The Castle of Dinerth ( cy, Castell Dineirth, ', or ') is a Welsh castle located near

Aberarth Aberarth is a village in Ceredigion, Wales, in the community of Dyffryn Arth, on the southern end of Cardigan Bay between Aberystwyth and Cardigan at the mouth of the River Arth on the A487 road. The Wales Coast Path passes through the village. ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...

, west

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

that was completed 1110. It is also known as Hero Castle, presumably from the Norse ''hiro'' ("king's carl").

History

The founder is thought to be one Richard de la Mare, a follower of

Richard fitz Gilbert Richard fitz Gilbert (before 1035–), 1st feudal baron of Clare in Suffolk, was a Norman lord who participated in the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and was styled "de Bienfaite", "de Clare", and of "Tonbridge" from his holdings.G. E. ...

, Lord of Clare, an

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

lord, who, by the archaeological evidence, built it on top of a previous defensive position. The castle was razed by Gruffydd ap Rhys but probably rebuilt, as it is known to have been destroyed again by

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great ( cy, Owain Fawr) and the first to be ...

in 1136. The castle probably spent the next fifty years passing from one feudal ruler to another: from Hywel to

Cadwaladr Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon (also spelled Cadwalader or Cadwallader in English) was king of Gwynedd in Wales from around 655 to 682 AD. Two devastating plagues happened during his reign, one in 664 and the other in 682; he himself was a victim of t ...

in 1144, and then ceded to

Roger de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford Roger de Clare, 2nd Earl of Hertford, 5th Lord of Clare, 5th Lord of Tonbridge, 5th Lord of Cardigan (1116–1173) was a powerful Anglo-Norman noble in 12th-century England. He succeeded to the Earldom of Hertford and Honor of Clare, Tonbridge an ...

in 1158, who garrisoned it. Destroyed by The Lord Rhys in 1164, it came into the possession of

Maelgwn ap Rhys Maelgwn ap Rhys (c. 1170–1230) was prince of part of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south west Wales. Maelgwn was the son of Rhys ap Gruffydd (''The Lord Rhys'') by his wife Gwenllian ferch Madog, daughter of Madog ap Maredudd prince of Powys. He a ...

who lost it to, and recovered it from, his brother, Gruffudd ap Rhys. Maelgwn dismantled it to prevent his lands being held by Llywelyn the Great of Gwynedd. As Llywelyn then captured and held all the territory from the River Arth to the

River Aeron The River Aeron ( cy, Afon Aeron) is a small river in Ceredigion, Wales, that flows into Cardigan Bay at Aberaeron. It is also referred to on some older maps as the River Ayron. Etymology The name of the river means "battle" or "slaughter" and ...

, he conferred Dinerth on the sons of Maelgwn's brother Gruffudd as was rightfully due. The site was abandoned soon afterwards.

The site

The ruins of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

timber castle can be found on a hill about 1½ miles up the valley from the seaside town of Aberarth. It occupies a strategic position at the confluence of the River Arth with the Erthyg Brook, with steep ravines on all sides except the east where there is a deep ditch backed by a bank. The whole site covers about three hectares and includes two mounds, which presumably supported towers, and a series of platforms to the south where it is likely the main buildings stood including the hall. The whole site is now covered by ancient oak and beech woodland which supports a varied flora.

Arthurian legend

The site's Welsh name ( "Fort Bear") and a passage in

Gildas Gildas ( Breton: ''Gweltaz''; c. 450/500 – c. 570) — also known as Gildas the Wise or ''Gildas Sapiens'' — was a 6th-century British monk best known for his scathing religious polemic ''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'', which recount ...

's work '' On the Ruin of Britain''., describing a ''receptaculi ursi'' (literally "bear's lair" but equally "stronghold of the Bear"), led some historians to suggest that the site might have a connection with King Arthur or his supposed court at

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...

. However, the site's name more likely derives from the nearby River Arth and the passage in Gildas, describing the King

Cuneglas Cuneglasus (fl. 540) was a prince of Rhos in Gwynedd, Wales, in the late 5th or early 6th century. He was castigated for various sins by Gildas in ''De Excidio Britanniae''. The Welsh form Cynlas Goch is attested in several genealogies of the Rhos ...

much more likely describes the

Dark Age The ''Dark Ages'' is a term for the Early Middle Ages, or occasionally the entire Middle Ages, in Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire that characterises it as marked by economic, intellectual and cultural decline. The conce ...

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

of Dinerth at

Bryn Euryn Bryn Euryn (; ) is a hill which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Conwy County Borough, Wales. There is a trig point at the summit. It lies above the seaside town of Rhos-on-Sea and village of Mochdre, Conwy. It is 131 metres (430 fe ...

above Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, his supposed kingdom.

References

External links

* {{Ceredigion Castles in Ceredigion Castle ruins in Wales