CASTELL-Y-BERE, GWYNEDD

Castell-y-Bere

Wales for the most part is a rugged country of mountains and valleys, fitting into this landscape are many castles, built by the English to protect their interests in Wales, but not all of them were built by the English, very few of the original Welsh Castles still stand today, one of these are the ruins of Castell-y-Bere, set in the Cadair Idris and Abergynolyn mountain chain this impressive castle would have been a local point for any Welshmen wishing to rise up against their English overlords. These Welsh Castles are designed to fit into their surroundings, as opposed to most English castles which are put anywhere they will fit. Castell-y-Bere follows a craggy outcrop of rocks on the side of steep incline, perfect for defence (not very good for an over weight historian to visit ) like most castles however it has a curtain wall with inner towers or keeps, one of these is the bailey which protects the opening and also the only water supply to the castle, a very large well dug into a natural aquifer rising up through the grey mountain.

There is also a D-shaped tower for a secondary defence, all of these defences however could not stop the English in their advance through Wales under King Edward I in the mid to late 13th century. The castle was originally built in the early 13th Century for Llywelyn the great (real name Llywelyn ap Iorworth) but became an English possession when Edward took the castle by force, ghostly screams have been heard from the well area and it is thought that Welsh prisoners were thrown down there after surrendering, but archaeological evidence has only ever found the odd shard of pottery and bits of leatherwork in the well. The Cadair Idris (Chair of Idris) is a spooky place with a local legend that if you spend the night there you will become insane (I think you’d have to be insane to spend a night on a Welsh mountain anyway!).

Madog ap Llywelyn tried to retake the castle from the English in 1294 but this was crushed easily by the English, when winter came the rest of Madog’s army disintegrated, this in turn led to the building of Beaumaris Castle (another thread). Castell-y-Bere was left to the elements shortly after, even the small settlement at the foot of the hillock had gone and for 600 years the castle has continued its slow decline into the ruinous state it is now. Apart from the ghostly screaming heard there are also reports of a soldier seen taking a silent guard as dusk falls only for him to slowly disappear.

CJ Linton