Dolbadarn Castle
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Dolbadarn Castle ( ; ; ) is a fortification built by the Welsh prince
Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...
during the early 13th century, at the base of the
Llanberis Pass The Llanberis Pass (; alternative English name, Pass of Llanberis) in Snowdonia carries the main road (A4086) from the south-east to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif. At the bottom o ...
, in northern
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. The
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
was important both militarily and as a symbol of Llywelyn's power and authority. The castle features a large stone
keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...
, which historian Richard Avent considers "the finest surviving example of a Welsh round tower". In 1284 Dolbadarn was taken by
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
, who removed some of its timbers to build his new castle at
Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...
. The castle was used as a
manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...
for some years, before falling into ruin. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was a popular destination for painters interested in Sublime and
Picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...
landscapes. It is now owned by
Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...
and managed as a
tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...
, and is protected as a grade I
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
.


History


1220–40

Dolbadarn Castle was built in either the 1220s or the 1230s by Llywelyn the Great, at the base of the
Llanberis Pass The Llanberis Pass (; alternative English name, Pass of Llanberis) in Snowdonia carries the main road (A4086) from the south-east to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif. At the bottom o ...
, overlooking the lake of Llyn Padarn in northern Wales.Avent, p.12. Traditionally the Welsh princes had not constructed castles, instead using undefended palaces called ', or courts. From the late 11th century onwards, the
Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
had advanced into Wales, taking lands in the north and establishing a band of occupied territory in the south called the
Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...
. During the 12th century, some timber and earthwork castles began to be built but in small numbers. Llywelyn the Great initially controlled the princedom of Gwynedd, but grew more powerful throughout his reign, extending his influence over much of Wales during the early years of the 13th century. Llywelyn was faced with several challenges, including dealing with the threat from the kings of England and maintaining his authority over the native Welsh.Avent, p.7. As part of this strategy, Llywelyn built
Castell y Bere Castell y Bere is a Wales, Welsh castle near Llanfihangel-y-pennant, Abergynolwyn, Llanfihangel-y-pennant in Gwynedd, Wales. Constructed by Llywelyn the Great in the 1220s, the stone castle was intended to maintain his authority over the local ...
, an innovative stone Welsh castle, in the 1220s. Shortly afterward he began the first phases of Dolbadarn Castle, constructing the initial stone fortifications on the site, including two square stone towers. The location of the castle was important both because it controlled an important mountain pass, and possibly because Llywelyn claimed authority as the lord of the mountains and coasts of Wales: several of his castles appear to have been located with such political symbolism in mind. It is also possible that Llywelyn may have built his castle on top of the remains of a previous fortification constructed by
Maelgwn Gwynedd Maelgwn Gwynedd (; died c. 547)Based on Phillimore's (1888) reconstruction of the dating of the '' Annales Cambriae'' (A Text). was King of Gwynedd during the early 6th century. Surviving records suggest he held a pre-eminent position among t ...
, a king of Gwynedd in the 6th century, although no such remains have been found. As part of his strategy for dealing with the Marcher Lords, Llywelyn married his eldest son, Dafydd, to Isabella, the daughter of William de Braose, a powerful lord in
Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...
,
Builth Builth Wells (; ) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of the Wye Valley. In 20 ...
and
Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...
. The Marcher Lords had adopted a style of the stone castle that included circular
keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...
s and an integrated system of curtain walls. Following Dafydd's marriage, Llywelyn appears to have started a second phase of building at Dolbadarn, probably in the 1240s, adding these elements to the existing castle. The prince was probably aiming not only to incorporate the latest military technology but also to create a castle of equal prestige to those of his new allies in the south. Traditionally the surrounding district of Is Gwyrfai had been run from the town of Llanbeblig; after the 1240s, this role was transferred to Dolbadarn.


1240–1300

Following Llywelyn's death in 1240, Gwynedd's power declined and many of its eastern lands were taken by
Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...
in 1247.Avent, p.14. Llywelyn's grandson,
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ( – 11 December 1282), also known as Llywelyn II and Llywelyn the Last (), was List of rulers of Gwynedd, Prince of Gwynedd, and later was recognised as the Prince of Wales (; ) from 1258 until his death at Cilmeri in 128 ...
, took power in 1255 and imprisoned his brother Owain ap Gruffudd before extending his power across Wales. Owain was eventually released in 1277 and there has been much historical debate over which castle he was held in. Hywel Foel ap Griffri wrote a famous poem describing Owain's long imprisonment in a round tower; historians believe that this refers to the keep at Dolbardarn. The conflict between the Welsh princes and the English kings continued during the reign of
Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...
. In 1282 Llywelyn fought a final campaign against Edward, ending in the prince's death near
Builth Builth Wells (; ) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of the Wye Valley. In 20 ...
that December.Avent, p.16. His brother,
Dafydd ap Gruffydd Dafydd ap Gruffudd, also known as ''Dafydd III'' (11 July 1238 – 3 October 1283), was a Prince of Gwynedd until after the death of his brother, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, when he proclaimed himself as the Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282. H ...
, assumed power but during 1283 was forced south into
Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...
and by May his government was based from Dolbadarn Castle. Edward deployed 7,000 troops to detain Dafydd who was finally captured and executed in October; Dolbadarn was occupied by Norman forces. Edward was determined to prevent any further rebellion in North Wales and set about building a sequence of new castles and walled towns, replacing the old Welsh administrative system with a new principality governed from
Caernarfon Caernarfon (; ) is a List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom, royal town, Community (Wales), community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the easter ...
.Avent, p.20. Dolbadarn was no longer relevant and within two years timber from the castle was being used by the Normans for the construction of Caernarfon Castle. This was both a practical and symbolic action, demonstrating Norman power over one of the most important possessions of the Welsh princes.


