Deganwy Castle

Deganwy Castle (Medieval Latin: Arx Deganhui; Middle Welsh: Caer Ddegannwy; Modern Welsh: Castell Degannwy) was an early stronghold of Gwynedd in Deganwy, at the mouth of the River Conwy, now in Conwy county borough, north Wales. It sits at an elevation of 110 m (361 ft) on a volcanic plug in an area of limestone known as the Vardre (Welsh: Y Fardre).

The Early Middle Ages fortress, which is now little more than ditches and mounds, was constructed of wood on a massive rock outcrop in what is now the suburbs of Llandudno. Traditionally, it was the headquarters of Maelgwn Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd (fl. c. 520–547). There are several places nearby associated with him, including a hill called Bryn Maelgwyn. A hoard of 204 silver Cnut pennies was found on Bryn Maelgwyn in July 1979.

Deganwy was probably first occupied during the Roman period, but was popular in the years following their departure because it was safe from Irish raids. The area beneath the rocky stronghold may have been the site of a settlement of serfs. The stronghold was burned down in 812 when it was struck by lightning.

In the second half of the 11th century, north Wales was part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. After the Norman invasion of England in 1066, William the Conqueror installed his followers as earls in the English counties bordering Wales, each making advances into Wales at various points. Hugh d'Avranches was made Earl of Chester, and his nephew Robert led a campaign in north Wales. This resulted in Robert establishing a castle at Rhuddlan, and according to Orderic Vitalis at Degannwy. This would have been 1073 at the earliest. The precise location of the castle on the hilltop and its layout are uncertain. Robert was killed in 1093, and the following year the Welsh pushed the Normans out of Gwynedd. The history of the castle in the 12th century is unknown.

By the 13th century, Deganwy was fortified by the Prince of Wales Llywelyn ab Iorwerth. It was captured by the Earl of Chester in 1210, but recaptured shortly afterward by Llywelyn, who had it refortified in stone. The Brut y Tywysogion recorded that "the earl of Chester again built the castle of Degannwy, which Llywelyn ap Iorwerth had destroyed for fear of the king."

Ownership of the castle descended to his son, Dafydd ap Llywelyn; in 1241 Dafydd had the castle destroyed ahead of an English advance into the region.

Text adapted from “Deganwy Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Deganwy Castle ranks #2,386 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #38 of the 100 mapped in Wales. Founded 1080, it is older than 88% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 317 atlas entries founded in the 11th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,282 times in the last 60 days, more than 55% of the atlas. 9 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Liverpool, 57 km away. It is one of the 27 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of North Wales. See how Wales compares in the castle statistics.

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