Scheduled MonumentsWalesCriccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences
Medieval · Castle

Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences

Conwy, Wales
Cadw SAM CN173
Period
Medieval
Site type
Castle
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Criccieth Castle is a medieval fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking Cardigan Bay in Gwynedd, Wales. The castle was founded in the early thirteenth century, likely by Llywelyn the Great, as part of the Welsh princes' defensive strategy in North Wales, and was subsequently developed and reinforced during the later medieval period. The outer bank defences form part of the castle's fortification system, comprising earthwork elements that supplemented the stone structures of the inner fortress. The site remains an important testimony to medieval Welsh military architecture and the power dynamics between the native Welsh principalities and English crown authority in the medieval period.

Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN173. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences?

Criccieth Castle is a medieval fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking Cardigan Bay in Gwynedd, Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN173.

What period does Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences date from?

Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a castle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences?

Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is CN173.

What other scheduled monuments are near Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castell Cricieth (0.1 km), Caer-Dynni Burial Chamber (1.3 km), Cefn-Isaf Burial Chamber (3.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences

Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences stands on Llanvirn Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Whiterock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Criccieth Castle, Outer Bank Defences

Bryn Celli DduArchaeological site · ~20 miles