Around five miles south-east of Llandeilo, in the foothills of the Black Mountains, Carreg Cennen castle crowns a 300 foot limestone crag and presents a breathtakingly formidable sight. The native Welsh Princes of Deheubarth had a castle here in 1248 when it is recorded that King Edward I seized control during the English invasion of 1277. In 1283, Edward granted the castle to John Giffard, an experienced and battle hardened soldier who had commanded the English at Cilmeri where Llywelyn the Last had been killed. It was John who built the castle whose ruins dominate the skyline today. After the rebellion of Owain Glyndwyr in 1403, the castle was badly damaged. The end came shortly after the Wars of the Roses in 1461.