Denbigh is a picturesque market town and one of the most historic towns in North Wales. Dinbych in Welsh means "little fortress" and the remains of the historic Denbigh Castle dominate the skyline of the town.
After the Norman Conquest, Denbigh became a Welsh Border town guarding the approach to the Hiraethog Hills and Snowdonia. It was also mentioned in local poetry of the 12th century. Dafydd ap Gruffydd had a fortified house in Denbigh. In 1282, when Edward I overcame the resistance of the Welsh, the town and surrounding area was granted to Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, the first Lord of Denbigh. He started to build the present castle on its splendid site above the town.
The first borough Charter was granted to Denbigh in 1290 when the town was still contained within the old town walls. During the wars of the Roses, the town was burnt and was moved to the hilltop to around the present market place and later extended in grid pattern around Vale Street.
During Tudor and Stuart times, Denbigh prospered as a market and business centre. Elizabeth I's favourite Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester was Lord of Denbigh until his death in 1588.
After 1600, the town developed as a centre of various crafts, glovers, weavers, smiths, shoemakers, saddlers, furriers and tanners. These survived grouped into guilds until the industrialisation of the 19th century. By the 1860's, Denbigh had become the main centre of the Vale of Clwyd and was on the railway network.
Throughout its history, Denbigh has been important as an agricultural market town, being ideally situated between the Hiraethog moors and the fertile Vale. Denbigh remains steeeped in history as a walk around town will reveal.