Harlech Castle
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| Harlech, Wales | |
 Harlech castle |
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Harlech Castle, located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a concentric castle, constructed atop a cliff close to the Irish Sea. Architecturally, it is particularly notable for its massive gatehouse.
Built by King Edward I during his conquest of Wales, the castle was subject to several assaults and sieges during its period of active use as a fortification. The castle served as the defacto capital of an independent Wales between 1404 and 1409 when it was held by Owain Glyndwr. The later seven-year siege of the castle, during the Wars of the Roses,[1] has been memorialised in the famous song "Men of Harlech".
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Construction
In Welsh mythology, Harlech is associated with Branwen,[2] despite this, the first record of a fortification at Harlech – historically or archaeologically – comes from 1283 when Edward began building a castle there as part of his conquest of Wales.[3]
Wales and England had historically been enemies, and war broke out again between the two on 22 March 1282. The Welsh leader, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, died later that year on 11 December. His brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd continued to fight against the English.[4] Dolwyddelan Castle was captured by the English in Janury 1283; control of Dolwyddelan opened up access to the Conwy valley. After Castell y Bere fell to English forces two months later, 560 soldiers marched to Harlech, led by Sir Otto de Grandison. Work began in earnest on building a castle at Harlech. The earliest references to the activity date from between 14 and May.[3] Harlech was one of 14 castles built by Edward I in the closing decades of the 13th century/[5] Like many of the castles in the area, Harlech was designed by Master James of St. George. The castle took seven years to build, and cost an estimated £8,190 to build (£88 million in 2009).[6] Following its completion, James was appointed Constable of Harlech Castle, a high-status position he held for over three years.[7]
All the royal castles of Edward's second Welsh campaign were sited so that they could be kept supplied at all times.[8] Harlech was not always isolated; the sea used to come to the foot of the cliffs.[8]
The castle is built to a concentric plan, with one line of defences enclosed by another. The outer walls are much shorter and thinner than the mighty inner walls, and have no towers defending them besides the small gatehouse. The inner ward is roughly square, with a large round tower at each corner. The domestic buildings, including the great hall, are built against the inside of the inner walls. Since the surrounding cliffs made it practically impossible to attack the castle except from the east, this side is faced by the imposing gatehouse. The gateway is flanked by two massive "D-shaped" towers, and defended by a series of doors, portcullises and murder-holes. Notably, there are large windows on the inner face of the gatehouse. The west wall of the inner ward also has large windows (as it forms one wall of the great hall).
The outer ditches at Harlech were cut into the rock.[9] In the height of construction, in 1286, the workforce was 546 general labourers, 115 quarriers, 30 blacksmiths, 22 carpenters and 227 stonemasons.[10]
Harlech is also notable for an unusual feature: the "way from the sea". Edward's forces were often in danger from land-based attack, but he enjoyed total supremacy on water. Many of his castles included sally ports which allowed resupply from the sea, but Harlech's is far more elaborate. Here, a fortified stairway hugs the rock and runs almost 200 feet (61 m) down to the foot of the cliffs, where (at the time of construction) the sea reached. Today, the sea has retreated several miles, making it more difficult to envisage the concept in its original setting. James of St. George's plan was a triumph; when the castle was besieged during Madoc ap Llywelyn's campaign, this stairway was used to supply the castle.
Like many of Edward's castles, Harlech was originally designed to be attached to a fortified borough.
Later history
In 1294, Madoc ap Llywelyn, cousin to Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, began an uprising against English rule that spread quickly through Wales. Several English-held towns were razed and Harlech (along with Criccieth Castle and Aberystwyth Castle) were besieged that winter. As noted above, the "Way to the Sea" helped the defenders survive until the siege was lifted the following spring.
In 1404, the castle fell to Owain Glyndŵr after a long siege when starvation reduced the determined and fearful garrison to just twenty-one men. Harlech became his residence and family home and military headquarters for four years. He held his second parliament in Harlech in August 1405.[11] Four years later, after another long siege of eight months, Harlech Castle was retaken in 1409 by Prince Henry (later Henry V) and a force of 1000 men under John Talbot, during which Edmund Mortimer starved to death and Glyndŵr's wife, Margaret Hanmer, two of his daughters and four grandchildren were captured, later to be imprisoned and die.
In the Wars of the Roses in the first part of Edward IV of England's reign (1461–1470), Harlech was held by its Welsh constable Dafydd ap Ieuan as a Lancastrian stronghold. Following the Battle of Northampton, Margaret of Anjou and the infant Henry VII of England fled to Scotland via Harlech. Following the defeat of the Lancastrians at the Battle of Towton, Edward controlled the country and Harlech eventually became last major stronghold under their control. Sir Richard Tunstall arrived as a reinforcement to the Lancastrians in the latter half of the siege in 1465. In 1468 it was the last Lancastrian fortress to surrender; it was able to withstand the seven-year siege through its being provisioned from the sea. It is the longest known siege in the history of the British Isles.[12] This famous siege inspired the song "Men of Harlech" according to tradition.[13] The castle was also briefly occupied during the insurrection of 1498.
During the English Civil War the castle was the last royalist fortress to hold out against the Parliamentary forces. The surrender, on 16 March 1647, over a year after King Charles had himself been captured, marked the end of the first phase of the war. The parliamentarians slighted the castle after its fall.
Present day
Harlech is part of the "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Harlech, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Conwy (Gwynedd)" World Heritage site, reflecting its importance and remarkable state of preservation.[14] The castle is now in the care of Cadw and is open to visitors.[15]
Architectural historian Dan Cruickshank selected the Castle as one of his five choices for the 2006 BBC television documentary series Britain's Best Buildings.[16]
References
- Notes
- ↑ Cannon 1997, p. 454; Bennett 2001
- ↑ Taylor 1985, pp. 2–4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Taylor 1985, p. 4
- ↑ Smith 2004
- ↑ Taylor 1985, pp. 2–3
- ↑ Taylor 1974, p. 1029
- ↑ "ICOMOS World Heritage List No 374" (PDF). UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/374.pdf. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Morris 2004, p. 113
- ↑ morris 2004, p. 115
- ↑ Morris 2004, p. 117
- ↑ Davies 1995, p. 115f
- ↑ Hall 2001, p. 212
- ↑ Cannon 1997, p. 454
- ↑ "Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd". UNESCO. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/374/. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ↑ "Harlech Castle". Cadw. http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/default.asp?id=6&PlaceID=78. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ↑ Cruickshank, Dan. "Britain's Best Buildings". BBC Four. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/bbb-harlech.shtml. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
- Bibliography
- Bennett, Matthew (2001), Dictionary of Ancient and Medieval Warfare, Stackpole Books, ISBN 978-0811726108
- Cannon, John (1997), The Oxford Companion to British History, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0198661764
- Davies, R. R. (1995), The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dŵr, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0198205081
- Hall, Bert S. (2001), Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe, The Johns Hopkins University Press
- Morris, Marc (2004) [2003], Castle: A History of the Buildings that Shaped Medieval Britain, London: Pan Books, ISBN 0-330-43246-X
- Smith, J. B. (2004), "Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (d. 1282)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford: Oxford University Press, http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16875 (subscription required)
- Taylor, Arnold (1974), The Kings Works in Wales, HMSO, ISBN 0-1167-0556-6
- Taylor, Arnold (1985) [1980], Harlech Castle, Cardiff: Cadw – Welsh Historic Monuments, ISBN 0-948329-00-9
External links
- Further reading
- Photographs
- Photographs taken by The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
- Harlech on CastleWales.com
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