The historic town or borough (NPRN 33082) is made up of two distinct parts, the walled upper town (NPRN 15235), attached to the late thirteenth century castle (NPRN 95209) and the lower town laid out across the lower slopes of the castle hill. In a survey of 1334 these were 'a borough of Denbigh inside the walls as well as a merchants' town outside the walls'. The borough charter of 1283-90 lists fourty-seven burgages or building plots, each attached to an agricultural holding in nearby Lleweni. In 1311 there were 120 burgesses or enfranchised householders. By 1530 most of the borough was in the lower town and this is reflected in Speed's plan published in 1610.

The earliest part of the lower town is likely to be the triangular market place, now High Street & Crown Square. This has the appearance of a planned medieval layout and is presumably the 'merchants' town'. The High Cross (NPRN 23548) originally stood in this area. There is a gaggle of streets and lanes to the north and by 1610 settlement had extended along the stream north of this area as far as the Lenten Pool fishpond(s) to the west.

The eastern part of the town consists of a number of long parallel streets and may be a planned extension, with a deer(?) park to the south of Park Street. Only Vale Street was built up in 1610. The Friary (NPRN 93291) lies just beyond this area.

Source: Beresford 'New Towns of the Middle Ages' revised edition (1988), 547-8

John Wiles 06.03.08