Aberystwyth Castle

Aberystwyth Castle (Welsh: Castell Aberystwyth) is a Grade I listed Edwardian fortress located in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Mid Wales. It was built in response to the First Welsh War in the late 13th century, replacing an earlier fortress located a mile to the south. During a national uprising by Owain Glyndŵr, the Welsh captured the castle in 1404, but it was recaptured by the English four years later. From 1637, it housed a Royal mint of Charles I, which minted coins from locally mined silver. The castle was slighted by Oliver Cromwell in 1649.

Marcher lord Gilbert Fitz Richard built an earlier motte and bailey castle a mile south of the current site in c. 1110. In 1116, it was unsuccessfully besieged by Gruffydd ap Rhys, Prince of Deheubarth. He was eventually successful in 1136, capturing it and burning it to the ground with the help of Owain Gwynedd and his brother, Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd, the sons of Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd. Their sister, Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, Gruffydd ap Rhys's wife, had been killed in battle by Gruffudd ab Llywelyn, who commanded for the Norman, Maurice de Londres. She had taken a force to meet him in battle at Kidwelly. Owain Gwynedd gave the castle to Cadwaladr to rebuild, but in 1143, Cadwaladr was implicated in the murder of Anarawd ap Gruffydd, the new king of Deheubarth. Owain Gwynedd sent his son, Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd, to strip Cadwaladr of his lands in Ceredigion, and the castle was burned. It was rebuilt and later reinforced with timber and stone revetment and stone footings. After a succession of at least three owners, it was taken by Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great in 1221. The current castle, as well as a new town, was built in a new location to the north, the current site, by Edward I of England. Construction began in 1277 after the end of the first war against Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Llywelyn the Great's grandson. Work on the castle was initially slow, and at the start of the 1282 war, the Welsh took and burned both the castle and the town. Probably under master mason James of St George, the castle was eventually completed in 1289 for £4,000. It was besieged extensively during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn i

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).