Caernarfonshire County Day is held on the 28th November.
28th November was chosen as Caernarfonshire County Day as it is the date of death of Owain Gwynedd. Owain Gwynedd was King of Gwynedd, North Wales from 1137 to 1170. He was called Owain the Great and the first to be styled a Prince of Wales. He was considered to be one of Wales’ most successful princes. Owain Gwynedd extended Gywnedd’s boundaries further east due to a civil war taking place between King Stephen of England and Empress Matilda. He was able to capture Mold Castle and Rhuddlan and was victorious in gaining land in Powys. In 1157, King Henry II invaded Gwynedd destroying farmland and churches as they marched through East Gwynedd. Owain defeated Henry’s army at Ewloe by ambushing the royal army but ultimately, at the end of the campaign, Owain had to agree terms with Henry. He surrendered Rhuddlan and other land in the east.
In 1165 King Henry again invaded Gwynedd but was met at Oswestry, by an alliance of Welsh princes, led by Owain. However, there was little fighting as King Henry’s armies were forced to retreat due to the torrential rain! King Hnery did not invade again and by 1167 Owain had regained Rhuddlan and other eastern land.
Owain died in 1170 and was buried in Bangor Cathedral.
The flag of Caernarfonshire was registered with the Flag Institute in March 2012. The flag design is attributed to the coat of arms of King of Gwynedd, Owain Gwynedd. The Caernarfonshire flag has three golden eagles arranged in fess on a green background.