The Statute of Rhuddlan is issued at the castle in 1284 after Llywelyn's defeat and another unsuccessful attack on the fortress. It transfers the former Welsh princes' lands to the English crown and introduces English common law. The statute gives legal authority to royal officials whom Edward I is already appointing, including sheriffs, constables, and bailiffs, to collect taxes and enforce English law. Northern Wales is placed under a royal justiciar, the king's senior local representative. Rhuddlan's central position for communications and logistics makes it a frequent base for that official's authority. The castle supports the routine work of royal government as well as military occupation.
Chapter · 13:12-14:29
The Statute of Rhuddlan and government
The 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan turns conquest into administration by transferring former princely lands to the crown and extending royal offices and English law.