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Biography
Biography
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James (of St George's)

 Born   Born At
 Diedcirca 1309  Buried At
 Born / 
 Diedcirca 1309 / 
aster Mason responsible for the design and construction of Edward I's castles in the north of Wales during the conflict with the Welsh and Llywelyn. King Edward met James whilst travelling in Savoy where he was employed by the counts of Savoy to build castles.. Impressed by his skills in castle building, Edward brought James back to England and by 1278 James was in North Wales working on castles there. Castles that James built include Flint, Rhuddlan, Harlech, Beaumaris and Caernarvon but there are many more. At Harlech he was given the title of constable of the castle.

In the design of many castles he used a concentric plan where a succession of nested walls and towers were built, the walls getting taller towards the centre of the castle. In these castles there are no central keeps, but one or more of the wall towers are large enough to be used in the same way. The gatehouses were also very strong. In the early years of the fourteenth century James was employed in Scotland building castles there as well. His works include Linlithgow Peel, a fortification which replaced a royal manor.

Related Episodes

Edward I and Wales (click here)

Edward I and Wales (click here)

Event Location Map (click image to explore)

 

Family Tree Details

 James (of St George's) ( - d.1309)
 James (of St George's) ( - d.1309)

See Also

    People

    • Edward (I, King of England 1272-1307)
    • A .. Z List of Medieval People

    Places

    • Harlech Castle
    • Rhuddlan Castle
    • Flint Castle
    • Caernarvon Castle
    • Beaumaris Castle
    • Denbigh Castle
    • Ruthin Castle
    • A .. Z List of Medieval Buildings

    Timeline

    1277
    Jul
    Construction of Flint Castle begun

    As part of the plans to defeat Llywelyn Edward I ordered the construction of Flint Castle in Clwyd. Edward had been impressed by fortified town and castle combinations he had seen on his travels in France and Flint Castle was designed in the same manor. The castle was completed in 1280.

    Aug
    Reconstruction of Rhuddlan Castle begun

    Leaving work on Flint Castle underway Edward I moved on up the coast to Rhuddlan where he found the remains of an old Norman Motte and Bailey castle overlooking an important crossing point of the river Clywd. A new castle was ordered and work began to create both the castle and a new town alongside.

    1282
    ...
    Construction of Denbigh Castle

    Another castle was built by Edward I's master castle builder, James of St. George in North Wales.

    1283
    ...
    Construction of Conway Castle begun

    After capturing Dolwyddelan, Edward moved up the river Conway to its mouth and a new castle was ordered. The castle's design and size were chosen to prove the royal power of the English King. Construction work lasted until 1297.

    ...
    Construction of Caernarvon Castle

    Edward and his master castle builder started the reconstruction of a new castle at Caernarvon.

    3D Virtual Reconstructions

    Transport yourself back up to a thousand years and explore historical buildings as they may have appeared in the past. Built using the popular game development tool Unity 3D, these reconstructions will run in the most of the popular web browsers on your desktop or laptop computer.

    More medieval people

    Uncover the lives of the hundreds of kings, queens, lords, ladies, barons, earls, archbishops and rebels who made the medieval people an exciting period of history to live through.

    See Also

      People

      • Edward (I, King of England 1272-1307)
      • A .. Z List of Medieval People

      Places

      • Harlech Castle
      • Rhuddlan Castle
      • Flint Castle
      • Caernarvon Castle
      • Beaumaris Castle
      • Denbigh Castle
      • Ruthin Castle
      • A .. Z List of Medieval Buildings

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