Llywelyn the Great's Capture of Cardigan Castle

Who Fought

History & Significance

Cardigan Castle (Welsh: Castell Aberteifi) is a castle overlooking the River Teifi in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales. It is a Grade I listed building. The castle dates from the late 11th-century, though was rebuilt in 1244. Castle Green House was built inside the castle walls in the early 1800s. After falling into disrepair the castle was restored in the early 2000s and opened to the public in 2015. It is owned by Ceredigion County Council and now includes a heritage centre and open-air concert facilities. The castle's gardens are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

The first motte-and-bailey castle (ca.1093) was built a mile away from the present site, probably about the time of the founding of the town by Roger de Montgomery, a Norman baron.

In 1110, King Henry I of England took Cardigan from Prince Owain ap Cadwgan as a punishment, and gave the Lordship of Cardigan and the castle to Gilbert Fitz Richard. The forerunner of the present castle was built by Gilbert Lord of Clare after the former was destroyed.

The castle was handed down to Gilbert's son, Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke in 1136. The same year, Owain Gwynedd led the defeat of the Norman rulers in the town of Cardigan at the Battle of Crug Mawr. The town was taken and burnt, though the castle was successfully defended by Normans commanded by Robert fitz Martin.

The castle was later recaptured by the Normans, and was held for Earl Roger of Hertford. In 1166 it was captured by Rhys ap Gruffydd, who rebuilt it in stone in 1171. In 1176 the first recorded eisteddfod was held at the castle.

After Rhys's death in 1197 his sons, Maelgwn and Gruffydd, disputed their inheritance resulting in Maelgwn surrendering Gruffydd to the Normans and selling the castle to King John. The castle was later held for William Marshall.

Llywelyn the Great captured it in 1215 and at the parliament held at Aberdyfi in 1216 made it over to the sons of Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth, but in 1223 William Marshall the Younger recaptured it. In 1231 the castle was again captured for Llywelyn by Rhys Gryg and his allies. Llywelyn held it until his death in 1240. On Llywelyn's death it fell back into Norman hands, and in 1244 Earl Gilbert of Pembroke rebuilt it with town walls for added protection. It is the remains of this building that still stands overlooking the river.

It was badly damaged during the English Civil War in Wales and until the 18th century it was only used as a prison.

Sometime between 1805 and 1808 the castle owner, John Bowen, arranged the construction of Castle Green House within the castle walls. The front range was added in 1827.

The ground they fought on

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Llywelyn the Great's Capture of Cardigan Castle

Cardigan Town Walls

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.1 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 Castle

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.2 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

Cardigan Bridge

Scheduled monument · Post Medieval/Modern · ~0.2 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

Old Castle Mound

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.9 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

St Dogmaels Abbey

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.9 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

Foxhill Round Barrow

Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~1.8 mi

Foxhill Round Barrow is a prehistoric round barrow situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference PE326. The monument sits upon bedrock comprising Caradoc Rocks, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down during the Caradocian period of the Ordovician. This geological fou…

Alan Hughes / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Other Medieval Battles

Battles near Llywelyn the Great's Capture of Cardigan Castle

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• Cardigan Castle · Wikipedia
• Llywelyn ab Iorwerth · Wikipedia