Deganwy Castle

Deganwy Castle
Deganwy Castle
Conwy, North Wales
	An aerial view of the castle from the south
	Deganwy Castle
Coordinates	53°17′51″N 3°49′44″W / 53.2975°N 3.8290°W
Grid reference	grid reference SH782794
Type	Castle
Site information
Condition	Earthworks remain
Site history
Materials	Stone

Deganwy Castle (Medieval Latin: Arx Deganhui;^[1] Middle Welsh: Caer Ddegannwy; Modern Welsh: Castell Degannwy) was an early stronghold of Gwynedd in Deganwy, at the mouth of the River Conwy in Conwy, north Wales. It sits at an elevation of 110 m (361 ft) on a volcanic plug^[2] in an area of limestone known as the Vardre.

Before the castle

The Early Middle Ages fortress, which is now little more than ditches and mounds, was made of wood and constructed on a massive rock outcrop in what is now the suburbs of modern-day Llandudno. Traditionally, it was the headquarters of Maelgwn Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd (fl. c. 520–547). A nearby hill is called Bryn Maelgwyn and other places in the locality are associated with him. An important coin hoard of 204 Silver Cnut pennies was found on Bryn Maelgwyn in July 1979.

Deganwy was probably first occupied during the Roman period, but was popular in the years following their departure because it was safe from Irish raids. The area beneath the rocky stronghold may have been the site of a settlement of serfs. The stronghold was burned down in 812 when it was struck by lightning.^[3]

Castle

In the second half of the 11th century, north Wales was part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. After the Norman invasion of England in 1066, William the Conqueror installed his followers as earls in the English counties bordering Wales, each making advances into Wales at various points. Hugh d'Avranches was made Earl of Chester, and his nephew Robert led a campaign in north Wales. This resulted in Robert establishing a castle at Rhuddlan,^[4] and according to Orderic Vitalis at Degannwy. This would have been 1073 at the earliest. The precise location of the castle on the hilltop and its layout are uncertain.^[5] Robert was killed in 1093 and the following year the Welsh pushed the Normans out of Gwynedd.^[6] The history of the castle in the 12th-century is unknown.^[3]

By the 13th century, Deganwy was fortified by the prince of Wales Llywelyn ab Iorwerth. It was captured by the earl of Chester in 1210, but recaptured shortly afterward by Llywelyn, who had it refortified in stone.^[7] The Brut y Tywysogion recorded that "the earl of Chester again built the castle of Degannwy, which Llywelyn ap Iorwerth had destroyed for fear of the king."^[8]

Ownership of the castle descended to his son, Dafydd ap Llywelyn; in 1241 Dafydd had the castle destroyed ahead of an English advance into the region.^[9] The destruction is recorded in the Annales Cambriae.^[10] King Henry III of England subsequently took control of the castle and embarked on an extensive building programme; the building work cost more than £2,200.^[3] The castle was destroyed by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales in 1263. In 1283, King Edward I of England had Conwy Castle constructed just across the estuary and he left Deganwy Castle in ruins.

Excavation and investigation

Between 1961 and 1966 Leslie Alcock led excavations at Deganwy Castle. The programme of work was planned by the University of Wales and funded by the Board of Celtic Studies and the Caernarvonshire Historical Society.^[11]

During the excavations a dozen sherds of early medieval pottery which had been imported from the Mediterranean were discovered indicating the far-reaching contacts of Gwynedd's royal dynasty.

In 2009, the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust carried out a geophysical survey of the bailey between the two hills and land immediately north and south of the castle.^[12]

Gallery

The east end of the saddle at the summit of the hill where Mansell's Tower used to stand
The castle seen from the west across the River Conwy
The view south towards Conwy Castle
The castle as seen from Conwy Castle

References

Notes

^ s:la:Annales Cambriae (B Text), 13th century (in Latin).
^ "Put a cork in it". Geocaching.com. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c Alcock 1968, p. 190.
^ Carpenter 2003, pp. 106–107, 110–111.
^ Alcock 1968, pp. 197–198.
^ Carpenter 2003, p. 112.
^ Jones 2022, pp. 52–53, 67
^ Jones 2015, p. 84.
^ RCAHMW 1956, p. 156.
^ Alcock 1968, p. 192; Williams Ab Ithel 1860, p. 83, n. 3. The events are included in version C of the manuscript: "et cum non posset resistere regi, fregit castellum suum de Degannoe et alia".
^ Alcock 1968, pp. 190–191.
^ Degannwy Castle, Degannwy, Conwy: geophysical survey (PDF) (Report). Gwynedd Archaeological Trust. 2009.

Bibliography

Alcock, Leslie (1968). "Excavations at Degannwy Castle, Caernarfonshire, 1961–6". The Archaeological Journal. 124: 190–201. doi:10.1080/00665983.1967.11078309.
Carpenter, David A. (2003). The Struggle for Mastery: The Penguin History of Britain 1066–1284. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-522000-5.
Jones, Craig (2022). Princely Ambition: Ideology, castle-building, and landscape in Gwynedd, 1194-1283. University of Hertfordshire Press. ISBN 978-1-912260-27-0.
Jones, Thomas, ed. (2015) [1952]. Brut y Tywysogyon or the Chronicle of the Princes, Peniarth MS. 20 Version. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-1783163519.
Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire (1956), An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Caernarvonshire. Volume I: East. The Cantref of Arllechwedd and the Commote of Creuddyn, Her Majesty's Stationery Office
Williams Ab Ithel, John, ed. (1860), Annales Cambriae, London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts

External links

Scholia has a profile for Deganwy Castle (Q2969121).

[ACB-1] s:la:Annales Cambriae (B Text), 13th century (in Latin).

[2] "Put a cork in it". Geocaching.com. Retrieved 9 September 2014.

[Alcock190-3] Alcock 1968, p. 190.

[4] Carpenter 2003, pp. 106–107, 110–111.

[5] Alcock 1968, pp. 197–198.

[6] Carpenter 2003, p. 112.

[7] Jones 2022, pp. 52–53, 67

[8] Jones 2015, p. 84.

[9] RCAHMW 1956, p. 156.

[10] Alcock 1968, p. 192; Williams Ab Ithel 1860, p. 83, n. 3. The events are included in version C of the manuscript: "et cum non posset resistere regi, fregit castellum suum de Degannoe et alia".

[11] Alcock 1968, pp. 190–191.

[12] Degannwy Castle, Degannwy, Conwy: geophysical survey (PDF) (Report). Gwynedd Archaeological Trust. 2009.

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v t e Native Welsh castles and llysoedd in North Wales
Built by Llywelyn ab Iorwerth	Castell y Bere Criccieth Dolbadarn Dolwyddelan
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