Statute of Rhuddlan

The Statute of Rhuddlan occurred after the conquest of Wales by the English King Edward I on March 3, 1284 in force. Edward enacted the statute in Rhuddlan Castle in North Wales, one of the castles that had been built as an "iron ring" around Wales.

After the defeat and death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in 1282 Wales was incorporated into the Kingdom of England, the statute divided the conquered territory in the counties of Anglesey, Merionethshire, Caernarvonshire, Denbighshire and Flintshire on.

In addition, the statute introduced the English common law and allowed the king to appoint officials such as Sheriff, judges and tax collectors.

Some Welsh customs, such as the right of inheritance remained untouched. The Marcher Lords, powerful nobles, the great possessions on the border between England and Wales called their own, retained their almost autonomous status.

The statute was in force until the Wales Act of Henry VIII.

• Welsh history
• History of England in the Middle Ages