The Turbulent History of Gaer Penrhôs

In Ceredigion's heartland, the site of Gaer Penrhôs, otherwise known as Caer Penrhos, overlooks the mountains of the Ystwyth Valley and Cardigan Bay. The ringwork castle, located near the village of Llanrhystud, has a history of various structures, including an older Roman-era hillfort. A ring motte was first erected on the site by Richard de la Mare in around 1110, before it was captured by Gruffydd ap Rhys and destroyed by Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd in 1136. Cadwaladr built a new castle on basically the same site in 1149.

In 1150, a dispute between Owain Gwynedd and his nephew Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd erupted, and Hywel seized Gaer Penrhôs for himself. Hywel was only able to retain control of the castle for a year, losing it to Rhys ap Gruffydd and his brothers. He returned some months later, where he slaughtered the castle's garrison and destroyed its timber defenses.

In 1158, what appears to be a new structure was captured by Normans. This was likely burned to the ground again when Rhys returned later to scourge every English-controlled castle in Ceredigion. Today, all that remains of the ringwork castle are the outlines of its ringworks.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons