Owen Meredyth the sonne of Owen ap Howel Dha The yeare 987. died Ievaf the sonne of Edwal which had liued manie yeares a priuate life The same yeare also died Owen the son of Howel Dha Prince of Southwales This Owen had three sons Eneon which died in his fathers time Lhywarch which lost both his eies and Meredyth which as before is declared had wonne Northwales and after his fathers death tooke also to his possession all Southwales hauing no respect to his brother Eneon his sonnes Edwyn and Theodor or Tewdor About the same time the Danes sailed from Hampton alongst the coast spoiling Deuonshire Cornewale and so at the last landed in Southwales and destroied S. Dauids Lhanbadarn Lhanrystyd and Lhandydoch which were all places of religion and did so much hurt in the countrie besides that to be rid of them Meredyth was faine to agree with them to giue them a penie for euerie man within his land which was called The tribute of the blacke armie At this time Elwmaen the son of Abloic king of Ireland was slain a great number of people died for hunger The yeare 989. Owen the son of Dyfnwal was slaine Within a yeare after Meredyth king of Wales destroied the towne of Radnor at what time his nephew Edwyn the sonne of Eneon hauing to his aid duke Adelf and a great armie of Englishmen and Danes spoiled all the land of Meredyth in Southwales as Caerdigan Dyuet Gwyr Kydweli and S. Dauids where Edwyn tooke pledges of the chiefe men of those countries In the meane time this Meredyth with his people did spoile Glamorgan so that no place was free from sword and fire but at the last Meredyth and Edwyn fell at an agreement were made freends Soone after Cadwalhon the onelie sonne of Meredyth died Meredyth being thus occupied had so much to do in Southwales that Northwales laie open for the enimie which thing when the Danes perceiued they arriued in Anglesey and destroied the whole Ile Wherevpon the inhabitants of that countrie receiued Edwal the sonne of Meyric the right heire of Northwales for their prince in the yeare 992. After these great troubles there followed within a yeare after such famine scarsitie in Southwales that manie perished for want of food Edwal ap Meyric Edwal ap Meyric the sonne of Meredyth THis Edwal being in possession of the principalitie of Northwales studied to keepe and defend his people from iniuries and wrongs But Meredyth gathered togither all his power intending to recouer againe Northwales with whome Edwal met at Lhangwm and ouerthrew him in plaine battell where Theodor of Tewdor Mawr Meredyth his nephew was slaine who left behind him two sonnes Rees Rytherch a daughter called Elen. A litle after this Swayn the sonne of Haroald destroied the Ile of Man and entring to Northwales slew Edwal the prince therof who left behind him a sonne called Iago In the yeare of Christ 998. the Danes came againe to S. Dauids destroieng all before them and there they slew Morgeney or rather Vrgeney Bishop of that sea The same yeare also died Meredyth the sonne of Owen king or prince of Wales leauing behind him one onlie daughter called Angharad which was maried to Lhewelyn ap Sitsylht and after his death to Conuyn Hirdref or as other do thinke to Conuyn ap Gwerystan who had children by either of them which was the cause of much warre mischief in Wales as shall appeare hereafter Aedan ap Blegored Aedan the sonne of Blegored I doo not know neither could I euer find what colour or pretense of title this Aedan ap Blegored had to the principalitie of Northwales nor yet of whom he descended or who came of him whereas all the other princes are notoriouslie knowen of what families they descended and who came of them Neither yet doo I read of anie Blegored whose sonne he might be except it be that doctor of Law of whom mention is made in the lawes of Howel Dha whose estate was too meane to challenge the principalitie He is reported to haue gouerned about xij yeares Of this acts by him atchieued there is verie litle written sauing of those two battels the one wherin he ouercame Conan ap Howel and the other wherin he was ouercome himselfe and slaine with his foure sonnes by Lhewelyn ap Sitsylht In the yeare 1004. Gulfath and Vbiad Irish Lords were taken by the Scots and their eies put out which Scots did also destroie the countrie and towne of Deuelyn Likewise the Danes which had destroied againe Westwales went to England and there spoiled and burned the land all before them especiallie Somersetshire Dorsetshire and so through Hampshire and Sussex they came towards the riuer of Thames without anie let or staie and so sailed alongst the riuer to the place where the riuer Mydwey entreth to the Thames alongst which water they came to Rochester where they ouerthrew the Kentishmen that bade them battell Edelred king of England was at this time in Cumberland the chiefe denne of the Danes which land he brought to his subiection but in the meane while another armie of Danes fought againe with the men of Somersetshire and got the victorie and ruled the countrie at their pleasure Then Edelred hearing of the great worthines of Richard Duke of Normandie sent to him for his daughter Emma in mariage thinking thereby to haue succour but God intending to punish the great sinnes and enormities of the Saxons did moue the king thereto that like as they being instruments of Gods wrath vnder the colour of friends and hired soldiours had traiterouslie and cruellie slaine the Brytaines and driuen them out of their land so should the Normanes by colour of this affinitie first enter the land as friends and bring succour against the Danes and afterward come as foes and be the vtter destruction of the Saxons and Angles which was then foreseene and told the king by an Anachoret who inspired with the spirit of God sawe the plagues which he had certainelie appointed to fall vpon the Saxons But the king puffed vp with pride and hope of his affinitie did priuilie write to all the english rulers through the realme to kill the Danes in one night which then liued peaceablie which murther was cruellie executed vpon S. Brices daie at night But yet the Danes would not giue ouer so with losse Therefore the yeare following there came an armie of them to Deuonshire and ouerran the land with fire and sword sparing nothing that had life that they might reuenge the murther of their coosens They rased the citie of Excester and slue Hugh the Normane whome the Queene had appointed gouernour there Then Almarus Earle of Deuon gathered a great armie of Hampshire Wilshire and all the countrie about and met the Danes but he and his were put to flight and the Danes pursued them to Wilton and destroied it and Salisburie and returned to their
tooke Roger his coosen and VValtheof whome he committed to prison and caused to be executed afterward but Radulph escaped and departed the realme Of the VVelshmen which were at this marriage VVilliam hanged some put out the eies of others and banished the rest After that in the yeare 1073. Blethyn ap Convyn king of VVales was traitorouslie and cowardlie murthered by Rees ap Owen ap Edwyn and the gentlemen of Ystrad Tywy after he had worthilie gouerned VVales 13. yeares This man was verie liberall and mercifull and loued iustice and equitie in all his reigne This Blethyn had by diuerse women manie children first Meredyth by Haer daughter to Gylhyn Lhywarch and Cadogan by another woman Madoc and Riryd by the third and Iorwerth by the fourth Trahaern ap Caradoc Trahaern the sonne of Caradoc AFter the death of Blethyn Trahaern ap Caradoc his coosen germane tooke vpon him the rule of Northwales Rees ap Owen with Rytherch ap Caradoc did iointlie rule Southwales Then Gruffyth sonne to Conan sonne to Iago or Iames right inheritour of Northwales came from Ireland with succor which his brethren Encumalhon king of Vltonia and Ranalht and Mathawn had deliuered him and he landed in the Ile of Môn or Anglesey and brought it to his subiection At this time Kynwric ap Rywalhon a noble man of Maelor or Bromefield was slaine in Northwales This yeare also Gronow and Lhewelyn the sons of Cadogan ap Blethyn did ioine their powers with Caradoc ap Gruffyth ap Rytherch against Rees ap Owen and Rytherch ap Caradoc to reuenge their grandfathers death and then fought at a place called Camdhwr where the sonnes of Cadogan obteined the victorie Shortlie after Gruffyth ap Conan passed ouer the water from Môn to the maine land and Trahaern ap Caradoc met with him at Bronyrerw where Gruffyth was put to flight and retired backe to the Ile In the yeare 1074. Rytherch ap Caradoc was slaine by treason of his coosen germane Meyrchaon ap Rees ap Rytherch and Rees ap Owen ruled Southwales alone Neuerthelesse the sonnes of Cadogan gathered their powers and came against him and fought with him the second time at Gwaynyttyd where he was put to flight but yet he gathered a new power kept the land still Then Trahaern ap Caradoc king of Northwales mooued his power against Rees who boldlie met him with all the power of Southwales at a place called Pwlhgwttic where after long fighting Rees was put to flight and after great slaughter of his men he fled from place to place fearing all things like a stag that had beene latelie chased which mistrusteth euerie noise but at the last he with his brother Howel fell into the hands of Caradoc ap Gruffyth who slue them both in reuenge of the death of the wise and noble prince Blethyn ap Convyn At this time Sulien Archbishop of S. Dauids did forsake his Bishopricke and Abraham was chosen Bishop in his place In the yeare 1077. Rees the soone of Theodor the sonne of Eneon the sonne of Owen the sonne of Howel Dha as right inheritour to the kingdome of Southwales claimed the same and the people receiued him with much ioie made him their prince The next yeare after Meneuia was all spoiled and destroied by strangers and Abraham the Bishop died after whose death Sulien was compelled to take the Bishopricke againe In the yeare folowing Gruffyth the sonne of Conan did bring a great armie of Irishmen and Scots into Wales and ioined with Rees ap Theodor as two right heires of the whole countrie Gruffyth of Northwales and Rees of Southwales descending both linealie fró Roderike the great against whom came Trahaern ap Caradoc and Caradoc Gruffyth and Mailyr the sons of Rywalhon ap Gwyn his coosen germanes for Gwyn ap Blethyn was their grandfather who in those daies were the chiefe rulers of all Wales And after they had met at the mountains of Carno they fought a cruell battell and were the more eger bicause vpon that daies worke laie the liues honor of either partie But at the length the victorie fell to Gruffyth and Rees and Trahaern with his coosens were all slaine and the most part of their people then the kingdomes of Wales came vnder the rule of the right heires againe At this time also a noble man of Wales called Vrgeney ap Sitsylht was slaine by the sons of Rees Sais which is to saie Rees the Englishman for so they vsed to name all such as had serued in England could speake the English toong Gruffyth ap Conan Gruffyth the sonne of Conan This Thrustan comming from Rome brought with him a new kind of note for the ordinarie seruice of the church which he would haue had his moonks to vse in their dailie seruice but they not willing to change their old Mumpsimus for his new Sumpsimus as the priest said to the Bishop of his masse did stoutlie withstand their Abbot and thereof came this moonkish brall wherein these thrée moonks were slaine and eightéene more hurt About this time or not long after the sepulchre of Walwey king Arthurs sisters sonne was found vpon the sea shore in the countrie of Ros the bodie by estimation vpon viewing of the bones was thought to be xiiij foote in length Walwey in his life time was a right noble and valiant warriour of verie good reputation who ruled that countrie which to this daie of him is called Walwethay And this yeare Sulien forsooke his Bishoprike the second time and Wylfred was stalled in his place At this time also the towne of Caerdyff was built In the yeare 1087. William Bastard king of all Brytaine and Duke of Normandie died when he had left neuer a noble man of English bloud within England but had robbed spoiled and slaine or banished them all and giuen their lands to his owne men for God had brought in the Normanes to reuenge his anger vpon the Angles and Saxons which Normanes were counted the cruellest people in the world for euer when they had brought their enimies to subiection that they were not able to rebell against them they commonlie destroied one another and so euer exercised their crueltie vpon themselues as it appeared in England Normandie Apulia Calabria Sicilia Antiochia which countries they brought to their subiection It is noted also by Iohn Rous and Castoreus that no Englishman bare office of anie credit or countenance in the Conquerours daies and that it was counted a great reproch and shame for a noble man or gentleman to be called an Englishman or to ioine in affinitie by mariage with the English nation they hated them so sore whereby it appéereth that all the ancient noble men and gentlemen within this land are descended either from the Normans and French or from the Brytaines When William had obtained full possession of the realme he appointed ordeined such officers as spoiled the
same yeare died Geffrey bishop of Landaff The yeare ensuing Henrie Shortmantel the Empresse sonne entred England and wan diuerse castels as Maluesburie Walingford and Shrewsburie About the same time Eustace the sonne of king Stephen was drowned wherevpon the king and Henrie concluded a peace In the yeare 1154. died Stephen king of England and Henrie Plantagenet the Empresse son was crowned in his steed This Henrie was wise and learned and besides a worthie knight he neuer ware gloue except he bare a hawke on his fist and neuer sate but at his meate and delited in hawking hunting riding and in all honest exercises In the beginning of his reigne and in the yeare 1155. Rees ap Gruffyth ap Rees whome the Welsh booke surnameth Lord Rees and all the Latine and English writers of that time name King of Southwales did gather all his strength togither to defend his countrie from Owen Gwyneth whom he heard to be leuieng of men to conquer Southwales So Rees came as far as Aberdyvi ouer against Northwales and perceiuing the rumour to be false built a castell there and so returned backe At the same time Madoc ap Meredyth prince of Powys did build a castell at Caereneon besides Cymer At that time Meyric his nephew escaped out of prison where he had beene long kept then also Eglwys vair in Myvot was built also Terdelach king of Conacht in Ireland died At this time king Henrie banished the Flemings whom king Stephen had brought in and sent some of them to their coosins in Westwales likewise the king bannished Wiliam Peuerell of Notingham And Hugh Mortimer fortified the castell of Cleberie against the king which the king tooke and rased and Hugh yeelded to the king and deliuered to his hands the castels of Wygmor and Brugge Likewise Roger the sonne of Myles of Glocester Earle of Hereford deliuered to the king the tower of Glocester and died shortlie after and his brother Walter enioied his land but the king kept the Earledome of Hereford and the towne of Glocester in his owne hands The yeare folowing Conan Earle of Richmond sailed to Brytaine where he was receiued of the most part for their duke Shortlie after king Henrie his brother Geffrey were agreed in Normandie and the king being returned into England receiued of the Scottish king Carlile Newcastell and Banburgh with the countrie about and gaue him the Earldome of Huntingdon Also William Earle of Egle and Northfolke base sonne to king Stephen deliuered Henrie the castels of Peuensey and Norwich and the king confirmed to him his other lands At this time Caradocus Lhancaruan who is reputed and taken of all learned men to be the author of this present historie endeth his collections of the successions of the Brytaines from Cadwalader vntill this time of whome some studious antiquarie wrote these verses following Historiam Brytonum doctus scripsit Caradocus Post Cadwalladrum regia sceptra notans The successions and actes of the princes of Wales after this time vntill the yeare 1270. were kept and recorded from time to time in the Abbeis of Conwey in Northwales and Stratflur in Southwales as witnesseth Gutryn Owen who being in the daies of Edward the fourth wrote the best and most perfect copie of the same About this time the king gathered all his power togither from all parts of England intending to subdue all Northwales being therevnto procured and mooued by Cadwalader whom the Prince his brother had banished out of the land and bereaued of his liuing and by Madoc ap Meredyth prince of Powys who enuied at the libertie of Northwales which knewe no lord but one And so the king led his armie to Westchester and camped vpon the marsh called Saltney Likewise Owen like a valiant prince gathered all his strength and came to the vtter meares of his land purposing to giue the king battell encamped himselfe at Basingwerk Which thing when the king vnderstood he chose out of his armie diuerse of the cheefest bands and sent certeine Earles and Lords with them towards the princes campe and as they passed the wood called Coed Eulo Dauid Conan the princes sons met with them set vpon them fearslie what for the aduantage of the ground for the suddennes of the deed the Englishmen were put to flight and a great number slaine and the rest were pursued to the kings campe The king being fore displeased with that foile remooued his campe alongst the sea coast thinking to passe betwixt Owen and his countrie but Owen foreseeing that retired backe to a place which is called to this daie Cîl Owen that is the retire of Owen and the king came to Ruthlan In this first viage of king Henrie against the Welshmen he was put in great danger of his life in a strait at Counsylth not far from Flynt where Henrie of Essex whose office by inheritance was to beare the standard of England cast downe the same and fled which thing incouraged the Welshmen in such sort that the king being sore distressed had much a doo to saue himselfe and as the French Chronicle saith was faine to flée of whose part Eustace Fitz-Iohn and Robert Curcie two worthie knights with diuerse other noble men and gentlemen were slaine After that Owen incamped and intrenched himselfe at Bryn y pin and skirmished with the kings men dailie and in the meane while that the King was fortifieng the castell of Ruthlan his nauie which was guided by Madoc ap Meredyth Prince of Powys anchored in Môn or Anglesey and put on land the soldiours which spoiled two churches and a little of the countrie thereabouts But as they returned vnto their ships all the strength of the Ile set vpon them and killed them all so that none of those which robbed within the Ile brought tidings how they sped Then the shipmen seeing that liked not their lodging there but waid vp anchors and went awaie to Chester In the meane time there was a peace concluded betwixt the king and the Prince vpon condition that Cadwalader should haue his lands againe and his brother should be his friend Then the King leauing the castels of Ruthlan and Basywerke well fortified and manned after he had built a house thereby for the templers returned to England At that time also Iorwerth Goch ap Meredyth got the castell of Yale and burned it The yeare folowing Morgan ap Owen was traitorously slaine by the men of Ivor ap Meyric with whom died the best poet in the Brytish toong of his time called Gurgan ap Rees and his brother Iorwerth got the towne of Caerlheon and the lands of Owen Then the king made peace with all the princes lords of Wales except Rees ap Gruffyth ap Rees prince of Southwales which Rees fearing the kings power caused his people to remooue their cattell goods to the wildernesse of Tywy and he still made war against the
