Flint Castle

 

Started in 1277 Flint castle is the earliest and most unusual of Wales’ English-built castles

Flint was the first castle to be constructed as part of Edward I campaign

against Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in north Wales.

Visit Date April 2024

Flint Castle from the river Dee

Edward I (also known as Edward Longshanks was King of England from 1272 to 1307) took great care in choosing the location.  Flint's low-lying position may seem odd for a fortification, but Edward identified the importance of the location which ensured access by sea as well as by land.  

The Northwest Tower

Edward I needed quickly to strengthen his rule in Wales and set about his programme of castle building. Flint was his first and was seen as the gateway to Wales with its position being only a day's march from Chester on the east and a further days march to another planned castle at Rhuddlan in the west.

It started what was to become Edward I's "Iron Ring". A chain of fortresses designed to encircle North Wales and oppress the Welsh.

Speed was important in the building of the castle and indeed also regarding the fortified town. Perhaps this accounts for the simple design of the castle. Workers were brought from England to build the castle and soon the initial workforce of 970 diggers, 300 carpenters and 200 stonemasons, grew to 2300 very quickly. Incentives were given to workers in the bonuses paid, ‘by the King’s gift’ to those workers who excelled, and deductions for those whose work was deemed tardy or substandard.

The Great Tower or Donjon

The castle is based on a square plan with a detached keep. The inner bailey has round towers on each side, with one of the towers detached and this being the most striking Great Tower or Donjon.

This design was new for Britain at the time however influences can be seen based on Savoyard models used in France and Edward likely saw this design during his 1270 route to the Crusades or perhaps just as likely his master mason James of Saint George would have been influenced by Jean Mesot when they worked together in Savoy, France.

Entrance to inner bailey from outer bailey

The outer bailey, most of which is now gone would have been the main entrance into the castle complex. The entrance into the main inner bailey area would have been over a large wooden drawbridge with a portcullis.

Much of this is gone now with the modern-day entrance being insignificant compared to the large, impressive structure it once was.

The Southwest Tower (Ditch filled in)

The ditch that it would have spanned would have been 20 feet deep and it would have been part of the moat defence for this part of the castle. It is important to note that it would also have been tidal with the river Dee completely isolating the inner bailey at high tide.

Inner Courtyard

Not much is left of the inner courtyard structures, the outlines of which can be seen along with the inner wall.

Inner showing location of well.

The main work buildings would have been here along with the inner bailey well.

The Great Tower, which was the main keep, would have also needed to be accessed by another wooden bridge from the inner bailey.

The Great Tower or Donjon

The walls were 5 metres thick and at the base would have been even thicker and there was an additional well in base of the tower.

Inner well of the Great Tower

Vertical channels in the walls with chutes to the moat were used to clear latrines from the upper floors.

Vertical latrine chutes of the Great Tower

This part of the structure would also have included a chapel.

The remaining three towers were connected by the fortification walls.

The Southwest Tower

These towers would have stood in addition to the wall fortifications which would have had arrow-slit holes in them unfortunately this has now all gone and the low remains of the base of the wall are all that is left to see.

Inner walls

These towers would have had living accommodations above with combat levels with more arrow slits in the walls.

Inner Walls

Flint Castle's defining moment in history came on Palm Sunday, 1282 when Dafydd ap Gruffudd ( Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283) launched a surprise attack. Dafydd's rebellion forced his brother, Llewelyn ap Gruffudd ( prince of Gwynedd, and later was recognised as the prince of Wales  from 1258 until his death at Cilmeri in 1282), to join him against the English. The Welsh rising was easily suppressed, Llewelyn, perhaps the only man capable of dealing with the English threat, was killed later that year.

Fortification wall leading to the N/W Tower

Then in 1294, Flint was attacked again during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn (leader of the Welsh revolt of 1294–95 against English rule). This time the commander of the castle, William de la Leye, was forced to set fire to much of the town to prevent it from being captured by the Welsh. The castle remained unconquered, and after the attack the town was soon rebuilt.

The N/W Tower

Flint Castle is also famous as the location of a fateful meeting in 1399 between Richard II and his rival to the crown Henry Bolingbroke (later Henry IV), an event immortalised in Shakespeare’s Richard II.

It was at Flint that Richard attended chapel and then climbed the great tower walls to view the arrival of Bolingbroke. Here Richard agreed to abdicate

Wall leading to the S/W Tower

The castle once again confirmed its military value during the Welsh rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr (the last native-born Welshman to claim the title Prince of Wales). The invasion of 1403 destroyed only the town, while the stronghold remained unconquered until the uprising fell in 1408.

During the time of the English Civil War, Flint castle was occupied by Royalist forces, then in the years 1643-1645, it changed hands twice. Eventually, following a three-month siege, it was captured by the armies of Parliament led by General Mytton in 1647.

To prevent its re-use, the castle was destroyed on Oliver Cromwell’s order.

