Mesolithic There is evidence that during the
Mesolithic Age the area of
Tan-y-Bwlch at the foot of
Pen Dinas (
Penparcau) was used as a
flint knapping floor for
hunter-gatherers making weapons from flint that was deposited as the ice retreated.
Bronze and Iron Ages The remains of a
Celtic fortress on Pen Dinas (or more correctly 'Dinas Maelor'), a hill in Penparcau overlooking Aberystwyth, indicates that the site was inhabited before 700 BC. On a hill south of the present town, across the River Ystwyth, are the remains of a medieval
ringfort believed to be the castle from which
Princess Nest was abducted. This rare survival is now on private land and can only be accessed by arrangement.
Middle Ages The recorded history of Aberystwyth may be said to date from the building of a fortress in 1109 by
Gilbert Fitz Richard (grandfather of
Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, the
Cambro-Norman lord notable for his leading role in the
Norman invasion of Ireland). Gilbert Fitz Richard was granted lands and the lordship of
Cardigan by
Henry I, including
Cardigan Castle. The fortress built in Aberystwyth was located about a mile and a half south of today's town, on a hill over the south bank of the Ystwyth River, thus giving the settlement of Aberystwyth its name. The location is now known as Tan-Y-Castell. Aberystwyth was usually under the control of the princes of
Deheubarth, but its position close to the border with
Gwynedd and
Powys left it vulnerable to attacks from the leaders of those polities. The town was attacked by
Gwenwynwyn ab Owain in 1197, an assault in which
Maelgwn ap Rhys was captured.
Llywelyn the Great attacked and seized the town in late 1208, building a castle there before withdrawing.
Edward I replaced Strongbow's castle in 1277, after its destruction by the Welsh. His castle was, however, built in a different location, at the current Castle Hill, the high point of the town. Between the years 1404 and 1408
Aberystwyth Castle was in the hands of
Owain Glyndŵr but finally surrendered to
Henry, Prince of Wales, the future King Henry V, on September 23, 1408. Shortly after this, the town was incorporated under the title of Ville de Lampadarn (the ancient name of the place being Llanbadarn Gaerog or the fortified Llanbadarn, to distinguish it from Llanbadarn Fawr, the village one mile (1.6 km) inland. It is thus styled in a
Royal charter granted by
Henry VIII but, by
Elizabeth I's time, the town was invariably named Aberystwyth in all documents.
Early modern era From 1639 to 1642, silver coins were minted at Aberystwyth Castle on behalf of the
Royal Mint, using silver from local mines. £10,500 in currency was produced, equivalent to 2.5 million
silver pennies. In 1649, Parliamentarian troops razed the castle, although portions of three towers still exist. In 1988, an excavation within the castle area revealed a complete male skeleton, deliberately buried. Though skeletons rarely survive in Wales' acidic soil, this skeleton was probably preserved by the addition of lime from the collapsed building. Affectionately known as "Charlie" and now housed in the
Ceredigion Museum in the town, he probably dates from the
English Civil War period, and is likely to have died during the Parliamentarian siege. His image is featured in one of nine mosaics created to adorn the castle's walls. The development of
Aberystwyth's Port contributed to the town's economic development during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Port improvements were carried out in both 1780 and 1836, with a new Customs House constructed in 1828. Rural industries and craftsmen were also an important part of life in this country town. The local trade directory for 1830 shows that there were in Aberystwyth: Twenty
boot makers, eight bakers, two
corn millers, eleven
carpenters and joiners, one
cooper, seven tailors, two
dressmakers, two straw hat makers, two
hat makers, three
curriers, four
saddlers, two
tinsmiths, six
maltsters, two skinners, four
tanners, eight
stonemasons, one
brewer, four
lime burners, three
shipwrights, three
wheelwrights, five
cabinet makers, one nail maker, one rope maker and one
sail maker.
Victorian era The
Cambrian Railways line from Machynlleth reached Aberystwyth in 1864, closely followed by rail links to
Carmarthen, which resulted in the construction of the town's impressive station. The Cambrian Line opened on
Good Friday 1869, the same day that the new
Royal Pier (designed by
Eugenius Birch) opened, attracting 7,000 visitors. The railway's arrival gave rise to something of a
Victorian tourist boom, with Aberystwyth becoming a significant holiday destination for working and middle-class families from South Wales in particular. During this time, a number of hotels and fine
townhouses were built including the Queens Hotel, later renamed
Swyddfa'r Sir (County Office) when used as offices by the town council, and most recently used as the external scenes of the police station in the television show
Hinterland. One of the largest of these hotels, "The Castle Hotel", was never completed as a hotel but, following bankruptcy, was sold cheaply to the Welsh National University Committee, a group of people dedicated to the creation of a Welsh University. The University College of Wales (later to become Aberystwyth University) was founded in 1872 in this building. Aberystwyth was a contributory
parliamentary borough until the
Third Reform Act, which merged its representation into that of the county in 1885. In 1895, various businessmen who had been behind the Aberystwyth New Harbour Company formed the Aberystwyth Improvement Company (AIC) to take over the works of the defunct Bourne Engineering & Electrical. In 1896, the AIC completed three projects: the new landside pavilion for the Royal Pier; On the night of Friday, 14 January 1938, a storm with estimated wind speeds of up to struck the town. Most of the promenade was destroyed, along with of the pier. Many properties on the seafront were damaged, with every property from the King's Hall north affected; those on Victoria Terrace suffered the greatest damage. Work commenced on a protective
coffer dam which continued into 1940, with total costs of construction coming to £70,000 (equivalent to £2.5 million today). Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society) held their historic first protest on Trefechan Bridge in Aberystwyth, on 2 February 1963. The first independent Welsh
Evangelical Church was established in Aberystwyth (see
Evangelical Movement of Wales). On 1 March 2005, Aberystwyth was granted
Fairtrade Town status. In March 2009 mayor
Sue Jones-Davies, who had played the role of Judith Iscariot in the film ''
Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (1979), organised a charity screening of the film. Principal actors
Terry Jones and
Michael Palin also attended. There is a popular, but incorrect,
urban myth that the town had banned the film (as some authorities did) when it was first released. During the aftermath storms from
Cyclone Dirk on Friday 3 January 2014, the town was one of the worst hit in Wales. Properties on the adjoining promenade were then evacuated for the next five days, including 250 students from the university. Ceredigion Council appealed to the Welsh Assembly Government for funds, whilst
Natural Resources Wales undertook surveys and emergency preventative measures. North Parade, Aberystwyth was reported to be the most expensive street in Wales in 2018, based on property prices. In 2025, Aberystwyth was named the first Welsh
UNESCO City of Literature, despite not being a city itself, in recognition of it and the wider county's literary and academic history. ==Geography==