14th – 21st centuries

The remaining parts of the castle continued to be used as a manor house into the 14th century. By the 18th century, however, Dolbadarn Castle was ruined and uninhabited.Avent, p.21. From the 1760s onwards, however, it became a popular topic for painters interested in the then fashionable landscape styles of the Sublime and the
Picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...
. Typically the castle was painted in the middle ground, allowing the viewer's eye to contrast its ruined outline with the lakes and mountains of Snowdonia; frequently the landscape was misrepresented by the artist, to create a more striking or dramatic effect.Avent, p.22; Andrews, p.135.
J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbu ...
's 1800 work ''Dolbadarn Castle'' depicted the back-lit castle looming over the landscape and became particularly famous, but the paintings of the castle by Richard Wilson and
Paul Sandby Paul Sandby (1731 – 7 November 1809) was an English map-maker turned Landscape art, landscape painter in watercolours, who, along with his older brother Thomas Sandby, Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 17 ...
also represent important artistic works of the period. In 1941 the castle was given to the State by Sir Michael Duff. It is now maintained by
Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...
and is protected as a Grade I
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
and as a
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
. In the light of
Welsh devolution Welsh devolution is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, transfer of legislative powers for self-governance to Wales by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The current system of devolution began following the enactment of the Government of Wa ...
and other political changes, the history of Dolbadarn Castle and similar Welsh castles has become increasingly prominent. In response, Cadw noted that they intend to give increased priority to communicating the history of these castles and the Welsh princes.


Architecture

Dolbadarn Castle comprises a courtyard, surrounded by several towers and a round keep.Avent, p.31. The castle is built from purple and green
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
stone, mainly constructed in a
dry stone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. A certain amount of binding is obtained through the use of carefully ...
fashion without mortar, except the keep. The courtyard follows the natural shape of the hill and is protected by a curtain wall; originally perhaps 15 feet (5 m) high, it is now only at most 3 feet (1 m) high.Avent, p.33. Of the castle buildings, only the keep remains at any significant height.Avent, p.35. The keep today is 46 feet (14 m) high and is modelled on early 13th-century English round towers built in the south of the Welsh Marches. As with other Welsh-constructed towers, the entrance is on the first story, not at ground level; it may originally have been protected by a porch. The keep had a portcullis which would have been drawn up past the window on the second story of the tower. While the castle's flooring has long since disappeared, its interior staircase to the upper story may still be climbed.Avent, p.32. This second story would have formed the main chamber in the keep and had a large fireplace and a latrine. Originally the keep would have had a
parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...
and
battlements A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...
, since destroyed. Historian Richard Avent considers it "the finest surviving example of a Welsh round tower".Avent, p.11. The rectangular west tower was a relatively short defensive structure, designed to protect the more vulnerable western slope of the ridge. A similar tower in the south overlooks the entrance to the castle. At the north end of the castle is the hall, stretching across the courtyard; in the east corner is an additional building, probably built by the English at the end of the 13th century. Although the hall is relatively large, 50 by 27 feet (15 by 8 m), these buildings follow a simpler design than those current in England at the time, where a combination of a hall, chamber, and a service block in castles was becoming more common.Crouch, p.278; Emery, p.660.


In Popular culture

Dolbadarn Castle is featured on the cover of the album ''The Palms of Sorrowed Kings'' by American metal band Obsequiae, released in 2019.


See also

* Castles in Great Britain and Ireland * List of castles in Wales


Notes


References


Bibliography

*Andrews, Malcolm. (1989)
The Search for the Picturesque.
' Stanford, US: Stanford University Press. . *Avent, Richard. (2010)
Dolwyddelan Castle, Dolbadarn Castle, Castel y Bere.
' Cardiff: Cadw. . *Brown, R. Allen. (1962) ''English Castles.'' London: Batsford. *Butler, Lawrence. (2010) "The Castles of the Princes of Gwynedd," in Williams and Kenyon (eds) (2010). *Crouch, David. (1992)
The Image of Aristocracy in Britain, 1000–1300.
' London: Routledge. . *Emery, Anthony. (2000)
Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales, 1300–1500: East Anglia, Central England, and Wales.
' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . *Jones, Alan Ffred. (2010) "King Edward' I's Castles in North Wales – Now and Tomorrow," in Williams and Kenyon (eds) (2010). *King, D. J. Cathcart. (1991)
The Castle in England and Wales: An Interpretative History.
' London: Routledge. . *Williams, Diane M. and John R. Kenyon. (eds) (2010)
The Impact of the Edwardian Castles in Wales.
' Oxford: Oxbow Books. .


External links


Cadw visitor information
{{Authority control Castle ruins in Wales Castles in Gwynedd Castles of Llywelyn the Great Llanberis Grade I listed buildings in Gwynedd