Ruthin Castle Information

Ruthin Tourist Information Guide - Ruthin Castle & St Peter's Church Ruthin

St Peter's Church (weblink right) dates from 1310 and was constructed by John de Grey just after Ruthin Castle was built. (his father Reginald de Grey built Ruthin Castle in 1277). You can't miss St Peter's with it's tall spire sitting in Ruthin's main square.

Ruthin Castle is now a hotel, and unfortunately it's guests only. Why not enjoy a medieval banquet here (see Ruthin Castle Hotel Weblink right for details). Taken over by the Parlimentarians during the Civil War, Ruthin Castle was later modernised in 1826 and welcomed some notable guests including Edward VII and recently Prince Charles. Jolly good.

Ruthin Castle's more famous royal link however sits firmly in the 19th century. The Cornwallis-West family owned the castle during this period and Lady Cornwallis-West at only 16 years was having a affair with Edward, then Prince of Wales. Lady Cornwallis-West was certainly a character, popular in society and known for her beauty and party tricks.

Close friend of Lillie Langtry (both were uninhibited beauties rejecting Edwardian expectations of women), Patsy Cornwallis-West's life reads like a Catherine Cookson novel. Her later affair with a young shell-shocked soldier, Patrick Barrett, returning to North Wales from the Western Front became wrapped up with a media frenzy akin to contemporary witch-hunts on celebrities. She was eventually brought before a secret military tribunal. There's no doubt the exposure was partially responsible for the downfall of Herbert Asquith, not to mention some rather incriminatory facts concerning the war office, David Lloyd George and the royal family. Read more in Tim Coates' novel 'Patsy' publiched by Bloomsbury Publishing, 2003.

Ruthin Gaol

If you're looking for a contrast to the life of Lady Cornwallis-West, look no further than this most important of historical sites - Ruthin Gaol. This 19th century prison accommodated upto 100 prisoners at one time. Look to Ruthin Gaol's weblink right to discover what some of the prisoner's were 'doing time' and hard labour for in the 19th century - petty theft could see you doing 2 months hard labour, with a couple of weeks in solitary confinement thrown in.

The bleak conditions of the prisoners, including the female section of the prison, are explored here, with many of the different parts of the prison including dark cells, the kitchen and store and chapel on-site. View lists of the prisoners held here, like Mary Jones, a prostitute aged 25 listed as both death and dumb. Some prisoners, like Michael Henry listed in the 1851 census for Ruthin Gaol, were as young as 14 years. For the theft of a shirt James Kelly got 1 month's hard labour, plus 1 week in solitary confinement (Denbigshire Record Office, 1849).

When it was built in 1775 to a design created by J Turner of Chester it was billed as a model prison for Denbighshire. It finally closed in 1916. As for being a model prison, if the standards were based on unutterable cruelty then Ruthin was certainly a model.

For an understanding of the gruesome conditions for prisoners in the 19th century, Ruthin Gaol will give you a pretty good idea. The hard labour work in prisons of the period, like Oakum picking (untwisting of robe) was backbreaking and mostly unpaid. It's an eye-opener this one, don't miss a visit!

Visiting Ruthin Goal

Find Ruthin Gaol on Clwyd Street to the west of the Council buildings. Ruthin Gaol, Clwyd St, Ruthin, Denbighshire, LL15 1HP. Tel: 01824 708281.

Check the winter opening times on the Ruthin Gaol weblink right as they do vary (usually open half term). The gaol is open daily from 1 April to 5 November.

A souvenir shop is on-site, and tea rooms are within walking distance in Ruthin.