HAWARDEN, commonly called HARRADEN, or Hord ing, is a town of North Wales in Flintshire. It is a thriving place, and is situated on a small river running into Ches ter New Channel. The streets are well paved, and the houses well built. The church is a plain good building, and is remarkable only for having an annual revenue of about 3000/. Between the town and the river Dee, the remains of the castle of Peny Llwch stands upon an emi nence. It was a place of great strength, and is supposed to have been built before the Norman conquest. It was de molished by order of the Parliament in 1680. By the ex ertions of the Glynne family, the form of the castle has been rendered visible, by the removal of great quantities of rub bish. It seems to have been of a pentagonal shape, with a strong square entrance gateway. The keep, or citadel, consisting of a circular tower, nearly entire, was placed at an angle. The deep ditches now form picturesque ra vines filled with fine trees. On a mount, called Freeman's
Hill, to the west of the church, are traces of an encamp and at the distance of about two miles from the town, are the remains of Culo castle, a double fortress, with a square area and two round towers. They stand on the edge of a deep wooded dingle, and are overed with ivy. In the neighbourhood of the town, particularly near Buckden hill, there is a manufactory of earthen ware. There is also a large iron foundery, from which articles of cast and wrought iron are sent to Chester, and thence to different parts of the kingdom. Hawarden Park, the seat of the Glynne family, is near the town. The house, built in 1752, is a handsome structure.
The population of the town and parish, in 1811, was See Pennant's Tour in Wales, vol ii. p. 88. 92 ; and The Beauties of England and [Vales, vol. xvii. p. 672-683.