Battlefields›Siege of Harlech Castle 1468
Medieval

Siege of Harlech Castle 1468

1468
Gwynedd, Wales
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Gwynedd, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Lancastrians (garrison under Dafydd ap Ieuan)
VS
Victor
Yorkists (Edward IV's forces under William Herbert)
Outcome
Garrison surrendered on 14 August 1468 after roughly a month's siege, ending seven years of Lancastrian resistance in Wales; Dafydd ap Ieuan and most of the garrison were allowed to leave peacefully, though fifty men were sent to the Tower of London and two were beheaded.
The Battle

History & Significance

Siege of Harlech Castle 1468 was a medieval siege, the investment of a fortified position, fought at Gwynedd, Wales in 1468. Yorkists (Edward IV's forces under William Herbert) prevailed over Lancastrians (garrison under Dafydd ap Ieuan). Garrison surrendered on 14 August 1468 after roughly a month's siege, ending seven years of Lancastrian resistance in Wales; Dafydd ap Ieuan and most of the garrison were allowed to leave peacefully, though fifty men were sent to the Tower of London and two were beheaded.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Siege of Harlech Castle 1468 lies on Lower Cambrian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Cambrian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Overview
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Monuments
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Battlefields
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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
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Legal
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Siege of Harlech Castle 1468

Castell Harlech
Castell Harlech
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0 mi

Castell Harlech is a substantial castle built by Edward I between 1283 and 1289 during the final Welsh campaign to establish English military control over North Wales. The fortress occupies a dramatic rocky crag overlooking Cardigan Bay and the Meirionnydd coastline, positioned as a key stronghol…

Llywelyn2000 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Muriau'r Gwyddelod Ancient Village
Muriau'r Gwyddelod Ancient Village
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~0.8 mi

Muriau'r Gwyddelod Ancient Village is a prehistoric courtyard house situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference ME010. The site rests upon Lower Cambrian bedrock of sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded strata formed in the Early Cambrian period approximately…

David Medcalf / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Enclosure and Early Field System North of Fronhill, Llanfair
Enclosure and Early Field System North of Fronhill, Llanfair
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~0.9 mi

Enclosure and Early Field System North of Fronhill, Llanfair is a prehistoric field system protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw. The monument comprises an enclosed area with associated field divisions, representing evidence of Early Bronze Age or later prehistoric land organisation. Such sys…

DS Pugh / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Tyddyn Du Enclosed Settlement
Tyddyn Du Enclosed Settlement
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~1 mi

Tyddyn Du Enclosed Settlement is a prehistoric enclosed hut circle situated on Lower Cambrian bedrock in Wales. The underlying sandstone and conglomerate geology of the Early Cambrian period would have provided practical stone sources for construction, shaping settlement patterns across this upla…

David Medcalf / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Fonlief Hir Standing Stones
Fonlief Hir Standing Stones
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~1.1 mi

Fonlief Hir Standing Stones is a prehistoric standing stone monument protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference ME057. Located in Wales, the stones occupy ground underlain by Middle Cambrian bedrock composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone, which emerged from shallow m…

Chris Andrews / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Garreg Round Cairn
Garreg Round Cairn
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~1.1 mi

Garreg Round Cairn is a prehistoric cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME107. The monument sits upon bedrock of Middle Cambrian age, comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down during the Middle Cambrian period over 500 million years ago. This geological found…

Bill Boaden / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cefnfilltir Enclosed Homestead
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~0.6 miles
Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~0.8 miles
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