FLINT

 Flint is a small town on the North Coast at the mouth of the Dee Estuary, less than 20 miles from Chester. It's fairly unremarkable, except for the castle ruins, which stand on the edge of marshy land, now a nature reserve. As with all CADW properties that are very ruined, it's free to wander around, with no facilities.

It is a masterful work of architectural genius that gives tribute to Edward I's master mason, James of St. George, and deserves the attention given to its greater sisters - Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech, and Beaumaris - the "Big Four" in the northwest.

The Welsh were never ones to settle for dominance by their English neighbors. The history of Wales after the Norman Conquest was marked with a series of rebellions against their oppressive overlords. During the 13th century, two particularly notable princes of Wales, Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (the Great) and Llwyelyn ap Gruffydd (the Last), attempted to regain control of their homeland from the English kings, Henry III and his son, Edward I. Despite being recognized by King Henry in the late 1260's with the title of "Prince of Wales", Llywelyn the Last was a restless and cautious man. Upon Edward's accession in 1272, Llywelyn intentionally defied courtly protocol and refused to swear allegiance to the new king at any time during the following four years. Compromise with the Welshman was futile. By 1277 King Edward had reached the limits of his patience, and, in order to quell the Welsh threat, initiated what was perhaps the greatest period of castle-building in Britain.

Edward I chose the site with great care, ensuring access by sea - for reinforcements and supplies - as well as by land. A great number of labourers were recruited from throughout England to work on the structure, reaching some 2,300. Not only was work carried out on the new castle, but an entirely new town, or bastide, was also erected. Such fortified towns served their king well. They were useful administrative centres from which the king would receive revenue and retain control over the citizenry of the region. The original medieval street plan is still clearly visible at Flint.

Despite Edward's initial intent, Flint Castle was not substantially completed until 1284, the year in which the town received its royal charter. Ironically, the mighty fortress did little to deter another Welsh revolt, and in 1282 the castle was besieged by Dafydd ap Gruffydd, brother of Llywelyn the Last who immediately joined the foray. The Welsh uprising provoked a second great castle-building effort by King Edward I, and by the end of the year the Welsh were effectively subdued, Llywelyn the Last killed in December at Cilmeri near Builth Wells, and Dafydd taken prisoner the following June. Another attempt to seize the castle was made in 1294, when the English constable deliberately burned the fortress and its bastide to prevent capture by the Welsh. Extensive repairs were then made to restore the castle to its prior condition. By 1301, ownership had been granted to Edward, Prince of Wales.

After this point, life at Flint Castle was relatively quiet, with a couple of notable exceptions. As Shakespeare recorded in his play, "Richard II", in 1399 King Richard stopped briefly at the castle during his conflict with Henry Bolingbroke, duke of Lancaster and the future King Henry IV. It was at Flint that Richard attended chapel and then climbed the donjon's walls to view the arrival of Bolingbroke. Here Richard agreed to abdicate in favor of his opponent. One story has it that even Richard's dog recognized Bolingbroke's authority!

The last significant action seen at Flint Castle was during the English Civil War, in the 1640's. Initially garrisoned for the Royalists under the command of Sir Roger Mostyn, the fortress was used as base for regrouping and besieging the powerful Royalist stronghold at Chester. Flint Castle was itself besieged for three months, before surrendering to the Parliamentarians, led by General Mytton who slighted the structure in 1647. Like other castles, Flint was effectively made useless by Cromwell's decree of devastation.

In the 18th century the outer bailey was taken over by the county jail, which stood on the site until the 1960's.