 The tower was designed by C. R. Cockerell who also designed Derry Ormond Mansion, funded by John Jones, squire of Derry Ormond, and built by local unemployed men between 1821 and 1824.The project was overseen by a local builder named David Morgan.His gravestone in the churchyard of Betws Bledrws church describes him as "the contractor and builder of the Derry Ormond Tower".