BattlefieldsSiege of Aberystwyth Castle — Civil War
English Civil War

Siege of Aberystwyth Castle — Civil War

1646
Cardiganshire, Wales
Also known as: Aberystwyth Civil War siege 1646 · Royalist mint castle falls
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Cardiganshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalists (Aberystwyth garrison)
Forces
Royalist garrison c.200–350.
VS
Victor
Parliamentarians
Forces
Parliamentary c.2,500–3,500
Outcome
Parliamentary victory; Aberystwyth surrenders 1646; castle slighted 1649
The Battle

History & Significance

Aberystwyth Castle had served as a royal mint for Charles I, producing silver coins from Welsh silver mines to fund the Royalist war effort. It was one of the last strongholds in central Wales to fall to Parliament. After its surrender, Cromwell ordered it slighted in 1649. The ruins that survive today — romantically photographed against the sea — are what Cromwell's engineers left after deliberate demolition.

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