The main route across Eifionydd, the old Welsh district (commote), ran south from the Roman fort of Segontium on the outskirts of Caernarfon. The administrative centre was established to the north of Criccieth. Here, at Dolbenmaen, a small earth and timber castle was built, the mound or motte of which still survives today.

1230s - Llywelyn ab lorweth (Llywelyn the Great) moved the administrative centre to Criccieth where the present castle was built on a rocky promontory in the north-eastern corner of Cardigan Bay. It was a time of unrest between the English and Welsh and the Castle changed hands several times. It was a garrison stronghold and from time to time was used as a prison.

1239 - To protect his interests and inheritance, Dafydd, Llywelyn ab lorweth's legitimate son, imprisoned his half-brother, Gruffudd and Gruffudd's son, Owain, at Criccieth. This is the earliest reference to a castle on the site.

1241 - A year after his father's death, Dafydd was defeated by Henry III. As part of the settlement, the prisoners at the castle were handed over to the King who claimed the right to decide Gruffudd's claim to a share of the principality of Gwynedd. Actually, Gruffudd fell to his death from the Tower of London three years later.

1246 - Dafydd died. By now he had lost virtually all his power and much of his lands. It was up to Dafydd's nephew, Gruffudd's son, Llywelyn, to regain the authority of the house of Gwynedd.

1267 - Llywelyn's efforts led to the Treaty of Montgomery and royal recognition of Llywelyn as Prince of Wales.

1274 - A letter dated 26 February shows that the prince's itinerant court stayed at Criccieth, presumably at the Castle.

1281 - The Castle had been held by the Welsh for over forty years, when on Palm Sunday, 1282, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd's brother, Dafydd, attacked Hawarden Castle starting the second war between Edward I and Llywelyn. By the end of the year, Llywelyn had been killed by English troops near Builth.

1283 - By 14 March, the Castle was in the hands of the English and Henry of Greenford was appointed constable.

1283 and 1284 - Edward I visited the castle several times and by a charter of 22 November, 1284 established a free English borough at Criccieth.

1283 to 1292 - Edward I spent some £500 on building works at the Castle.

1294 - Madog ap Llywelyn, a cousin of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, led a Welsh uprising against the English which spread rapidly throughout Wales. Caernarfon town and castle were overrun and set on fire. Roger de Pulesdon, the Sheriff of Anglesey, was killed. Criccieth, Harlech and Aberystwyth Castles were besieged throughout the winter. Criccieth Castle housed a garrison of 29 men under the command of Sir William Leyburn and 41 people from the town who had sought refuge there. It managed to hold out until the following April when the Castle was relieved and supplies were brought in by sea from Ireland.

1296 - In June, Criccieth Castle was once again a jail with the arrival of prisoners from King Edward's Scottish war. The Castle seems to have been used as a prison until it was destroyed by Owain Glyndwr in 1404.

1307 to 1327 Over £250 was spent on the Castle during Edward Il's reign (1307 - 27). It was used for repairs and in building new towers. Most repairs were carried out in 1320 when a carpenter was employed to work at the Castle. Like most large buildings, the upkeep of the Castle was a financial burden. A survey in 1321 reported that the gates were weak and much of the timber was rotting because of the poor state of the lead roofs which did not keep out the rain.

1343 - The Castle came into the hands of the Black Prince. In 1359 he appointed Sir Hywel ap Gruffudd as Criccieth's first Welsh constable. Sir Hywel y Fwyall (Sir Howel of the Battle-axe) had campaigned in France with Edward III. He held the post until his death in 1381 and this time is considered as the heyday of Criccieth.

1400 - Unrest in Wales during the last quarter of the fourteenth century came to a head when Owain Glyndwr and his followers attacked several English boroughs in the north-east of Wales. By 1403 much of Wales was under the control of Glyndwr. The garrison at Criccieth had been strengthened: the constable, Roger Acton, had 6 men-at-arms and 50 archers at an annual cost of £416. 14s. 2d. A French fleet in the Irish Sea supported Glyndwr and stopped provisions reaching the castles (Criccieth, Aberystwyth and Harlech) by sea In the spring of 1404, Criccieth fell. Criccieth Castle and the borough were burned. The Castle was never rebuilt and the borough slowly recovered but was no longer a garrison borough and became wholly Welsh.

1858 to 1933 - The castle remained a possession of the Crown until 1858 when the ruins were sold to W. Ormsby Gore, MP. In 1933, Lord Harlech placed the castle in the care of the State. The site is now maintained by Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments.

Criccieth Castle from a document by D C and E J Perkins