Dolbadarn Castle
Encyclopedia
Dolbadarn Castle is a fortification built by the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great
during the early 13th century, at the base of the Llanberis Pass
, in North Wales
. The castle
was important both militarily and as a symbol of Llywelyn's power and authority. The castle features a large stone keep
, which historian Richard Avent considers "the finest surviving example of a Welsh round tower". In 1284 Dolbadarn was taken by Edward I
, who removed some of its timbers to build his new castle
at Caernarfon
. The castle was used as a manor house
for some years, before falling into ruin. In the 18th and 19th century it was a popular destination for painters interested in Sublime
and Picturesque
landscapes. It is now owned by Cadw
and managed as a tourist attraction
.
, overlooking the lake of Llyn Padarn in North Wales. Traditionally the Welsh princes had not constructed castles, instead using undefended palaces called llysoedd, or courts. From the late 11th century onwards, the Normans had advanced into Wales
, taking lands in the north and establishing a band of occupied territory in the south called the Welsh Marches
. 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 over the course of his reign, extending his influence over much of Wales during the early years of the 13th century. Llywelyn was faced by several challenges, including dealing with the threat from the kings of England, and maintaining his authority over the native Welsh. As part of this strategy, Llywelyn built Castell y Bere
, an innovative stone Welsh castle, in the 1220s. Shortly afterwards 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 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, 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
, Builth and Abergavenny
. The Marcher Lords had adopted a style of stone castle that included circular keep
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.
in 1247. Llywelyn's grandson, Llywelyn the Last
, 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 in the reign of Edward I
. In 1282 Llweyln fought a final campaign against Edward, ending in the prince's death near Builth that December. His brother, Dafydd ap Gruffydd
, assumed power but during 1283 was forced south into Snowdonia
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 English 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
. Dolbadarn was no longer relevant and within two years timber from the castle was being used by the English for the construction of Caernarfon Castle. This was both a practical and a symbolic action, demonstrating English power over one of the most important possessions of the Welsh princes.
and the Picturesque
. 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. J. M. W. Turner
's 1802 work 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
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
and is protected as a Grade I* listed building and as a scheduled monument. In the light of Welsh devolution and other political changes, the history of Dolbadarn Castle and similar Welsh castles has become increasing prominent. In response, Cadw have noted that they intend to give an increased priority to communicating the history of these castles and the Welsh princes.
stone, mainly constructed in a dry stone
fashion without mortar, with the exception of 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. Of the castle buildings, only the keep remains to any significant height.
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 storey, 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 storey of the tower. While the castle's flooring has long since disappeared, its interior staircase to the upper storey may still be climbed. This second storey 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
and battlements, since destroyed. Historian Richard Avent considers it "the finest surviving example of a Welsh round tower".
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 to those current in England at the time, where a combination of a hall, chamber and a service block in castles was becoming more common.
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great , full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales...
during the early 13th century, at the base of the Llanberis Pass
Llanberis Pass
The Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia carries the main road from the SE to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif. At the bottom of the pass is the small village of Nant Peris, clustered round the ancient church of Saint Peris...
, in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. The castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
was important both militarily and as a symbol of Llywelyn's power and authority. The castle features a large stone keep
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 residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, which historian Richard Avent considers "the finest surviving example of a Welsh round tower". In 1284 Dolbadarn was taken by Edward I
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...
, who removed some of its timbers to build his new castle
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle is a medieval building in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure...
at Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
. The castle was used as a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
for some years, before falling into ruin. In the 18th and 19th century it was a popular destination for painters interested in Sublime
Sublime (philosophy)
In aesthetics, the sublime is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic...
and Picturesque
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 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
landscapes. It is now owned by Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
and managed as a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
.
1220–40
Dolbadarn Castle was built in either the 1220s or the 1230s by Llywelyn the Great, at the base of the Llanberis PassLlanberis Pass
The Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia carries the main road from the SE to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif. At the bottom of the pass is the small village of Nant Peris, clustered round the ancient church of Saint Peris...
, overlooking the lake of Llyn Padarn in North Wales. Traditionally the Welsh princes had not constructed castles, instead using undefended palaces called llysoedd, or courts. From the late 11th century onwards, the Normans had advanced into Wales
Norman invasion of Wales
The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman conquest of England under William the Conqueror, who believed England to be his birthright...
