Criccieth Castle

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Cricieth

In the community of Criccieth. In the historic county of Caernarfonshire (Modern authority of Gwynedd, preserved county of Gwynedd).

Perched in an imposing position, the castle is still dominated by the twin-towered gatehouse built by Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth ('the Great'). Extended by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ('the Last'), and later remodelled by Edward I and Edward II. An irregular masonry castle, consisting of two towered wards, the inner having the monumental gatehouse. Recorded as destroyed, c.1450. Work probably began c1230 and was remodelled in c1283 when the castle was taken by Edward I. Abandoned c1403. Inner ward consists of NE gatehouse and SW tower, enclosed by curtain wall which retains large sections of the wall-walk. No surviving internal buildings. The twin D-shaped towers to the inner gatehouse survive to 3-storeys. Irregularly shaped outer ward with towers to the N and SW and a gatehouse to SE, although only fragments of these remain.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SH49993773

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; 95281 County Sites and Monuments Record number; 1317

• Web site links
  • http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=57
    http://www.castlewales.com/criccth.html
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/criccieth.html
• Books
  • Gravett, Christopher, 2007, The Castles of Edward I in Wales 1277-1307 (Osprey Fortress series 64)
    Emery, Anthony, 2000, Greater Medieval Houses Vol2 (Cambridge) p688
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p30-2
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p70-2
    Davis, Paul R., 1988, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Swansea) p36-7
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles of North Wales (Malvern)
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, The Welsh Castles of Edward I (Hambledon Press) p73-5
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p33
    Avent, Richard, 1983, Castles of the Princes of Gwynedd (Cardiff) p17-25, 31
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p344-5
    Gresham, C.A., 1973, Eifionydd (Cardiff) p169-71
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works, vol1: the Middle Ages (London) p365-7
    RCAHMW, 1960, A survey and inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Caernarvonshire Vol2: Central (HMSO) p59-62
    Neaverson, E., 1947, Mediaeval Castles in North Wales: A study of Sites, Water Supply, and Building Stones (London) p38-9
    Oman, Charles W.C., 1926, Castles (1978 edn Beetham House: New York) p216
    Lewis, Samual, 1849, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=47816#s10
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p373
• Journal Articles
  • Tumbull, D., 1979, ‘Some problems about the origin of Criccieth Castle’, Fort Vol7 p52-68
    Gresham, C.A., 1973, 'The Development of Criccieth Castle' Transactions of the Caernarvonshire Historical Society Vol34 p14-22 [discussion of dating]
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    O'Neil, B.H.St J., 1944, 'Criccieth Castle, Caernarvonshire' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol98 p1-51
    Hemp, W.J., 1926, Y Cymmrodor p64-120
    Hughes, Harold, 1905, 'Criccieth Castle' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol60 p200-10
• Guidebooks
  • Avent, Richard, 1989, Cricieth Castle, Pennarth Fawr medieval hall-house, St Cybi’s Well (CADW)
    Avent, Richard, 1987, Criccieth Castle (CADW)
    Johns, C.N., 1984. 2edn. Criccieth Castle/Castell Cricieth, Gwynedd. (Cardiff: HMSO)
    Johns, C.N., 1970, Criccieth Castle (HMSO)
    O'Neil, B.H.St J., 1947 (rev edn), Criccieth Castle (HMSO)
    O'Neil, B.H.St J., 1934, Criccieth Castle (HMSO)
    Hemp, Criccieth 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] p111-3