'Plan of Flint Castle in Flintshire.', c1800. Flint Castle, on the north-east coast of Wales, dates from 1277. Its single 'Donjon' tower, (bottom right), isolated from the rest of the inner ward, is unique in design. The castle is the starting point for King Edward I's 'Iron Ring' of fortresses across north Wales to subdue the Welsh. It is also the place where Edward I's great, great grandson Richard II met his cousin, childhood playmate and rival for the crown Henry Bolingbroke. This scene famously features in Shakespeare's Richard II.