatal war of 1282 to 1283 followed, with the Welsh being defeated and Hawarden Castle was occupied by the English after that. During the English Civil War it changed hands several times and ended up in a ruinous state in Parliamentary hands.
The house is designated as a Grade I listed building by Cadw because of its architecture, especially the 18th century interiors, and for its exceptional importance as the home of W. E. Gladstone.

New Hawarden Castle

Rhuddlan first appears in recorded history in the last years of the eighth century, when there was no town of Rhyl and the shore road from Prestatyn to Abergele did not exist. Instead, the Clwyd and the marshes off its estuary, now reclaimed and drained and cultivated, formed a natural barrier athwart the coastal approach to the mountainous heart of North Wales. The settlement of Rhuddlan is likely to have owed its origin to the presence at this point, from very early times, of the lowest fording-place on the river, from which a track led across the marsh to Vaynol and beyond. Its position thus marked it out as a key point in the racial struggles which for some 600 years (c.700-c.1300) swayed to and fro across the Welsh and English border.
During the reign of King Offa of Mercia (757-96) the great dyke which bears his name (below) was constructed, outlining the beginning of the hill country from Prestatyn to the Bristol Channel and defining the westward limit of English settlement. In 796, the year of Offa's death, the English fighting on beyond the new frontier won a battle at Rhuddlan, and either as a result of it or of a later conquest obtained control of Englefield. The district, the Welsh Tegeingl, preserves in its name the memory of the Deceangli, a Celtic tribe mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus in the first century of the Christian era. By the time of the coming of the Normans Englefield was restricted to the northern part of the later Flintshire and was dependent on Rhuddlan. Further English operations on the northern frontier are indicated by the death of Offa's successor, Cenwulf, at Basingwerk in 821. The predominately Welsh place-names to the west of Offa's Dyke suggest, however, that Rhuddlan and its outlying manors were not firmly consolidated under English rule.
A century later, in the year 921, King Alfred's son Edward the Elder (d.924) established an earth and timber fort or burh at the mouth of the Clwyd, as part of his defence of the north Wales and Cheshire coastlines against Scandinavian raids. It has been suggested that King Edward's fort was sited close to Rhuddlan itself, and that the banks and ditches which can be traced on the south-east outskirts of the town may have formed part of its earthworks: but this remains uncertain, and it seems more likely that the burh stood close to the river's mouth at a place on the coast now lost, but still known in 1310 as 'Bircloyt'.
We next hear of Rhuddlan in 1063, it is a royal seat of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and the base from which that powerful prince (actually considered the last true High King of Wales) plundered the English lands as far east as Oswestry and Wrexham. In that year Gruffydd was driven from Rhuddlan by Earl Harold (Godwinson) and his palace burned.
The Norman Conquest
Three years later Harold himself lost the decisive battle of Hastings, and the Welsh had henceforth to contend with the organized might of the most powerful military despotism in Europe. At the command, William the Conqueror, a new castle of the motte-and-bailey pattern, which marked every stage of the Norman penetration, was thrown up at Rhuddlan in 1073 by Robert of Rhuddlan, a kinsman and lieutenant of Hugh d'Avaranches, earl of Chester. Earlier, in the 1050s, Robert had been a squire at the court of King Edward the Confessor, by whom he had been knighted. From the Domesday book (1086) we learn that in return for an annual rent of L40, the Conqueror had granted him power over the whole of north Wales beyond the Clwyd; it was in this capacity that Robert made Rhuddlan the base from which he set out to exploit and consolidate the holding entrusted to him by the king in Gwynedd, and from which he also took his surname. He was, as other sources show, one of the lords of first importance in the Conqueror's ruling councils. More interestingly, we know on good authority that it was Robert's father, Humphrey of Tilleul, who was put in charge of construction of the motte at Hastings, seen in progress in the Bayeau Tapestry, immediately after the Normans landed at Pevensey in 1066.
Even to this day, Robert's earthen mound traditionally occupying the site of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn's palace, (below) rises impressively to the south of its 13-century successor, while the outline of its bailey may still be traced in the adjoining fields.
From Domesday we also learn that under the lordship of Robert and earl Hugh, a small borough was established beside the castle. In 1086 its burgesses, 18 in number, had both a church and a mint, and enjoyed privileges and immunities conferred by the laws and customs of Hereford. Silver pennies minted at Rhuddlan late in the reign of the Conqueror and again from c.1180 to 1215, are preserved in museum collections.
The 12th & 13th Centuries
During the following two centuries the castle and town changed hands many times, as the tide of border warfare favored first the Welsh and then the English. We know little of the development of the castle buildings during these years. A late as 1241-42, the defences, at least in part, were still of wood, and timber-framed buildings occupied the bailey. There is a record in that year of payments for timber to repair the defects in the wooden works, for making cranes, ladders and other necessary implements, and for carrying old wooden works back to Chester; orders are given at the same time for the construction of a wooden chapel in the castle where divine service may be celebrated. By now the age-old border struggle was about to enter on its last phase, a phase in which Rhuddlan was to assume a new and increased importance. During the reign of Henry III political disunity in England gave Llywelyn ap Gruffydd an opportunity to establish his authority over all the lesser princes of his country. Assuming the title 'Prince of Wales', he won recognition first from the baron's leader Simon de Montfort, and in 1267 from King Henry himself.
Llywelyn's fall, as Sir John Lloyd has written, was as spectacular as his rise. Thinking in terms of the Baron's War, he failed to realize the new unity achieved under Edward I, and directly challenged that monarch's power. After two years of forbearance Edward determined in 1276 to obtain Llywelyn's submission by force of arms. On 22 July 1277 we went forward from Chester and established an advanced base at Flint, where work was immediately started on the construction of Flint Castle. With navel support provided by the 25 ships of the Cinque Ports fleet the army pushed along the coast, and on or about 22 August the king moved his headquarters to Rhuddlan, where we may infer that buildings were still available for use in the old castle. Llywelyn's surrender in the following month brought the war to a successful and perhaps unexpectedly speedy end, though it was not until November that hostilities were formally terminated by the submission of Llywelyn to the king at Rhuddlan.
Meanwhile, under Edward's direction, work was put in hand on the erection of an entirely new stronghold a little to the northwest of Robert of Rhuddlan's motte-and-bailey. Payments for the new operation begin to be recorded on 14 September 1277 and continue without pause until March 1282.
In its earliest stage the work was under the control of Master Bertram, a king's engineer who had entered Henry III's service in Gascony in or before 1248. It is to him and the king that we may owe the general plan of the castle, but he was soon superseded by a younger engineer, Master James, better known to us as James of St. George, the future master of the kings works in Wales. He saw Rhuddlan through to its completion and may thus be regarded as the castle's architect.
The castle is concentric in design, consisting of a very strongly defended inner ward, of symmetrical plan, completely surrounded by a slighter outer ward. On the south-west, this fronts the river, but elsewhere, it overlooks an artificial moat, also walled on the outer side, which was dry apart from a short section south of the castle, probably used as a dock. The inner ward is diamond shaped with a singular tower on each of the sharper angles (north and south), and a gatehouse with a double tower on each of the blunter ones (east and west). Various buildings, including a great hall, kitchens, private apartments, and a chapel, stood in the inner ward against the curtain wall; some traces remain of their foundations. The outer ward too included a granary, stables, a smithy, the treasury and a goldsmith's workshop, but little can be seen of these buildings today.
There were four entrances to the castle precinct, later reduced to three. The main entrance, still in use today, is at the north-western end of the moat. Another entrance, the Friary Gate, on the south-east, was soon dismantled. Lesser entrances were provided from the river on the west and the dock on the south-west; the latter, like the dock itself, was overlooked by a tower.
Edward I laid out his new borough, north of his castle, away from the Norman town and the Friary. The present town largely perpetuates the 13th century plan. The town defences consisted of a pair of banks with a ditch between, as at Flint supporting a timber palisade; stone walls were never provided and probably never intended. Edward I also replaced the bridge, probably damaged during the Welsh campaign, and made strenuous but unsuccessful efforts to have the episcopal seat of St Asaph removed to Rhuddlan.
The later history of the site was less eventful. The castle came under attack in the Welsh rising of 1294, and again in the Glyndwr rising of 1400, when the town was badly damaged but the castle held out. Rhuddlan was in Royalist hands during the Civil War, until forced to capitulate in 1646. In 1648 it was partially demolished to prevent its further use.

