I live in rural Wales, not strictly speaking 'England' but the wonderful country right next door. In Wales we are surrounded by history, everywhere you look there are castles, crumbling abbeys and statues of bygone heroes. Cydweli Castles is one of my favourites.
Standing
proud above a small village, over-looking the River Gwendraeth near Carmarthen
in West Wales, is Cydweli Castle. Of Norman origin, the fortress is testament
to the years of Anglo/Welsh conflict, its dominant position in the landscape
making it quite clear who was in control of whom.
The
earliest castle was a Norman earth and timber construction built shortly after
the conquest, the village growing up around it. During the 12th century the
castle fell several times into Welsh hands and by the 13th century it had been
rebuilt in stone with the latest in defensive design.
Today,
we see most phases of building; a square inner bailey defended by four round
towers, a semi-circular outer curtain wall to protect the landward side and the
massive gatehouse and jutting tower defending the riverside walls.
Cydweli
(or the anglicised Kidwelly) is of concentric design with defensive walls set
one within the other providing the best defence possible at the time of
building. The gate house was still under construction when Owain Glyn Dŵr held
it under siege during his campaign against the English.
Owain
Glyn Dŵr was born around 1359 and through his parents, Gruffydd Fychan II and
Elen ferch Tomas ap Llywelyn, descended
from the Welsh princes of Powys and Deheubarth.
His early life is quite unremarkable and law abiding. He was educated in
London and served as a squire and a soldier, fighting for the English king in
campaigns in Scotland. By the year 1400 he had become a well-respected Welsh
gentlemen but events over the next few years pushed Glyn Dŵr further into
rebellion.
Baron
Grey de Ruthyn, a neighbour of Glyn Dŵr’s, had seized control of some land,
forcing him to appeal to the English Parliament. In 1400, Lord Grey failed to inform Glyn Dŵr
in time of a royal command to levy feudal troops for service on the Scottish
border. This apparent dereliction of duty enabled the Welshman to be named a
traitor in London court circles
Possibly
due to Lord Grey’s personal friendship
with King Henry IV, Glyn Dŵr lost the case and when, in January 1400, civil
disorder broke out in Chester in support of the deposed king, Richard II, Glyn
Dŵr’s relationship with Henry IV broke down completely.
In
September 1400 Owain Glyn Dŵr was created Prince of Wales by the dissenting
Welsh.
By
1401, after a series of confrontations between Owain’s followers and Henry IV
the revolt began to spread. Welshmen studying at Oxford abandoned their
studies, labourers lay down their tools, returned to Wales and flocked to
Owain’s banner. Welsh troops who had
fought for the king in France and Scotland also joined the cause, Welsh archers
and men-at-arms abandoned the English king to join the Welsh rebellion.
Early
in the campaign the Welsh skill at guerrilla warfare gained them some notable
success. They were victorious at the battle of Bryn Glas in Powys in 1402;
inflicted much damage on many towns (including Cardiff) and took control of
several of the strongest castles in Wales, notably Aberystwyth and Harlech.
During
the fourth year of the revolt Owain Glyn Dŵr and his armies turned up in the
Tywi Valley and captured a number of castles, including Dyslwyn and Carmarthen
and persuaded Henry Don, a former steward of the Duchy of Lancaster and a
fellow of considerable standing and power, to throw in his lot with the rebels.
It was Henry Don who led the attack on Cydweli Town and castle.
However,
around 1405 the rebels began to lose ground, they were defeated at Usk and
sometime between 1408-9 the castles at Aberystwyth, Harlech were retaken by the
crown. Owain himself was never captured but faded from history, believed to be
dead by 1416. Many tales are told about the circumstances of his death.
A
supporter of Glyn Dŵr, Adam of Usk,
wrote in his Chronicle in the year 1415
that, ‘After four years in hiding, from the king and the realm, Owain Glyndŵr
died, and was buried by his followers in the darkness of night. His grave was
discovered by his enemies, however, so he had to be re-buried, though it is
impossible to discover where he was laid.’
Adrien
Jones, the president of the Owain Glyn Dŵr Society, as late as 2006 visited Sir
John Scudamore who is a direct descendant of Glyndŵr and lives near Abergavenny. He told him that Glyn Dŵr
spent his last years with his daughter
Alys at Monnington Straddel in Herefordshire and eventually died there. The
family kept the secret for six hundred years but Sir John claimed that Glyn Dŵr
is buried beneath a mound nearby at Monnington Straddel.
Whatever
the truth of the matter may be Owain Glyn Dŵr is gone but never forgotten and
remains a hero in Wales, a household name and icon of Welsh nationalism.
To read more fab castle blogs click on the author name links below.
As part of the blog hop I am giving away a copy of one of my novels. You can find out about them here and leave a comment below with the title of your choice and your contact email.
You
can find out more about Judith and her historical novels on her website:
www.juditharnopp.com
or
on her Amazon Author page.
UK
- click here
USA
- click here
Congrats on being part of the book Judith. I'm going to get myself a copy for sure!
ReplyDeleteFantastic post, Judith. Enjoyed reading about Cydweli Castle and Owain Glyn Dŵr. Thank you for the give away.
ReplyDeleteA great post, Judith. I enjoyed it just as much this time through. Thank you for joining in on the hop!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed reading about Owain Glyn Dwr, so glad that he was never captured! Your books all sound wonderful, but if I had to choose just one, would be The Winchester Goose.
ReplyDeleteDeniseK1@outlook.com
Hi judith - a nice informative post. Blimey - its taken me ages to get round these castles - I've been a whole week! I'd love one of your books, but already have Peaceweaver queued up in my humungous TBR pile.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy Welsh history, language and traditions and I would love to win The Winchester Goose.
ReplyDeleteHi Judith loved this post. Castles in Wales are amazing. I'd like the Song of Heledd
ReplyDeleteThank you all for entering, your names will be going into a hat later on today - well maybe not a hat, but a tupperware box :) I will announce the winner after the draw.
ReplyDelete