Twthill is a Norman

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 castle

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...

 located near the town of Rhuddlan

Rhuddlan

Rhuddlan is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire , in north Wales. It is situated to the south of the coastal town of Rhyl and overlooks the River Clwyd. The town gave its name to the Welsh district of Rhuddlan from 1974 to 1996...

, Denbighshire

Denbighshire

Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...

 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...

; historic names for the site include Toothill and Tot Hill Castle.

History

Twthill castle was built to a 'motte and bailey' design and was erected by Robert of Rhuddlan

Robert of Rhuddlan

Robert of Rhuddlan was a Norman adventurer who became lord of much of north-east Wales and for a period lord of all North Wales....

 in 1073 at the command of William the Conqueror to consolidate Norman advances into the north of Wales.

It remained in use for two hundred years until Rhuddlan Castle

Rhuddlan Castle

Rhuddlan Castle is a castle located in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, Wales. It was erected by Edward I in 1277 following the First Welsh War.-Construction:Rhuddlan was planned as a concentric castle...

 was built, adjacent to Twthill, on the orders of Edward I

Edward I of England

Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...

. Tradition has it that Twthill Castle was built on the site of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn's

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was the ruler of all Wales from 1055 until his death, the only Welsh monarch able to make this boast...

 palace.

Only the motte mound remain today to the south of Rhuddlan Castle

Rhuddlan Castle

Rhuddlan Castle is a castle located in Rhuddlan, Denbighshire, Wales. It was erected by Edward I in 1277 following the First Welsh War.-Construction:Rhuddlan was planned as a concentric castle...

, standing 12 metres high with a maximum diameter of 80 metres, although impressions of the Bailey can been seen in the surrounding fields. Much of the site has degraded due to the sandy soil conditions.

It is currently in the care of Cadw

Cadw

-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...

and is open to the public.

External links

• Castles of Wales, information and photographs of Twthill