said Hawys as it séemed vnto him had more right to hir fathers possessions being in hir vncles hands than they to hirs But to make a finall end betwéene them order and composition was taken that Hawys should enioie hir inheritance in fée simple to hir and to hir heires for euer after the tenure of England And that hir vncles Lhewelyn Iohn Dauid and Gruffyth should hould their portions to them and to their heires male for euer And in default of such issue male the same to descend and remaine to the said Hawys and to hir heires for euer William Lord of Mowthwy otherwise called Wilcocke Mowthwy being the fourth sonne bicause he did not trouble his said néece Hawy about hir inheritance had his lands confirmed and assured in fée simple to him and to his heires generall male or female foreuer He maried Alianor the sister of Elen Owen Glyndowres mother the daughter of Thomas sonne of Lhewelyn sonne of Owen sonne of Meredyth sonne of Owen sonne of Gruffyth sonne of Rees sonne of Gruffyth sonne of Rees ap Theodor prince of Southwales by whome he had issue Iohn de Mowthwy Iohn the sonne of William Lord of Mowthwy had issue Elizabeth his daughter and sole heire which was maried to Sir Hugh Burgh knight Sir Hugh Burgh knight in the right of his wife lord of Mowthwy had issue Sir Iohn Burgh Sir Iohn Burgh lord of Mowthwy maried Iane the daughter of Sir William Clopton knight lord of the manours of Clopton and Radbrooke in the countie of Glocester and by hir had issue foure daughters Elizabeth Ancreda Isabell and Alianor Elizabeth maried to Thomas Newport father of Iohn father of Thomas father of sir Richard Newport knight late deceased father of Francis and Andrew now liuing Ancreda maried to Iohn Leighton of Stretton father of Sir Thomas Leighton of Watelsborough knight father of Iohn Leighton father of Edward Leighton Esquire eldest sonne and of Sir Thomas Leighton knight second sonne now liuing Isabell maried to Iohn Lingen father of Sir Iohn Lingen knight And Alianor maried to Thomas Mytton father of William Mytton father of Richard Mytton who by partition had amongst the said coheires enioied the said Seigniorie and Lordship of Mowthwy The said Iohn Charleton first of that sirname had issue by the said Hawys Iohn and died An. 1353. Iohn Charleton the second lord Powys held that Seigniorie seuen yeares and then died An. 1360. leauing behind him a sonne and heire called also Iohn Iohn Charleton the third lord Powys succéeded his father and enioied that lordship fouretéene yeares and then died An. 1374. leauing behind him two sons Iohn and Edward Iohn Charleton the fourth lord Powys possessed his fathers inheritance after him 27. yeares and then died without issue An. 1401. Edward Charleton brother and heire to the said Iohn succéeded him in the lordship of Powys and held the same 19. yeares he maried Alianor daughter and one of the heires of of Thomas Earle of Kent being the widow of Roger Mortimer Earle of March and mother to Anne countesse of Cambridge the mother of Richard duke of Yorke and had issue by hir two daughters his heires Iane eldest daughter maried to Sir Iohn Gray knight and Ioyce second daughter maried to Iohn lord Tiptoft by whome she had issue Iohn lord Tiptoft created by king Henrie the sixt Earle of Worcester who died without issue and foure daughters Philip Ioyce Ioane and Margaret the first Philip maried to Thomas lord Ros. The second Ioyce maried to Edmond Dudley sonne and heire to Iohn baron Dudley The third Ioane maried to Sir Edward Inglethorp knight who had issue Isabell maried to Iohn Neuill Marques Montague After the death of the said Alianor this Edward lord Powys maried Elizabeth the daughter of Sir Iohn Barkley knight and died An. 1420. After whose death the lordship of Powys was diuided into thrée parts first the said Elizabeth had for hir dowrie Lhannerch hudol Strat marchelh Deuthwr and Teirtref and maried to hir second husband the Baron of Dudley The said Iane the eldest daughter had for hir part Caereneon Mecham Mochnant and Plâsdinas The third Ioyce the yoonger daughter had Cyuelioc and Arustly Henrie Gray the sonne of Sir Iohn Gray knight and Iane daughter and one of the heires of Edward Chareleton lord Powys was in the right of the said Iane his mother lord Powys he was also by king Henrie the fift created Earle of Tanqueruile and maried Antigone base daughter to Humfrey duke of Glocester fourth sonne to king Henrie the fourth and had issue Richard Humfrey and Elizabeth the wife of Sir Roger Kinaston Richard Gray lord Powys maried Margaret the daughter of Iames lord Audley and by hir had issue Iohn and Elizabeth the wife of Iohn Ludlow sonne of sir Richard Ludlow knight which Iohn and Elizabeth had issue two daughters Anne and Alice Anne the elder maried Thomas Vernon second sonne of Sir Henrie Vernon of Haddon in the Peke of whom Henrie Vernon of Stokesay now liuing is descended Alice the second daughter maried Humfrey Vernon third sonne of the said sir Henrie and brother to the said Thomas of whom Iohn Vernon of Hodnet now liuing is descended Iohn Gray lord Powys had issue Iohn Iohn Gray lord Powys had issue Edward Edward Gray lord Powys maried Anne the daughter of Charles Brandon duke of Suffolke and died without lawfull issue The same yeare Cadwalhon ap Madoc ap Ednerth was taken by his brother Eneon Clyd and deliuered to Owen prince of Northwales who sent him to the kings officers to be imprisoned at Winchester from whence he escaped shortlie after and came to his countrie Henrie king of England remained in Normandie all this yeare whose sonne named also Henrie maried Margaret the daughter of Lewys king of France The yeare next folowing died Meyric bishop of Bangor Then king Henrie and the French King fell at variance wherevpon shortlie after King Henrie went to Gascoyne to chastise certeine rebels there But in the yeare 1162. there was a peace concluded betweene the kings of England and France At that time Howel the son of Ieuaf ap Cadogan ap Athlestan Glodrydh got the castell of Walwern in Cyuelioc and rased it which thing when it was told Owen Prince of Northwales it displeased him wonderfullie at the which he was so greeued that nothing could make him merrie vntill such time as he had gathered his power came to Lhanthinam in Arustly and thence fet great spoiles Then the people of the countrie came all to their Lord Howel ap Ieuaf who folowed the spoile to Seauerne side where the Princes campe was whereof the Prince séeing such an occasion of reuenge offered him was right glad and set vpon his enimies and slew the most part of them and the rest with their Lord escaped to the woods and rocks Then the Prince being ioifull of this reuenge built vp his castell againe and fortified it stronglie The
Owen Cyuelioc the son of Gruffyth ap Meredyth lord of Powys by Owen Vachan second sonne to Madoc ap Meredyth which lands they diuided betwixt them so that Owen Cyuelioc had Mochnant aboue Rayader and Owen Vachan Mochnant beneath Rayader This yeare there was an earthquake in Northfolke and Suffolke At this time king Henrie maried Geffrey his sonne to Constance the onelie daughter heire of Conan Earle of Richmond and duke of Brytaine In the yeare 1167. Owen prince of Nothwales Cadwalader his brother and Rees prince of Southwales brought an armie to Powys against Owen Cyuelioc and wan all his lands chased him out of the countrie and gaue Caereneon to Owen Vachan the sonne of Madoc ap Meredyth to hold of prince Owen and the lord Rees had Walwern bicause it stoode within his countrie But within a while after Owen Cyuelioc returned with a number of Normanes and Englishmen to recouer his countrie againe and laid siege to the castell of Caereneon and winning the same burned it to the ground Also the same yeare the aforesaid princes Owen Rees and Cadwalader laid siege to the castell of Ruthlan which the king had latelie built and fortified which the garrison defended manfullie and worthilie yet the princes would not depart vntill they had won it which they did at two moneths end and then rased it Afterward they gat the castell of Prestaryn and destroied it and then brought all Tegengl to Owens subiection and returned home with much honor In the yeare folowing Conan the sonne of prince Owen slew Vrgeney Abbot of Lhwythlawr and Lhawthen his nephue At this time Henrie duke of Saxonie maried Mawd king Henries daughter Then also the nobles of Poitiew rebelled against king Henrie vpon hope of the French kings aid and slew VVilliam Fitzpatrike Earle of Salisburie then the king created VVilliam his sonne Earle in his steed Also the Brytaines of Armorica rebelled against king Henrie wherefore he destroied a great part of the countrie The next yeare Henrie the kings eldest sonne did homage to the French king for the Earledome of Aniow and the stewardship of France which belonged thereto and Geffrey did his brother homage for the dukedome of Brytaine Then the king made a great ditch or trench betwixt France and Normandie to defend the countrie from sudden incursions and theeues And this yeare Robert the sonne of Stephen constable was released out of his coosins the lord Rees his prison and was sent to Ireland with a great power to succour Dermot son to Murchart who landed at Lochgarmon and wan it and so went forward This Robert Fitzstephen Moris Fitzgerald his brother and their nephues Robert Meyler and Raymond with an armie of Welshmen vnder the conduct of Richard Strangbow Earle of Strigule were the chiefe captains and dooers in the conquest of Ireland when it was first reduced vnder the subiection of the crowne of England of whom the Fitzgeralds Fitzstephens and Fitzmoris are descended of whom Giraldus writeth at large in his historie of Ireland In the yeare 1169. Meyric ap Adam of Buelht was murthered in his bed by Meredyth Bengoch his coosen germane Also this yeare there were found the bones of a giant cast vp by the sea of such length that his body seemed to containe fiftie foote in height At this time the king caused his sonne Henrie to be crowned king of England by the Archbishop of Yorke Also this yeare Owen Gwyneth the son of Gruffyth ap Conan prince of Northwales passed out of this world after he had gouerned his countrie well and worthilie 32. yeares This prince was fortunate and victorious in all his affaires he neuer tooke any enterprise in hand but he atchieued it He left behind him manie children gotten by diuerse women which were not esteemed by their mothers and birth but by their prowes and valiantnesse First he had by Gladus the daughter of Lhywarch ap Trahaern ap Caradoc Iorweth drwyndwn that is Edward with the broken nose Conan Maelgon and Gwenlhian by Christian the daughter of Grono ap Owen ap Edwyn he had Dauid Roderike Cadwalhon Abbot of Bardsey and Angharat wife to Gruffyth Maylor he had besides these Conan Lhewelyn Meredyth Edwal Run Howel Cadelh Madoc Eneon Cynwric Philip and Riryd lord of Clochran in Ireland by diuerse women of whom Run Lhewelyn and Cynwric died before their father of the rest you shall heare hereafter Dauid ap Owen Dauid the sonne of Owen Gwyneth This Madoc arriuing in that Westerne countrie vnto the which he came in the yeare 1170. left most of his people there and returning backe for more of his owne nation acquaintance and fréends to inhabite that faire and large countrie went thither againe with ten sailes as I find noted by Gutyn Owen I am of opinion that the land wherevnto he came was some part of Mexico the causes which make me to thinke so be these 1 The common report of the inhabitants of that countrie which affirme that their rulers descended from a strange nation that came thither from a farre countrie which thing is confessed by Mutezuma king of that countrie in his oration made for quieting of his people at his submission to the king of Castile Hernando Curteis being then present which is laid downe in the Spanish Chronicles of the conquest of the West Indies 2 The Brytish words and names of places vsed in that countrie euen to this daie doo argue the same as when they talke togither they vse this word Gwrando which is Hearken or listen Also they haue a certeine bird with a white head which they call Pengwin that is white head But the Iland of Corroeso the cape of Bryton the riuer of Gwyndor and the white rocke of Pengwyn which be all Brytish or Welsh words doo manifestlie shew that it was that countrie which Madoc and his people inhabited The same time Elianor the kings daughter was married to Alfonsus king of Castil Also Richard Strangbowe Earle of Strigul went to Ireland without the kings leaue and married the daughter of Dermot king of Dublyn wherefore the king seased all his lands in England to his owne hands and Dermot died shortlie after and was buried at Ferna About the end of this yeare Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canturburie was slaine The yeare ensuing Rees prince of Southwales came with great power to Powys and subdued Owen Cyuelioc the Lord thereof and tooke pledges of him and so returned home with much honour Then the king called his nobles to consult about the enterprise of Ireland which had beene before determined to be taken in hand To this consultation came messengers from Richard Strangbowe Earle of Strigule Marshall of England to deliuer to the kings hands the citie of Dublyne and the towne of Waterford with such other townes as he had by the right of his wife wherevpon the king restored to him againe his lands in England and Normandie and made him
that is to saie the Ile of Aples without the Abbie of Glastenburie fifteene foote within the earth in a holow elder tree and ouer the bones was a stone and a crosse of lead with a writing turned towards the stone wherein were ingrauen these words HÃc iacet sepultus inclytus rex Artburus in insula Aualonia The bones were of maruelous bignes and in the scull were ten wounds of which one was great and seemed to be his deaths wound the Queenes haire was to the sight faire and yellowe but assoone as it was touched it fell to ashes This graue was found by meanes of a Bardh or Poet whom the king heard at Penbrooke declare in a song the worthie actes of that noble prince and the place of his buriall Therefore let William Paruus and Polydore Virgil with their complices stoppe their lieng mouthes and desist to obscure and darken the glistering fame noble renowme of so inuincible and victorious a prince with the enuious detraction and malicious slaunder of their reprochfull and venomous toongs thinking that they may couer with the cloud of obliuion and burie in the pit of darkenesse those noble acts and princelie deeds by their wilfull ignorance and dogged enuie whereof the trumpet of fame hath sounded not onelie in Brytaine but also through out all Europe But remitting the discouering and blazing of their cankered minds towards the honour and fame of the Brytaines to such as can better paint them in their colours I will returne to my matter King Henrie the elder forsooke his wife for certeine considerations and kept hir in prison manie yeres And about this time Ranulph de Poer with a great number of Gentlemen was slaine by certeine yoong men of Gwent land in reuenge of their lords death This Ranulph de Poer was Shirife of Glocestershire or as Giraldus noteth of Herefordshire whose death the same author séemeth to impute vnto himselfe for his cruell and vnreasonable dealing against the Welshmen But the king tooke the same verie gréeuouslie who being sore incensed against them assembled a mightie armie and came with the same vnto Worcester meaning to inuade the enimies countries But the Lord Rees ap Gruffyth fearing the kings puissance thus bent against him and his countrimen came by safe conduct vnto Worcester where submitting himselfe he sware fealtie to the king and became his liegeman promising to bring his sonne and nephues vnto him for pledges But when according to his promise he would haue brought them they remembring how the other pledges before were vsed refused to go with him and so the matter rested for that time And the yeare 1183. Henrie duke of Saxonie being banished his countrie came to king Henrie his father in law to Normandie Also this yeare Henrie the yoong king died and was buried at Roane The yeare ensuing the duke of Saxonie came into England and his wife was brought to bed of a sonne which was named William About this time William de Mandeuile Earle of Essex went to Flanders with an armie to succour the Earle against the Earle of Henald or Henagow Shortlie after Iohn the kings yoongest sonne was dubbed knight and tooke his iournie to Ireland At which time Hugh de Lacie lord of Meth was slaine by a sickman Then Iohn returned home from Ireland at Christmas next folowing Also Howel ap Ieuaf lord of Arustly died was buried at Stratflur And the yeare 1186. died Geffrey duke of Brytaine the kings third son leauing behind him a daughter and his wife great with child of a sonne which afterward was named Arthur At this time Mawd the Empresse died which was daughter to king Henrie the first wife to Henrie the fourth Emperour of Almaine then to Geffrey Plantagenet Earle of Aniow and mother to the most noble king Henrie the second vpon whose toombe this Epitaph was written Ortu magna viro maior sed maxima partu Hîc iacet Henricifilia sponsa parens Also this time Cadwalader sonne to the Lord Rees was slaine priuilie in Westwales and buried in the Tuy Gwynn The next yeare Owen Vachan the sonne of Madoc ap Meredyth was slaine in the castell of Carrecgona hard by Oswaldstree in the night time by Gwenwynwyn and Cadwalhon the sonnes of Owen Cyuelioc and shortlie after Lhewelyn sonne to Cadwalhon ap Gruffyth ap Conan who was murthered by the Englishmen was taken by his owne brethren and had his eies put out About the yeare 1187. Baldwine Archbishop of Canturburie hauing in his companie Giraldus Cambrensis Archdeacon of Brechnock visited Wales being the first Archbishop of Canturburie that euer visited that countrie whom the Clergie of VVales began to resist alledging the liberties and priuileges of their Metropoliticall Church of S. Dauids but they preuailed not In this visitation which is described in writing by the said Giraldus in his booke which he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Itinerarium Cambriae he procured and exhorted as manie as euer he could to take the crosse and to vow the viage against the Saracens wherevnto he persuaded manie of the nobles of VVales as appeareth by the said Giraldus Also this yeare Maelgon sonne to the lord Rees brought his power against Tenbye and by plaine force wan the towne and spoiling the same burned it to ashes This lord was faire and comelie of person honest and iust of conditions beloued of his freends and feared of his foes against whom especiallie the Flemings he atchieued diuerse victories In the yeare 1189. Henrie the second surnamed Curtmantel king of all Brytaine duke of Gascoine Gwyen and Normandie passed out of this transitorie life and was buried at Fonteuerard after him Richard his sonne was crowned in his place who receiued homage of William king of Scots and deliuered him againe the castell of Maydens or Edenburgh Roksburgh and Berwicke which king Henrie had long kept Also this yeare the lord Rees gathered all his strength and wan the castels of Seynclere Abercorran and Lhanstephan and brought all the whole countrie to his subiection taking Maelgon his sonne in whom remained all the hope of Southwales whome he kept in prison In the yeare folowing Rees did build the castell of Cydwely and Gwenlhian his daughter died the fairest and goodliest woman in all Wales About this time king Richard made the bishop of Durham Earle of Northumberland for a 1000. pound and afterward he said in iest that he had made a yoong Erle of an old bishop Shortlie after king Richard tooke his iournie to the holie land to make against the enimies of Christes faith Then the bishop of Elie the kings Chanceler and Uicegerent made a great ditch about the towne of London At this time Gruffyth Maylor lord of Bromfield a noble man and a wise and one that in liberalitie passed all the lords and noble men of his time died and was buried at Myuot he
