Rhuddlan Castle, May 2012.jpg
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Rhuddlan () is a town, community, and
electoral ward A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
in the county of Denbighshire, Wales, in the historic county of Flintshire. Its associated urban zone is mainly on the right bank of the
Clwyd Clwyd () is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to th ...
; it is directly south of seafront town Rhyl. It gave its name to the Welsh
district of Rhuddlan The Borough of Rhuddlan was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales. History The borough was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Ac ...
from 1974 to 1996. As of the 2001 census, the population was 4,296 decreasing to 3,709 in the 2011 census.


Etymology

The name of the town is a combination of the
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
words ' "red" + ' "riverbank".


History

In AD 921, the Anglo-Saxon king, Edward the Elder, founded a burh named ''Cledematha'' at Rhuddlan. In the following century, before the Norman Conquest and subsequent
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
occupation of lower
Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
, the Perfeddwlad, Rhuddlan was the site of a Welsh
cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which were ...
and served as the seat of government and capital of Gwynedd for the Welsh king Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (ruled 1055 – 1063), whose family may have been the traditional Welsh lords of Rhuddlan for generations. Following the Conquest, in 1086, Rhuddlan was recorded in the Domesday Book as a small settlement within the hundred of Ati's Cross and in the county of Cheshire. A mint established at Rhuddlan in the 1180s by Dafydd ab Owain, and later maintained by
Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and d ...
, was responsible for minting the first native Welsh coinage since the reign of Hywel Dda. The town is known for the ruins of Rhuddlan Castle, built by order of
King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassa ...
from 1277 to 1282, and for the site of another castle at Twthill, built by the
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
Robert of Rhuddlan about 1072. Well-preserved Rhuddlan castle has a great round tower and many surviving walls. It was built soon after the
conquest of Wales The conquest of Wales by Edward I took place between 1277 and 1283. It is sometimes referred to as the Edwardian Conquest of Wales,Examples of historians using the term include Professor J. E. Lloyd, regarded as the founder of the modern academi ...
. The town was thus where Edward I signed the Statute of Rhuddlan, laying down the way by which the Principality of Wales, created by the princes of
Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
, was to be governed. The town's first Welsh chapel, now 17 Cross Street, was built in 1771. The hymn tune "Rhuddlan" was brought to wider prominence by
Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
as music editor of the first edition of The English Hymnal in 1906, and it has since been adopted by numerous other hymnals. It is usually sung to the words of the hymns "Judge eternal, throned in splendour" and, more recently, "For the healing of the nations".
Rhuddlan railway station Rhuddlan was a railway station located in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire. It first opened in 1858 as part of the Vale of Clwyd Railway, and afterwards under the auspices of several different companies. The station closed to passengers on 19 September 19 ...
was part of the
Vale of Clwyd Railway The Vale of Clwyd Railway (VoCR) was a standard-gauge line which connected the towns of Rhyl and Denbigh via St Asaph in North Wales. It opened in 1858, at first without a connection to the main line at Rhyl, but this was provided in 1862. At D ...
. The station closed in 1955 but the line remained open until 1968. The station was demolished around 1977 and a Premier Inn now occupies the site. In 2001, the A525 bypass was completed, easing access to Rhyl. Since 2001 the centre of Rhuddlan has been largely redeveloped.


Archaeology

In 2021 February, archaeologists from Aeon Archaeology announced the discovery of more than 300
stone age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...
tools and artefacts in Rhuddlan. They revealed scrapers, microliths, flakes of chert (hard, sedimentary rock), flints and even rudimentary tools. Expert Richard Cooke believes that the remains were belong to people who was passing through and made camp by the river more than 9,000 years ago.


Notable people

:''See :People from Rhuddlan'' *
Hue de Rotelande Hue de Rotelande was an important Cambro-Norman poet writing in Old French at the end of the 12th century. Life He was a cleric and a native of Rhuddlan. He wrote in Credenhill, Herefordshire. Gilbert de Monmouth Fitz Baderon, a grandson of Gilb ...
an important Cambro-Norman poet writing in Old French at the end of the 12th century. *
Philip Jones Griffiths Philip Jones Griffiths (18 February 1936 – 19 March 2008) was a Welsh people, Welsh photojournalist known for his coverage of the Vietnam War. Biography Jones Griffiths was born in Rhuddlan in Denbighshire, North Wales, to Joseph Griffiths ...
(1936–2008), photographer particularly of the Vietnam War, and a member of Magnum Photos. *
Lisa Scott-Lee Lisa Scott-Lee (born 5 November 1975) is a Welsh singer and member of the pop group Steps, formed in 1997. Scott-Lee signed a record deal with Mercury Records and launched a solo career in 2003 although her success was limited after the release ...
(born 1975) of the pop band
Steps Step(s) or STEP may refer to: Common meanings * Steps, making a staircase * Walking * Dance move * Military step, or march ** Marching Arts Films and television * ''Steps'' (TV series), Hong Kong * ''Step'' (film), US, 2017 Literature * ...
and her brother
Andy Scott-Lee Andy Scott-Lee (born Robert Andrew Jason Scott-Lee; 29 March 1980) is a Wales, Welsh singer and the brother of Steps (group), Steps singer Lisa Scott-Lee. Career Music Scott-Lee was a member of the group 3SL, who had UK top 20 singles with "Take ...
(born 1980) lived in Rhuddlan. * Peter Smith (born 1978) footballer with 180 club caps * David Vaughan (born 1983) footballer with 476 club caps and 42 for Wales * Kelly Lee Owens (born 1988), electronic musician and producer; grew up in a nearby village. * Jack Sargeant (born 1994) politician, and a
Member of the Senedd A Member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; cy, Aelodau o'r Senedd; , plural:) (AS)., group=la is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd ...
(MS).


References


External links


www.geograph.co.uk: photos of Rhuddlan and surrounding area
{{Authority control Towns in Denbighshire Communities in Denbighshire Wards of Denbighshire