Everything about Aberystwyth Castle totally explained
Aberystwyth Castle is located in
Aberystwyth,
Ceredigion,
Wales. The castle, now in ruins, is mere yards away from the sea. Though Aberystwyth Castle was begun in
1277, the area has hosted other castles before it, the earliest being a fortress dating to the
Iron Age.
Aberystwyth Castle was built as a diamond-shaped
concentric fortress, with gatehouses at each point. Its walls-within-walls defenses allowed its guards to fire down from different heights, helping to avoid
friendly fire. Beyond its guardtowers, the castle had two gatehouses, a
barbican and a tall tower in the castle's inner ward. Today the castle rubble only hints at its past, its imposing structure destroyed by warring and its proximity to the sea. Historical accounts suggest that the castle had already begun to decay by
1343 due to wind and water erosion.
It is open to the public, and includes a park built in recent years by local town leaders.
History
The first true castle built at Aberystwyth was erected about a mile south of the current castle site by
Gilbert de Clare circa
1110, and was variously called
Castell Tan-y-castell,
Aberrheidol Castle and
Old Aberystwyth, among others.
This timber castle (later reinforced with stone) changed hands repeatedly as the
Normans warred with the native Welsh, who were firmly ensconced in this area of Wales. The castle first fell to
Owain Gwynedd in
1136. The castle's ownership switched at least three more times before being captured by
Llywelyn the Great in
1221. Scholars believe that Llywelyn probably razed the castle and rebuilt another one in its place. It isn't mentioned again until
Edward I erected what is now known as Aberystwyth Castle a mile north of this site.
Aberystwyth Castle was built, along with
Flint Castle,
Rhuddlan Castle and
Builth Castle, by King Edward I as part of his campaign against the Welsh. Aberystwyth Castle, started in 1277, was a particularly taxing job. It still wasn't completed by
1282 when the Welsh briefly captured and burned it. Construction was finally completed in
1289 at great expense to the crown.
By
1307 the castle was thriving enough that people had made their homes next to its walls, and the town was decreed
Llanbadarn Gaerog (Fortified Llanbadarn). But the town was commonly referred to by the castle's name, as is the case today.
The castle changed hands several times as the Welsh and English warred throughout Wales, including by
Owain Glyndŵr, who took possession of the castle in
1404. The English soon after recaptured the castle, but by
1408, peace having been struck, the castle began to fall into disrepair. Still, in
1637 Aberystwyth Castle was designated as a royal mint by
Charles I. The mint struck silver coins. This association became the castle's downfall, as the mint's operator, who had been made wealthy by his job, raised a regiment of Royalist soldiers during the
English Civil War. This made the castle a target of
Oliver Cromwell, who scourged the castle in
1649.
Further Information
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