Carndochan Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Carndochan Castle |
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| Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd, Wales | |
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 Carndochan Castle
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| Coordinates | 52°51′40″N 3°42′50″W / 52.86105°N 3.71391°W |
| Type | Castle |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Site history | |
| Built by | Llywelyn ap Iorwerth |
Carndochan Castle (which is Castell Carndochan in Welsh) is a cool old ruined stone castle. You can find it near Llanuwchllyn in Gwynedd, which is in north Wales. People think it was built a long time ago, in the early 1200s. Today, it's a special place called a Scheduled Ancient Monument, meaning it's protected because of its history.
Contents
Uncovering Carndochan Castle's Past
Who Built Carndochan Castle?
Carndochan Castle sits high up on a ridge. From there, it looks over the beautiful Lliw Valley. We don't have many old records about when it was first built.
However, many historians believe that Prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth built it. He was a very important Welsh prince. They think the castle was built sometime between the years 1215 and 1230.
Royal Visits and Mystery
Not much is known about what happened at the castle. But we do know that King Edward I of England visited it. This happened in the years 1283 or 1284.
It's a bit of a mystery why Carndochan Castle was left to fall apart. We don't know exactly when or why it was abandoned.
Exploring the Castle's Design
What Did Carndochan Castle Look Like?
Carndochan Castle was built in a typical Welsh style. It had a main tower shaped like a "D" on its west side. There were also smaller round or half-round towers.
These towers surrounded a small central area called a ward. Inside this ward, there was a square tower.
Different Building Styles
The "D"-shaped tower still stands about 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall. It seems to have been built using a different type of lime for its mortar. This might mean that this part of the castle was built at a different time.
Two of the other towers were built using dry stone methods. This means they were made without mortar. They look similar to towers found at other Welsh sites like Cam Fadryn and Pen y Castell.
Recent Discoveries
In 2015, archaeologists did some digging in the southern part of the castle. They found the main entrance. They also uncovered a small half-round tower and part of a curtain wall. A curtain wall is a strong outer wall that protects a castle.
During this dig, they found two pieces of charcoal. Scientists used a method called radiocarbon dating on them. This helped them figure out how old the charcoal was. One piece dated back to between 1170 and 1258. The other was from between 1220 and 1271. These dates help us understand when the castle was active.
What Happened to the Castle?
Some archaeologists in the 1800s claimed they found a lot of ash under the ruins. This suggests the castle might have been attacked and burned. Or it could have been purposely torn down. This act of tearing down a castle is sometimes called "slighting."
Today, Carndochan Castle is protected. It is a scheduled monument to make sure its history is preserved.
