Criccieth Castle
Criccieth
Castle sits on the headland overlooking Tremadog Bay in Criccieth, North
Wales. It towers over the town of Criccieth to this day. The Castle was
founded by the Welsh Prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn Fawr), and
extended by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn the Last). After the English
King Edward 1's successful campaign against the Welsh in 1283 the castle
was again strengthened and extended, but this time by the English invaders.
It was finally destroyed, to a large part, ironically by the Welsh, during
the Owain Glyndwr revolt in 1404 and was never rebuilt,
The original castle, built by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth in the early 13th
Century, was a smaller but imposing structure on the summit of the hill,
used as an administrative centre for the area known as Eifionydd, and
as both a fortress and a prison. It consisted of 2 D shaped Gatehouse
towers and a large rectangular tower on the South East. From what I have
read the Gatehouse has been deemed too impressive to have been built by
a mere Welshman albeit Llywelyn the Great, and many historians like to
attribute it to the English King Edward's architect Master James of St
George. (Well they would wouldn't they!) However latest opinion seems
to favour the Welsh as being the builders if not the designers. The design
was possibly based on the Gatehouse at Beeston Castle in Cheshire, built
by an ally of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth in 1220. So we'll leave it at that.
Some years later probably in the 1260's Llywelyn's grandson, Llywelyn
ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn the Last), greatly enlarged the Castle by building
the outer ward, and covering the whole of the hilltop including two new
towers on the South West and Northern corners.
However
Llywelyn the Last lost control of the castle early in 1283 during Edward
the First of England's second campaign against the Welsh. As Criccieth
Castle was a strongly built Castle with access from the sea it suited
Edward to add Criccieth to his portfolio of Welsh properties and although
he was even less popular with the Welsh than a modern day English incomer
with a holiday home he spent large amounts of money rebuilding, including
adding another tower to the wall of the inner ward and strengthening the
"Engine Tower" (now in ruins), which served as a foundation
for a siege engine.
This proved to be money well spent as within two years of its completion
in 1292 Criccieth Castle withstood its first siege from Welsh rebels led
by Madog ap Llywelyn. King Edward's strategy of building Castles in a
position that could be supplied from the sea had proved correct as the
English garrison was supplied and reinforced by ships from Ireland.
Further works took place on the Castle during the reign of King Edward
the Second between 1307 and 1327 but they were to no avail when, during
the Welsh rebellion led by Owain Glyndwr, the Castle was again besieged.
This time Owain's French allies ruled the Irish sea and prevented the
garrison from being supplied and in 1404 the garrison surrendered. Owain
Glyndwr's Welsh army destroyed Criccieth Castle and the ruins were never
to be rebuilt.
Directions : [ Map
of Criccieth Castle location ]
You can't miss it. Drive into Criccieth and it is on top of the hill overlooking
the seashore.
Click here for pictures of Criccieth
town >