The uncovered entrance to the inner bailey with the great tower in the distance

In 1784-85, parts of the castle were dismantled to make way for the construction of the county jail within the outer ward - a continuation of the castle’s traditional role within the county town. Later photographs of the jail show the approach to the building over what would have been the drawbridge to the gatehouse of the outer bailey, now mettled and flanked by a low stone wall. The jail was closed in around 1880 and became the headquarters for the 5th Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers. The building was closed in 1969 and demolished in 1970, leaving no trace of its existence.

View southwards of the Great Tower

The castle was transferred to Cadw in the 1980s.

(Cadw is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. Cadw works to protect historic buildings and structures, landscapes and heritage sites)

Footer:Visit Information: -
Google Reference: -
53.25173938647722, -3.129849610279812

What Three Words reference: -
///embraced.buzzer.glorified

OS Details: -
OS Grid Ref:SJ 24706 73343

Additional information.

Visiting is very easy with the site well signposted off the A458 in the town of Flint, North Wales, with a large car park (53.25189984860036, -3.1311048763469933) which is free.
Access is currently free and the site has good information boards available.


There are no facilities on site but the town of Flint has all the amenities you would expect.

A full list of blogs can be found at my website

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Skenfrith Castle

Skenfrith Castle (Welsh: Castell Ynysgynwraidd) is an 

ancient medieval fortress with a substantial central tower.

Visit Date August 2023

Commissioned by William Fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, in the early 12th century the castle comprised earthworks with timber defences.

What is left of the remains is the later constructed fortress by Hubert de Burge in the 13th century.

Built on an earthen mound this structure was one of the ‘Three Castles of Gwent’ (along with Grosmont and White Castle)

Controlling a large area of Gwent the three castles guarded the border country between The river Wye and the Black Mountains with Skenfrith Castle overlooking one of the main routes between England and Wales on the banks of the river Monnow.

 

In 1135, a major Welsh revolt took place and in response, King Stephen brought together Skenfrith Castle and its sister fortifications of Grosmont and White Castle to form a lordship known as the "Three Castles", which continued to play a role in defending the region from Welsh attack for several centuries.

Skenfrith was rebuilt in stone. In 1201, King John gave the castle to a powerful royal official, Hubert de Burgh (Earl of Kent) who destroyed the old castle and rebuilt the rectangular outer walls with the round keep and towers we can see today.

Hubert fell from power in 1232 and was stripped of the castles, which were placed under the command of Walerund Teutonicus

Walerund built a new chapel at the castle in 1244 and repaired the keep's roof

In 1267 the Castle along with the other two castles were granted to Edmund, the Earl of Lancaster

King Edward I' (20 November 1272 – 7 July 1307). In his conquest of Wales in 1282 removed much of the castle's military utility and saw the demise of the importance of the castle and by 1538, it had fallen into disuse and ruin.

In 1825, the Three Castles were sold off to Henry Somerset, the Duke of Beaufort. Skenfrith was eventually acquired by the lawyer Harold Sands, who carried out some conservation of the site; he went on to give the castle to the National Trust. Skenfrith was placed into the care of the state in 1936,

Skenfirth Castle is managed by Cadw

(Cadw is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. Cadw works to protect historic buildings and structures, landscapes and heritage sites) 

A visit to the castle would be enhanced by seeking out a disused mill on the south-eastern side of the castle. Much later than the castle of course dated 1867 at the 1st-floor level of the SW side; the mill continued to function until 1990 although by that time the mill had been converted to electric power.

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Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.878293893054106, -2.790379413287163

Google Search term:
Skenfrith Castle

What Three Words reference: -
///parked.sporting.help

OS Details: -
SO 45697 20264 : Altitude:141 ft

Additional information.

There is parking here (51.87809680428079, -2.790591909573205) for a a dozen cars or so and the place is easy to visit.

Off the B4347 from Monmouth and on to the B4521 takes you to Skenfrith.

There are no facilities at the site.

The site is popular in the summer months with locals sunbathing and swimming in the river.




A full list of blogs can be found at my website

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Hadleigh Castle

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Hadleigh Castle

Hadleigh castle's history began in about 1215 when constructed by Hubert de Burgh, but its most important time was to come later when extensively refortified during the Hundred Years War, becoming a strategic defence overlooking the Thames estuary.

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Visit Date June2022

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In 1215 King John bestowed many gifts to his chief minister Hubert de Burgh and the Manor of Hadleigh was just one of them.

Herbert was a loyal follower of King John and was to repay some of the king's kindness when he proved himself as a fine military man when he lead the successful defence of Dover castle during a fierce attempted siege in 1216.

During the young Henry III's childhood, Hubert was a very important influence on the young king and during this time he built this large turreted castle on the Manor of Hadleigh as a statement of his power. 

However the young king brought up by priests became devoted to church, art and learning, subsequently after quarrels with the king, Herbert's career and influence waned and he was forced to return his lands, including Hadleigh in 1239.

The castle remained in royal hands for many years however, it was not until almost 100 years later in the time of Edward II, that the castle was to be used as a royal residence.

By the time Edward II son became King Edward III the castle was to become important in the defence of England. Edward III tried to claim the French throne which led to war with France. He immediately realised the importance of the castle as it was ideally situated as a base for defending the Thames estuary against French raids during the Hundred Years War.

