Princes, constables, poets and townspeople
Who lived in and around the castles of Wales, and whose lives they changed.
Princes on the move
Early Welsh princes preferred moving between undefended courts (llysoedd) spread across their lands. Cadw: More about Castell Dolwyddelan Llys Rhosyr on Anglesey was one of Llywelyn ap Iorwerth’s royal courts; a sandstorm buried it in 1300, and it was rediscovered in 1992. Cadw: Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales
Castles put a big strain on a prince’s purse. Cadw: More about Castell Dolwyddelan Not until the 13th century did Welsh princes build stone castles as mighty as those of the Marcher lords. Cadw: More about Castell Dolwyddelan
Wealth on four legs
It guarded Llywelyn’s cattle range: in medieval Wales cattle were as good as money. Cadw: More about Castell y Bere
Prisoners
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd is said to have kept his brother Owain prisoner there for two decades. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF)
Constables and poets
James of St George was also constable of Harlech from 1290 to 1293. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd
Around 1359 Sir Hywel y Fwyall (Hywel of the Axe) became Criccieth’s first Welsh constable. Cadw booklet: The Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales (PDF) Sir Hywel was constable of Criccieth for more than 20 years, until his death in 1381. Cadw: More about Castell Cricieth
In the 14th century the bard Iolo Goch praised Criccieth as ‘the bright fort high on a rock’ and the court of Sir Hywel of the Axe. Cadw: More about Castell Cricieth
Kings who barely visited
Edward I spent £15,000 on Conwy but stayed only once: trapped by the rising of 1294, he spent Christmas there with one barrel of wine. Cadw: More about Castell Conwy It has the most intact set of medieval royal apartments in Wales. Cadw: Castell Conwy
Workers from all over England
The building of these royal castles is fully documented: the accounts name where the workmen came from, from all over England. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd
Hundreds of ditch-diggers deepened and moved the River Clwyd so ships could reach Rhuddlan. Cadw: Castell Rhuddlan
New towns, and people moved
Edward did not just build castles: he created English towns to go with them. Cadw: More about Beaumaris Castle At Caernarfon and Conwy, new towns were built inside massive walls at the same time as the castles. Cadw: The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward
Edward’s troops began pulling down the Welsh town of Llanfaes in 1295, and many people were moved to Newborough. Cadw: More about Beaumaris Castle By 1305 Beaumaris had 132 “burgages” or properties, the biggest borough in north Wales. Cadw: More about Beaumaris Castle
Aberconwy Abbey, where Llywelyn the Great was buried, was forced to move 12km down the Conwy Valley to Maenan after Edward built Conwy castle and town. Cadw: Castles of the Lords and Princes of Wales
Winter in the mountains
Edward I took Dolwyddelan in 1283; the garrison was given white tunics for winter warfare in the mountains. Cadw: Castell Dolwyddelan
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