to Brytaine Armorike where they remaine to this daie and gaue Lhoegria now England to the Saxons And albeit that Caduan Cadwalhon Cadwalader were sithence intituled Kings of all Brytaine yet they could neuer recouer againe the quiet possession of the whole Iland afterwards After the departure of Cadwalader out of the land the Brytaines were gouerned within the countrie of Wales or Cambria by those men whereof this historie following doth intreate which were commonlie called Kings of such prouinces and countries as they possessed vntill the time of Owen Gwyneth who being in the daies of King Stephen and Henrie the second was the first that named himselfe Prince of Wales and so the rest after him kept that title and stile and yet neuertheles they are sometimes called Princes before him and Kings after him as I haue obserued by diuers charters and old records which I haue séene in the Tower of London and else-where Howbeit this author calleth the chiefest of them Kings till the time of the said Owen and sithence Princes IVOR IVOR the sonne of Alan Wherevpon Kentwinus King of Westsex gathered a great number of Saxons and Angles together and came against the Brytaines which were readie to abide the battell and as the armies were both in sight they were not verie desirous to fight but fell to a composition and agreement that Iuor should take Ethelburga to wife which was cousen to Kentwyn and quietlie enioie all that he had during the reigne of Iuor This Iuor is he whom the English Chronicles do call Iue or Iew King of West Saxons that reigned after Cedwall and they saie that he was a Saxon for Kentwyn reigned but fiue yeares after Iuors comming to England and after him his nephew Cedwall who after he had reigned ouer the West Saxons two yeares went to Rome and left his kingdome to Iue his cousen This Iue or Iuor whome the Brytaines call the sonne of Alan and the Saxons the sonne of Kenred being King of the Saxons and Brytaines which inhabited the west partes of England after manie victories atchieued against the Kings of Kent Southsex and Mertia left his kingdome to Adelred or as some call him Adelerdus his cousen and tooke his iournie to Rome where he made a godly end about the yeare of our Lord 720. Of Cadwalader Cedwall and Iuor there be diuers opinions Some hold that Cadwalader and Cedwall are the selfesame man and that the Saxon writers call him Cedwall whome the Brytaines do name Cadwalader who as the Brytish Chronicles do affirme after his foresaid vision did resigne all his right title and interest in great Brytaine to the said Alan king of Brytaine Armorike and so despairing that either he or his should euer haue anie thing to doo there leauing his sonne Edwal Ywrch and his people to the ordering of his cousen Alan went to Rome But this opinion séemeth to varie from the assertion of Bernardus Guidonius But certainelie in mine opinion it is more probable that this Cedwall was Edwal the sonne of Cadwalader for the name Edoal which in the ancient Brytish copie is written Etoal may well agrée with that which Guidonius writeth and an easie matter it were especiallie in proper names for the C. capitall to créepe in which is almost all one with that character which the Lawyers do call a paraph and is vsed commonlie in all old text hands at the beginning of periods or sections Of this matter thus writeth Guidonius In suo pontificali Catalogo sub Sergio primo Per idem tempus Ethoal rex Brytonum cùm per decem annos multis regulis obuiasset plura mala illis irrogasset tandem ipsis in pacem deuenientibus super occidentales Saxones regnauit annis duobus Videns autem Brytanniam multis miserijs contritam regnum spreuit terrenum propter aeternum Romam veniens paucis diebus transactis migrauit ad Christum Et paulo post Hic ex toto illud regnum antiquissimum Brytonum corruit quod omnibus ferè regnis diuturnius fuit A tempore Heli Sacerdotis vsque ad hoc tempus per annos 1825. Rob. Caenalis lib. 2. per. 2. That is At the same time Ethoal King of the Brytaines when he had by the space of ten yeares warred with diuers Kings and often put them to the woorse at length growing to an agréement with them he reigned ouer the West Saxons two yeares and then perceiuing Brytaine to be ouerworne with miseries preferring the heauenlie kingdome before the earthlie came to Rome and within few daies died and in him ended wholie that ancient kingdome of the Brytaines which continued in a maner longer than anie other from Helie the priest to this time by the space of 1825. yeares Further it is not like that Iuor comming to the aid of Edwal his cousen would euer séeke the kingdome to himselfe and defeate the right heire but verie well it may be if this Iuor be that man whome the Saxon writers call Inas or Iue after these Brytaines had arriued in the south part of this realme and fought diuers times with the Saxon kings and continued in Cornewall Deuonshire and Somersetshire by the space of two yeares that they should afterwards méet Centwyn in the field and so fall to an agréement that Iuor taking Ethelburga the cousen of Centwyn to wife should enioie the kingdome of the West Saxons after Centwyn and that therevpon Edwal resigning his title and interest to Iuor departed to Rome and so died as Guidonius saith All this notwithstanding it séemeth by the report of other writers of verie good account that Inas or Iue king of the West Saxons whose lawes are extant in print set out by maister William Lamberd Esquier a woorthie searcher and preseruer of the antiquities of this land was not a Brytaine but a Saxon who had warre against the Brytaines diuers times and vanquished them Matth. West reporteth that Inas or Iue fought with Gerent King of the Brytaines I haue an ancient booke written as Iohn Leland thinketh by Iohn Castoreus or Beuer sometimes Monke of Westminster who liued in the time of Edward the third which reporteth the historie of Inas in this sort About the yeare of grace 689. Iuor and Henyr sonnes of the daughter of Cadwalader sometime King of Brytaine came ouer from Ireland and taking to their aid the two Kings of Wales destroied the prouince of Chester and sent messengers to the Saxon Kings commanding them to restore againe to the Brytaines the countrie of Lhoyger out of the which they had wrongfullie expelled their parents and ancesters adding that if they would not so doo within fiftéene daies they should not enioie it anie longer The which message Inas the noble King of Westsex signified vnto all the other Saxon Kings who soone met together in Mount Campeden to whom Sibertus King of Essex spake thus Deare frends and companions let vs
Brytaines wherein as some doo write Mervyn Vrych king of the Brytaines was slaine leauing behind him a sonne called Rodri Mawr that is to saie Roderike the Great Roderike the Great Roderike the Great sonne to Mervyn and Esylht The yeare 846. the Danes did ouerrunne a great part of England and fought with Athelstan king of Kent brother to Ethelwulph and remained that winter and wintered in England This yeare also was Ithel king of Gwent or Wentland slaine in fight by the men of Brechnock This yeare 854. Kongen king of Powys died at Rome being slaine of choaked as some saie by his owne men And two yeares after died Cemoyth king of the Picts Ionathan Lord of Abergeley About the yeare 856. Ethelwulph tooke his iourneie to Rome and made his kingdome tributarie to the Pope and paid the Peter pence to the church of Rome The Old Saxons doo bring the genelogie of this Ethelwulph to Adam after this maner Ethelwulph the sonne of Egbert the sonne of Alcmund the sonne of Eaffa the sonne of Eoppa the sonne of Ingils the brother of Inas the sonne of Kenred the sonne of Coelwalde the sonne of Cudwine the sonne of Ceawlin the sonne of Kenrick the sonne of Cerdicke which was the first king of the West Saxons the sonne of Esly the sonne of Gewise of whom the people were called Gwysses the daughter of Gewyn the sonne of Wingy the sonne of Freawyn the sonne of Fridagare the sonne of Brendy the sonne of Beldegy the sonne of VVoden of whose issue came the kings of manie nations the sonne of Frethewold the sonne of Freolaffe the sonne of Frethewolfe the sonne of Finny the sonne of Godulph the sonne of Geta the sonne of Teathwy the sonne of Beane the sonne of Sceldy the sonne of Seafe which reigned in a countrie called Anglia lieng betwixt the Gothes and the Saxons from whence the Angles came first to Brytaine he was the sonne of Heremod the sonne of Itermod the sonne of Hadey the sonne of VVale the sonne of Bedwy the sonne of Sem the sonne of Noe and so foorth to Adam There is another petigrée laid downe by the same author of Offa king of Mercia ascending euen to Adam not in all points agréeing with this so that the author writing the latter séemeth oftentimes to forget what he had written in the former The like also I find in Iohn Castoreus at the end of the historie of Edward the confessor And an other in Matth. Paris in the historie of King Henry .2 Anno. 1155. And these foure genelogies séeme to ascend by the same men although the names doo sometimes varie This genelogie haue I set here that the reader may vnderstand thereby that not onelie the Brytaines or VVelshmen but all other nations haue beene euer desirous to set foorth their antiquitie and progenie which was not verie hard to such nations as were not mingled with other and that had euer among them such as did onlie from time to time professe that art and customablie did write the progenie wiues and children of all such as were of any estimation in the countrie In the which two things VVales had euer passed all other countries as they which haue not mingled with anie other nations vntill of late years with Englishmen and also haue euer had such as did professe the art of genelogie who although they haue sometimes erred or rather haue willinglie flattered in learuing false genelogies yet surelie are able by their bookes to bring anie Gentlemans genelogie of that countrie to such as haue liued nine hundred yeares passed and but few further except such as descended of the kings of Brytaine The Italians before they mingled with the Vandales Gothes and Lumbards brought their genelogies to Aeneas The Spaniards to Hesperus before the Gothes and Mores ouerranne the land The Saxons to VVoden before they mingled with the Danes and Normans Yea the Frenchmen Turkes reioise at this daie to bring themselues to the Thracians and the Germanes to the children of Gwyston and it is possible they may so doo bicause they haue not mingled with anie other and haue not beene ouerrun with anie other nation Therfore let such disdainefull heads as scant knowe their owne Grandfathers leaue their scoffing and tawnting of VVelshmen for that thing that all other nations in the world doo glorie in and let them read the ancient writer Berosus to whome the wise Graecians for the knowledge they learned at his hands made an image of copper and set it vp in Athens in memorie of him and there they shall find the beginning of the most part of all the nations in the world and if they beleeue him let them not denie ours and if they credit him not let them beleeue no more but what they see with their eies or that pleaseth their fond fantasies But to the matter This yeare the Danes chased Burchred out of his kingdome who also went to Rome and there died The yeare 857. died Ethelwulph and left behind him his sonnes Athelbald King of Westsex and Athelbright king of Kent and of the East Saxons Of this Ethelwulph it is written that he was so well learned and so deuout that the clarkes of the church of Winchester did choose him in his youth to be their Bishop which function he tooke vpon him was Bishop of Winchester for seauen yeares before he was king It is reported also that he conquered the kingdom of Demetia or Southwales and gaue the same with the kingdome of Southsex to Alfred his sonne and that the said Alfred should bring a thousand soldiers out of Wales to the aid of his brother Ethelbert to Winchester and there put the Danes to flight and destroie a great number of them Athelbald the sonne of Ethelwulph after the death of his father kept his mother in lawe for his concubine and afterward married hir in the citie of Chester After Athelbald had reigned eight yeares he died and Athelbright his brother tooke the rule of his kingdome And that yeare the Danes spoiled Winchester and after a great fight were driuen out of the land but returning to Tenet they remained there for that winter and spoiled by incursions all the sea shore This yeare also was the battell of Gweythen betwixt the Brytaines and the Englishmen and a great number slaine on either side The yeare 865. died Conan Nant Niuer a worthy captaine and a noble warrior And the yeare following came Hungare and Hubba with a great armie of Danes into England In the yeare 867. died Athelbright and Ethelred his brother reigned in his stead The Danes the next yeare insuing spoiled Yorke and slew the two Kings of Northumberland Osbright and Elba and afterward they ouerran all the countrie vnto Notingham spoiling and destroieng all before them and then returned to Yorke and from thence to East Angle where they slue Edmund the King
the beginning was in some distresse vntill Athelstane stepped in betwéene his father and Leofred and wounded the Dane in the arme in such sort that he being not able to hold his speare was soone taken and committed to the custodie of Athelstane In the meane time Edmund and Edred incountring with Gruffyth slew him and brought his head to their father Then Athelstane caused Leofred to be headed and so both their heads were set vp together on the top of the towre of Chester and Edward and his sonnes returned home with great triumph Then Edward after he had builded Glademutham died at Ferandyne whose sonne named Alfred died also the same time at Oxford and were buried both at Winchester Anno 924. After whose death Adelstane his base son reigned King of England which was the woorthiest prince of Saxon bloud that euer reigned He did ouercome Cudfryd the father of Reynald King of the Danes at Yorke He gathered also the second yeare of his reigne a great armie against Hawlaf King of Ireland who came with the whole power of the Scots and Danes against him and gaue him battell at Brimestburie where Adelstan gate the victorie and slue the said king Hawlaf and the king of Scots and fiue kings of the Danes and Normanes and twelue Earles so that he brought all the land of England and Scotland in subiection to him which none of his predecessors had euer attempted The yeare 933. Owen the sonne of Gruffyth was slaine by the men of Caerdigan Then Adelstan did enter Wales with a great armie and brought the kings of the countrie to subiection and receiued yearelie of tribute 20. pound in gold and 300. pound in siluer and 200. head of cattell yet the lawes of Howel Dha appointed to the king of Aberfraw to paie yearelie to the king of London no more but 66. pound for a tribute and that the prince of Dinevwre and the prince of Powys should paie a like summe 66. pound yearelie to the king of Aberfraw To this Adelstan the kings of Norwaie and France did send great and rich gifts to winne his friendship and good will In the yeare 936. died Evneth the sonne of Clydawc and Meyric the sonne of Cadelh At this time also Adelstan did remooue the Brytaines that dwelt in Excester and thereaboutes to Cornewale and appointed the riuer Cambia to be the vtter mere towards England as he had before appointed the riuer Wy to be the mere of England and Wales In the yeare of Christ 939. the noble prince Adelstan died and was buried at Malmesburie and his brother Edmund borne in wedlocke reigned in his place who in the first yeare of his reigne wan fiue cities from the Danes Leycester Darby Stafford Lincolne and Notingham Then Aulafe King of the Danes sent to Edmund to desire peace and baptisme which Edmund granted vnto him and so the Danes which then were called Normanes tooke first the christian faith Edmund being their godfather who making peace with them returned to Westsex with much honor This yeare died Abloic chiefe King of Ireland The yeare following Cadelh the sonne of Arthvael a noble Brytaine was imprisoned and Edwal Voel the sonne of Anarawd and Elise his brother were slaine in a battell which they fought against the Danes and Englishmen This Edwal had sixe sonnes Meyric Ieuaf or Ieuan Iago which is Iames Conan Edwal Vachan and Roderike After whose death Howel Dha his coosen germane ruled all Wales for his life time Elise also had issue Conan and a daughter named Trawst which was mother to Conan ap Sitsylht Gruffyth ap Sitsylht and Blethyn ap Convyn which two last were afterward princes of Wales Howel Dha Howel Dha cousen germane to Edwal Voel Howel Dha king or prince of all Wales perceiuing the lawes and customes of his countrie to haue growne vnto great abuse sent for the Archbishop of Meneuia and all the other Bishops and chiefe of the cleargie to the number of 140. prelates and all the Barons and nobles of Wales and caused sixe men of the wisest and best estéemed in euerie Comote to be called before him whome he commanded to méete all together at his house called Y Tuy gwyn ar Taf that is The white house vpon the riuer Taf. Thither he came himselfe and there remained with those his nobles prelates and subiects all the Lent in praier and fasting crauing the assistance and direction of Gods holy spirit that he might reforme the lawes and customes of the countrie of Wales to the honor of God and the quiet gouernement of the people About the end of Lent he chose out of that companie twelue men of the wisest grauest and of the greatest experience to whome he added one clearke or doctor of the lawes named Blegored a singular learned and perfect wise man These had in charge to examine the old lawes and customes of Wales and to gather out of those such as were méete for the gouernement of the countrie which they did reteining those that were wholesome and profitable expounding those that were doubtfull and ambiguous and abrogating those that were superfluous and hurtfull and so ordeined thrée sorts of lawes The first of the ordering of the kings or princes houshold and his court The second of the affaires of the countrie and common wealth The third of the speciall customes belonging to particular places and persons Of all the which being read allowed and proclamed he caused thrée seuerall bookes to be written one for his dailie vse to follow his court another to lie in his palace at Aberffraw and the third at Dinevowr that all the thrée prouinces of Wales might haue the vse of the same when néede required And for the better obseruation of these lawes he caused the Archbishop of S. Dauids to denounce sentence of excommunication against all such of his subiects as refused to obeie the same Within a while after Howel because he would omit nothing that could procure countenance and authoritie to his said lawes went to Rome taking with him the Archbishop of S. Dauids the Bishops of Bangor and S. Asaph and thirtéene other of the learnedst and wisest men in Wales where the said lawes being recited before the Pope were by his authoritie confirmed then hauing finished his deuout pilgrimage and emptied his purse he returned home againe with his companie 1 By these lawes they might not morgage their lands but to one of the same familie or kindred which were De eadem parentela 2 Euerie tenant holding of anie other than of the prince or lord of the fée paid a fine Pro defensione regia which was called Arian ardhel in Latine Aduocarij 3 No legacie of goods by will was good otherwise than those which were giuen to the church to the lord of the fée or for paiment of debts 4 Euerie man might distraine as well for debts as for rent of lands anie goods or cattell sauing horsses which were counted to
the people with much gladnes but anon after like fickle and vnconstant men they banished him the land againe and tooke to their king one Hircius the sonne of Haroald whome likewise after three yeares they expelled and willinglie submitted themselues to Edred who after he had ruled the whole land eight yeares died and was buried at Winchester After him reigned Edwyn sonne of Edmund in whose time chanced nothing woorthie to be put in writing but that he married another mans wife hir husband being aliue This man after he had gouerned the realme foure yeares died leauing his kingdome to his brother Edgar who was crowned king of England in his stead In the yeare 958. was a woonderfull hot summer when Gwgan the sonne of Gwyriad the sonne of Roderike died After the which heate there followed a great plague in March following In those daies Iago and Ievaf by force and strength ruled all Wales as they thought good and yet for all their power Abloic king of Ireland landed in Môn and hauing burnt Holyhed spoiled the countrie of Lhyyn In the yeare 961. the sonnes of Edwyn the son of Colhoyn were slaine after they had destroied all the countrie to Towyn About this time Meyric the sonne of Cadvan Rytherch Bishop of S. Dauids and Cadwalhon ap Owen departed out of this transitorie world Not long after the countrie of Northwales was sore spoiled by the armie of Edgar king of England The cause of this warre was the non paiment of the tribute that the King of Aberffraw by the lawes of Howel Dha was to paie to the king of London In the end there was a peace concluded for king Edgar vnderstanding what hurt the countries of England and Wales receiued dailie by reason of the great multitude of Woolues that then abounded especiallie in Wales which destroied much shéepe and otherwise did great harme released the tribute in monie appointed by the said lawes of Howel Dha and bound the prince of Northwales to paie him yearelie certaine Woolues for his tribute and so to be released of that other tribute in monie which the said prince performed vntill he had left neuer a Woolfe in Wales or England In the yeare 966. Roderike the sonne of Edwal Voel was slaine by the Irishmen by whome Aberfraw was destroied The next yeare there fell a great debate betwixt the two sonnes of Edwal Iago and Ievaf which had ruled iointlie together from the death of Howel Dha to that time and shortlie after Iago hauing taken his brother Ievaf by force verie cruellie kept him in prison a long time about the which time Eneon the sonne of Owen prince of Southwales wan and seazed to himselfe the land of Gwyr And in the yeare 969. Mactus the sonne of Haroald with an armie of Danes did enter the Ile of Anglesey and spoiled Penmon These Danes were suffered by Edgar to inhabite quietlie through all England till they were as strong as the Englishmen and then they fell to such riotousnes and drinking that much mischiefe insued thereof wherevpon Edgar made a law that euerie man should drinke by measure and caused a certaine marke to be set in euerie pot how deepe they should drinke and so by these meanes he somewhat staied that immoderate ingurgitation Not long after that Godfryd the sonne of Haroald did subdue to himselfe the whole Ile of Anglesey which he inioied not long King Edgar likewise in the yeare 972. did send a great nauie to Caerlheon vpon Vsc which shortlie turned backe without dooing anie notable act The next yeare following Howel the sonne of Ievaf raised a great power against his vncle Iago for the deliuerance of his father out of prison and ouercame his vncle in fight whome he chased out of the land and tooke his eldest vncle Meyric the sonne of Edwal and put out both his eies and kept him in prison where he died shortlie after leauing behind him two sonnes Edwal and Ionaval of the which Edwal came afterward the most woorthie princes of Wales Howel notwithstanding he had set his father at libertie yet tooke vppon himselfe the whole rule of the land for his life time He had three brethren all men of great estimation Meyric Ievaf and Cadwalhon whose liues shall insue heereafter Howel ap Ievaf Howel the sonne of Ievaf They ouerranne also and spoiled the whole countrie of Deuon and Cornewale burned the towne of Bodman and the cathedrall church of S. Petrokes with the Bishops house Wherevpon the Bishops sea was remooued from thence to S. Germans where the same continued vntill the remoouing and vniting thereof vnto Crediton About this time died S. Dunstane who prophesied of much mischiefe and great destruction of the land by the Danes The yeare 981. Godfryd the sonne of Haroald did gather a great armie and landed in Westwales where spoiling all the land of Dyuet with the church of S. Dauids he fought the battell of Lhanwanoc Likewise in the yeare next ensuing Duke Alfred with a great power of Englishmen spoiled and destroied Brechnock and a great part of the lands of Owen prince of Southwales against whome Eneon the sonne of the said Owen and Howel king of Northwales did raise all their power and ouerthrew them in battell where the greatest part of Alfreds armie was slaine and the rest put to flight The yeare following the Gentlemen of Gwentsland rebelled against their prince and cruellie slue Eneon the son of Owen which came thither to appease them This Eneon was a woorthie and noble Gentleman who did manie notable actes in his fathers time and left behind him two sonnes Edwyn and Theodor or Tewdor Mawr of whome came afterward the kings or princes of Southwales In the yeare 984. Howel the sonne of Ievaf king of Wales entred England with an armie where he was fought withall and slaine valiantlie fighting This Howel had no sonne but his brethren reigned in his place Cadwalhon ap Ievaf Cadwalhon the sonne of Ievaf AFTER the death of Howel his brother Cadwalhon the second sonne of Ievaf tooke in hand the gouernance of Northwales and first made war with Ionaval his coosen the sonne of Meyric and right heire to the land and slue him but Edwal the yongest brother escaped awaie priuilie The yeare following Meredyth the sonne of Owen king or prince of Southwales with all his power entred into Northwales and in fight slue Cadwalhon the sonne of Ievaf and Meyric his brother and conquered the land to himselfe Wherein a man may see how God punished the wrong which Iago and Ievaf the sonnes of Edwal Voel did to their eldest brother Meyric who was first disherited and afterward his eies put out and one of his sonnes slaine For first Ievaf was imprisoned by Iago then Iago with his sonne Constantine by Howel the sonne of Ievaf and afterward the said Howel with his bretherne Cadwalhon and Meyric were slaine and spoiled of all their lands Meredyth ap
