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Tours > Wales > Denbigh
Denbigh (Dinbych)
Nestled snugly in the Vale of Clwyd with the mountains of Snowdonia protecting its western flanks and the Clwydian Range to its east, Denbigh nevertheless has had a turbulent past. The town has been likened to an Italian hill town with the hollow crown of the castle on its summit. The castle belies the name Dinbych, which means a small fortress, for it dominates the whole area.
 A supporter of Edward I in his campaign to conquer Wales, Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, built this stronghold high on its limestone rock to help keep the Welsh in their place. Its outer defences were the town walls themselves. The Castle and town were seen as one defensive unit.
An uprising led by Madog ap Llywelyn captured the castle from de Lacey, but he quickly regained possession and rebuilt what the Welsh leader had destroyed. The castle was later owned by the Duke of Lancaster, and granted by Edward ll to Hugh le Dispenser, one of his favourites (he was executed in 1326). In 1399, the castle came into the possession of Harry Percy, "Hotspur" of Shakespeare fame. Then followed its part in both the rising of Owain Glyndwr and in the English Wars of the Roses.
In 1536, the castle came into the possession of the Earl of Leicester by a grant from Elizabeth I. During the Civil Wars, it hosted the ill-fated Charles II for a short time and suffered the same consequences as most of the royal castles under Cromwell's reign. Most impressive of the ruins is the gate-house with its three towers, overlooking both the town below, with its narrow streets still encircled by its town walls; and the Vale of Clwyd, still a stronghold of the Welsh culture and language.
In the town of Denbigh itself are the remains of early 14th century St. Hilary's garrison church; the ruins of "Leicester's Folly," a church never completed by Elizabeth's favorite; the remains of a Carmelite friary, founded by Sir John Salesbury, a man who was reputed to have had two thumbs on each hand; the ancient market cross now situated at Lenton Pool, used to duck Methodists; and various commemorative items of the visit of Dr. Johnson and Mrs. Thrale in 1774.
 The town was also the birthplace of Henry Morton Stanley (pictured, right), famous for finding Dr. Livingstone in Africa. It was also the home of Sir Hugh Myddelton who gave to London its first piped water supply at the time his brother Thomas was Lord Mayor. It also serves as a good starting point to explore the vast expanse of wild, uncultivated uplands known in English as the "Denbigh Moors," and in Welsh as Mynydd Hiraethog (Munith Heer Eyethog) where, on the A543 to Pentrefoelas (Pen Tray Voylass) you'll find the highest tavern in Wales (the Hunter's Tavern: Tafarn y Heliwr: Tavarn uh Hellee Oor). The ruins of a former hunting lodge stand dramatically out on the skyline, but wind and weather are doing their work of destruction.
Other attractions, of an admittedly different sort, are Llyn Brenig (Thlin Brennig) a man-made reservoir high in the lonely moorlands, with a visitor center that explains the local history and ecology; and Glocaenog (Glow Kine Og) Forest, a large commercial plantation with many excellent trails. Visitors to these high moorlands, (average 1400 ft) can easily forget they are but an hour's journey by road from the vastly overcrowded Cheshire and Lancashire lowlands.
Next Stop: Ruthin
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