Flint Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Fflint

In the community of Flint. In the historic county of Flintshire (Modern authority of Flintshire, preserved county of Clwyd).

Begun in 1277, one of the first castles to be built in Wales by King Edward I. Its most impressive feature is a solitary round tower, isolated from the rest of the inner ward. It is sited on a rocky outcrop on the estuary of the river Dee which may have been the site of an earlier castle. Consists of an almost square inner ward, c.52m by 57m, with round angle towers except on the SE, where there is a detached round tower, c.22m in diameter. On the SW is an outer, much ruined, sub-rectangular enclosure, c.100m NW-SE by 68m. The largest tower, which was never finished, overlooks the small gate. Unlike most castles little evidence has been found for domestic buildings within the wards. The castle was surrounded by a deep moat and outer defences of timber were still being maintained in 1337.

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 SJ247733

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; 94448 County Sites and Monuments Record number; 100325

• Web site links
  • http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=75
    http://www.castlewales.com/flint.html
    http://www.cpat.org.uk/educate/guides/clwydcas/clwydcas.htm
    http://www.greatcastlesofwales.co.uk/flint.htm
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_wales/117/flintcastle.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/flint.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) p72-5
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p83-4
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles of North Wales (Malvern) p68-70
    Burnham, H., 1995, A Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales: Clwyd and Powys (Cadw, London)
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p173
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, The Welsh Castles of Edward I (Hambledon Press) p16-26
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, ‘The building of Flint: a postscript’, in Taylor, A.J., Studies in castles and castle-building, (London: Hambledon Press) p165–72
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p152-3
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p352-4
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works, vol1: the Middle Ages (London) p308-18
    Toy, Sidney, 1953, The Castles of Great Britain (London) p166-7
    Neaverson, E., 1947, Mediaeval Castles in North Wales: A study of Sites, Water Supply, and Building Stones (London) p41
    Toy, Sidney, 1939, Castles: A short History of Fortifications from 1600 BC to AD 1600 (London) p155-7
    RCAHMW, 1912, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Flintshire (HMSO) p25-8
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p123-6
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p409-12
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47826#s1
    Grose, Francis, 1787, The Antiquities of England and Wales (London) Vol7 p51-4
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p391
• Journal Articles
  • Miles, T.J., 1996. ‘Flint: Excavations at the Castle and on the Town Defences 1971-1974’. Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol145 p67-151
    Morgan, D., 1996. ‘Flint Castle’. Archaeology in Wales Vol36 p87
    Hannaford. H R. 1988. ‘Flint Castle’. Archaeology in Wales Vol28 p70-1
    King, D.J.C., 1981, ‘Flint Castle’, The 128th Annual Meeting in Chester, 1981, CAA p10-11
    Miles. T J. 1977, ‘Flint Castle’, in P J Davey (ed), Medieval Pottery from Excavations in the North West (Institute of Extension Studies [Liverpool]) p104
    Miles, T.J., 1973, ‘Flint Castle’ Medieval Archaeology Vol17 p165-6 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Miles, T.J., 1972, ‘Flint Castle’ Archaeology in Wales Vol12 p28
    Miles, T.J., 1971, ‘Flint Castle’ Archaeology in Wales Vol11 p23
    Miles, T.J., 1971, ‘Flint Castle’ Medieval Archaeology Vol16 p186-92 [downloadable via http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/resources.html?medarch]
    Tucker, 1969-70, Flintshire Historical Society Journal Vol24 p44-55
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Craster, O.E., 1966. ‘The supposed outer ditch of Flint castle’ Flintshire Historical Society Journal Vol22 p71-2
    Hurst, 1966, Flintshire Historical Society Journal Vol22 p73-4
    King, D.J.C. 1958. ‘The Donjon of Flint’ Journal of the Chester and North Wales Architectural, Archaeological and Historical Society Vol45 p61-69
    Taylor, A.J., 1957, 'The Building of Flint a postscript' Flintshire Historical Society Journal p34-41
    Edwards, J. Goronwy, 1952,'The Building of Flint' Flintshire Historical Society Journal Vol12 p5-20
    Taylor, A.J., 1946-7, 'Rhyl Report' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol99 p323-5
    Edwards, J. Goronwy, 1944, 'Edward I's Castle-Building in Wales' Proceedings of the British Academy Vol32 esp p32-7, 68
    Simpson, W.D., 1940, ‘Flint Castle’. Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol95 p20-6
    1937, Archaeological Journal, Vol94 p323-5
    Hemp, 1927-8, Llandudno Field Club Vol14 p31-6
    1922, Flintshire Historical Society Vol8 p45-51
    Taylor, H., 1899, ‘Guide of Flint Castle’ Topographical Tracts 1898-1900 p6
• Guidebooks
  • Renn, Derek and Avent, Richard, 2001, FLINT CASTLE — EWLOE CASTLE (CADW)
    From an original text by the late Hemp, W.J., 1987 (rev edn), Flint Castle (CADW)
    Hemp, W.J., 1929, Flint 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] p198-9
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#flint5]
• Other sources and unpublished works (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Hannaford, H.R., 1989. Flint Castle. Archaeological evaluation of sites to the west of the castle in 1988. CPAT report 2. January 1989
    Giffords, 1994. Report on an archaeological evaluation at Flint Castle. Moat embankment