when the other heard vpon their promise they were readie to follow so made readie a great nauie In the meane while Tosty entred Humber with 40. saile but Earle Edwyn met with him and put him to flight who as he failed toward Scotland met with Haroald king of Norwaie with 300. saile comming towards England and ioining with him they both entred Humber and hauing landed their armie they came to Yorke where both Earles Edwyn Marcher gaue them battell vpon the south part of the towne but Haroald and Tosty bare awaie the victorie and spoiled the citie then marched forwards toward Stamfordbridge where Haroald king of England and all his power did meete with them And after a long fight manie valiant acts atchieued on both sides euen from morning till noone at what time the Norwaies began to retire backe ouer the water one of them worthie not to be forgotten kept the passage vpon the bridge with his axe against all the armie of England till three of the clock and slew 40. men but at the last one got vnder the bridge and with his speare gaue him his deaths wound through the bridge Then the armie passed ouer the bridge and put the Norwaies to flight and slew Haroald their king and Tosty where not one man escaped of all the number that was not either killed or burned Then Haroald entred Yorke with great ioie and triumph as he sate at dinner there came a post who told him how Duke William was landed at Suwerhide and had fortified himself with a trench at Hastings With which tidings Haroald being nothing dismaied made expedition thitherward Where William diuiding his armie into fiue battels made a long oration vnto his soldiours wherein he declared the worthinesse of their forefathers the Danes and Norwaies aswell against the Englishmen which were neuer able to abide their force as against the Frenchmen and other nations and how they were accustomed to ouercome at all times being well horssed well armed and good archers had now to doo with a nation onelie taught to trust to their feete euill horssed vnarmed and such as knew not how to occupie their bowes Then he brought his people to the field but Haroald couched all his armie in one battell as nigh togither as they could well stand and so set vpon his enimies And after long fight William caused his men to retire as if they fled then the Englishmen folowed apase and brake their araie which when William perceiued he brought in a battell of fresh Normanes who entred Haroalds battell and fought so sore that Haroald was hurt with an arrow and afterward slaine and so the Englishmen left the Normanes both the field and the victorie The yeare folowing VVilliam passed the sea to Normandie then Edgar Edeling came out of Scotland to Yorke for the people of the countrie had slaine Robert to whome VVilliam had giuen that Earldome and 900. men with him and had receiued Edgar for their king But VVilliam returning from Normandie destroied all the North countrie and chased Edgar to Scotland againe Also Edrike Syluaticus the sonne of Alfrike Earle of Mercia refusing to submit himselfe as other had done when he saw that the king was departed to Normandie rose against such as were left in his absence to kéepe the land in obedience wherevpon those that laie in the castell of Hereford Richard fitz Scrope and others oftentimes inuaded his lands and wasted the goods of his tenants but as often as they came against him they alwaies lost some of their owne men at length he calling to his aid the kings of Wales Blethyn and Rywalhon wasted the countrie of Hereford euen to Wye bridge and then returned with a maruelous great spoile This yeare also being 1068. Meredyth and Ithel the sonnes of Gruffyth ap Lhewelyn raised a great power against Blethyn and Rywalhon kings of Northwales and met with them at a place called Mechain where after long fight there were slaine vpon the one part Ithel and vpon the other part Rywalhon and Meredyth put to flight whome Blethyn pursued so straightlie that he starued for cold and hunger vpon the mountaines and so Blethyn the sonne of Convyn remained the onlie king of Powys and Northwales About this time Swayne king of Denmarke and Osburne his brother came to Humber with 300. sailes and to them came Edgar Edeling and Earle VValtelfe who all together came to Yorke and wan the castell and laie that winter betwixt Ouse and Trent till the king came thither and chased the Danes to their ships and destroied the inhabitants of the countrie but Earle VValtheof he receiued to mercie At this time Caradoc sonne to Gruffyth ap Rytherch ap Iestyn caused a great number of Frenchmen for so the Brytish booke calleth the Normanes to enter Southwales to whom he ioined his power of Gwentland and gaue Meredyth the king of that countrie an ouerthrow and slue him vpon the riuer of Rympyn At the same time also Dermot Maken Anel the worthiest and noblest prince that euer ruled in Ireland was murthered The two Earles Edwyn and Marcher with Hereward gathered an armie against the king but Edwyn was slaine of his owne people and the other tooke the Ile of Elie which the king so sore besieged that he shortlie tooke Marcher and his complices but Hereward escaped his hands manfully whom the king folowed to Scotland made Malcolme king of the land his subiect and vassall Then after the king passed to Normandie and receiued Edgar Edeling to his mercie And about this time the Normanes did lead a great power to VVestwales by sea and destroied Dyuet and the countrie of Caerdigan and caried awaie much spoile and did so likewise the yeare folowing Bleythyd Bishop of Meneuia or S. Dauids died at this time and Sulien was Bishop in his place Not long after this time Radulph Earle of Eastangles conspired against the king with Roger Earle of Hereford Earle VValtheof at the mariage of the said Radulph with Rogers sister in Essex the matter was opened but it pleased not the rest Therefore Radulph tooke shipping in Norwich fled to Denmarke and the king suddenlie comming ouertooke VValtheof and Roger of whom VValtheof was beheaded Roger committed to prison the people all slaine among whom there were a great number of VVelshmen This Radulphs mother came out of VVales which was the cause of the Welshmens being there for Radulph sent for manie of his mothers friends and kinsmen to come to this marriage meaning through their aid and procurement to get the princes and people of VVales to ioine with him in this enterprise He also and his complices sent to Cnute king of Denmarke promising him the kingdome of England to aid him against VVilliam the bastard But William being aduertised of all these things ouerthrew all their deuises for by his sudden comming vppon them out of Normandie he
Stratywy in Southwales where he was compelled for safegard of his owne life to rebell against the king and so gathering all the power he could to him made warre against the Flemings and Normanes The next yeare after to wit 1116. Gruffyth ap Rees did gather his power togither and laid siege to a castell that was ouer against Arberth and wan the same made it plaine with the ground then he came before the castell of Richard de Pwns at Lhanymdhyfry to whom the king had giuen the Cautref Bychan and would haue burnt it but Meredyth ap Rytherch ap Caradoc lieutenant of the same and the garrison defended it manfullie yet Gruffyth burnt the vtterward and slew manie of the garrison and likewise lost manie of his owne men and so returned without profit From thence he went to Abertawy and laid siege to the castell which Henrie Beumount Earle of Warwicke had built and likewise burned the vtterward and the court house destroied the countrie to Stratywy Then a great number of wild yoong men drew to the said Gruffyth from euerie place so that he began to waxe strong and made roads into Ros and Dyuet spoiling and robbing all the countrie Wherefore the Normanes and Flemings consulted how to remedie that mischiefe and called to them all such as were the kings freends and lords in the countrie as Owen ap Rytherch and Rytherch ap Theodor and his sonnes Meredyth Owen whose mother was Heynyth the daughter of Blethyn ap Convyn and Owen ap Caradoc whose mother was Gwenlhian another daughter of Blethyn ap Convyn and Meredyth ap Rytherch and asked whether they were true and faithfull to the king of England and they said they were If you be said they you must keepe and defend the kings castel of Carmarthyn and that after this maner first Owen ap Caradoc shall keepe it a fortnight and Rytherch ap Theodor and his sonnes another fortnight and so by course which they were content to doo Then Owen tooke vpon him the keeping of the castell and the castell of Robert Courtmaine in Abercomyn or Abercorran was committed to Blethyn ap Gadivor Shortlie after Gruffyth ap Rees sent spies to vnderstand the estate of Caermarthyn and the castell who vewed it brought him good tidings therefore he came with his power suddenlie vpon the towne and gaue a great shout and Owen ap Caradoc which kept it ranne to the place where the shout was giuen thinking that his men would haue followed him but the most part of them fled and so Owen was staine fighting manfullie and the towne wonne and destroied all saue the castell which was sore defaced So Gruffyth returned to his accustomed place with great spoile and bootie wherevpon a great number of lustie yoong men drew vnto him and serued him thinking that all was his After that he went to Gwyr and wan a castell and burnt it Then William de Londres forsooke his castell and fled with his men but Gruffyth destroied the castell and caried awaie all the cattell and spoile of the countrie and when the men of Caerdigan heard this they sent for Gruffyth choosing him rather to be their head and ruler being their coosen and countrie man than anie other Wherfore he went thither vnto them and was well receiued of Cadiuor ap Grono and Howel ap Dinerth and Trahaern ap Ithel who had forsaken Dyuet left it full of Normans Flemings and Englishmen There were also manie strangers in Caerdigan which ruled that countrie but yet the people hated them not forgetting the wrongs that they had receiued at their hands Notwithstanding Henrie king of England had brought all that countrie to his subiection some by force some by vanishment and some by gifts rewards Whereat Gruffyth was nothing dismaid but boldlie came to Caerdigan Iscoed and laid siege to a strong hold which Earle Gilbert the Flemings builded at Blaen Porth Gwithan Where after long fight diuerse assaults with the slaughter of diuerse within and but one of his men they burned the towne and brought the countrie to subiection Then all the strangers fled awaie and left their houses which the Welshmen burned and destroied all to Penwedic Then they assaulted the castell in Stradpythylh which belonged to Raphe Erle Gilberts steward and got it and slew the men that were within And from thence they camped at Glasgryg a mile from Lhanbadarn where they did wrong to the church for they tooke out some of the cattell to vittaile themselues that were within the compas of the Sanctuarie then they purposed to laie siege to the castell of Aberystwyth the daie folowing Which being declared to Raphe steward he sent priuilie to the castell of Stratmeyric which Gilbert had built for succour which he conueied frō thence by night The daie folowing Gruffyth came towards the castell out of order fearing nothing and did not vnderstand what number of men was within the castell and so stood vpon a hill the riuer being betwixt him and the castell with a bridge to passe ouer where he and his men staied and consulted concerning the making of engines to assault it vntill it was the euening at which time the Normanes seeing their disorder sent archers to the riuer side to skirmish with them to intice the Welshmen to the bridge that the armed horsemen might suddenlie issue out and set vpon the naked footmen Then the Welshmen approched neare to the bridge and skirmished with them suddenlie issue foorth one horseman and would haue passed the bridge but his horse was wounded with a pike and began to faile as he returned to the footemen he fell of his horse and the Welshmen pursued him ouer the bridge When the Englishmen sawe that they fled towards the castell and the Welshmen folowed to the hill top and suddenlie the ambush of horsemen that laie vnder the hill thrust betwixt them that had passed ouer the bridge and they that fled turned backe with more strength and so the Welshmen were compassed on either side and the bridge so kept that no rescue could come to them where they were slaine for the most part all being all naked men Then the rest seeing the great number of the men armed which they looked not for turned backe and departed the countrie Now when the king heard of all these slaughters and spoiles he sent for Owen ap Cadogan to him to whom when he came the king said Owen I haue found thee true and faithfull vnto me therefore I desire thee to take or kill that murtherer Gruffyth ap Rees that doth so trouble my louing subiects I assure thee my cheefe trust is in thee and in Lhywarch ap Trahaern who shall go with thee and you two shall waite vpon my sonne Robert whom I will send shortlie against that traitour with an armie And looke how thou seruest me at this time so will I recompense thee without faile Then Owen being wonderfull glad that
the king put such confidence in him encouraged his men to doo their indeuour at this time to pleasure the King as they had doone heretofore to offend him and so ioining with Lhywarch they went towards Stratywy to meete with the kings sonne And when they came to the confines of the countrie they made a vowe that neither man woman nor child should escape their hands aliue When the people vnderstood of this cruell band they fled out of the countrie some to woods some to rocks and caues and some to the kings castels to saue their liues Then they diuided their people to enter the woods and straits which be verie manie in that countrie And Owen himselfe tooke with him about 100. men and entred the wood and perceiued that men and cattell had passed that waie whom he followed and ouertooke slaieng some of them put the rest to flight then taking their cattell returned backe towards his companie But at that instant behold Gerald steward of Penbroke with all his power of Flemings was comming to meete the kings sonne and met with them that fled who cried out vnto him for helpe and declared that Owen ap Cadogan had spoiled them of all their goods Now when Gerald and the Flemings vnderstood that Owen was there with so litle companie they thought it a meete time to be reuenged of their old wrongs and so pursued him to the woods Owen being warned by his men that a great number pursued him and counselled to make hast awaie would not so doo bicause he vnderstood them that followed to be the kings freends and nothing doubted of them But when they came nigh they began to shoot at his men who would haue had Owen to flee but he turned manfullie to his enimies and encouraged his men to fight affirming that although their enimies were seauen to one yet they were but Flemings and such as feared their names and were good for nothing but to emptie cuppes and with that set vpon them couragiouslie And it chanced that at the first meeting Owen was stricken with an arrowe to the heart and slaine which thing when his men sawe they fled and brought word to Lhywarch ap Trahaern and their fellowes who suspecting the kings armie seeing they could not trust them in the kings seruice returned to their countrie About this time the order and court of Parliament began first in England The kings of elder time did neuer lightlie call togither all the states of the realme vnlesse it were in the begining of their gouernment to settle things in quietnesse at their Coronations or when some great warre was in hand otherwise in the ordering of the common wealth the kings did all things by their officers with directions and edicts or by such of the nobilitie as were chifee rulers in their seuerall counties After the death of Owen his brethren diuided his landes betweene them sauing that which he had taken by force from his vncle Meredyth being the lands of Madoc ap Riryd ap Blethyn The names of his brethren were these Madoc whose mother was Gwenlhian the daughter of Gruffyth ap Conan Eneon whose mother was Sanna the daughter of Dyfnwal Morgan whose mother was Evelhiw or Elhiw the daughter of Cadivor ap Colhoyn lord of Dyuet Henrie and Gruffyth whose mother was the daughter of the lord Pigot Cadogans wedded wife Meredyth by Evrvron Hoedliw Owen was the sonne of Inerth the daughter of Edwyn After this Eneon ap Cadogan and Gruffyth ap Meredyth ap Blethyn did lead their power against a castell that Vchtryd ap Edwyn had built at Cymmer in Merionyth for Cadogan had giuen to his coosen germane Vchtryd Merionyth and Ceuilioc vpon condition that he and his should be freends to his freends and foes to his foes in all causes but contrarie to that condition he and his sonnes were euer against Cadogans children in euerie enterprise that they went about Therfore after they had set vpon the castell and slaine diuerse of the garrison the rest yeelded to them and so when they had wonne all the countrie they diuided it betwixt them Thus Gruffyth ap Meredyth had Mowthwy Cyuelioc and halfe Penlhyn and the other halfe of Penlhyn Merionyth came to Eneon An. 1116. king Henrie sailed into Normandie with a great armie against the French king who with the Erle of Flanders and others went about to make William sonne to Robert Curthoise duke of Normandie but at king Henries arriuall they returned home without honor This yeere died William Strangbow of a consumption The next yeare after fell a great variance betweene Howel ap Ithel Lord of Ros and Ryuonioc now Denbighland and Riryd and Lhywarch the sonnes of Owen ap Edwyn Then Howel sent to Meredyth ap Blethyn and to Eneon and Madoc Cadogans sonnes for succour who came downe from Merionyth with 400. men well appointed and met with the sonnes of Owen in the vallie of Clwyd their owne land which sonnes of Owen sent for their coosines the sonnes of Vchtryd to come with their powers to succour them all these met togither with cruell harts and fought manfully but in the end after great slaughter Lhywarch the sonne of Owen ap Edwyn was slaine and with him Iorwerth the sonne of Nudh which was a noble man and a worthie soldiour and Riryd fled and so Howel ap Ithel had the victorie but he was so sore wounded that he died within fourtie daies after Then Meredyth ap Blethyn and the sonnes of Cadogan made speed home for feare of the Frenchmen which laie in garrisons about Chester In the yeare 1120. died Murcart the worthiest and greatest prince in all Ireland And the same time there was a great battell fought betweene king Henrie and the French king who was ouerthrowne and a great number of his nobles taken And shortlie after as king Henrie returned towards England by misgouernment of the shipmaster there was a ship drowned wherein perished the kings two sonnes William and Richard with his daughter and niece and manie other to the number of 150. The next yeare after the king did marrie Adelyce daughter to the duke of Louaine forthwith prepared a great armie against Wales and came to Powys land which when the lords of the land Meredyth ap Blethyn and the three sons of Cadogan Eneon Madoc and Morgan saw they sent to Gruffyth ap Conan prince of Northwales to desire succours at his hands and he answered that they should not receiue anie of him nor enter within his lands for he had made peace with the king Thus hauing no hope of aid from him they purposed to defend themselues within their owne land after the best maner they could and set men to keepe and defend the straits wherby their enimies must needes passe And as it chanced the king himselfe with a small number came vnto one of those defended places for his whole armie had goone a further waie
