Ruthin

Ruthin ( ; ) is a market town and community in Denbighshire, Wales, in the south of the Vale of Clwyd. The town, castle and St Peter's Square lie on a hill, skirted by villages such as and . The name comes from the Welsh ('red') and ('fort'), after the colour of sandstone bedrock, from which the castle was built in 1277–1284. The Old Mill, Ruthin, is nearby. , a registered ancient monument associated with King Arthur and with , the brother of the historian Gildas, stands in St Peter's Square.

==History== There is evidence of Celtic and later Roman settlements in the area. However, little is known of the history of the town before the construction of Ruthin Castle was started in 1277 by Dafydd, the brother of prince . However, he forfeited the castle when he rebelled against King Edward I with his brother; Edward's queen, Eleanor, was in residence in 1281. The original name was ('red castle in the sea swamps'). The Marcher Lord, Reginald de Grey, Justiciar of Chester, was given the (an administrative district) of Deffrencloyt (, the Welsh for 'Vale of Clwyd'), and his family ran the area for the next 226 years. The land dispute between Reginald Grey, 3rd Baron Grey de Ruthyn, and Owain Glyndŵr triggered Glyndŵr's rebellion against King Henry IV, which began on 16 September 1400, when Glyndŵr burned Ruthin to the ground, reputedly leaving only the castle and a few other buildings standing.