Denbigh anciently formed part of the
cantref of
Rhufoniog. For much of its history, Rhufoniog was subordinate to the
Kingdom of Gwynedd, but it also spent periods under English control during the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 13th century, Denbigh was the main town of Rhufoniog. In 1284, following the
Conquest of Wales by Edward I, Rhufoniog was made part of a new
marcher lordship called
Denbigh or Denbighland, which Edward initially granted to
Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln. As part of his campaign to take and retain control of the area, Edward I decided to fortify Denbigh, ordering the construction of
Denbigh Castle and town walls, which were begun in 1282. The
Burgess Gate, whose twin towers adorn the symbol on Denbigh's civic seal, was once the main entrance into the town. The town was involved in
the revolt of
Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294–1295; the castle was captured in the autumn and, on 11 November 1294, a relieving force was defeated by the Welsh rebels. The town was recaptured by
Edward I in December. Denbigh was also burnt in 1400 during the revolt of
Owain Glyndŵr. During the
Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), the town within the walls was largely destroyed. The focus of the settlement then shifted to a site immediately outside the old town walls to the north-east, centred on a market place along High Street. In 1536, the new county of
Denbighshire was created under the
Laws in Wales Act 1535, comprising the old lordship of Denbighland plus other territories. Denbigh was declared to be the county town, with the county's courts directed to be held alternately at Denbigh and
Wrexham. The County Hall (now the library) was built in 1572 to serve as the town's main public building, functioning as a market hall, town hall and courthouse for when the county's courts sat in Denbigh.
Leicester's Church is an unfinished church. In 1579,
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, who was also Baron of Denbigh, planned for there to be a cathedral. His intention was to move the status of
city from neighbouring
St Asaph. The project ran out of money and, when Robert Dudley died, it was left as
ruins; it is now in the care of
Cadw. In 1643, during the
English Civil War, Denbigh became a refuge for a
Royalist garrison. Surrendering in 1646, the castle and town walls eventually fell into ruin. The town grew around the textile industry in the 1600s, hosting specialist glovers, weavers, smiths, shoemakers, saddlers, furriers and tanners. Denbigh has been an important location for the agricultural industry throughout its history.
Railway Denbigh railway station once served the town on the former
London and North Western Railway, later part of the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway. It was a junction for the
Vale of Clwyd Railway line, which lead north to and , and the
Mold and Denbigh Junction Railway. The former was closed in 1955, leaving Denbigh on a lengthy branch running from to , via , which subsequently closed in 1962. A southern continuation beyond Ruthin, linking up with the
Great Western Railway at , had closed in 1952. The station site has been redeveloped since into a small retail park; however, remains of a platform can still be seen beside the road.
North Wales Hospital The
North Wales Hospital was established in the 1840s, caring for people with
psychiatric illnesses. The hospital became the town's largest employer. The hospital closed in 1995 and has since fallen into disrepair. In October 2008, a special series of episodes of
Most Haunted, titled
Village of the Damned, was broadcast from the North Wales Hospital over 7 days. As of October 2018, the derelict building has passed into the ownership of
Denbighshire County Council.
Cinema Denbigh had a town cinema on Love Lane. It opened as the
Scala in 1928, before being re-branded as the Wedgwood Cinema in the late 1970s. It closed in October 1980. In 1995,
Peter Moore reopened the cinema for a short period before being arrested and convicted of the murder of four men. The video rental store closed and the building is now in ruin awaiting redevelopment. Denbigh has no permanent cinema, though Denbigh Film Club regularly operates in Theatr Twm o'r Nant. ==Governance==