The remains of Caergwrle Castle, Wales, 14th September 2022 (Author’s Collection).
This is a somewhat “dry” edition of my UK travels as without any information boards or significant details as to what these remains refer to, I’ve taken eleven choice cuts of historical information relating to the castle from both its official website and Wikipedia, and added these as colour commentary to the eleven images that follow.
I hope you enjoy.
*All images captured by me on 14th September 2022*
“Caergwrle Castle is also known as “Queen’s Hope” in scholarly texts, and located in the town of Caergwrle, in Flintshire, Wales. It was built by the Welsh under Dafydd ap Gruffydd in service to Edward I of England”.
“When Dafydd’s forces rebelled against the English, Edward sent Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron de Wilton to take the castle in June 1282, but Dafydd had retreated and sabotaged the structure. Rebuilding works began, and it was given to Edward’s wife, Eleanor of Castile”.
“A town was planned at the base of the castle, but this was abandoned after a fire broke out in September 1283 when both Edward and Eleanor were present. It was passed down the royal line, but was never rebuilt. In 1823, a workman discovered the Caergwrle Bowl near the castle: it is a unique Bronze Age bowl”.
“Built on the south west corner of a steep hill near the Anglo-Welsh border, Caergwrle Castle has views which extend far into Cheshire. The foundations are made up of gritstone, locally quarried from Caergwrle hill, north west of the castle. There are two styles which appear in the masonry, with the most elaborate work taking place near the residential areas of the castle and on the exterior portions. During use the interior walls would have been plaster-covered, obscuring any masonry and therefore making detailed work unnecessary”.
“The west curtain wall is no longer present nor is the majority of the south tower. The crag under which the south tower would have partially stood is missing, which may have been an indication of quarrying close to the castle itself. The hilltop was known for being used as a quarry for the construction of millstones during the 17th century”.
“Following the destruction of the castle, looting took place. This resulted in several of the remaining walls missing large stones illustrating this taking place on an individual basis, as well as large sections of the castle entirely missing indicates that this would have taken place on an industrial scale. Historians suspect that the west wall and majority of the south tower was removed through those means, as it would have been easier to take apart and roll down the steep hill than other parts of the castle”.
“Prior to current castle, of which ruins remain, there is thought to have been a hill fort at the site dating from either the late Roman/post Roman period. Construction of the castle began in 1277, after King Edward I of England gave the lordship of Hope to Dafydd ap Gruffydd as reward for his service in the wars against the Welsh which concluded earlier that year”.
“Dafydd, brother to Llywelyn The Great, had fought against the Welsh after being imprisoned by Llywelyn to deny him his inherited land rights. Edward declared war in 1276, and afterwards enforced the division of inheritance on Llywelyn under Welsh law. This placed Edward in control of Welsh lands previously held by Llywelyn”.
“The first reference to the castle appears in the rolls of the Royal Wardrobe, referencing that Edward had sent 100 marks to Dafydd on 12 November 1278 towards the castle, however there is debate between scholars whether this was to aid the initial construction or to help in the upkeep of an already extant building”.
“A five-year programme of improvement to the wider castle grounds has been agreed with the community council and is being delivered by Flintshire Countryside Services. The castle’s ruins are cared for by Caergwrle Community Council and are a Grade I listed structure”.
A “Celtic Cross” memorial to World War I at the foot of the climb to the castle ruins.
Your humble narrator, larking around with Prince Hal in Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon, the day after the day before (Author’s Collection).
Thanks for reading. My “Summer Project” has taken me to the waterways as well as many local historical and religious ruins as I’ve crisscrossed the border between England and Wales, and my three most recently published travel articles are linked below:
