Denbigh Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Dinbech

In the community of Denbigh. In the historic county of Denbighshire (Modern authority of Denbighshire, preserved county of Clwyd).

Begun by Henry de Lacy in 1282, with the support of King Edward I, the site is dominated by an impressive triple-towered gatehouse, the link between the defended town and castle ward. A monumental masonry castle, possible erected on the site of an earlier fortress, consisting of a towered polygonal enclosure, c.102m by 80m, built in one operation with the town walls. A possibly intermittent ditch separated the castle from the town to the N and E, whilst to the W and S were a subsidiary mantlet wall, ditch and counterscarp.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This site is a Not known if listed listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ05156577

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Monuments Record number; 95209 County Sites and Monuments Record number; 101960

• Web site links
  • http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=59
    http://www.castlewales.com/denbigh.html
    http://www.cpat.org.uk/educate/guides/clwydcas/clwydcas.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/116/denbighcastle.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/denbigh.html
• Books
  • Gravett, Christopher, 2007, The Castles of Edward I in Wales 1277-1307 (Osprey Fortress series 64)
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p62-6
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge)
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p73-5
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles of North Wales (Malvern) p59-63
    Burnham, H., 1995, A Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales: Clwyd and Powys (Cadw, London)
    Smith, C., 1988, The Exchequer Gate. Denbigh - A Report on Excavations in 1982 and 1983 (Dept Archaeology. Newcastle University)
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, The Welsh Castles of Edward I (Hambledon Press) p41-2
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p103
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p346-7
    Renn, D.F., 1973 (2edn), Norman Castles of Britain (John Baker)
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works, vol1: the Middle Ages (London) p333-4
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (London) p240-1
    Neaverson, E., 1947, Medieval Castles in North Walls (Liverpool) p28-30
    Toy, Sidney, 1939, Castles: A short History of Fortifications from 1600 BC to AD 1600 (London) p193-5
    Lowe, W.Bezant, 1927, The Heart of North Wales (Llanfairfechan) Vol2 p196-200
    RCAHMW, 1914, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Denbighshire (HMSO) p39-41
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p420-21
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47820#s1
    Gee, T., 1829, An Account of the Castle and Town of Denbigh
    Grose, Francis, 1787, The Antiquities of England and Wales (London) Vol7 p41-2
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p388-9
• Journal Articles
  • Smith. C. 1988, ‘The Excavation of the Exchequer Gate. Denbigh. 1982-3’. Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol137 p108-112
    Smith. C. 1982, ‘The Exchequer Gate, Denbigh’, Archaeology in Wales Vol22 p33–4
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    1937, Archaeological Journal Vol94 p319-20
    Hemp, W.J., 1926-7, ‘Denbigh Castle’ Llandudno Field Club Vol13 p30-4 [abridged version of Y Cymmroder article]
    Hemp, W.J., 1926, ‘Denbigh Castle’ Y Cymmroder Vol36 p64-120
    Hemp, W.J., 1921, Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol76 p323-8
    Williams, L., 1888, 'Denbigh Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol43 p94-100
    Ayrton, W., 1855-62, Chester Archititecture, Archaeological and History Society Vol2 p49-60
• Guidebooks
  • Butler. L.A.S., 2007 [rev edn], Denbigh Castle, Denbigh town walls, Lord Leicester's Church, St Hilary's Chapel, Denbigh Friary (CADW)
    Butler. L.A.S., 1990, Denbigh Castle (CADW)
    Butler, L.A.S., 1976, Denbigh Castle, Town Walls and Friary, (HMSO)
    Hemp, W.J., 1935 [abridged 1954], Denbigh Castle (HMSO)
• Primary (Medieval documents or transcriptions of such documents. This section is far from complete and the secondary sources should be consulted for full references.)
  • Rickard, John, 2002, The Castle Community. The Personnel of English and Welsh Castles, 1272-1422 (Boydell Press) [lists sources for 1272-1422] p160-1
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#denb3]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p97