{"id":61,"date":"2013-09-27T12:57:54","date_gmt":"2013-09-27T12:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ardal-wales.co.uk\/english\/?page_id=61"},"modified":"2025-07-27T10:25:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T10:25:54","slug":"medieval-castles","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/ardal-wales.co.uk\/english\/local-history\/medieval-castles\/","title":{"rendered":"Medieval Castles"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h1>\n

\"castell<\/a><\/strong>Medieval Castles<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

\"Criccieth<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>\"Beaumaris<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Castles,<\/span> scattered across our landscape are probably the most noticeable part of our heritage. From the large medieval castles to the lesser known, Welsh castles, each having a story to tell. Many of our earlier castles have disappeared, leaving just a few traces as testament to their existence where they once stood. They were either destroyed or used as building materials for the early churches and later medieval castles.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Most castles were constructed from wood and therefore not built to last. Some were adapted on previous defensive strongholds such as hillforts, leaving traces of defensive walls and mounds of earthwork and the occasional remains of a motte & bailey. This is mostly the case with the Norman castles built between 1088 and 1115 during the Norman Conquest.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Although Llywelyn the Great constructed some magnificent medieval strongholds, only Dolbadarn and Dolwyddelan are now mainly standing. However, the most impressive of all are the large medieval castles, which were constructed and adapted by King Edward I of England to subdue the Welsh after the death of our last prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1282. Today we appreciate these large castles such as Caernarfon, Conwy, Beaumaris & Harlech – as they bring visitors from around the world.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Below is a list of all the known\u00a0castles in\u00a0the area<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

I have included an O\/S number on all historical sites to enable everyone to locate using an O\/S map<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Castles of Edward I<\/span><\/h2>\n

Caernarfon Castle \u2013 <\/strong>(1283) King Edward I of England (constructed on an earlier fortified motte & bailey foundation)<\/i> – Caernarfon SH476626<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Caernarfon<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Harlech Castle \u2013 <\/strong>(1283) King Edward I of England (constructed on an earlier fortified foundation)<\/i> \u2013 Harlech SH580312<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Harlech<\/a> \"Harlech<\/a><\/p>\n

Beaumaris Castle \u2013 <\/strong>(1295) King Edward I of England \u2013 Beaumaris SH607762<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Beaumaris<\/a> \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Conwy Castle \u2013 <\/strong>(1283) King Edward I of England \u2013 Conwy SH783877<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Conwy<\/a> \"Conwy<\/a><\/p>\n

Rhuddlan Castle – <\/span><\/strong>(1277) King Edward I of England (one of the earliest castles constructed by Edward I) – Rhuddlan SJ024779<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Denbigh Castle – <\/span><\/strong>(1282) Kind Edward I of England – Denbigh SJ051657<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"Denbigh<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Welsh Castles<\/span><\/h2>\n

Criccieth Castle \u2013 <\/strong>(c.1230) welsh prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (1283 adapted by Edward I King of England) \u2013 <\/i>Criccieth SH499377<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Criccieth<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Criccieth<\/a>\"Criccieth<\/a><\/p>\n

Dolbadarn Castle \u2013 <\/strong>(c.1221) welsh prince, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (constructed on an earlier foundation & in 1283 taken by Edward I King of England)<\/i> \u00a0\u2013 Llanberis SH585598<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dolwyddelan Castle \u2013 <\/strong>(c.1221) welsh prince, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth \u2013 Dolwyddelan SH721823<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dolwyddelan<\/a> \"Dolwyddelan<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Tomen Castell \u2013 <\/strong>(c.1170\u2019s) late 12th<\/sup> century welsh castle (birth place of Llywelyn the Great) (rems)<\/i> \u2013 Dolwyddelan SH724521<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Tomen<\/a><\/p>\n

Deganwy Castle\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>(c.520\u2019s) The Royal Fortress, early welsh castle, King Maelgwn (rems)<\/i> \u2013 Deganwy SH782794<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Carn Fadrun \u2013 <\/strong>(c.1170\u2019s)\u00a0 medieval welsh castle (rems)<\/i> – Tudweiliog SH280350<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Castell Pen y Garn \u2013 <\/strong>(1288) possible late 12th<\/sup> century welsh castle (rems)<\/i> – Prenteg, nr Tremadog SH581411<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Castell<\/a><\/p>\n

Castell Aber Ia<\/strong> (Castell Gwain Goch<\/strong><\/span> \/ Castell Deudraeth)<\/span> \u2013 <\/span><\/strong>medieval motte <\/span>(c.1175) remains of a 12th century castle of Gruffyth ap Cynan, King of North Wales (enclosure wall still survives on the north western edge)<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 Penrhyndeudraeth SH588371<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Castle<\/a> \"Castle<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Castle<\/a><\/p>\n

Castell y Bere \u2013 <\/strong>(c.1221) welsh prince, Llywelyn ap Iorweth (Edward I adapted the castle in 1284) – Llanfihangel-y-pennant SH667085<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Castell<\/a> \"Castell<\/a><\/p>\n

Aberlleiniog Castle \u2013 <\/strong>Norman motte and bailey fort (<\/i>1088 by, Hugh d\u2019Avranches <\/i>Earl of Chester<\/i>, later used by the Welsh princes)<\/i> \u2013 Llanddona, Anglesey SH616793<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
\n
(Some early dates are c. (circa) meaning around that time) <\/i><\/span><\/h6>\n
REMEMBER THE COUNTRYSIDE CODE 2022<\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n
Check for public footpaths<\/span><\/span><\/h6>\n
Assume that most areas may be on private land and permission to roam may be required.<\/span><\/h6>\n
\u00a0<\/span>Safety and care must be taken at all times, as some areas are difficult to get to due to hills and slopes that may lead away from paths.<\/span><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Medieval Castles Castles, scattered across our landscape are probably the most noticeable part of our heritage. From the large medieval castles to the lesser known, Welsh castles, each having a story to tell. Many of our earlier castles have disappeared,…
Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":446,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-61","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nMedieval Castles - Ardal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/ardal-wales.co.uk\/english\/local-history\/medieval-castles\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Medieval Castles - Ardal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Medieval Castles Castles, scattered across our landscape are probably the most noticeable part of our heritage. From the large medieval castles to the lesser known, Welsh castles, each having a story to tell. 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