steward of Ireland and so it was concluded for the kings going to Ireland When the king was in his iournie towards Ireland the Lord Rees came to the king who receiued him to his peace confirmed vnto him all that he had Then Rees promised the king towards his conquest of Ireland 300. horsses and 400. Oxen and gaue him 14. pledges Then the king came to Southwales entring Caerlhêon vpō Vske tooke the towne from the Lord thereof Iorwerth ap Owen ap Caradoc keeping the same to his owne vse Wherefore Iorwerth departed from the king and calling to him his two sonnes Owen and Howel whom he had begotten by Angharat the daughter of Vchtryd bishop of Landaff and his sister sonne Morgan ap Sitsylt ap Dyfnwal gathered a number of men and vpon the kings departure entred the countrie spoiling and burning as they went and tooke the towne of Caerlhêon and destroied it saue the castell which they could not get But the king kept on his iornie to Penbrooke and there he gaue Rees all Caerdigan Stratywy Arustly Eluel Then Rees being at Aberteiui which he had wonne from the Earle of Glocester and fortified of late came from thence to Penbrooke in the calends of October and spake with the king and returned againe the daie after and then chose out of the horsses which he caused to be brought thither for the king 86. and made them to be brought to Penbrooke and presented them to the king who chose out of the same 36. of the best and sent the rest backe againe with great thankes The same daie the king went to Saint Dauid and offering there dined with the bishop Dauid the sonne of Gerald coosen germaine to Rees whither Richard Strangbowe Earle of Strigule came from Ireland to speake with the king and after dinner the king returned to Penbrooke Within a while after the king being at the white house rendered to Rees Howel his sonne who had beene long for pledge with him and then also he gaue him day for the other pledges and for his tribute till his returne from Ireland The next daie being the morrowe after the feast of S. Luke the Euangelist the king tooke shipping there and had faire passage to Ireland and so landed at Dublyne where he laie quietlie that winter The Christmasse folowing Henrie the yong king kept a solemne feast where William S. Iohn procurator of Normandie and William Fitzhamon Seneshall of Brytaine and 110. besides were made knights In the yeare 1172. there fell a great plague among the kings soldiours in Ireland by reason of the change of the aire and victuals and therefore the king returned and landed in Wales in the passion weeke and remained in Penbrooke on Easter daie and the daie folowing and on tuesdaie tooke his iournie towards England Then the lord Rees met with him at Talacharn to doo his dutie The king as he passed from Cardyf by the new castell vpon Vske sent for Iorwerth ap Owen ap Caradoc to come speake with him vnder safe conduct to him his sons and freends meaning to conclude peace with him and so to quiet all VVales Wherevpon Iorwerth tooke his iournie towards the king and sent word to Owen his sonne being a lustie yoong gentleman to meete with him by the waie but as he came at his fathers commandement the Earle of Brystowes men hearing of it came forth of the new castell vpon Vske and laid wait for him by the way being vnder the kings safe conduct trusting to his promise and suddenlie set vpon him and murthered him traitorouslie and cowardlie being vnarmed and hauing but a few in his companie Which thing when his father heard by some of his men that had escaped he was verie sorie and returned home with all his freends and his sonne Howel and would neuer afterwards trust neither the kings promise nor anie Englishmans but forthwith gathered all the power freends that he could make and without mercie destroied all the countrie with fire and sword to the gates of Hereford and Glocester to auenge the death of his son Then the king made the lord Rees chiefe Iustice of all Southwales by commission and tooke his iournie to Normandie In the same yeere died Cadwalader ap Gruffyth ap Conan prince of Northwales who had by his wife Alice the daughter of Richard Clare Earle of Glocester Cunetha Radulph and Richard and by other women he had Caduan Cadwalader Eneon Meredyth goch and Cadwalhon Towards the end of this yeare Sitsylt ap Dyfnwal and Ieuan ap Sitsylt ap Riryd got the castell of Abergevenny vpon the sudden and tooke the kings garrison prisoners and the yeare ensuing was the fairest winter that euer was seene At this time there fell a variance betwixt the two kings of England the father and the sonne and there cleaued to the sonne the Queene his mother and both his brethren Geffrey and Richard and the Earle of Chester and William Patrick with the three sonnes of the Earle of Mellent Camerarius de Tancquervilla Valeran de Hibera Gilbert de Regularijs Simon de Montfort Radulph de la Haie Hugh de S. Maura and the French king with the Earle of Flanders gaue the yoong king aid who tooke Hugh Lacie and Hugh Beauchamp in the castell of Vernoyle yet the elder king was not discouraged who had Almanes and Brabanters to his soldiours Also Rees prince of Southwales sent to him Howel his sonne with a goodlie companie of men to serue him and the king was verie glad sent the lord Rees great thanks King Henrie ouerthrew his enimies diuerse times and tooke Radulph de Fulgerijs and the Earle of Chester prisoners but William Patricke and Haftulph de Hilario escaped Also the Earle of Leycester Hugh de nouo Castello as they began a stirre in England were taken at Burie by the elder kings soldiours and committed to prison In this meane time Iorwerth ap Owen brought his power against Caerlhêon and they of the towne fought with him whome he ouerthrew and tooke manie prisoners of them and wan the towne and laid siege to the castell which was yeelded him forthwith in exchange for his prisoners Then also his sonne Howel brought all Gwentîs Coet the castell onelie excepted to his subiection and tooke pledges of the inhabitants of the countrie Also at this time Dauid ap Owen Gwyneth prince of Northwales made warre against his brother Maelgon which kept the Ile of Môn or Anglesey brought his people ouer Mênai for so that arme of the sea is called which separateth that Ile from the maine land and chasing his brother out of the Ile to Ireland brought all the Ile to his subiection Also he expelled all his brethren and coosens out of Northwales and tooke all their lands to himselfe and taking his brother Maelgon as he came from Ireland kept him in close prison then Conan his brother died In the yeare 1175.
will of the people all his land sauing two castels Aberteiui and Stratmeyric which his brother Maelgon by the aid of Gwenwynwyn had wrongfullie taken from him Then his brother Maelgon fearing his displeasure tooke a solemne oth before noble and religious men which were about to make peace betwixt them that if his brother Gruffyth would giue him pledges for the assurance of his owne person he would deliuer him by a day the castell of Aberteiui whervpon Gruffyth did so But assoone as Maelgon got the pledges he fortified the castell manned it to his owne vse and sent the pledges to Gwenwynwyn who hated Gruffyth to the death there to be kept in prison But shortlie after by Gods helpe they brake the prison escaped home In the yeare 1199. Maelgon sonne to prince Rees laid siege to the castell of Dynerth and getting it slew all the garrison which his brother Gruffyth had left to defend it But at the same time Gruffyth wan the castell of Cilgerran and fortified it This yeare as king Richard did vew the castell of Chaleus in the countrie of Lenuoyle he was striken with a quarell and sore wounded whereof he died the ninth of April and left by his testament Iohn his brother inheritor of all his lands hauing no respect to his brother Geffreys son Arthur duke of Brytaine who being the sonne of the elder brother was his right heire Then this Iohn surnamed Without land was crowned king of England with great triumph wherfore the French king forth with made warre against him to whom Arthur duke of Brytaine cleaued thinking thereby to obtaine the crowne of England Also the king of Scots by meanes of Hugh Bygod came to Yorke and openlie sware fidelitie to the king of England The yeare after Gruffyth sonne to Conan ap Owen Gwyneth a noble man died and was buried in a moonks cowle at the Abbey of Conwy and so were all the nobles for the most part of that time buried for they were made to beleeue by the moonks and friers that that strange weed was a sure defense betwixt their soules and hell how so euer they died And all this baggage and superstition receiued they with moonks and friers a few yeres before that out of England For the first Abbey or frier house that we read of in Wales sith the destruction of the noble house of Bangor which sauored not of Romish dregges was the Tuy Gwyn built the yeare 1146. and after they swarmed like bees through all the countrie for then the Cleargie had forgotten the lesson that they had receiued of the noble Clerke Ambrosius Telesinus who writing in the yeare 540. when the right Christian faith which Ioseph of Aremathia taught at the Ile of Aualon reigned in this land before the proud and bloodthirstie moonke Augustine infected it with his Romish doctrine in a certaine Ode hath these verses Gwae'r offeiriad byd Nys angreifftia gwyd Ac ny phregetha Gwae ny cheidw ey gail Ac ef yn vigail Ac nys areilia Gwae ny theidw ey dheuaid Rhae bleidhie Rhufeniaid A'i ffon gnwppa Which may thus be Englished almost word for word Wo be to that priest yborne That will not cleanlie weed his corne And preach his charge among Wo be to that shepherd I saie That will not watch his fold alwaie As to his office doth belong Wo be to him that doth not keepe From Romish woolues his sheepe With staffe and weapon strong And because no man should doubt of them I haue set them here as they were written by him that made them Whereby it may be proued that the Brytaines the first inhabiters of this realme did abhorre the Romish doctrine taught in that time which doctrine I am sure is litle amended now in the church of Rome and that may be to vs a mirrour to see our owne follie if we doo degenerate from our forefathers the ancient Brytaines in the sinceritie of true religion as we doo in other things This yeare Maelgon ap Rees seeing he could not well keepe Aberteiui of verie spite to his brother and hatred to his countrie sold it to the Englishmen for a small summe of monie being the keie and locke of all Wales The same yeare Madoc the sonne of Gruffyth Maylor lord of Bromfild did build the abbie of Lhanegwest called in English commonlie Vale crucis This yeare also king Iohn made peace with the French king and Arthur duke of Brytaine his nephue and married Isabel daughter and heire vnto the Earle of Angolisme which was before assured vnto Hugh de Brune Uicount of Carce wherefore the said Hugh forsooke king Iohn and became his enimie This Hugh Brune Earle of March and Turyn had this Isabel to wife after the death of king Iohn by whome he had issue William de Valence who in the right of Ione his wife daughter and heire of Warren Montchensey and of Ione the eldest daughter and one of the heires of William Earle Marshall and Penbrooke was Earle of Penbrooke as in this historie hereafter doth appeare The yeare 1201. Lhewelyn ap Iorwerth prince of Northwales being a lustie yoong man banished out of the land his coosen Meredyth the sonne of Conan ap Owen Gwyneth suspected of treason and seased the Cantref of Lhyyn and Euyonyth to his owne hands which were Conans land Then shortlie after Meredyth the sonne of prince Rees was slaine at Carnwilhion by treason whose elder brother Gruffyth seased vpon his castell in Lhanymdhyfri and all his lands This Gruffyth was a wise and discreet gentleman and one that was like to bring all Southwales to good order and obedience who in all things folowed his fathers steppes whom as he succeeded in gouernment so he did in all martiall prowes and nobilitie of mind but cruell fortune which frowned vpon that countrie suffered him not long to enioy his land This prince died vpon S. Iames daie ensuing and was buried at Stratflur with great solemnitie he left behind him a son called Rees as right inheritor of Southwales whose mother was Mawd the daughter of William de Bruse Also this yeare died Arthur duke of Brytaine at Roane not without suspicion of poison ministred by his vncles meanes who caused his sister Elianor to be conueied to England and to be kept in prison miserablie in the castell of Brystow as long as she liued Then the French king got all Normandie sauing Roane and two castels by treason of the Normanes who hated Iohn to the death The next yeare after that certeine lords of Wales got the castell of Gwerthrynion which was Roger Mortimers and made it plaine with the ground Then Lhewelyn ap Iorwerth prince of Northwales calling to memorie his estate and title and how all the other princes by the ordinance of Roderike the Great and after by the lawes of Howel Dha ought of right to acknowledge the king or prince of Northwales as their liege lord and hold
their lands of him and of none other notwithstanding that of late yeares by negligence of his predecessors they had not vsed their accustomed dutie but some held of the king of England other ruled as supreme powers within their owne countries Therefore he called a Parliament of all the lords in Wales which for the most part appeared before him swore to be his liegemen but Gwenwynwyn lord of Powys would not come thither nor take the oth of allegiance Which disobedience the prince declared to all his lords they all thought that it was meete that Gwenwynwyn should be constrained by force to doo his dutie or else to leese his lands Yet one of his lords named Elise ap Madoc would not agree to hurt Gwenwynwyn in anie case but departed awaie suddenlie then Lhewelyn came with an armie to Powys but by the meanes of certaine learned men Gwenwynwyn and the prince were made freends Gwenwynwyn became the prince his liegeman and confirmed that both by oth and writing Then Lhewelyn remembring how Elise ap Madoc had serued him seased vpon all his lands and Elise fled the countrie but afterward yeelded himselfe to the princes mercie who gaue him the castell of Crogen and seuen towneships withall And here I thinke it not vnmeete to declare the cause why the Englishmen vse to call the Welshmen Crogens as a word of reproch and despite but if they knew the beginning they should find it contrarie For in the viage that king Henrie the second made against the Welshmen to the mountaines of Berwin as he laie at Oswestree a number of his men that were sent to trie the passages as they would haue passed Offas ditch at the castell of Crogen at which place there was is at this daie a narrow waie through the same ditch for that ditch appeereth yet to this daie verie deepe through all that countrie beareth his old name These men I saie as they would haue passed this straite were met withall a great number of them slaine as appeareth by their graues there yet to be seene whereof the strait beareth the name Therefore the Englishmen afterward not forgetting this slaughter vsed to cast the Welshmen in the teeth in all their troubles with the name of Crogen as if they would signifie vnto them thereby that they should looke for no fauour but rather reuengment at their hands which word in processe of time grew to be taken in another signification Now when Lhewelyn had set all these parties in good order he returned to Northwales by the waie fortified the castell of Bala in Penlhyn About the same time Rees sonne to Gruffyth ap Rees by right prince of Southwales got the castell of Lhanymdhyfri vpon Michaelmas day This yeare king Iohn lost all Normandie with Aniow Mayne and Poytiers and Hugh Gurnaie Robert Fitzwater and Sayer de Quincie who had a great part of these countries vnder their rule deliuered all vp to the French king at the first summon yet Roger Lacie kept his castels as long as he had any hope of succors About this time there was in England one called Simon de Thurnay a great diuine and philosopher who diuerse times made his aduaunt that he knew all that was to be knowen and suddenlie he fell to such ignorance that he cold nether read nor vnderstand one letter in the booke About this time Lhewelyn prince of Wales tooke to wife Ione the daughter of king Iohn by Agatha the daughter of Robert Ferrers Earle of Derby with whom the said king gaue him the lordship of Elsmere in the Marches of Wales The yeare next ensuing the foresaid Rees ap Gruffyth ap Rees got the castell of Lhangadoc and fortified it to his owne vse but shortlie after Maelgon his vncle with his freend Gwenwynwyn came with a strong power before the castell of Lhanymdhyfri wan it and from thence they remoued to Lhangadoc got the same likewise suffering the garrison to depart From thence Maelgon went to Dinerth and finished the castell which he had begun there About this time Dauid sonne to Owen Gwyneth after that prince Lhewelyn his nephue had set him at libertie fled to England and got an armie to restore him to his ancient estate in Northwales but all in vaine for his nephue met him and ouerthrew him in the waie then he returning to England for verie sorow died shortlie after The next yeare to this Howel the sonne of prince Rees being blind was slaine at Cemaes by his brother Maelgons men and buried by his brother Gruffyth at Stratflur Although this Maelgon in those daies bare all the rule in Southwales yet his brother Gruffyths sonnes Rees and his brethren wan from him the chiefe defense of all his countrie to wit the castels of Dyneuowr and Lhanymdhyfri Then William Marshall Earle of Penbrooke laid siege to the castell of Cilgerran wan it Not long after Maelgon ap Rees hired an Irishman to kill Gadiuor ap Griffri whose foure sons Maelgon tooke and put them to death These were toward gentlemen and came of a noble stocke for their mother Susanna was daughter to the said Howel ap Rees by a daughter of Madoc ap Meredyth prince of Powys The yeare 1205. Maelgon did build a castell at Abereneon At that time there came such abundance of fish to Aberystwyth as the like was neuer seene before Within the next three yeares after the French king got manie townes in Gwyen In those daies there fell a great debate in England between the king the clergie about the election of the Archbishop of Canturburie in so much that the yeare 1208. the Pope denounced all England accursed no seruice was vsed in anie church within England This yere the king did banish out of the land William de Bruse with his wife for displeasure that he bare to his son and seased their lands to his owne hands which William with his said wife and son fled to Ireland there remained for a while This man was of great power in the Marches of Wales but extreeme cruell and vniust The same yeare Gwenwynwyn came to Shrewesburie to speake with the kings councell and was there detained prisoner wherevpon prince Lhewelyn conquered all his countrie with all the towns and castels therein and kept the same to his owne vse Which when Maelgon ap Rees vnderstood and that Lhewelyn would make his voiage to Southwales he ouerthrew his castels of Aberystwyth Stratmeyric and Dynerth which he before had fortified despairing to be able to withstand the prince but the prince kept on his iournie to Aberystwyth and built the castell againe fortified it and seased to his owne hands the Cantref of Penwedic the land betwixt Dyui and Aeron which he gaue to Maelgons nephues the sonnes of Gruffyth ap Rees and so returned home with great ioy Within a litle after Rees Vachan sonne to prince Rees laid siege
