Castell Du
Encyclopedia
Castell Du, also known as Sennybridge Castle or Castell Rhyd-y-Briw, is located approximately eight miles west of Brecon
in Powys
, Wales
, and is believed to be the work of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales
. Its history is largely obscure, but a reference to a castle at Rhyd-y-Briw in a document of 1271 is believed to refer to the fortification, and it is not unreasonable to assume that work commenced on it during Llywelyn's triumphal years in the 1260s. Its life would seem to have been short, as there is no further reference to it in thirteenth-century documents, and it seems likely that it was captured by the forces of Edward I of England
during the war of 1276-7 and subsequently abandoned. Much of the site remains to be excavated; the remains of a D-shaped tower are visible, and two other towers may lie under pill-boxes erected during the Second World War.
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
in Powys
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and is believed to be the work of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
. Its history is largely obscure, but a reference to a castle at Rhyd-y-Briw in a document of 1271 is believed to refer to the fortification, and it is not unreasonable to assume that work commenced on it during Llywelyn's triumphal years in the 1260s. Its life would seem to have been short, as there is no further reference to it in thirteenth-century documents, and it seems likely that it was captured by the forces of Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
during the war of 1276-7 and subsequently abandoned. Much of the site remains to be excavated; the remains of a D-shaped tower are visible, and two other towers may lie under pill-boxes erected during the Second World War.
See also
- Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
- Castles in WalesCastles in WalesThis is a List of Castles in Wales, sometimes said to be "the castle capital of the world". Wales has about 400 castles, of which over 100 are still standing, either as ruins or as restored buildings...