id: sig-20260722-report-de022
site_id: gb-ruthin-ruthin
attribute: designation_report
value: 'Reference Number

  DE022

  Name

  Ruthin Castle

  Date of Designation

  Status

  Designated

  Unitary Authority

  Denbighshire

  Community

  Ruthin

  Easting

  312294

  Northing

  358026

  Broad Class

  Defence

  Site Type

  Castle

  Period

  Medieval

  The following provides a general description of the scheduled monument.

  The monument consists of the remains of a castle, dating to the medieval period. A castle
  is a defended residence or stronghold, built mainly of stone, in which the principal or
  sole defence comprises the walls and towers bounding the site. Some form of keep may have
  stood within the enclosure but these were not significant in defensive terms and served
  mainly to provide accommodation.  Ruthin Castle is a 13th century castle and courtyard with
  moat, standing on a ridge of red sandstone which rises above the Clwyd valley and overlooks
  lower ground to the west. The castle was built of local, soft red sandstone and was in the
  form of an irregular pentagon.  Little now remains of the castle buildings but it is possible
  to locate the hall which was placed on the opposite side of the quadrangle to the gateway.
  The chapel was probably one of the buildings abutting upon the west curtain wall and two
  of the towers along the wall still exist while one corner constituted the entrance gateway.  The
  outer courtyard lay beyond the west wall and is of later date than the towers and walls
  of the castle.  The castle was surrounded by a moat which is still visible on the north
  side.

  The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval
  defensive practices. The monument is well-preserved and an important relic of the medieval
  landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of
  the presence of both structural evidence and intact associated deposits.

  The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related
  evidence may be expected to survive.'
source_url: http://cadwpublic-api.azurewebsites.net/reports/sam/FullReport?lang=en&id=3804
source_title: Scheduled Monument Full Report — Ruthin Castle
publisher: Cadw
observed_date: '2026-07-22'
collected_by: scripts/build_assessment_batch.py
confidence: high
notes: The designation text. Assess the six bands against THIS evidence only; omit any band
  it does not speak to.