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Hawarden Old Castle today

Wales · Ruin

Hawarden Old Castle

Castell Penarlâg

Hawarden Old Castle is a medieval castle site near Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales, now a scheduled monument and Grade I listed. Its earliest fortifications may be Iron Age earthworks and it was later a Norman motte-and-bailey that was rebuilt in stone in the 13th century. The castle was involved in major events of the 13th-century Welsh struggles and was slighted after the English Civil War; its ruins stand on the New Hawarden Castle estate.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1277

Its prime

1282

Today

Ruin

As it stood in 1282

What Hawarden Old Castle looked like in its prime.

A 13th-century stone castle occupying a raised motte and surrounded by a defended bailey and curtain wall set into older earthwork slopes; the principal silhouette is a compact stone enclosure atop a raised earthen mound with surrounding ditches and low baileys. At its prime the stone curtain would be continuous around the top of the motte, with an inner open yard and ancillary buildings sited against the inner wall faces, all set within parkland.

Its story

The story of Hawarden Old Castle.

An Indeterminate Site, and a Castle Dated to 1277

The origins of the castle the Welsh call Castell Penarlâg are indeterminate, and the oldest fortifications on the site may reach back to the Iron Age. The ground was later held as a Norman motte-and-bailey, which was reportedly destroyed and replaced over a short period during the thirteenth century. The castle itself is dated to 1277.

Dafydd ap Gruffudd's Easter Attack and Madog's Revolt, 1282–1294

At Easter 1282 Dafydd ap Gruffudd attacked and captured Hawarden, and in doing so began the final Welsh conflict with Norman England, the war in the course of which Welsh independence was lost. Much of the outrage the attack provoked lay in its being made at Easter. The Chronicle of Lanercost, which puts the outbreak on Palm Sunday, records that the Welsh "broke over their borders… carrying fire and sword among the people engaged in procession", and that their prince Llywelyn, "deceived (more's the pity) by the advice of his brother David, fiercely attacked his lord the King".

Edward I's sense of outrage was such that he designed for Dafydd a punishment harsher than any previous form of capital punishment: in October 1283 Dafydd was hanged, drawn and quartered at Shrewsbury. The castle was taken once more in 1294, during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn.

Slighted After the Civil War, and the Ruins on the Hawarden Estate

After the English Civil War of the seventeenth century the castle was slighted on the orders of Oliver Cromwell. Its ruins stand on the New Hawarden Castle estate and are opened to the public on some Sundays, typically the second and fourth in summertime. The castle is Grade I listed, a scheduled monument and a National Monument of Wales.

Step inside

5 places to explore in 1282.

The record describes 5 distinct spots at Hawarden Old Castle, including the full exterior approach. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the estate roadTop of the motteBailey interiorOn the curtain-wall parapetView from surrounding parkland

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Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Hawarden Old Castle.

Chester Cathedral, WalesCathedralChester Cathedral9 km awayRacecourse Ground, WalesStadiumRacecourse Ground14 km awayMendips, Menlove Avenue, EnglandMuseumMendips, Menlove Avenue24 km away

Questions about Hawarden Old Castle

What is the history of Hawarden Old Castle?

Hawarden Old Castle was first raised in the 13th century as a Norman motte-and-bailey, later rebuilt in stone. At Easter 1282, Dafydd ap Gruffudd attacked and captured it, beginning the final Welsh conflict with Norman England. The castle was captured again in 1294 during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn and was slighted after the English Civil War on Oliver Cromwell’s orders.

Why was Hawarden Old Castle built, and what was it used for?

Hawarden Old Castle was built as a Norman motte-and-bailey fortress and later replaced in stone. Its military role was central to the Welsh struggles of the 13th century, including the attack and capture by Dafydd ap Gruffudd in 1282. After the English Civil War, it was slighted and became a ruin on the New Hawarden Castle estate.

Where is Hawarden Old Castle?

Hawarden Old Castle is near Hawarden in Flintshire, Wales. It stands on the New Hawarden Castle estate, close to the town of Hawarden. The site is associated with Hawarden in its administrative location.

When was Hawarden Old Castle built?

Hawarden Old Castle was first raised in 1277, in the 13th century. The site had older fortifications that may date back to the Iron Age, and it was later a Norman motte-and-bailey before being rebuilt in stone during the 13th century.

Was Hawarden Old Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Hawarden Old Castle was attacked and captured at Easter 1282 by Dafydd ap Gruffudd, an assault that began the final Welsh conflict with Norman England. It fell again in 1294 during the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn. The supplied history does not describe either event as a siege in which the castle held.

What did Hawarden Old Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Hawarden Old Castle was a 13th-century stone enclosure on a raised earthen motte. A continuous curtain wall surrounded the top, with an inner open yard and ancillary buildings against the inner wall faces. Defended baileys, ditches and older earthwork slopes surrounded the compact stone enclosure within parkland.

Is Hawarden Old Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Hawarden Old Castle is a ruin today. Its stone castle was slighted after the English Civil War on the orders of Oliver Cromwell, and its ruins now stand on the New Hawarden Castle estate. It is also a Grade I listed medieval castle and a scheduled monument.

Can you visit Hawarden Old Castle?

Hawarden Old Castle can be visited by the public on some Sundays, typically the second and fourth Sundays in summertime. Its ruins stand on the New Hawarden Castle estate. The castle is also a scheduled monument and a Grade I listed medieval castle.

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