Caernarfon's people and history

Twinned with Landerneau in Brittany, the Royal Town of Caernarfon is the traditional county town of the historic county of Caernarfonshire. Caernarfon sits just outside the Snowdonia National Park, the largest national park in Wales at 840 square miles (2175km²).

The population of Caernarfon, together with nearby Y Felinheli and Penygroes, is approximately 14,000, and the region is the most Welsh-speaking community in the whole of Wales - according to the 2001 UK Census, 86.1% of the population in the Caernarfon area can speak Welsh. Colloquially, Caernarfon's residents are known as "Cofis", and the word "cofi" is also sometimes used to describe the local Welsh dialect.

Prehistory

There are 31 4,000 year old standing stones, or cromlechs, in the area covered by the former county of Caernarfonshire. Prehistoric sites in the Caernarfon area include a standing stone at Glynllifon, an ancient burial chamber at Clynnog Fawr (pictured), and an Iron Age hill fort at Dinas Dinlle. Pieces of Roman pottery found at Dinas Dinlle suggest the hill fort was re-occupied in the second or third century AD.

The Romans

The Romans built Segontium, one of the largest Roman forts in North Wales, in about 77AD. Founded by Julius Agricola, the fort was designed to accommodate 1,000 men. Segontium was originally built of wood but it was rebuilt in stone in about 140AD. The site was in use from the first century AD until about 395AD - longer than any other Roman fort in Wales.

Medieval Caernarfon

Caernarfon Castle and the town walls are a UNESCO World Heritage site. The castle was designed by Master James of St George, perhaps the most celebrated builder of his time, on the orders of King Edward I of England. Edward destroyed the original Welsh settlement and began work on the new town, its walls and the castle, in 1283. Work continued until 1322, though it's been said that the castle was never completed. Contemporary records show that the castle cost £22,000 to build - more than a whole year's income for the royal treasury at the time.

Caernarfon was Edward's Welsh capital, but the castle was not designed to be the most defensible of Edward's "iron ring" of castles that stretched across North Wales; it was designed more as a show of power that would subdue the rebellious Welsh. Legend has it that because the local Welsh population wanted a Prince of Wales of unblemished character, born in Wales and speaking not a word of English, Edward I made sure his son - the future Edward II - was born in Caernarfon Castle, so that in a very roundabout way the Welsh got exactly the Prince of Wales they'd demanded.

Modern Caernarfon

In 1911 Prince Edward - the future King Edward VII - was invested Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle, and in 1969 the castle was the site of the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales.

Further information

If you'd like to know more about the history of Caernarfon you could visit the following links, which all open in new windows (or tabs, if you use a tabbed browser).

Castle Wales contains comprehensive information about Caernarfon Castle and the history of the town.

To learn more about Segontium Roman Fort and its museum, visit the Segontium website.

The BBC website has lots of information about Caernarfon, including a guided tour of Caernarfon Castle.

You can find out more about Caernarfon Castle at Cadw, including opening hours and admission prices.

Read about Caernarfon's World Heritage status at the UNESCO website.

Find out more about Caernarfon at the Caernarfon Royal Town Council website.

If you're a visitor to the area and would like to learn some Welsh before you visit, the BBC Learn Welsh website and Clwb Malu Cachu offer excellent resources and support for Welsh learners.