 A sense of history and pre-history pervades Caernarfon. When
Edward the First arrived here in 1284, he himself was obsessed
by Segontium, the fort occupied by the Romans until 383 A.D., as well
as by the fact that his Norman predecessor, Earl Hugh, had built a
motte and bailey in Caernarfon in 1086 A.D. This was probably on the
site of the present castle where Llywelyn Fawr convened his court in
the thirteenth century.
An analysis of the walled town suggests that it is semi-circular in
plan, whose diameter is three hundred metres like Avebury and
therefore prehistoric.
Edward I, in the words of Professor Dewi Prys Thomas who was
consultant architect for the County Buildings within the town walls,
pompously, "assumed the purple" of the Emperor Constantine. This is
probably true because he linked Segontium to Earl Hugh's motte by a
base line which he used to set out his castle and town, thus linking the
lineage of the three dynasties of the Romans, Welsh and Normans.
Before arriving in Caernarfon, Edward had already planned and
built many walled towns in France. It is probable that Caernarfon was
modelled on Montpazier and divided into sixty-four building plots or
burgages, each measuring 80 feet by 60 feet. The land occupied by the
Market Hall in Palace Street is a good example.
In Caernarfon it is difficult to ignore history.
Source: Caernarfon 2000 ~ Features in a Royal Town |
History
