Match the Welsh Castle Trivia Quiz

Answer: Caernarfon

Caernarfon Castle is located in Gwynedd and is situated on the Menai Strait. It was built as the administrative centre for north Wales and is one of many castles built in Wales on the orders of Edward I.

The castle was chosen as the venue for the formal investiture of the Prince of Wales. Prince Charles was honoured in 1969 and his predecessor as holder of the title, Edward VIII, underwent a public ceremony in 1911.

Answer: Beaumaris

Beaumaris was the final castle to be built on the orders of Edward I, although the money ran out before it was finished. The castle is built on the coast, and could originally be serviced from the sea, which added to its already impressive defences. The castle is described by many authorities as being among the finest of its kind, and was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1986, along with the castles at Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech.

Answer: Monmouth

There is little of the original castle left, since it was badly damaged during the English Civil War. Monmouth is close to the border between Wales and England, and a castle was built in the town by the Normans in the 1060s.

Henry V was born in the castle, although he was not in the direct line of accession to the throne at the time. His father, Henry Bolingbroke, became Henry IV when he seized the throne from Richard II, with Henry V succeeding him. The main square in Monmouth is named Agincourt Square, commemorating the English victory in the battle of that name in 1415.

Answer: Harlech

Harlech Castle is another Edward I's ring around the coast of Wales and dates from the thirteenth century. It is built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Irish Sea - at the time it was built, it bordered the sea, allowing for supplies to be brought to the castle, although it is inland in the twenty-first century.

The castle was besieged on several occasions, with the one which lasted from 1461 until 1468 being remembered in the song 'Men of Harlech', one of the clues in the question.

Answer: Caerphilly

The castle dates from the thirteenth century, when it was built on the orders of Gilbert de Clare to assist in his campaign to conquer the region known as Glamorgan in the twenty-first century. Surrounded by a moat, made by the creation of artificial lakes, the castle is the second largest in the United Kingdom with only Windsor Castle being bigger.

The castle's concentric design, with the main castle surrounded by another set of walls for protection, was the template for many of the castles of north Wales built for Edward I.

Answer: St. Fagans

The original mediaeval castle no longer exists, having fallen into ruins in the sixteenth century. The St. Fagans Castle on the site is actually a manor house, dating from Elizabeth times, having been built some time around the 1580s.

The museum in the grounds consists of various buildings which have been moved from their original location and rebuilt on the site. These include several types of cottage, barns, a complete church, a chapel and working buildings such as a smithy, a tannery and a sawmill.

Answer: Pembroke

The first castle on the site was built in Norman times, with the stone castle dating from from the twelfth century, built on the orders of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke.

The future Henry VII was born in Pembroke Castle in 1457. His mother, Margaret Beaufort, was descended from John of Gaunt, one of the sons of Edward III, which gave him a rather remote claim to the throne. His defeat of Richard III gave him enough power to become the first Tudor monarch.

The castle is built in the Norman style and still remains privately owned in the early twenty-first century. It became a Grade one listed building and is open to public visitors.

Answer: Flint

The origin of the name of Flint is uncertain, although none of the theories have anything to do with the rock of the same name. Flint is located in the north of Wales, close to the border with England - the river Dee forms part of the border between England and Wales.

Flint Castle was the first to be built under the orders of Edward I, with work beginning in 1277. Flint was easily accessible from Chester, giving it a strategic position from which Edward's army could begin their campaign to conquer Wales.

Answer: Grosmont

The castles were originally built following the Norman conquest to defend the trade route from Hereford which ran along the river Monnow. The castles are historically linked as they were often owned by only one person. The castles that can be seen now date from mediaeval times, having been built on the sites of the earlier Norman earthworks.

Although the castles are in Wales, they are all located very close to England, with Grosmont Castle being virtually on the border.

Answer: Conwy

Conwy Castle is another of Edward I's 'ring of steel', built to suppress the Welsh in the thirteenth century. The castle is situated on the estuary of the Conwy river, which allowed for access, with the sea on another side. Along with the rock on which the castle was built, the position provided excellent defences.

The English Civil War saw the castle severely damaged, having been held by supporters of Charles I. Restoration work began in the late nineteenth century and Conwy Castle became a major tourist attraction.