Battlefields›Llywelyn the Great Siege of Aberystwyth 1221
Medieval

Llywelyn the Great Siege of Aberystwyth 1221

1221
Ceredigion, Wales
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Ceredigion, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
England (Anglo-Norman garrison)
VS
Victor
Gwynedd (Llywelyn the Great)
Outcome
Aberystwyth Castle taken by Llywelyn the Great; scholars believe he probably razed the castle and rebuilt on the site as part of his consolidation of Welsh control over Ceredigion, following his earlier 1208 annexation of northern Ceredigion.
The Battle

History & Significance

Llywelyn the Great Siege of Aberystwyth 1221 was a medieval siege, the investment of a fortified position, fought in the area of Ceredigion, Wales in 1221. Gwynedd (Llywelyn the Great) prevailed over England (Anglo-Norman garrison). Aberystwyth Castle taken by Llywelyn the Great; scholars believe he probably razed the castle and rebuilt on the site as part of his consolidation of Welsh control over Ceredigion, following his earlier 1208 annexation of northern Ceredigion.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Llywelyn the Great Siege of Aberystwyth 1221 lies on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

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Everything a full report reveals about Llywelyn the Great Siege of Aberystwyth 1221

This page covers Llywelyn the Great Siege of Aberystwyth 1221. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Llywelyn the Great Siege of Aberystwyth 1221

Pen Dinas Camp
Pen Dinas Camp
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~0.4 mi

Pen Dinas Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference CD007. The fort occupies a commanding hilltop position where the underlying bedrock comprises interbedded sandstone and conglomerate of the Llandovery formation, creati…

Llywelyn2000 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Aberystwyth Castle
Aberystwyth Castle
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.5 mi

Aberystwyth Castle is a medieval fortification constructed in the early thirteenth century on the Ceredigion coast of Wales. The castle was founded by the English during the conquest of Wales, initially built by Gilbert de Clare in 1277 and subsequently developed with stone fortifications includi…

Llywelyn2000 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Aberystwyth Harbour Defences
Aberystwyth Harbour Defences
Scheduled monument · Post Medieval/Modern · ~0.5 mi

Aberystwyth Harbour Defences is a post-medieval pillbox constructed to protect the harbour and town of Aberystwyth in Ceredigion, Wales. Built during a period of heightened coastal defence requirements, the structure reflects the military engineering practices of its era. The pillbox forms part o…

Ian Capper / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Round Barrow & Standing Stone 700m W of Plas Gogerddan
Round Barrow & Standing Stone 700m W of Plas Gogerddan
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~2.8 mi

Round Barrow and Standing Stone 700m W of Plas Gogerddan is a prehistoric round barrow situated in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw under reference CD259. The barrow lies on bedrock of Llandovery age, comprising interbedded sandstone and conglomerate that would have been exposed…

David Smith / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Castell Gwallter
Castell Gwallter
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~4.2 mi

Castell Gwallter is a medieval castle situated in Ceredigion, Wales, dating to the Norman period of Welsh castle construction. The site comprises earthwork remains consisting of a motte-and-bailey fortification, representing a common defensive strategy employed by Norman lords during their consol…

Bill Boaden / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Castell Gwar-Cwm
Castell Gwar-Cwm
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~4.2 mi

Castell Gwar-Cwm is a medieval motte situated in Ceredigion, Wales, and forms part of the defensive landscape of the region during the Norman period. The monument consists of an earthen mound typical of motte-and-bailey fortifications, a common form of military architecture deployed across Wales…

Nigel Callaghan / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Castle Tan-y-Castell
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~1.3 miles
Old Warren Hill Hillfort
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~2.4 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Llywelyn the Great Siege of Aberystwyth 1221

Siege of Aberystwyth Castle
1646
~0.3 miles away
Aberystwyth Castle English Siege 1282
1282
~0.4 miles away
Viking Raid on Llanbadarn Fawr
988
~1.1 miles away
Battle of Tal y Bont
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~5.1 miles away
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