Flint Town Defences

Has been described as a Possible Urban Defence

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameFlint Town Defences
Alternative NamesY Fflint; le flynt; le Caillou; le Chaylou
Historic CountryFlintshire
Modern AuthorityFlintshire
1974 AuthorityClwyd
CommunityFlint

Building of town defences in 1277 documented and ditch could be traced in part in 1912. MOW (1955) describes a double bank and ditch site has now been built over and destroyed. A section was excavated across the Medieval town defences in 1972 following the demolition of cottages along Swan Street and in advance of redevelopment of this area. The site lay between and at right-angles to Duke Street and the former Swan Street. Cuttings between 1 and 6m across were made by machine and hand across the inner bank and ditch. No Medieval objects were found though some of the contexts clearly belonged to the creation of the Edwardian town. The ditch was found to be 16m wide and 3m deep with sloping sides and a flattish bottom about 5m across. Its outer slope had been faced with a spread of hard-packed red-brown clay. The ditch had silted steadily throughout the Medieval period with no sign that it had ever been cleaned out (Miles, T J, 1996, 117-120). (Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust HER)

Gatehouse Comments

Slight remains of rectangular earthworks built 1277. These 'consisted of a double bank further protected by a flat-bottomed outer ditch ... 13.7m wide and 2.7m deep. Some sections of the bank can still be traced at various points.' (Soulsby). The borough was not as large as the defences allowed and, despite being a county town, may not have had a town hall until Elizabethan times. Lilley (2009 p. 110) makes the very interesting suggestion that Edward I had a direct hand in planning Flint's defences and that these were based on recommendations on design in Vegetius's De re militari of which he was given a copy by his wife in 1272.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSJ244730
Latitude53.2510299682617
Longitude-3.13393998146057
Eastings324440
Northings373080
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 172
  • Perfect, V., 2012, Flint Castle: the story of Edward I's first Welsh castle (Cilcain: Alyn Books) p. 50-1
  • Kenyon, John, 2010, The Medieval Castles of Wales (University of Wales Press) p. 48
  • Lilley, K.D., 2009, 'The Landscapes of Edward's New Towns: Their Planning and Design' in Willams, D. and Kenyon, J. (eds), The Impact of the Edwardian Castles in Wales (Oxbow) p. 99-113
  • Lilley, K, Lloyd, C. and Trick, S., 2005, Mapping Medieval Townscapes: a digital atlas of the new towns of Edward I online copy
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 27, 39, 72, 97, 99, 101-2, 161, 162, 204, 274
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles of North Wales (Malvern) p. 69
  • Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds), Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  • Soulsby, Ian, 1983, The Towns of Medieval Wales (Phillimore; Chichester) p. 135-7
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus)
  • Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) The plans and topography of medieval towns in England and Wales (CBA Research Report 14) p. 57-71 online copy
  • Beresford, M., 1967, New Towns of the Middle Ages (London) p. 37-40, 550
  • RCAHMW, 1912, An inventory of the Ancient Monuments of Flintshire (HMSO) p. 29 no. 90 online copy
  • Taylor, H., 1883, Historic notices of the Borough and County Town of Flint (London)

Journals

  • 2015 Sept, 'Historic Flint Castle defences found under block of flats' Castle Studies Group Bulletin Vol. 20 p. 21 (new of archaeological investigation)
  • Creighton, Oliver, 2006, ''Castles of Communities': Medieval Town Defences in England; Wales and Gascony' Château Gaillard Vol. 22 p. 75-86
  • Miles, T.J., 1996, 'Flint: Excavations at the Castle and on the Town Defences 1971-1974' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 145 p. 67-151
  • Hogg, A.H.A. and King, D.J.C., 1967, 'Masonry castles in Wales and the Marches: a list' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 116 p. 71-132
  • Taylor, A.J., 1957, 'The Building of Flint: A Postscript' Flintshire Historical Society Journal Vol. 17 p. 34-41 online copy
  • Edwards, J. Goronwy, 1951,'The Building of Flint' Flintshire Historical Society Journal Vol. 12 p. 5-20 online copy
  • Edwards, J. Goronwy, 1944, 'Edward I's Castle-Building in Wales' Proceedings of the British Academy Vol. 32 p. 32-7
  • Lloyd, J.E., 1940, 'Notes on Flint' Archaeologia Cambrensis Vol. 95 p. 57-9

Guide Books

  • Renn, Derek and Avent, Richard, 2001, Flint Castle — Ewloe Castle (Cardiff: CADW)
  • From an original text by the late Hemp, W.J., 1987 (rev edn), Flint Castle (Cardiff: CADW)
  • Hemp, W.J., 1929, Flint Castle (HMSO)

Primary Sources

  • Maxwell Lyte, H.C. (ed), 1906, Calendar of Charter Rolls Henry III-Edward 1 1257-1300 Vol. 2. (HMSO) p. 276-77 (Borough Charter) online copy