The Ring of Iron () or Iron Ring of Castles was a chain of fortifications and castles built across Wales at Edward I's command after the death of

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 ...

in 1282 and the subsequent

Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England The conquest of Wales by Edward I took place between 1277 and 1283. It is sometimes referred to as the Edwardian conquest of Wales,Examples of historians using the term include Professor J. E. Lloyd, regarded as the founder of the modern academ ...

. Edward spent over £80,000 on all of the castles, with £20,000 being incurred just by

Rhuddlan Castle Rhuddlan Castle (; ) is a castle located in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, Wales. It was erected by Edward I in 1277, following the First Welsh War. Much of the work was overseen by master mason James of Saint George. Rhuddlan, which was not compl ...

Aberystwyth Castle Aberystwyth Castle () 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. Du ...

Flint Castle Flint Castle () in Flint, Flintshire, was the first of a series of castles built during King Edward I's campaign to conquer Wales. The site was chosen for its strategic position in North East Wales. The castle was only one day's march from Che ...

, and

Builth Castle Builth Castle () was a castle built under Edward I of England, King Edward I, just outside Builth Wells, Powys, Wales. At one time it was an impressive stone-built castle but all the masonry has been removed over the years and all that remains ar ...

. The purpose of building the iron ring of castles was to control the native Welsh population, particularly in

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

, which had been the main focus of resistance to the English crown for centuries. The jewel in the crown of the Iron Ring was

Caernarfon Castle Caernarfon Castle (; ) is a medieval fortress in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The first fortification on the site was a motte-and-bailey castle built in the late 11th century, which King Edward I of England began to replace with the current st ...

, which Edward intended to be his seat in Gwynedd and where he arranged for his son

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

to be born. Many of the castles begun after the end of the war in 1282 were the work of master architect

James of Saint George Master James of Saint George (–1309; French: , Old French: Mestre Jaks, Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: Mestre Jaks, Latin: Magister Jaco ...

. Most castles were built with an integrated fortified town, as can still be seen at

Denbigh Denbigh ( ; ) is a market town and a community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. It was the original county town of the Denbighshire (historic), historic county of Denbighshire created in 1536. Denbigh's Welsh name () translates to ...

. This idea of providing a fortified town was likely from

Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...

in southwest France, where they are called

bastide Bastides are fortified new towns built in medieval Languedoc, Gascony, Aquitaine, England and Wales during the 13th and 14th centuries, although some authorities count Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban, which was founded in 1144, as the first bastides ...

s. Some towns, such as Rhuddlan, were not encircled in stone and instead were surrounded by wooden palisades and earthworks. By populating the bastides with English settlers, Edward created an outpost of England within Wales; Welsh were permitted to enter the town unarmed during the day but not to trade. In July 2017, plans for an iron sculpture of a giant ring were announced as part of the £630,000 restoration project of

, the first castle built in Wales by Edward I. This plan was met with criticism, and accusations were made that it was commemorating the Edwardian conquest of Wales, a contentious event among the Welsh public. Following a petition, plans for the sculpture were ultimately cancelled

Gallery of the Iron Ring of Castles

File:Aberystwyth - panoramio (21).jpg, Aberystwyth Castle (1277) File:Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey (geograph 4681759) (cropped).jpg, Beaumaris Castle (1295) File:The motte at Builth Wells Castle - geograph.org.uk - 2882182.jpg, Builth Castle (masonry removed) (1277) File:Caernafon Castle (HDR) (8074250799).jpg, Caernafon Castle (1283) File:Conwy Castle (7989).jpg, Conwy Castle (1283) File:Denbigh gatehouse.jpg, Denbigh Castle (1283) File:Flint - Flint Castle - 20220322133307.jpg, Flint Castle (1277) File:Harlech Castle (geograph 4561829) (cropped).jpg, Harlech Castle (1283) File:Hawarden Castle Estate (1).JPG, Hawarden Castle (1277) File:Castell Rhuddlan, Sir Ddinbych 02.JPG, Rhuddlan Castle (1277)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ring Of Stone 13th century in England 13th century in Wales

See also

Gallery of the Iron Ring of Castles

References