The sixth round features Denbigh and Rhuddlan. The former is a marcher castle built by the earl of Lincoln, and the latter is one of Edward I’s early castles.
I will make one comment for each castle beneath the post. The winner of a round will be the comment with the most upvotes. For competition purposes upvotes on other comments will not be taken into consideration, but all discussion is welcomed.
The result of the fifth round was 22 votes for Ewloe and 33 for Dinas Brân.
Denbigh lies in Y Berfeddwlad, an area of north-east Wales which, by the time of the construction of the castle, had passed between English and Welsh control for centuries. After Edward I’s first campaign into Wales in 1277 the coastal strip came under English control and the two inland cantrefi of Rhufoniog and Dyffryn Clwyd (map) were given to Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd. It is from this base that Dafydd launched the 1282 attack on Hawarden that began Edward I’s second campaign into Wales and the eventual conquest of Gwynedd. Denbigh at this time was a fortified llys, or court, and withstood a month’s siege.
The current castle was begun after 1282, when Edward created the lordship of Denbighland from the cantrefi of Rhos and Rhufoniog and the commote of Dinmael and granted it to Hugh de Lacy, earl of Lincoln. It was one of a series of castles, including Ruthin, Hawarden, Holt, and Chirk, built by the marcher lords rather than the king and intended to control the inland parts of Wales. A borough for English colonists was established at the same time. In 1294 the castle was successfully sieged during Madog ap Llywelyn’s rebellion, but retaken by the English that December; at this point it is likely that the castle’s outer walls and the town wall were substantially complete. The castle’s inner wall, which separated it from the borough, was begun after this, but may have been left incomplete when Hugh de Lacy died in 1311. The castle had only minor involvement in Owain Glyndŵr’s rebellion, and its next major test was a six-month siege in 1646 during the Civil War. Although dilapidated by this time, the Royalist castle did not fall and was instead surrendered when it became clear relief would not arrive. It was slighted in 1660, putting an end to its role as a fortress.
The most striking part of the castle is the gatehouse, which has a triangular plan and is clearly inspired by Caernarfon Castle. It has polygonal towers and a statue of the king over the gateway, although where Caernarfon’s walls are decorated with bands of stone Denbigh instead has a chequerboard pattern. It might be the single most impressive surviving structure from a marcher castle. The other two entrances to the castle are ingeniously contrived to take advantage of the steep hill on which it sits, and there was once a palatial suite of rooms within the courtyard. The only well is within the Goblin Tower on the town walls, a very tall bastion that was the target of the Civil War attackers.
Rhuddlan stands at the lowest place at which the River Clwyd could be forded and has therefore been key to the control of Y Berfeddwlad for centuries. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the only native ruler of the whole of Wales, had a llys here, from which he was driven by Harold Godwinson in 1063. In 1073 the Norman Robert of Rhuddlan built a motte-and-bailey castle, the mound of which (Twthill) survives south of the present castle. The area passed into English control in 1277 (see above), with Llywelyn ap Gruffydd submitting to Edward I at Rhuddlan. A castle was begun immediately, initially under a Master Betram but soon under James of St George, who was responsible for most of Edward’s Welsh castles; I believe Rhuddlan was his first.
In 1294 the Statute of Rhuddlan was issued from the castle, which settled the government of the principality of Wales (i.e. the parts formerly under native rule) until the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. It’s also said to be the place where Edward I infamously promised ‘a prince who was born in Wales and could speak no English’. The castle needed repair in 1285, suggesting it was damaged during Dafydd ap Gruffydd’s uprising, and it was also attacked but did not fall during the uprisings of Madog ap Llywelyn and Owain Glyndŵr. It saw its final action during the Civil War, when it was held for the king until surrendering in 1646. It was slighted in 1648.
Rhuddlan is concentric, like many of Edward’s later castles, although it is not as regular as Harlech or Beaumaris. The inner ward has an unusual diamond shape, with gatehouses on two corners and round towers on the other two. Timber-framed buildings would have stood against the curtain walls. The outer ward was less substantial, consisting of a wall protected by turrets. To the west it meets the river, where there is a dock defended by a tower; the canalisation of two miles of the Clwyd to allow the castle to be supplied by sea was a major engineering feat.
by SilyLavage
6 comments
If **Denbigh** is delightful, vote here
If **Rhuddlan** has rizz (sorry), vote here
Denbigh and I’m not at all biased (I’m biased)
Last time I was at Denbigh it had a really cool ‘horses and port cullis’ sound effect as you went through the entrance plus it has better views than Rhuddlan so Denbigh for me.
Rhuddlan all the way!
…but is it too soon to be celebrating English architecture in Wales? /s
Been waiting for this one. Growing up in Rhyl, these are the two I’m most familiar with from close by, but easily Rhuddlan wins – if nothing else, looks dramatic as hell from across the river Clwyd or from the A525. With Twthill it’s basically a two for one castle! Some very fond memories here.
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