1 June 2026 The Castles of King Edward the First

The castles of Wales are famous the world over. Experts reckon there are over 600 of them. We might argue over the absolute number, but there’s little dispute that – in terms of pure might and ground-breaking military architecture – the castles of Edward I reign supreme.

Today I ventured just across the Welsh border to see two of these ruined castles. They are very close to the Liverpool area on the Northern Coast of Wales, and were very important it helping the English conquer Wales. These were the Castles Rhuddlan and Flint.

Rhuddlan Castle Gatehouse

The most impressive I have seen so far, Castle Rhuddlan was built soon after Henry III, Edward's father, died and left him the Crown. Thick walls, deep moats and ditches, and a plan to get resupplied by bringing English ships right up to the castle by sea, a lot of thought went into the construction of these castles. Not only were they for show, they were built to last. 

All in all, Edward I had a hand in creating no fewer than 17 castles in Wales. His masterpieces are the quartet of fortresses – Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech – now designated World Heritage Sites. Built to a concentric ‘walls within walls’ design and with strategic coastal access, they benefited from the attentions of the architectural genius of the age, Master James of St George. Apart from Harlech, they served as commercial as well as military centers, their foreign communities protected by sturdy town walls. 

Today was a rainy, windy day, but the castle impressed no less. From atop the battlements, you can see the River Clwyd, This was an important waterway getting supplies from the ocean to the castle. it took over 1800 men to grab their shovels and dig this river deeper and wider, to allow ships to make port at the castle. Almost all of these rivers in England and Wales have huge tides, so when the tide went out, the ships rested on the bottom. When the tide came in, there was enough depth to the water for the ships to sail free to the ocean.

Of my ancestors that are associated with this castle, King Edward I is at the top of the list. He is my 22nd Great Great Grandfather through my Grandmother Eleanor of Castile, and my 21st Great Great Grandfather through his second wife, Marguerite of France. His children that I am a direct descendant of are Joan of Acre, Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, and Edward II (all through Eleanor of Castile). His children that I am related to through Marguerite of France are Thomas of Brotherton, and Edmund of Woodstock. 

Elizabeth of Rhuddlan was born at Rhuddlan Castle in 1282, and went on to marry one of the Humphrey de Bohuns (there were a lot of them named Humphrey).

I also have some Welsh associated with Rhuddlan Castle and the town of Rhuddlan: 

King Gruffyd ap Llywellyn, King of Wales from 1055-1063 and several of his daughters.

The next stop was just down the road next to the River Dee. Flint Castle, designed in much the same way as Rhuddlan, with a river estuary running next to/around it to make resupply much easier from ships than by land if there is a siege going on. 

From the air in this stock photo off of the internet, you can see how impressive it was, even when it has been slighted. 

Other than King Edward I and a few Welsh who names are tough to pronounce, there aren't any ancestors from Flint Wales (or Flint Michigan for that matter). Henry "Hotspur" Percy who I mentioned earlier in my Battle of Shrewsbury post, was Castle Constable here from 1399-1403. Still, castles are cool, and having a chance to see this one while over here was worth it.

Here are a few pictures from today of Flint Castle.

Tomorrow will be a travel day for me, but I am looking forward to meeting with the Church volunteers at St Michael & All Angels Church, Market Pl, Macclesfield Cheshire to go over the history of the Savage family who along with 8 other relatives of mine, are buried in their church.