, taking lands in the north and establishing a band of occupied territory in the south called the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
. 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 over the course of his reign, extending his influence over much of Wales during the early years of the 13th century. Llywelyn was faced by several challenges, including dealing with the threat from the kings of England, and maintaining his authority over the native Welsh. As part of this strategy, Llywelyn built Castell y Bere
Castell y Bere
Castell y Bere is a native Welsh castle near 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 people and to defend the south-west part of the princedom of Gwynedd...
, an innovative stone Welsh castle, in the 1220s. Shortly afterwards 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 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, 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
Dafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was for a time recognised as Prince of Wales.- Descent :...
, to Isabella
Isabella de Braose
Isabella, Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon was the eldest daughter of William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny, and his wife Eva Marshal...
, the daughter of William de Braose, a powerful lord in Brecon
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...
, Builth and Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
. The Marcher Lords had adopted a style of stone castle that included circular keep
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 residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
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
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
; 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 EnglandHenry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
in 1247. Llywelyn's grandson, Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf , sometimes rendered as Llywelyn II, was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England....
, took power in 1255 and imprisoned his brother Owain ap Gruffudd
Owain Goch ap Gruffydd
Owain ap Gruffudd, , , was brother to Llywelyn the Last and Dafydd ap Gruffudd and, for a brief period in the late 1240s and early 1250s, ruler of part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd .- Lineage :Owain was the eldest son of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and the grandson of Llywelyn the Great...
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
Hywel Foel ap Griffri ap Pwyll Wyddel
Hywel Foel ap Griffri ap Pwyll Wyddel was a Welsh language court poet.Hywel Foel’s only surviving work is an awdl which laments the capture and imprisonment of Owain ap Gruffudd at Dolbadarn Castle...
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 in the reign of Edward I
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...
. In 1282 Llweyln fought a final campaign against Edward, ending in the prince's death near Builth that December. His brother, Dafydd ap Gruffydd
Dafydd ap Gruffydd
Dafydd ap Gruffydd was Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 by King Edward I of England...
, assumed power but during 1283 was forced south into Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
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 English 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
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
. Dolbadarn was no longer relevant and within two years timber from the castle was being used by the English for the construction of Caernarfon Castle. This was both a practical and a symbolic action, demonstrating English 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. From the 1760s onwards, however, it became a popular topic for painters interested in the then fashionable landscape styles of the SublimeSublime (philosophy)
In aesthetics, the sublime is the quality of greatness, whether physical, moral, intellectual, metaphysical, aesthetic, spiritual or artistic...
and the Picturesque
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 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
. 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. J. M. W. Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
's 1802 work depicted the back-lit castle looming over the landscape and became particularly famous, but the paintings of the castle by Richard Wilson
Richard Wilson (painter)
Richard Wilson was a Welsh landscape painter, and one of the founder members of the Royal Academy in 1768. Wilson has been described as '...the most distinguished painter Wales has ever produced and the first to appreciate the aesthetic possibilities of his country.' He is considered to be the...
and Paul Sandby
Paul Sandby
Paul Sandby was an English map-maker turned landscape painter in watercolours, who, along with his older brother Thomas, became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768.-Life and work:...
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
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
and is protected as a Grade I* listed building and as a scheduled monument. In the light of Welsh devolution and other political changes, the history of Dolbadarn Castle and similar Welsh castles has become increasing prominent. In response, Cadw have noted that they intend to give an increased priority to communicating the history of these castles and the Welsh princes.
Architecture
Dolbadarn Castle comprises a courtyard, surrounded by a number of towers and a round keep. The castle is built from purple and green slateSlate
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. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
stone, mainly constructed in a dry stone
Dry stone
Dry stone is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their unique construction method, which is characterized by the presence of a load-bearing facade of carefully selected interlocking...
fashion without mortar, with the exception of the keep. The courtyard follows the natural shape of the hill and is protected by a curtain wall
Curtain wall (fortification)
A curtain wall is a defensive wall between two bastions of a castle or fortress.In earlier designs of castle the curtain walls were often built to a considerable height and were fronted by a ditch or moat to make assault difficult....
; originally perhaps 15 feet (5 m) high, it is now only at most 3 feet (1 m) high. Of the castle buildings, only the keep remains to any significant height.
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 storey, 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 storey of the tower. While the castle's flooring has long since disappeared, its interior staircase to the upper storey may still be climbed. This second storey 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
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
and battlements, since destroyed. Historian Richard Avent considers it "the finest surviving example of a Welsh round tower".
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 to those current in England at the time, where a combination of a hall, chamber and a service block in castles was becoming more common.