Gaer Penrhôs, in

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, was a ringwork castle at the summit of a steep hill near the village of

Llanrhystud Llanrhystud is a seaside village and electoral division on the A487 road in the county of Ceredigion, in Wales, 9 miles (14 km) south of Aberystwyth, and 7 miles (11 km) north of Aberaeron. It takes its name from an early Welsh saint. Th ...

; now all that remains are the outlines of its ringworks. Through the years it has variously been referred to as ''Llanrhystud Castle'' and ''Castell Cadwaladr'' and has likely been the site of more than one structure. Gaer Penrhôs commands a view into the mountains of the Ystwyth Valley and over

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay ( cy, Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geo ...

. The ringwork consists of a small courtyard enclosed by a large rampart and outer ditch, however it lines up with the remains of what appears to have been a much larger enclosure that could have formed the basis of a much older

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

-era

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

(which is usually referred to as Caer Penrhos in modern sources). According to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, a ring motte was first erected by Richard de la Mare in around 1110; just six years later it was captured by Gruffydd ap Rhys, and destroyed by

Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd (c. 1100 – 1172) was the third son of Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd, and brother of Owain Gwynedd. Appearance in history Cadwaladr first appears in the historical record in 1136, when following the killing of the l ...

in 1136, who built a new castle on basically the same site in 1149. In 1150, a dispute between Cadwaladr's brother

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great ( cy, Owain Fawr) and the first to be ...

and his nephew

Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd (circa 11201170), Prince of Gwynedd in 1170, was a Welsh poet and military leader. Hywel was the son of Owain Gwynedd, prince of Gwynedd, and an Irishwoman named Pyfog. In recognition of this, he was also known as ''Hyw ...

, Owain's son, erupted and Hywel seized Gaer Penrhôs for himself. Hywel was only able to retain control of the castle for a year, losing it to

Rhys ap Gruffydd Rhys ap Gruffydd, commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh ''Yr Arglwydd Rhys'' (c. 1132 – 28 April 1197) was the ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197 and native Prince of Wales. It was believed that he ...

and his brothers. The castle hadn't seen the last of Hywel, however; he returned some months later, where he slaughtered the castle's garrison and destroyed its timber defenses. In 1158 what appears to be a new structure was captured by Normans, but that was likely burned to the ground again when Rhys returned later to scourge every English-controlled castle in Ceredigion.

References

Castles of the Welsh Princes

Llanrhystud Village
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaer Penrhos Castles in Ceredigion