Rhuddlan Castle

The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I's chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. It guards the entrance to the Ceiriog Valley. It was the administrative centre for the Marcher Lordship of Chirkland.
The castle was bought by Sir Thomas Myddelton in 1593 for £5,000 (approx. £11 million as of 2008). His son, Thomas Myddelton of Chirk Castle was a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War, but became a Royalist during the 'Cheshire rising' of 1659 led by George Booth, 1st Baron Delamer. Following the Restoration, his son became Sir Thomas Myddelton, 1st Baronet of Chirke. The castle passed down in the Myddelton family to Charlotte Myddelton (on the death of her father in 1796). Charlotte had married Robert Biddulph, who changed his name to Robert Myddelton-Biddulph, leaving the castle on his death to their son Robert. It then passed down in the Myddelton-Biddulph family.
From before WWI until after WW2 the castle was leased by Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden, a prominent patron of the arts and champion of Welsh culture. The Myddelton family returned to live at Chirk Castle until 2004. Lieutenant-Colonel Ririd Myddleton was an extra equerry to Queen Elizabeth II from 1952 until his death in 1988.
The castle is owned by National Trust and is open to the public between March and October, with limited opening dates in November and December. The castle is 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from Chirk railway station. The property is also notable for its gardens, with clipped yew hedges, herbaceous borders, rock gardens and terraces and surrounded by 18th century parkland. Offa's Dyke passes within some 200 yards of the castle.
The castle was used as a special stage in the 2013 Wales Rally GB. The Oak at the Gate of the Dead lies 300m from Chirk Castle and marks the site of the 1165 Battle of Crogen.