part of his armie with guides of the countrie to burne Bangor who did so taking Rotpert the bishop prisoner who was afterward ransomed for 200. hawkes Then the prince seeing all England and Wales against him a great part of his land won from him thought it best to entreat with the king And thervpon he sent Ione his wife the kings daughter to hir father to make a peace who being a discreet woman found the meanes that vpon pledges giuen for safe conduct the prince came to the king and made peace with him and did him homage Then giuing him pledges he promised vnto him towards his charges 20000. heads of cattell and fortie horsses Moreouer he granted to the king the Inland for euer wherevpon the king returned to England with great triumph after that he had brought all Wales vnder his subiection sauing Rees Owen the sonnes of Gruffyth ap Rees Therfore at his departure he gaue straite commandement to Foulke Vicount of Caerdyff called Warden of the Marches a cruell tyrant but yet wel loued of the king to take an armie with him that he ioining with Maelgon and Rees Vachan might compell the aforesaid sonnes of Gruffyth to obeie him This Foulke or Falcasius de Breant a Norman borne and a bastard being a cruell and a wicked man was called by king Iohn to his aid against the Barons who vsed himselfe cruellie towards them for which cause she said king gaue him in mariage Margaret de Riparijs an inheritrice of great possessions This Foulke calling vnto him Maelgon and Rees came to the Cantref of Penwedic then the yoong lords seing no remedie sent to him for peace and safeconduct to passe to the court which he granted them When they came to the court vpon their submission to the king with the gift of all their lands betwixt Aeron and Dyui they were receiued of him very gentlie and curteouslie intreated and after they had doone him homage they returned home againe Then Foulke before his departure out of the countrie fortified the castell of Aberystwyth and manned it to the kings behoofe But within a while Maelgon as he was verie vnconstant and Rees Vachan repented them of the peace they had made with the king and therevpon laid siege to the castell of Aberystwyth getting the same destroied it When their nephues Rees and Owen sawe that their vncles had broken the kings peace they made a roade vnto Maelgons countrie and slew a great number of his men and returned with a rich bootie The next yeare prince Lhewelyn being not able to abide the displeasures which the garrisons that the king left in his nephues castels in Northwales did to his people called to him Gwenwynwyn from Powys Maelgon ap Rees from Southwales Madoc ap Gruffyth Maylor from Bromfield Meredyth ap Rotpert from Cydewen and opened to them this miserable case how they which were woont to haue a prince of their owne nation now by their owne wilfulnesse were brought in subiection to a stranger and declared also vnto them how that if they would agree among themselues they might defend their ancient estate still which thing they all promised to do swore fealtie to prince Lhewelyn forthwith gathered an armie wan all the castels sauing Ruthlan Dyganwy then comming to Powys they laid siege to the castell which Robert Vepont had made at Mathraual But when the king was informed of all this he leuied an armie and came thither to raise the siege and after caused the castell to be rased then returned home hauing greater matters in hand betweene him his nobles Then being at Notingham hering how the prince of Wales destroied all the Marches he caused the pledges which he had receiued the last yere to be hanged as Howel the son of Cadwalhon Madoc the sonne of Maelgon and others to the number of 28. striplings Also Robert Vepont did hang at Shrewesburie Rees the sonne of Maelgon not being yet seuen yeares of age and so cruellie murthered the innocent to reuenge the offenses of others In the meane while that the king remained at Notingham he receiued letters from the princesse of Northwales his daughter declaring that his nobles had conspired with the French king against him and for proofe thereof she alledged that Robert Fitzwater Eustace de Vescy and Stephan Ridell were secretelie fled into France and that the French king prepared an armie to come to England vnder the colour that the king was a rebell from the church for that he would not condescend to the bishop of Romes requests The yeare 1213. Innocentius Pope of Rome did release prince Lhewelyn Gwenwynwyn and Maelgon of those oths that they had made to king Iohn and willed them vnder the paines of cursing to annoie and trouble him all that they could as the enimie of the church Wherevpon forthwith Lhewelyn receiued all the Inland countrie which to this time was in the kings hands But within a little after the king by the persuasion of Pandulph the legat granted the Pope his request and obteined absolution at his hands and releasement of the interdiction vpon performance of his promises Then king Iohn hearing how the French king was in Flanders and had a great nauie at Dam purposing to bring the Earldome into his subiection sent William de Longaspata Earle of Salisburie Reginald Earle of Boleyn and Hugh de Noua villa or Neuill thither with a great nauie who ouerthrew the Frenchmen and returned home with great spoile Shortlie after king Iohn sailed to Rochell where the Earle of those marches and Geffrey de Landanamo were reconciled to him The yeare folowing king Iohn made peace with the French king for fiue yeares Then Rees son to Gruffyth ap Rees which was heire to prince Rees seeing he could haue no part of his fathers lands but that his vncles did keepe all from him by force made his complaint to the king And the king pittieng his estate sent to Foulke Vicount of Caerdyff warden of the marches and to the steward of Hereford commanding them to take all Stratywy from Rees Vachan whom other call Rees Gryc vnlesse he would let his nephues enioie the castell of Lhauymdhyfry with the territorie belonging thereto And they sent to Rees to know his mind who answered them stoutlie that they should not haue one foote of land of him Therefore Foulke gathered a great armie and met with yoong Rees at Talhwynelgain where he looked for him with a number of men that he had gotten in Brechnock and thence they marched in three battelles towardes Dyneuowr of which yoong Rees lead the first Foulke the second and Owen brother to Rees the third Then Rees Vachan came boldlie and gaue them battell where in the end he was put to flight with the losse of a great number of his men Then he went straight and manned the castell of Dineuowr and burned the towne of
charges in this warre The yeare folowing the mariage was celebrated at VVorcester betwixt Elianor daughter to Symon Montfort and prince Lhewelyn where the King the Queene and the most part of the nobilitie of England were present Also the yeare after Roger Mortimer set vp at Killingworth a round table for a hundreth knights to be exercised in the feats of armes and thither resorted manie knights from diuerse countries At this time the king of Scots did his homage to king Edward and obtained the kings letters that his succors in the last warres of VVales were not done by the name of seruice but of good will And at this time a generall inquisition was made how and by what title euerie man held his lands and liberties and the first that was called was the Earle VVaren who drawing out an old sword said By this warrant mine ancestours wanne their lands and by this I doo and will hold mine And all the Barons applied to this answere and the Quo warranto was no more talked of The peace concluded betwéene the prince of Wales and the king of England did not long continue by reason of the seuere and stricte dealing of such officers as the king appointed rulers in the Marches and the Inland countrie of Wales who hunting after their owne gaines oppressed the inhabitants burthening them with new exactions contrarie to the customes of the countrie and also shewing themselues too much affectionate in matters of controuersie betwéene partie and partie especiallie when anie Englishman had to doo in the matter which poling and parcialitie did altogither alienate the harts of the people from the king of England so that they had rather die than liue in such thraldome Wherevpon assembling themselues togither they so moued Dauid lord of Denbigh to be at vnitie with prince Lhewelyn and to take pitie vpon their affliction and miserie that he being agréed with his brother became their captaine Not long after Dauid lord of Denbigh being reconciled to his brother the Prince vpon condition he should neuer after serue the king of England as he had done before but become his vtter enimie laid siege to the castell of Hawarden and tooke Roger Clifford a noble knight slaieng all that resisted and after spoiling all the countrie he with his brother the Prince laid siege to the castell of Ruthlan the king hearing of this hasted thither with a great armie to raise the siege then the Prince retired backe with his armie Also the same time Rees the sonne of Maelgon and Gruffyth ap Meredyth ap Owen with other noble men of Southwales tooke the castell of Aberystwyth and diuerse other castels in that countrie spoiling all the kings people that inhabited there abouts Therefore the king sent the Archbishop of Canturburie to talke with the Prince and his brethren which returned without doing anie good and by the kings commandement denounced them and all their complices accursed This Archibishop here mentioned was Iohn Peckham who was sent from king Edward to prince Lhewelyn as this author thinketh but he himselfe affirmeth that he tooke that enterprise in hand of his owne motion contrarie or beside the kings mind to the which assertion of his Nicholas Triuet and Thomas Walsingham séeme to agrée His whole dooings in this matter are to be found in the records of Canturburie the copie of the which records being collected and for the most part translated out of Latine into English by Doctor Thomas Yale chanceller to that worthie prelate of reuerend memorie Matthew Parker Archbishop of Canturburie whose carefull search painfull trauell and chargeable setting out of the antiquities of this land euerie man that loueth his countrie cannot choose but commend and thankefullie accept and take in good part I thought necessarie here to set downe for the laieng open of the truth to the view of all men which heretofore was either maliciouslie concealed or negligentlie omitted by all the writers of this historie Articles sent from the Archbishop of Canturburie to be intimated to Lhewelyn Prince of VVales and the people of the same countrie BIcause we came to those parts for the spirituall and temporall health of them whom we haue euer loued well as diuers of them haue knowne 2. That we come contrarie to the will of our Lord the king whom our said comming as it is said dooth much offend 3 That we desire and beséech them for the bloud of our lord Iesus Christ that they would come to an vnitie with the English people and to the peace of our lord the king which we intend to procure them so well as we can 4 We will them to vnderstand that we cannot long tarrie in these quarters 5 We would they considered that after our parting out of the countrie they shall not perhaps find anie that will so tender the preferring of their cause as we would doo if it pleased God with our mortall life we might procure them an honest stable and firme peace 6 That if they doo contemne our petition labour we intend foorthwith to signifie their stubbernes to the high bishop and the court of Rome for the enormitie that manie waies hapneth by occasion of this discord this daie 7 Let them know that vnlesse they doo quickelie agrée to a peace that warre shall be aggrauated against them which they shall not be able to sustaine for the kings power increaseth dailie 8 Let them vnderstand that the realme of England is vnder the speciall protection of the sea of Rome that the sea of Rome loueth it better than anie other kingdome 9 That the said sea of Rome will not in anie wise sée the state of the realme of England quaile being vnder speciall protection 10 That we much lament to heare that the Welshmen be more cruell then Saracens for Saracens when they take christians they kéepe them to be redéemed for monie But they saie that the Welshmen by and by doo kill all that they take and are onelie delighted with blood and sometime cause to be killed them whose ransome they haue receiued 11 That whereas they were euer woont to be estéemed and to reuerence God Ecclesiasticall persons they séeme much to reuolt from that deuotion moouing sedition and warre and committing slaughter and burning in the holie time Which is great iniurie to God wherein no man can excuse them 12 We desire that as true christians they would repent for they cannot long continue their begun discord if they had sworne it 13 We will that they signifie vnto vs how they will or can amend the trouble of the kings peace and the hurt of the common wealth 14 That they signifie vnto vs how peace and concord may be established for in vaine were it to forme peace to be dailie violated 15 If they saie that their lawes or couenants be not obserued that they doo signifie vnto vs which those be 16 That granting it that they were iniured as they saie
hir decease apperteined to Dauid by force of the foresaid grant which townes yet the king tooke from him contrarie to his letters patents 2 Item when the said Dauid did hold of the lord the king the villages of Hope and Eston in Wales of the which he ought to answere no man but according to the lawes of Wales yet the Iustice of Chester caused the said Dauid to be called to Chester at the sute of one William Vanable an English man to answere for the title of the said villages And although the said Dauid did often instantlie desire him the said Iustice not to procéed against him iniuriouslie in the countie of Chester where he was not bound to answere by the forme of the peace yet he plainlie denied him to be iudged either in Wales or after the lawes of Wales 3 Item the said Iustice of Chester to the iniurie of the said Dauid did cut downe his wood of Lhyweny and his woods at Hope as well by the dwellers of Ruthlan as others and yet the said Iustice had no iurisdiction in those parts And not being contented to get timber there for building as well for Ruthlan as other places in the countrie but also destroied the said woods sold it and carried it into Ireland 4 Item where the said Dauid tooke certeine outlawes and rouers in the woods and caused them to be hanged yet the said Iustice accused Dauid to the king for succoring and mainteining the théeues aforesaid which was not like to be true séeing he caused them to be hanged 5 Item it is prouided in the peace that all Welshmen in their causes should be iudged after the lawes of Wales This was in no point obserued with the said Dauid and his people Of these foresaid gréefs the said Dauid required often amends either according to the lawes and customes of Wales or of speciall fauour but he could neuer obteine anie of them both at his hands Further the said Dauid was warned in the kings court that assoone as Reginald Gray should come from the court the said Dauid should be taken and spoiled of his castell of Hope his woods should be cut downe and his children taken for pledges who séeing he had taken much paines and perill for the king in all his warres as well himselfe as his people both in England and in Wales and had lost therebie the most part of the nobilitie of his countrie and yet neuerthelesse could obteine neither iustice amends nor fauour at his hands hauing such great wrongs offred vnto him and fearing his owne life and his childrens or else perpetuall prison being enforced as it were against his will began to defend himselfe and his people Greefs and iniuries offered by the king and his officers to the men of Ros. THis is the forme of peace which the king of England did promise the men of Ros before they did him homage which he promised them to obserue inuiolablie That is to saie the king should grant to euerie of them their right and iurisdiction as they had in time of king Henrie according as the said men doo report that they had in the time of king Henrie 2 Item the lord the king did promise the said men that they should haue iustice in their sutes after granting of the which articles the said men did homage to the king And then the king promised them with his owne mouth faithfullie to obserue the said articles This notwithstanding a certeine noble man passing by the kings hie waie with his wife in the kings peace met certeine English laborers and Masons going to Ruthlan where they did then worke who attempted by force to take awaie his wife from him and while he defended hir as well as he could one of them killed the wife and he who killed hir with his fellowes were taken and when the kinred of hir which was slaine required law at the Iustice of Chesters hands for their kinswoman they were put in prison and the murtherers were deliuered 3 Item a certeine man killed a Gentleman who had killed the sonne of Grono ap Heilyn and was taken but when certeine of the kinred required iustice before the Iustice of Chester certeine of them were imprisoned the offender set at libertie and iustice denied to the kinred 4 Item certeine Gentlemen claimed some lands and offered the king a great péece of monie to haue iustice by the verdict of good lawfull men of the countrie then the lands being adiudged to the claimers Reginald Gray tooke the same lands corne goods and all vpon the ground so that they lost their lands monie corne and cattell 5 Item it is our right that no stranger should cut our woods without our leaue yet this notwithstanding there was a proclamation at Ruthlan that it should be lawfull for all other men to cut downe our woods but to vs it was forbidden 6 Item where diuerse honest men had lands of the gift of the said Dauid the Iustice taketh the said mens lands awaie 7 Item when anie commeth to Ruthlan with merchandize if he refuse whatsoeuer anie English man offereth he is forthwith sent to the castell to prison and the buier hath the thing and the king hath the price then the soldiours of the castell first spoile and beate the partie and then cause him to pay the porter and let him go 8 Item if anie Welshmen buie anie thing in Ruthlan and anie English man doo méet him he will take it from him and giue him lesse than he paid for it 9 Item the king contrarie to his promise made to the men of Ros hath giuen the territorie of Maynan Penmayn and Lhysuayn 10 Item certeine Gentlemen of the Cantred of Ros bought certeine offices and paid their monie for the same yet the Iustice of Chester tooke the said offices from them without cause 11 Item Grono ap Heilyn tooke to farme of Godfrey Marliney the territorie of Maynan and Lhysuayn for the terme of foure yeares yet Robert de Cruquer with horses and armes and foure and twentie horssemen came to vexe the said Grono so that he had no safe going neither to Ruthlan nor Chester without a great garrison of his kindred and fréends 12 Item certeine Gentlemen were arrested for trespasses doone before the warres and imprisoned and could not be deliuered vntill they had paied xvj markes which was contrarie to the peace concluded 13 Item our causes ought to be decided after the custome of our lawes but our men be compelled to sweare against their consciences else they be not suffered to sweare furthermore we spent thrée hundreth markes in going to the king for iustice in the foresaid articles And when we beléeued to recouer full iustice the king sent to our parties the lord Reginald Gray to whom the king hath set all the lands to farme to handle the men of the said Cantreds as it pleaseth him who compelled vs to sweare in his name whereas we should sweare in the kings
Cynwric ap Grono was taken at Ruthlan and put in prison without anie cause at all neither would the kings officers deliuer him vnlesse he would redéeme the gage of a certeine woman for the which he was constrained to paie much more than the pawne laie for 10 When the bailiffe of Ruthlan was at a feast Hicken le Maile wounded a Gentleman cruellie in the presence of the said bailiffe by the occasion of which wound Hicken was condemned in eight pound and when he which was hurt would haue demanded the said eight pound he was put in prison with Hicken 11 The messengers of Reginald Gray attempted an absurditie not heard of requiring the people of the countrie to plow his ground and sowe the same and the messengers were Cynwric Says and Hicken Lemayl and the said Cynwric sware openlie before the whole companie that vnlesse all men should plow Reginald Grayes ground they should shortlie repent it then the people feared much as in that case anie constant man would feare 12 The heires of Tegengl bought their offices for xxx markes of the king But afterward Reginald Gray spoiled them of their offices and monie against the lawes and customes of England 13 Seauen Gentlemen were wrongfullie killed by the Englishmen but as yet the parents of the Gentlemen can haue no amends and though the offenders were taken yet the said constable let them go without punishment 14 The constable of Ruthlan kept two of the kings soldiours in prison for that they tooke an Englishman who had wounded a man All these things conteined in these articles are contrarie to the priuilege libertie and right of the said men and contrarie to the lawes and customes of Wales neither dare the inhabitants send their complaints to the king for feare of Reginald Gray which feare anie constant man might haue because the said Reginald Gray said openlie that if he could come by anie such their messengers he would cut off their heads as it is certeinelie told vs by one of his counsell further neither toong can expresse nor penne can write how euill the men of Tegengl haue béene ordered Humblie complaineth vnto your lordship my lord Archbishop of Canturburie Primate of all England Lhewelyn ap Gruffyth ap Madoc of the constable of Oswaldes Crosse the king and of the men of that towne who haue spoiled the said Lhewelyn of the third part of a towne called Lhedrot and his fathers house without any law or right or custome of the countrie Further the said Constable and his complices haue against the lawes and the custome of the countrie spoiled the said Lhewelyn of the common and pasturage which he and his predecessors haue had and vsed time out of mind and further condemned the said Lhewelyn for the said pasture in lxx markes And further the king of England granted certeine letters to a bastard called Gruffyth Vachan of Cynlhaeth to law with the said Lhewelyn for his whole lordship and possessions by the occasion of the which letters the said Lhewelyn hath spent two hundreth pound of good monie Also the said Constable compelled the said Lhewelyn to send two of his Gentlemen to him whom when they came to him he caused to be hanged which Gentlemen ought not by right to haue béene hanged whose parents had rather haue giuen him thrée hundreth pound Afterward the said Constable imprisoned thréescore of the men of the said Lhewelyn no cause alledged but that a certeine Page spake a word who could not be deliuered out of prison vntill euerie of them paid ten shillings When the men of the said Lhewelyn came to the said towne to sell their oxen the said Constable would cause the beasts to be driuen to the castell neither would he restore the beastes nor monie for them Further the said Constable and his men tooke awaie the cattell of the said Lhewelyn from his owne ground and did their will with them Further the kings Iustices compelled the said Lhewelyn contrarie to the law and custome of Wales to deliuer to the sonnes of Encon ap Gruffyth a certeine towne which both he and his ancestors euer had held The said Constable tooke the horsse of Lhewelyns Bailiff when the said Bailiff owed him nothing who could neuer get his horsse againe nor anie satisfaction for it Furthermore when the said Lhewelyn should haue gone to a towne called Caerlhêon to appeare there as he was appointed the sonnes of Gruffyth ap Gwenwynwyn and the soldiours of Roger Strainge by the counsell of the said Roger tooke the said Lhewelyn and his men and imprisoned them to their great damage which the said Lhewelyn would not for 300. pound starling who could by no meanes be deliuered vntill they had found sufficient suerties The Archbishop receiuing these and other articles came to the king and requested him to consider these wrongs and to cause amends to be made or at the least excuse the Welshmen hauing so iust cause of gréefe Who answered that the Welshmen were to be excused yet he said he was euer readie to doo iustice to all them that complained Wherevpon the Archbishop besought the king againe that the Welshmen might haue frée accesse to his Grace to declare their gréefes and to séeke remedie the king answered they should fréelie come and depart if it should séeme that by iustice they deserued to depart The Archbishop hearing this went and came to the Prince of Wales in Snowdon that he might mooue him and his brother Dauid and the other companie to submit themselues whereby he might incline the king to admit them Which after much talke and conference with the Archbishop the Prince answered that he was readie to submit himselfe to the king reseruing two things that is to say his conscience which he ought to haue for the rule and safegard of his people and also the decencie of his state and calling Which answere the Archbishop brought and reported to the king At the which the king said that he would not anie other treatie of peace than that the Prince and his people should simplie submit themselues But the Archbishop knowing well that the Welshmen would not submit themselues but in the forme aforesaid or in other forme to them tollerable and of them liked requested the king that he might haue conference in this matter with all the noble Englishmen then present who after such conference agréed all to these articles following The which articles the Archbishop did send in writing to the Prince by Iohn Wallensis These are to be said to the Prince before his councell FIrst that of the foure Cantreds and the lands by the king giuen to his nobles and the Isle of Anglesey he will haue no treatie of 2 Item of the tenants of the foure Cantreds if they will submit themselues he purposeth to doo as becommeth a kings maiestie and we verelie beléeue he will deale with them mercifullie and to that end we will labour and trust to obtaine 3 As