The barbican and two striking drum towers – one later used by Georgian revenue men looking out for smugglers – are part of Edward's substantial building works during the 1360s.

Unfortunately for the history of the castle Edward III's subsequent successors took little interest in the castle as a residence and the importance of the castle began to recede. This resulted in the castle being leased to a succession of tenants.

The demise of the castle proper came about when it was eventually sold to Lord Riche in 1551, Riche had even less interest in the castle and this led to him eventually selling it off as building materials.

Today as you can see not much remains of the castle but the setting of the ruins adds to the enjoyment of a visit to this site of once historical importance.

During the demolition, a tiled hearth was built into the floor of the hall to melt down the valuable window leads.

Footer:
Visit Information: -

Google Reference: -
51.544610767349745, 0.6090745734243965

What Three Words reference: -
///mute.tile.gently

OS Details: -
TQ 81002 86071 Altitude: 158 ft

Additional information.
This is a fine ruin in a very beautiful setting. It gets busy with walker and is popular for picnics.
There is a good size car park at Hadleigh Farm (51.54785716762494, 0.6068869826787562) This is the site of a rare breeds farm and there is also tea rooms here.
The castle is a short well signposted 15 minute walk from here.

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East Orchard Castle.

 Visit Date 05-2022.

St. Athen in South Wales in recent times has been known for the RAF base here where the RAF’s non-aircraft, ground engineering technicians were and still are trained.

The Station officially opened as RAF St. Athan on 1 September 1938.

More recently, St. Athen has become base for the manufacture of the high-class Aston Martin SUV. Conversion of the three super hangars have been redeveloped into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

My interest here, however, goes back many hundreds of years before this.

We go back to the 11th Century for this story.

Two Orchards were laid here. Both the orchards were built by the Berkerolles who received the land from Robert Fitzhammon after the conquest of Glamorgan in 1091.

In one of the orchards, we find East Orchard Castle now a ruined building whose remains date mainly from the 14th century.

While it is named a castle, I suppose it would be classed as a fortified manor house however despite this it was not fortified in the style of one and is officially classed as post-medieval and broadly defined as a domestic manor house dwelling.

It has been in ruins since the late 18th century, the house having been dismantled from 1756.

While East Orchard is one of the mysterious ruins in the Vale. It must have been a substantial building. It had a chapel, a barn and a dovecote.

In the main manor house you can still see some of the features like the fireplaces and windows.

The layout and style would seen to confirm the mansion was entirely residential rather than defensive.

The manor looks like it may have been a two-story or even three story house.

An earlier structure on this site was destroyed in 1316 during a revolt led by Welsh leader Llywelyn Bren, but the residence was soon rebuilt.

The mansion was constructed for the Berkerolles family who had been resident in this part of Glamorgan since shortly after the Norman conquest, though much of their history is unclear.

The Berkerolles were subsidiary to the Lords of St Athan, and they occupied the mansion until the early 1400s when the house passed by marriage to the Stradling family from St Donats.

The Barn/Outbuilding and Dovecote

The Stradling family endured for several centuries and carried out various improvements to the buildings. The castle was sold in 1756 but then soon abandoned and partially dismantled, and has been ruinous for over 300 years.

The chapel in ruins (left) 

The three main structures outside the manor house, the Chapel, Barn and outbuilding can still be seen

The Chapel seen here on the left is in the most ruinous state and none of the features remain but just the remnants of the walls.

However, the barn looks like it has been used as a farm building more recently although now it is also in a poor state.

Although you can see some of the features you would find on a structure of this age.

The dovecote is still standing and looks externally to have stood the test of time better than the other buildings.

You can see internally the box holes are built into the walls where the nesting birds would have been. Not shown here is the massive tree that is now growing through the building.

The manor is mostly surrounded by a belt of woodland, on the west side of the shallow but relatively steep-sided valley of the River Thaw, 1.5 miles from the coast, near St Athan, with further natural protection provided by a tributary valley a short distance north.

Currently, it is a peaceful and tranquil place that is quite easy to get to and is in a very quiet part of St. Athen.

Footer:
Visit Information:-
Google Reference
51.403302827696336, -3.3973049137655678

What Three Words reference:-
///roaming.canal.offshore

OS Grid Ref
ST 02899 68068

Additional information.
Visiting is easy but parking near by may not be.

There is a small pull in lay-by (51.39926230839226, -3.397730966275135) but this is part of an maintenance access road. It should be ok at the weekends but please take care.

Alternatively St. Athen Village (1 mile away) or at Four Cross Station (Petrol Garage) about 500 yards away.




Once at the lay-by there is a walkway just past the eastern end of the Lay-by walk up the steps and over the style (this is an official "marked" pathway).

Enter the field on the left of the stile and keep forward along the hedge, past the old pillbox and to the top right hand side of the field. Here there is a style although the step part was broken. After this stick to the path for 5 minutes and the Castle will come into view.

BTW Google maps directions do not take you this way but this is by far the best way (the OS app is better here)

Thank you for visiting this blog.


If you would like more information on this location please feel free to contact me.

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