Castell Aberlleiniog

Last updated
Aberlleiniog Castle
Castell Aberlleiniog
Anglesey
Near Llangoed in  Wales, United Kingdom
Castellaberlleiniog.jpg
Two of the castle's towers and keep wall in 2009, after restoration had begun
Wales location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Aberlleiniog Castle
Location in Wales
Coordinates 3166-2:GB-WLS 53°17′33″N4°4′38″W / 53.29250°N 4.07722°W / 53.29250; -4.07722 Coordinates: 3166-2:GB-WLS 53°17′33″N4°4′38″W / 53.29250°N 4.07722°W / 53.29250; -4.07722
Type Castle
Site information
Open to
the public		Yes
ConditionRuined, Undergoing Restoration
Site history
Built1080-1099
Built by Hugh d'Avranches
In useLate 11th Century-mid 17th Century

Castell Aberlleiniog (Castle of the River Lleiniog) is a motte and bailey fortress near the Welsh village of Llangoed on the Isle of Anglesey, built between 1080 and 1099 by Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester. It is about two miles distant from Beaumaris Castle, and was built atop a very steep hill.

Wales Country in northwest Europe, part of the United Kingdom

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of coastline and is largely mountainous, with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon, its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate.

Llangoed village, community and electoral ward in Anglesey, in north-west Wales

Llangoed is a small village, community and electoral ward just north of Beaumaris, on the Isle of Anglesey or Ynys Môn, at grid reference SH609793. The Royal Mail postcode begins LL58. Llangoed ward has a population of 1,275 (2001), falling at the 2011 census to 1,229.

Beaumaris Castle castle in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales

Beaumaris Castle, in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I's campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct the castle in 1284, but this was delayed due to lack of funds and work only began in 1295 following the Madog ap Llywelyn uprising. A substantial workforce was employed in the initial years under the direction of James of St George. Edward's invasion of Scotland soon diverted funding from the project, however, and work stopped, only recommencing after an invasion scare in 1306. When work finally ceased around 1330 a total of £15,000 had been spent, a huge sum for the period, but the castle remained incomplete.

Contents

History

Castell Aberlleiniog is built in a strategic position beside the Menai Strait opposite the Norman castle at Abergwyngregyn, showing that visual communication was important to the Norman invaders. It was probably erected by Hugh d'Avranches, 1st Earl of Chester, when he conquered Gwynedd in 1088. There are few historical documents that detail the events the castle has seen through its life, however some do survive, including a record of a siege in 1094 by Gruffudd ap Cynan on his return from Ireland. The siege was successful, 124 Norman defenders died in the battle. Gruffudd was later successful in driving Hugh out, and after this, Anglesey remained under the control of the Welsh until the arrival of Edward I two hundred years later. It is not known whether they made use of Castell Aberlleiniog. [1]

Menai Strait strait in the Wales, between Anglesey and Gwynedd

The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about 25 km (16 mi) long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.

Abergwyngregyn village in Wales

Abergwyngregyn is a village and community of historical note in Gwynedd, a county and principal area in Wales. Under its historic name of Aber Garth Celyn it was the seat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. It lies within the traditional county of Caernarfonshire.

Gruffudd ap Cynan King of Gwynedd

Gruffudd ap Cynan, sometimes written as Gruffydd ap Cynan, was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, Gruffudd ap Cynan was a senior member of the princely House of Aberffraw.

The original Norman timber structure is long gone, replaced by a stone structure at some point prior to the mid-17th century, when it was destroyed by Thomas Cheadle, the constable of Beaumaris. The site was restored from 2008 and is (2016) open to the public. The keep had broad ramparts fronted by a narrow wall rising to a parapet; each corner contained a round tower, the remains of which can still be seen. [2]

See also

Castles in Great Britain and Ireland Wikimedia list article

Castles have played an important military, economic and social role in Great Britain and Ireland since their introduction following the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Although a small number of castles had been built in England in the 1050s, the Normans began to build motte and bailey and ringworks castles in large numbers to control their newly occupied territories in England and the Welsh Marches. During the 12th century the Normans began to build more castles in stone – with characteristic square keeps – that played both military and political roles. Royal castles were used to control key towns and the economically important forests, while baronial castles were used by the Norman lords to control their widespread estates. David I invited Anglo-Norman lords into Scotland in the early 12th century to help him colonise and control areas of his kingdom such as Galloway; the new lords brought castle technologies with them and wooden castles began to be established over the south of the kingdom. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 1170s, under Henry II, castles were established there too.

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References

  1. ↑ Adrian Pettifer (2000). Welsh Castles: A Guide by Counties. Boydell & Brewer. p. 7. ISBN   978-0-85115-778-8.
  2. ↑ "Aberlleiniog: The Ultimate Hidden Gem". Anglesey Heritage. Retrieved 9 April 2016.

Aerial view of Castell Aberlleiniog

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