Castell Caergwrle

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The monument consists of the remains of a castle, dating to the medieval period. A castle is a defended residence or stronghold, built mainly of stone, in which the principal or sole defence comprises the walls and towers bounding the site. Some form of keep may have stood within the enclosure but these were not significant in defensive terms and served mainly to provide accommodation.

Caergwrle Castle was erected by Dafydd ap Gruffydd in about 1278, and was thus the last native Welsh stone built castle. The castle was then held and refurbished by Edward I (1282). The castle is defended on the north and east sides by a rock-cut ditch and counterscarp bank. The castle was destroyed by fire on 27th August 1282. The remains of the late thirteenth century masonry castle are set at the south-south-west angle of an irregular enclosure defining the relatively level summit of a steep-sided hill. Excavation demonstrated that this enclosure, roughly 110m north-west to south-east by 120m, had been defined by a stone-revetted wall, radio-carbon dating indicating an early medieval date.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval defensive practices. The monument is well-preserved and an important relic of the medieval landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both structural evidence and intact associated deposits.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.