Battlefields›Llywelyn the Great, Siege of Cardigan 1215
Medieval

Llywelyn the Great, Siege of Cardigan 1215

1215
Cardiganshire, Wales
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Cardiganshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Norman garrison (holding for William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke)
VS
Victor
Gwynedd (Llywelyn the Great / Llywelyn ab Iorwerth)
Outcome
Cardigan Castle surrendered to Llywelyn; part of a wider December 1215 campaign that also took Carmarthen, Kidwelly, Llanstephan and Cilgerran castles, at the height of Llywelyn's dominance amid the First Barons' War in England. In 1216, at the Aberdyfi parliament, Llywelyn granted Cardigan to the sons of Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth.
The Battle

History & Significance

Llywelyn the Great, Siege of Cardigan 1215 was a medieval siege, the investment of a fortified position, fought at Cardiganshire, Wales in 1215. Gwynedd (Llywelyn the Great / Llywelyn ab Iorwerth) prevailed over Norman garrison (holding for William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke). Cardigan Castle surrendered to Llywelyn; part of a wider December 1215 campaign that also took Carmarthen, Kidwelly, Llanstephan and Cilgerran castles, at the height of Llywelyn's dominance amid the First Barons' War in England. In 1216, at the Aberdyfi parliament, Llywelyn granted Cardigan to the sons of Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Llywelyn the Great, Siege of Cardigan 1215 lies on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

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Everything a full report reveals about Llywelyn the Great, Siege of Cardigan 1215

This page covers Llywelyn the Great, Siege of Cardigan 1215. 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 Cardigan 1215

Cardigan Town Walls
Cardigan Town Walls
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.4 mi

Cardigan Town Walls is a medieval town wall situated in Cardigan, Wales, and is protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference CD141. The walls were constructed to defend the walled town and its market during the medieval period, forming part of the defensive infrastructure tha…

Dylan Moore / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cardigan Bridge
Cardigan Bridge
Scheduled monument · Post Medieval/Modern · ~0.5 mi

Cardigan Bridge is a post-medieval bridge crossing the River Teifi in Cardigan, Pembrokeshire, Wales. The structure spans limestone bedrock of Ordovician age, formed over 450 million years ago when this region lay beneath a tropical sea. The river has cut its channel through these ancient strata,…

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

Cardigan Castle is a Norman stronghold founded in the early twelfth century, likely established shortly after 1110 by the de Braose family as part of their territorial consolidation in South Wales. The castle occupies a strategically commanding position overlooking the River Teifi, with its most…

Llywelyn2000 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
St Dogmaels Abbey
St Dogmaels Abbey
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~1.3 mi

St Dogmaels Abbey is a Benedictine foundation established in the early twelfth century on the banks of the River Teifi in Cardigan, Pembrokeshire. The abbey was founded around 1115 by the Norman lord Robert fitz Martin, though the surviving stone structures date predominantly from the thirteenth…

Jeremy Bolwell / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Old Castle Mound
Old Castle Mound
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~1.3 mi

Old Castle Mound is a medieval ringwork situated on bedrock of Caradoc Rocks, a formation of Caradocian mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have offered substantial natural foundations for defensive earthworks. The ringwork comprises a circular or oval enclosure defended by a bank and di…

Eirian Evans / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Castell Nantperchellan
Castell Nantperchellan
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~1.7 mi

Castell Nantperchellan is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference CD074. The site occupies ground underlain by Ashgill Rocks, a geological formation of Ordovician age comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have weathe…

ceridwen / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Penralltddu Defended Enclosure
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~2.1 miles
Castell Pen-yr-Allt
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~2.8 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Llywelyn the Great, Siege of Cardigan 1215

Siege of Cardigan (Civil War)
1645
~0 miles away
Gilbert de Clare's Conquest of Ceredigion, 1110
1110
~0.4 miles away
Llywelyn the Great's Capture of Cardigan Castle
1215
~0.5 miles away
Welsh Revolt 1136: Ceredigion Reconquest
1136
~0.8 miles away
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