which hapned vpon S. Leonards daie Thomas Walsingham writeth that the king lost in this viage a little before this fouretéene ensignes at which time the lord William de Audeley and the lord Roger Clifford the yoonger and manie other were slaine and the king himselfe was driuen to take the castell of Hope for his safegard In the meane time was the Earle of Glocester Sir Edmund Mortimer with an armie in Southwales where were manie that serued the king and there fought with the princes freends at Lhandeilo Vawr and gave them an overthrow wherein on the kings side yoong William de Valence his coosen germane and foure knightes more were slaine And all this while the Prince destroied the countrie of Caerdigan and all the lands of Rees ap Meredyth who serued the king in all these warres But afterward the prince separated himselfe from his armie with a few and came to Buelht thinking to remaine there quietlie for a while and by chance as he came by the water Wy there were Edmund Mortimer and Iohn Gifford with a great number of soldiours and either partie were abashed of other Edmund Mortimers men were of that country for his father was lord therof Then the prince departed from his men and went to the vallie with his esquire alone to talke with certeine lords of the countrie who had promised to meete him there Then some of his men seeing their enimies come downe from the hill kept the bridge called Pont Orewyn defended the passage manfullie till one declared to the Englishmen where a foord was a little beneath through the which they sent a number of their men with Helias Walwyn who suddenlie fell vpon them that defended the bridge in their backs and put them to flight The princes esquire told the Prince as he stood secretlie abiding the comming of such as promised to meete him in a little groue that he heard a great noise and crie at the bridge and the prince asked whether his men had taken the bridge and he said Yes Then said the Prince I passe not if all the power of England were vpon the other side But suddenlie behold the horssemen about the groue and as he would haue escaped to his men they pursued him so hard that one Adam Francton ranne him thorough with a staffe being vnarmed and knew him not and his men being but a few stood and fought boldlie euer looking for their Prince till the Englishmen by force of archers mixt with the horssemen wanne the hill and put them to flight And as they returned Francton went to spoile him whome he had slaine and when he saw his face he knew him verie well and stroke off his head and sent it to the king at the Abbie of Conwey who receiued it with great ioy and caused it to be set vpon one of the highest turrets of the Towre of London This was the end of Lhewelyn beetraied by the men of Buelht who was the last Prince of Brytaines blood who bare dominion and rule in Wales So that the rule and gouernment of the Brytaines euer continued in some place of Brytaine from the first comming of Brutus which was in the yeare before Christes incarnation 1136. to the yeare after Christ 1282. by the space of 2418. yeares Shortlie after that the King had brought all the countrie to his subiection the countrie men themselues brought to him Dauid the Princes brother whome he kept in Ruthlan castell and after put him to death at Shrewesburie Then the king builded two strong holdes in Northwales the one at Conwey and the other at Caernaruan When Rees Vachan hard how all things went he yeelded himselfe to the Earle of Hereford who at the kings commandement sent him to the Towre of London to be imprisoned there And so the king passed through all Wales and brought all the countrie in subiection to the crowne of England to this daie Thus endeth the Historie of the Brytish Princes The Princes of Wales of the blood royall of England collected for the most part out of the Records in the Towre Edward of Caernaruon Then the king hauing the countrie at his will gaue whole lordships and townes in the middest of Wales vnto English lords as the lordship of Denbigh to Henrie Lacy Earle of Lincolne the lordship of Ruthyn to the lord Reginald Gray second sonne to Iohn lord Gray of Wilton and other lands to manie of his nobilitie This Henrie Lacy lord of Denbigh was the sonne of Edmund Lacy the sonne of Iohn Lacy lord of Halton Pomfret and Constable of Chester who maried Margaret the eldest daughter and one of the heires of Robert Quincy Erle of Lincolne the said Henrie married Margaret the daughter and sole heire of William Longspee Earle of Sarum and had issue Edmund and Iohn which both died yoong of whom the one perished by a fall into a verie déepe well within the castell of Denbigh and a daughter named Alicia maried vnto Thomas Plantagenet Earle of Lancaster who was in the right of his said wife Earle of Lincolne and Sarum lord of Denbigh Halton Pomfret and constable of Chester After the death of the said Thomas king Edward the second gaue the lordship of Denbigh to Hugh lord Spencer Earle of Winchester after whose death the same lordship was giuen by king Edward the third Anno Regni sui primo as appeareth of Record to Roger Mortimer Earle of March with diuerse other lordships in the Marches in performance of the kings promise while he remained in France with his mother for the prouision of a thousand pound lands of a reasonable extent for the said Roger assoone as by Gods grace he should come to the possession of the crowne and kingdome of England Within few yeares after the Earle of March being attainted the said lordship of Denbigh was giuen by the same king to the lord Montagu Earle of Sarum but shortlie after An. 29. Ed. 3. it was restored againe with the Earldome of March to the Mortimers in the which house the same remained vntill the whole inheritance of the Mortimers came with a daughter to the house of Yorke and so to the crowne as appeareth before pag. 317. And now of late it was giuen by the Quéenes Maiestie that now is An. Regni sui 6. to the right honorable Robert Earle of Leycester who was then created Baron of Denbigh it is counted now one of the greatest and best lordships in England The lordship of Ruthyn continued in the possession of the Grayes vntill in the time of king Henrie the seuenth George Gray Earle of Kent and lord of Ruthyn passed the same vpon some bargaine to the king and now it is of the possession of the right honorable the Earle of Warwicke There came the same time with king Edward to Northwales diuerse Gentlemen who grew afterward to be men of great possessions in the countrie whose posteritie doo enioy the same to this daie Rees ap
Meredyth serued the king in all these warres who did the Prince most hurt of all men and was in great hope of goodlie preferments at the kings hands whom after the ouerthrowe of the Prince the king made knight and fed with manie faire and good woords After that he and all other his countriemen and neighbours had submitted themselues to the gouernement of the king of England it happened that the lord Payne Tiptoft warden of the kings castels nigh vnto Reeses countrie and the Lord Alan Plucknet the kings steward in Wales called the said Rees as they did all other of the countrie to the kings court whither he refused to come alledging his ancient priuileges and liberties with the kings promises but the said officers procéeded according to the law against him wherevpon a great variance arose betwéene the said Payne Tiptoft and the said Sir Rees ap Meredyth so that sundrie skirmishes were foughten betwixt them and men slaine on both sides to the great disturbance of the countrie The king hearing of these things being then beyond the seas wrote vnto Rees ap Meredyth requiring him to kéepe the peace till his returne at what time he promised to reforme all things in due and reasonable order but Rees would not giue ouer the enterprise which he had begun Wherevpon the king sent to the Earle of Cornewall whom he had leaft his lieutenant in the realme during his absence to send an armie of men into Wales to withstand the disordered attempts of the said Rees Who went into Wales himselfe and ouerthrew Reeses castell of Drofolan but by vndermining and reuersing the walles of the said castell with the fall thereof the Baron of Stafford the lord William de Monchency with manie other knights and Esquires were oppressed and brused to death Afterward Robert Tiptoft lord deputie of Wales gathered an armie and méeting the said Rees after the slaughter of 4000. of his people discomfited and tooke him Who about Michaelmas folowing at the kings going into Scotland was had to Yorke and there condemned and executed Not long after the king wanting monie there was a great subsidie granted towards the maintenance of the warres in France about leuieng of the which there was much adoo in diuerse places but especiallie the Welshmen which were neuer woont to be acquainted with such contribution stormed against it so that they tooke one of their owne captaines named Roger de Puelesdon who at the kings commandement gathered the said subsidie and hanged him with diuers other and afterward headed the said Roger. Wherevpon the king being sore offended for the death of the said Roger whom he greatlie fauoured and hearing that the Welshmen began to stirre against him in diuers places for the Westwales men had chosen Maelgon Vachan for their captaine and destroied all Caerdigan and Penbrooke and returned with rich spoiles they of Glamorgan and the South parts tooke one named Morgan for their leader and driuing the Earle of Glocester out of the countrie they restored to the said Morgan againe those possessions which the ancestors of the said Earle by force and great wrong had taken from the said Morgans predecessors The Northwales men had set vp one Madoc being of the kindred of the last Lhewelyn slaine at Buelht who gathering a great power came to Caernaruon and slew a great number of Englishmen which were come thither to the Faire and spoiled the whole towne then I saie the king called backe his brother Edmond Earle of Lancaster and Henrie Lacy Earle of Lincolne and lord of Denbigh who had an armie readie to passe into Gascoyn These Earles came towards Northwales and as they approched néere vnto the castell of Denbigh vpon S. Martyns daie the Welshmen with great force encountred them and giuing them battell droue them backe and discomfited their people Then the king himselfe came to Wales and kept his Christmas at Aberconwey where Robert Wynchelsey archbishop of Canturburie came vnto him and did his homage and then returned home The king as he passed further into the countrie lost much of his carriages which the Welshmen tooke being loden with vittell and prouision for the armie so that the king and his people indured great penurie and was constrained to drinke water mixt with honie and eate verie grosse and course meate where he was verie like to haue béene distressed had not the other part of his armie come vnto him in time While the king remained in Snowdon the Earle of Warwicke hearing that a great number of Welshmen were assembled togither and lodged in a vallie betwixt two woods chose out a companie of horssemen with certeine crossebowes and archers and comming vpon the Welshmen in the night compassed them round about who pitching the ends of their speares and turning the points against their enimies stood at defense so to kéepe off the horssemen But the Earle hauing placed his battell so that euer betwixt two horssemen there stood a crossebow a great part of the Welshmen who stood at defense in maner aforesaid with their speares were ouerthrowne and broken with the shot of the quarels and then the Earle charged the residue with a troupe of horssemen and bare them downe with such slaughter as they had not susteined the like losse of people as was thought at anie time before After this the king builded a strong castell within the Ile of Anglesey and called the same Buemarish and so putting all things in quietnesse and punishing such as had put to death Roger de Puelesdon he returned home with his armie But Madoc within a while after leauieng an armie of men came to Oswestrie where the people yéelded vnto him and méeting with the lord Strange with a companie of Marchers not farre from Knookine ouerthrew him and spoiled his countrie miserablie and shortlie after he gaue the Marchers another ouerthrow But for all that the lord Marchers nothing dismaied at this mischance gathered a great power anew met Madoc as he was comming towards Shrewesburie vpon the hils of Cefn Digolh not farre from Caurs castell where after a long fight the said Madoc was taken and his men discomfited and put to flight Then he was sent to the Towre of London there to remaine in perpetuall prison There be some which affirme that Madoc was not taken but rather after manie aduentures and sundrie conflicts when the Welshmen were brought into an issue of great extremitie the said Madoc came in and submitted himselfe to the kings peace and was receiued vpon condition that he should pursue Morgan till he had taken him and brought him to the kings prison which was done and so all things in those parties were set in rest and peace and manie hostages of the chiefest of the nobilitie of Wales were deliuered to the king who sent them to diuerse castels in England where they were safelie kept almost to the end of the warres that followed with Scotland In the
learned and wise and in great fauour with the king who sent him sundrie times in embassages to forreine Princes and now he had the gouernement of the kings onelie daughter ladie Marie Princesse of Wales Of all the Bishops in the land he was counted the courtlikest and the best Courtier and although he was well reported of for his learning yet was he better liked for his courtlike behauiour which in the end turned not so much to his credit as to the vtter ruine and spoile of his church for of xxij lordships and manours which his predecessors had and least vnto him of a goodlie yearelie reuenue he leaft but thrée and them also leased out And where he found fouretéene houses well furnished he leaft onlie one house bare and without furniture and yet charged with sundrie fées and annuities by meanes whereof that bishopricke which sometimes was counted one of the best is now become in temporall lands one of the meanest and a place scarse leaft for the Bishop to laie and rest his head in yet neuerthelesse he was a great fauorer of learned men and speciallie of diuines whom he preferred in his church aboue all others He was verie bounteous and liberall vnto all men but speciallie vnto courtiers vnto his owne kindred and countrimen Upon many he bestowed vnto the confusion of some of them and vpon other he spent much by building of a towne named Sutton Colshull where he was borne which he procured to be incorporated and made a market towne and set vp therein making of kersies but all in the end came to small effect ELIZABETH Rowland Lee bishop of Couentrie and Lichfield was in the 26. yéere of king Henrie the eight sent to be Lord President of the kings maiesties Counsell in the marches of Wales in whose time the principalitie and countrie of Wales was by Parlement incorporated and vnited vnto the kingdome of England and all the inhabitants thereof made equall in fréedomes liberties rights priuileges lawes and in all other respects to the naturall subiects of England and all inheritances were made of English tenure to descend without diuision or partition after the maner of England Also the lawes statutes and ordinances of the realme of England were commanded to be executed and put in practise within the contrie and principalitie of Wales and none other And to the end the said lawes should be dulie put in execution the whole dominion of Wales togither with the lordships marchers bordering vpon the same was diuided into xiij shires or counties wherefore xij made foure circuits to the which circuits there were seuerall Iudges appointed who should administer iustice to the inhabitants of euerie of the said shires twise in the yéere The first circuit was the thrée shires of Eastwales Denbygh Flynt and Mountgomrie wherin the Iustice of Chester kéepeth sessions twise in the yéere hearing and deciding all titles trespasses variance and misdemeanours within the countrie The Iustice of Northwales doth the like in the thrée shires of Northwales Anglesey Caernaruon and Meryonyth which doo make the second circuit The third circuit are the thrée shires of Westwales Caerdigan Caermardhyn and Penbrooke where the Iustice of that countrie kéepeth his sessions euerie yéere twise The thrée shires of Southwales Radnor Brechnocke and Glamorgan doo make the fourth circuit in the which the Iustice of Southwales dooth kéepe sises twise euerie yéere And bicause all matters as well of lawe as of equitie are heard and determined in these circuits the same doo continue sixe daies in euerie of the shires aforenamed Monmouthshire dooth followe the common order of the shires of England suing all originall writs out of the high court of chancerie In all these shires there were appointed Shirifes Iustices of peace Crowners and all other officers accordinglie as they are in England Further for the kéeping of the countrie in continuall obedience and the controlling of the outrage of wilfull and vnrulie persons there was ordeined a President and counsell to remaine within the dominion and Principalitie of Wales with all officers appertaining to the same Which President and councell haue power and authoritie to heare and determine by their wisdomes and discretions such causes and matters as are assigned to them by the Kings or Quéens of England for the time being And certeinlie let men imagine what they will this house was it that after great hatred and persecution whereof disobedience and rudenes folowed reduced the countrie of Wales to quietnesse obedience and ciuilitie by authoritie whereof not onelie great outrages are appeased the offendors punished and the wilfull brideled but also the quiet and obedient subiect is protected and defended from iniurie so that he may possesse his owne in quietnesse Wherein this Bishop Rowland Lee and his associats did notable good seruice And surelie there haue béene of the same house verie wise gouernors and men of great credit namelie Nicholas Heath Archbishop of Yorke and Lord Chancelor of England Thomas Yoong Archbishop also of Yorke Iohn Whitgift now Archbishop of Canturburie and diuers other of whom I am to speake héereafter In the 29. yéere of king Henrie the eight prince Edward his sonne was borne at Hampton court on S. Edwards euen being the 12. of October who bicause the principalitie of Wales was now by statute as I said before incorporated to the crowne and kingdome of England being vnder the same lawes and iurisdiction was none otherwise Prince of Wales than vnder the generall title of England as the king his father was king of England and vnder that name K. of Wales as a member of England neither doo I read of anie other creation or inuestiture that he had to that principalitie therefore I thought it not conuenient to make any speciall title of him after the said statute He afterward succéeded his father in the crowne of this realme by the name of king Edward the sixt The said Rowland Lee died L. President in the xxxiiij yéere of King Henrie the eight and lieth buried at Shrewesburie After him Richard Sampson bishop of Chichester was remooued to Couentrie and Lichfield and appointed Lord President of Wales in the xxxv yéere of king Henrie the eight and so continued L. President vntill the end of the 2. yéere of the reigne of king Edward the sixt Iohn Sutton alias Dudley Earle of Warwike and knight of the noble order of the garter was in the third yéere of King Edward the sixt appointed Lord President of Wales in the which office he continued vntill the fourth yéere of the same king He descended out of Wales by a daughter of the Lord Powys for he was the sonne of Edmund the sonne of Iohn a yoonger sonne of Iohn Lord Dudley the sonne of Iohn Lord Dudley the sonne of Iohn Lord Dudley the son of Iohn Lord Dudley the sonne of Iohn Sutton Baron Dudley who maried Isabell the daughter of sir Iohn Charlton
