Ruthin Castle
Encyclopedia
Ruthin Castle is a medieval castle
fortification in Wales
, near the town of Ruthin
in the Vale of Clwyd
. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn II
, on a red sandstone
ridge overlooking the valley.
The castle was most notably the base of that branch of the noble de Grey family accorded the title "Barons Grey de Ruthyn
" and the head of their marcher lordship of Dyffryn Clwyd
. It was a base for Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn
– the man who could be said to have sparked the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr
.
During the English Civil War
Oliver Cromwell
's forces dismantled and demolished the castle, in a process of organised defortification called slighting
, to prevent the castle's becoming militarily viable in the future.
In 1923 the castle became Britain's first private hospital for the investigation and treatment of obscure internal diseases. Since the 1960s the castle remains have been incorporated into a luxury hotel.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
fortification in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, near the town of Ruthin
Ruthin
Ruthin is a community and the county town of Denbighshire in north Wales. Located around a hill in the southern part of the Vale of Clwyd - the older part of the town, the castle and Saint Peter's Square are located on top of the hill, while many newer parts of the town are on the floodplain of...
in the Vale of Clwyd
Vale of Clwyd
The Vale of Clwyd is a tract of low-lying ground in the county of Denbighshire in northeast Wales. The Vale extends south-southwestwards from the coast of the Irish Sea for some 20 miles forming a triangle of low ground bounded on its eastern side by the well-defined scarp of the Clwydian Range...
. It was constructed during the late 13th century by Dafydd, the brother of Prince Llywelyn II
Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf , sometimes rendered as Llywelyn II, was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England....
, on a red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
ridge overlooking the valley.
The castle was most notably the base of that branch of the noble de Grey family accorded the title "Barons Grey de Ruthyn
Baron Grey de Ruthyn
The title of Baron Grey de Ruthyn was created in the Peerage of England by writ of summons in 1324 for Roger Grey, a son of John Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Wilton. It has been abeyant since 1963...
" and the head of their marcher lordship of Dyffryn Clwyd
Dyffryn Clwyd
Dyffryn Clwyd was a cantref of Medieval Wales and from 1282 a marcher lordship. In 1536, it became part of the new county of Denbighshire. The name means Vale of Clwyd in English and is still the name for that region of north Wales in modern Welsh...
. It was a base for Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn
Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn
Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn , a powerful Welsh marcher lord, succeeded to the title on his father Reginald's death in July 1388.- Lineage :...
– the man who could be said to have sparked the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
.
During the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's forces dismantled and demolished the castle, in a process of organised defortification called slighting
Slighting
A slighting is the deliberate destruction, partial or complete, of a fortification without opposition. During the English Civil War this was to render it unusable as a fort.-Middle Ages:...
, to prevent the castle's becoming militarily viable in the future.
In 1923 the castle became Britain's first private hospital for the investigation and treatment of obscure internal diseases. Since the 1960s the castle remains have been incorporated into a luxury hotel.