Owain Glyn Dŵr’s Homes

Owain Glyn Dŵr held the lordships of Glyndyfrdwy and Cynllaith on either side of the Berwyn Range in north-east Wales, and he also inherited lands in Ceredigion in west Wales.

Sycharth

 His manorial home was at Sycharth in the parish of Llansilin near to Offa’s Dyke. Its impressive manor house and grounds were the envy of Owain’s contemporaries, and were described in an ode composed by Iolo Goch at the end of the 14th century. Charred wood remains, which were found at the site, confirmed the burning of the buildings by the army of the English prince Henry (later Henry V) in 1403. Although nothing now remains above ground of the original house, it is scheduled as a monument of national importance.

For directions to Sycharth click here.

* Visit our Sycharth page for a fuller account.

Glyndyfrdwy

Glyndyfrdwy, Glyn Dŵr’s second home, was in the Dee Valley around ten miles to the north of Sycharth, and was probably built on a moated mound in the same field as ‘Glyn Dŵr’s Mount’. It was a fine hunting lodge surrounded by parkland, and Owain also had a prison house in nearby Carrog. Like Sycharth, the buildings at Glyndyfrdwy were burnt to the ground by prince Henry in 1403.

Directions to Glyndyfrdwy and Carrog can be found here.

Harlech

After Glyn Dŵr’s forces had taken Aberystwyth Castle in 1404, they went on to capture Harlech Castle and then held it until 1409. During this period, Owain made Harlech his court and family home, and from there he established effective control of almost all of the country. After 1406 his campaign lost its impetus, however, and the castle was lost to the English in February 1409 after a long siege.

For directions to Harlech Castle click here.

A local tradition in Herefordshire claims that Glyn Dŵr spent his final days travelling between the homes of his daughters at Kentchurch Court, Lawton’s Hope and Croft Castle, and that he died in the area c.1415.

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