Caergwrle Castle, Hope

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Queen's Hope

In the community of Hope.
In the historic county of Flintshire (Modern authority of Flintshire, preserved county of Clwyd).

Masonry castle on hill top built by Dafydd ap Gruffydd after 1277, Probably never finished, deserted and damaged by the welsh in 1282, repairs started by Edward I but castle burnt down the next year, recorded as ruinous in 1335.

This site has been described as a;
Masonry Castle.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Not known if listed listed building protected by law*.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SJ30705723

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Monuments Record number; 95099

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 101295

• Web site links
  • http://www.castlewales.com/hope.html
• Books
  • Harston. C L. 2000. Caergwrle: an enigmatic castle. Spyglass History Series 1. (Ceiriog Press. Wrexham)
    Pettifer, Adrian, 2000, Welsh Castles, A Guide by Counties (Boydell Press) p70
    Reid, Alan, 1998, Castles of Wales (John Jones Publishing) p35
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles of North Wales (Malvern) p50-1
    Higham, R. and Barker, P., 1992, Timber Castles (Batsford) p173
    Clwyd Archaeology Service, Caergwrle Castle: the 1988 excavations. (Clwyd County Council)
    Davis, Paul R., 1988, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Swansea)
    Taylor, A.J., 1986, The Welsh Castles of Edward I (Hambledon Press) p38-40
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p151
    Avent, Richard, 1983, Castles of the Princes of Gwynedd (Cardiff)
    Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p327
    Colvin, H.M., Brown, R.Allen and Taylor, A.J., 1963, The history of the King's Works, vol1: the Middle Ages (London) p330-2
    Neaverson, E., 1947, Mediaeval Castles in North Wales: A study of Sites, Water Supply, and Building Stones (London) p27-8
    Lowe, W.Bezant, 1927, The Heart of North Wales (Llanfairfechan) Vol2 p213-17
    RCAHMW, 1912, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Flintshire (HMSO) p47-8
    Timbs, J. and Gunn, A., 1872, Abbeys, Castles and Ancient Halls of England and Wales Vol3 (London) p417-8
    Buck, Samuel and Nathenial, 1774, Buck’s Antiquities (London) Vol2 p390
• Journal Articles
  • Manley, J., 1994, 'Excavations at Caergwrle Castle, Clwyd, North Wales: 1988-1990' Medieval Archaeology Vol38 p83-133
    Manley, J., 1992, Flint. Hist. Soc. Vol33 p12-20
    Manley. J., 1990. ‘A medieval bread-oven from Caergwrle castle. Clwyd’ Archaeology in Wales Vol30 p21-24
    Manley. J., 1989. ‘Caergwrle Castle’. Archaeology in Wales Vol29 p58-9
    anon, 1988, ‘Caergwrle Castle — 1988 dig’, Clwyd Archaeology News winter p2–3
    Grenter, S., 1987, ‘Caergwrle Castle’, Archaeology in Clwyd Vol9 p28–32
    Cathcart King. D J. 1974. ‘Two Castles in Northern Powys: Dinas Bran and Caergwrle’. Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol123 p113-139
    Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol116 p71-132
    Taylor, A.J., 1965-6, ‘The earliest reference to works at Hope Castle’ Journal of the Flintshire Historical Society Vol22 p76-7 [reprinted in Taylor, A.J., 1986, Studies in castles and castle-building, (London: Hambledon Press) p177–8]
    Maxwell, 1843, Trnas. Cymmrodorion Vol2 pt4 p380-3
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/glameng.html#flint6]
    Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (Bell and Sons; London) Vol3 p73