Brytish books of petegrees I. Castoreus Syluester Giral Cambrensis which with diuers other rare monuments of antiquitie I receiued at the hands of the Right Honorable the Lord Burghley high treasurer of England who also directed me by his letters to all the offices where the Records of this realme are kept out of the which I haue gathered a great part of this historie and more would haue done if the time had permitted The copie I haue conferred with the aforenamed authors and where I found them to intreat of the matters therein contained I haue noted them in the margine and in such authors as are printed I haue most commonlie directed thee gentle Reader to the page or chapter of the booke where thou shalt find the same historie treated of Againe where I found anie thing of Wales worthie the noting in the said authors being not conteined in the copie I haue inserted the same in a smaller letter with this marke * before it whereby it may be discerned from the copie it selfe Further such things as were breefly set downe in the copie without signification of cause or declaration of circumstances if I found the same in anie of mine authors treated of and further opened I haue likewise inserted it in his due place In the possession and succession of families I haue sought what I could for the time and haue laid downe most of the noble families of England which had lands in Wales or descended out of that countrie I was greatlie furthered in this worke by the painefull and studious trauell of the right worshipfull Sir Edward Stradling Knight Thomas Powel of Whittington parke and Richard Broughton Esquires In the description I haue taken the lesse paines looking dailie for the comming foorth of the painefull and studious trauell of some other who hath labored in that behalfe and studied all the Romane and Brytish histories concerning the ancient names of nations and places within this Iland so that my labour were superfluous in that behalfe Herein if happilie I haue swarued or omitted anie thing which should haue beene laid downe in this historie I neither did it wittinglie nor willinglie and therefore being readie vpon better information to amend that which shalbe found to be amisse if any so shalbe I am the rather to be born withall because I am the first setter out in print of this historie for things can neuer be so well doone at the first when there is but few that doo trauell therein as they maie in processe of time when euerie man putteth to his helping hand which curtesie I am to desire of thee gentle Reader for the perfecting of this worke Concerning the alteration of the estate there was neuer anie thing so beneficiall to the common people of Wales as the vniting of that countrie to the crowne and kingdome of England whereby not onelie the maladie and hurt of the dissention that often hapned betweene the Princes of the countrie while they ruled is now taken awaie but also an vniformitie of gouernment established whereby all controuersies are examined heard decided within the countrie so that now the countrie of Wales I dare boldlie affirme it is in as good order for quietnes and obedience as anie countrie in Europe for if the rulers and teachers be good and doo their duties the people are willing to learne readie to obeie and loath to offend or displease And if it please God once to send them the Bible in their owne language according to the godlie lawes alreadie established the countrie of Wales I doubt not will be comparable to anie countrie in England A description of Cambria now called Wales Drawne first by Sir Iohn Prise knight and afterward augmented and made perfect by Humfrey Lhoyd Gentleman FOr as much as it is necessarie for the vnderstanding of this historie to knowe the perfect description of the countrie of Wales to the end the acts atchiued and doone in the same may be the better knowne I thought good somewhat to trauell therein and so to laie downe the same as it was in those daies and as it is now that the reader by conference of both times may the better vnderstand this worke Therefore after the three sonnes of Brutus had diuided the whole Ile of Brytaine into three parts that part conteined within the French seas with the riuers of Seauerne called in Brytish Hafren Dee and Humber fell to the eldest sonne Locrinus which was after his name called Lhoyger which name it hath in the Brytish toong to this daie and in English now it is called England and is augmented Northward to the riuer Tweed The second sonne Albanactus had all the land Northward from Humber to the sea Orkney called in the Brytish toong Mor Werydh and in Latine Mare Caledonicum The third sonne Camber had to his part all that which remained vndiuided lieng within the Spanish and Irish seas and separated from England with the riuers Seauerne and Dee and this part was after his name called Cambria and the inhabitants thereof Cambry and their language Camberaec and so are at this daie So that they haue kept the same countrie and language this 2690. and odde yeares without commixtion with anie other nation especiallie in Northwales as it shall hereafter appeare And bicause the name of this countrie is changed or rather mistaken by the inhabitants of England and not by them called Cambry but Wales I thinke it necessarie to declare the occasion thereof which is that where the Saxons a people of Germanie were the first that after the Brytaines inhabited and ruled the greatest part of this Ile droue the Brytains to that corner which according to the maner of their countrie they called Wales and the people Welshmen and the toong Welsh that is to saie Strange or not of them vnderstanded For at this daie the inhabitants of the lowe countries call their next neighbours language of Henegaw or other that speake French Walsh as a language to them vnknowne Likewise the dwellers of Tyroll other the higher countries of Germanie doo name the Italian their next neighbour a Welshman and his language Walsh And this is an euident proofe that they which harped vpon a Queene Gwalaes and of a Prince Wala of whom neither Brytish Latine nor English historie maketh mention were fowlie deceiued and so likewise was a great historiographer of late daies which saith that it was called Walia quasi Italia bicause the rest of the Romans which remained in the Ile were driuen thither Neither is this anie new inuention although Polydore Virgil with an Italian brag dooth glorie himselfe to be the first that espied it out for diuers ancient writers doo alledge the same cause of the name of Wales of whom Syluester Giraldus is one who wrote in the time of Henrie the second after the conquest before 380. yeares passed which is an euident token that the said Polydore did either neuer see nor read the ancient histories
of this realme or dissembleth the same to the aduancement and praise of himselfe and his countrie which to the learned and indifferent reader shall appeare to be the onelie occasion he tooke that worke in hand for all his booke redoundeth onlie to the praise and honour of the Romans as well spirituall as temporall and to blase forth their acts and deeds within this realme and vpon the other part dooth either openlie slaunder or els priuilie extenuate or shamefullie denie the martiall prowesse and noble acts as well of Saxons Danes and Normans as of the Brytains all inhahiters of this Ile Which thing he that list to prooue let him read and conferre Caesars Commentaries Cornelius Tacitus Herodianus and other ancient writers as well in Latine as in Greeke with his worke As for the ancient writers of the Brytish historie as the Brytish chronicle the historie of Gildas Ponticus Verunnius yea the golden worke of Matthew Paris moonke of Saint Albon which wrote from VVilliam Bastard to the last yeares of Henrie the third I dare well saie he neuer sawe them they be in diuers places to be had so that the truth may be easilie prooued To make an end I saie that he being first a straunger borne and also ignorant as well in the histories of this realme as of those toongs and languages wherin the same were written could neuer set foorth the true and perfect Chronicle of the same But he hauing a good grace and a pleasant stile in the Latine toong and finding himselfe in a countrie where euerie man either lacked knowledge or spirit to set forth the historie of their owne countrie tooke this enterprise in hand to their great shame and no lesse dispraise bicause he a blind leader shall drawe a great number of vndiscreet and rash folowers as well Geographers and Cosmographers as Chroniclers and Historiographers to the darke pit of ignorance where I leaue them at this time remitting the reader to the apologie of Sir Iohn Pryse knight and his Brytish historie written by him of purpose against the enuious reports and slaunderous taunts of the said Polydor where he shall see a great number of his errors confuted at large And to returne to my former matter of the name of Wales which name to be giuen of late by a straunge nation may be otherwise prooued for the Welshmen themselues doo not vnderstand what these words VVales and Welsh doo signifie nor know anie other name of their countrie or themselues but Cambry nor of their language but Cambraec which is as much to saie as Cambers language or speech So likewise they know not what England or English meaneth but commonlie they call the countrie Lhoyger the Englishmen Sayson and the English toong Saysonaec Which is an euident token that this is the same language which the Brytaines spake at the beginning for the works of Merdhyn and of Taliessin who wrote aboue 1000. yeares past are almost the same words which they vse at this daie or at the least easie to be vnderstanded of euerie one which knoweth perfectlie the Welsh toong especiallie in Northwales Beside this where at this daie there doo remaine three remnants of the Brytaines diuided euerie one from other with the seas which are in Wales Cornewall called in Brytish Cerniw and little Brytaine yet almost all the particular words of these three people are all one although in pronunciation and writing of the sentences they differ somewhat which is no maruell seeing that the pronunciation in one realme is often so diuers that the one can scant vnderstand the other But it is rather a wonder that the Welshmen being separated from the Cornish well nigh these 900. yeares and the Brytaines from either of them 290. yeares before that and hauing small traffike or concourse togither sithence that time haue still kept their owne Brytish toong They are not therefore to be credited which denie the Welsh to be the old Brytish toong And here I cannot passe ouer what one of these fine Chroniclers wrote of late of the name of Brytaine affirming that it should be so called of Brytaine in France as the elder of that name But surelie he had either neuer seene Ptolomie nor Caesar nor anie other ancient writer or read them with small iudgement and memorie For there he might haue learned that when this land was called Brytaine the other was called Armorica how in Maximus time Conan Meriadoc was the first that gaue it that name inhabited it with Brytaines out of this Ile Other deriuations of these words Brytania and Albion out of Greeke Latine I am ashamed to rehearse for vnto such errors doo they commonlie fall that either puffed vp with vaine glorie of their owne wits or pinched with despite and enuie at other mens works or blinded with ignorance do go about to write set foorth anie historie or chronicle But passing ouer this matter vntill an other time I will returne to the description of Wales which as I said was of old time compassed almost about with the Irish seas the riuers Dee and Seauerne although afterwards the Saxons wan by force from the Brytaines all the plaine and champion countrie ouer the riuers and speciallie Offa king of Mercia who made a ditch of a great breadth and depth to be a meare betwixt his kingdome and Wales which ditch began at the riuer Dee by Bassing werke betweene Chester and Ruthlan and ran along the hils sides to the south sea a little from Bristowe reaching aboue a hundreth miles in length and is in manie places to be seene at this daie bearing the name of Clawdh Offa that is to saie Offas ditch and the countrie betweene it and England is commonlie called in Welsh Y Mars although the greatest part of it be now inhabited by Welshmen namlie in Northwales which yet keepeth the ancient limits to the riuer Dee and in some places ouer it Other as Syluester Giraldus make the riuer VVy called in Welsh Gwy to be the meare betweene England and Wales on the South part called Southwales who measureth the breadth of Wales from Salowe or Willoweford called Rhydyrhelig vpon VVy to Saint Dauids in Meneuia 100. miles and the length from Caerlheon vpon Vsce in Gwentland to Holihead called Caergybi in Anglisey in Welsh called Môn aboue 100. miles and these be the common meares at this daie although the Welsh toong is commonlie vsed and spoken Englandward beyond these old meeres a great waie as in Herefordshire Glocestershire and a great part of Shropshire And thus for the generall description of Wales which afterward about the yeare of Christ 870. Rodericus Magnus king of Wales diuided it into three territories which they called kingdomes which remained vntill of late daies These three were Gwynedh in English Northwales Deheubarth in English Southwales and Powys land in euerie of the which he ordeined a princelie seat or court for the Prince to remaine at
Mountgomery to whom the Conqueror had giuen the Earldome of Arundell and Salopsburie or Shrewsburie entred into Powys land and wan the castell and towne of Baldwyn which he fortified and called it Mountgomery after his owne name Also this yeare William Rufus went to Normandie against his brother Robert and sent to England for 30000. footemen of whome when they came to the sea shore the king tooke ten shillings a peece and sent them home But shortlie after hee made a voiage into Northumberland against the Earle which rebelled and after he had taken Newcastell and Bamborough hee tooke the Earle at Tinmouth and returned homeward The same yeare Gruffyth ap Conan king of Northwales with Cadogan ap Blethyn who then ruled Southwales entred the land of Cardigan killed a great number of Normanes being not able anie longer to suffer their great pride and crueltie But after their returne the English captaines sent for more men to England and thought priuilie to make a roade to Northwales Which iournie was discouered to Cadogan who gathered his power and met with them in the wood or forrest of Yspys and set vpon them with great hew and crie and they defended themselues manfullie but in the end they were compelled to flee with great losse and Cadogan followed them hard and spoiled the countrie of Cardigan and Dyuet and destroied all the castels sauing two which were Penbrooke and Rydcors which he could not get and so returned to Powys with much ioy In this yeare 1093. the Normanes that inhabited the countrie of Glamorgan spoiled the countries of Kydwely and Ystrad Tywy and left them without anie inhabitors Then VVilliam Rufus being informed of the great slaughter of his subiects aswell in Chesshire Shropshire VVorcestershire and Herefordshire as within VVales which Gruffyth ap Conan and the sonnes of Blethyn ap Convyn had doone gathered his power together and entred VVales at Mountgomery which castell being latelie ouerthrowne by the VVelshmen he reedified againe but the VVelshmen kept so the straites of the mountaines with the woods and the riuers that the king did no good but lost his labour and his men therfore he returned backe to his great dishonor In the yeare 1094. died VVilliam the sonne of Baldwyn who at the kings commandement had built the castell of Rydcors after whose death the castell was forsaken by his men and the inhabitants of Gwyr Brechnock Gwent Gwentlhwc cast from their necks the burthen of the Normanes that had wonne their countries and held them in subiection and chased them out of their countries but they returned againe with great strength of Englishmen and Normanes Then the countrie men which abhorred their pride and cruell rule met with them at a place called Celly Tarvawc and fought with them manfullie so that they put them to flight with great slaughter and chased them backe againe out of the land Neuertheles the greedie Normanes would not giue ouer but doubling their strength returned againe to Brechnockshire making a vow to leaue no liuing thing within that countrie But it hapned otherwise for the people fled before them and staid at a straite and killed a great number of them About this time Roger Mountgomery Earle of Salop and Arundell William Fitzeustace Earle of Glocester Arnold de Harecourt and Neale le Vicount were slaine betwéene Cardyf and Brechnock by the Welshmen Also Walter Eureux Earle of Sarum and Hugh Earle Gourney were there hurt and died after in Normandie Therefore when the Normanes saw that they had all the losse they manned and victailed the castels which they had before time builded there and returned backe but in their returne Gruffyth and Ivor the sonnes of Ednerth ap Cadogan met them vpon the sudden at Aberlhech and falling vpon them slew the most part of them and the rest escaped to England But the Normane captaines defended the castels manfullie and kept them vntill they were driuen by force for safegard of their liues to forsake them then the ancient dwellers enioied their countries againe quietlie Moreouer certeine lords of Northwals namelie Vchthed the sonne of Edwyn ap Grono and Howel ap Grono with the children of Cadogan ap Blethyn of Powys land gathered a number of men passed through Cardiganshire to Dyuet which countrie the king a little before had giuen to Arnulph sonne to Roger Mountgomery who had builded there the castell of Penbrooke and appointed keeper and steward of the same one Gerald de Windsore and there burned spoiled and destroied all the countrie sauing the said castell of Penbrooke which they could not winne and so returned home with great bootie After the returne of these lords Gerald issued out of the castell and spoiled the lands of S. Dauids and tooke manie prisoners and returned to the castell The yeare following William Rufus returning from Normandie to England and hearing of the great slaughter of his men doone by the Welshmen gathered all his power with great pompe and pride entred Wales But the Brytaines fearing the great strength of the king put their hope onlie in the almightie Lord turning to him in fasting praier and repentance of their sinnes and he that neuer forsaketh the penitent and contrite hart heard their praiers so that the Normanes and Englishmen durst neuer enter the land but such as entred were all slaine and the king returned with small honor after he had built certaine castels in the marches The yeare following being 1096. Hugh de Mountgomerie Earle of Arundell and Salopsburie whom the Welshmen call Hugh Goch that is to saie Hugh the read headed and Hugh Vras that is Hugh the fat Earle of Chester and a great number of Nobles more did gather a huge armie and entred into Northwales being thereto mooued by certeine Lords of the countrie But Gruffyth ap Conan the Prince and Cadogan ap Blethyn tooke the hilles and mountaines for their defense bicause they were not able to meete with the Erles neither durst they well trust their owne men And so the Erles came ouer against the Ile of Môn or Anglesey where they did build a castell of Aberlhiennawc Then Gruffyth and Cadogan did go to Anglesey thinking to defend the Ile and sent for succour to Ireland but they receiued verie small Then the treason appeared for Owen ap Edwyn who was the Princes cheefe counseller and his father in lawe whose daughter Gruffyth had married hauing himselfe also married Everyth the daughter of Convyn aunt to Cadogan was the cheefe caller of those strangers into Wales who openlie went with all his power to them and did lead them to the Ile of Anglesey which thing when Gruffyth and Cadogan perceiued they sailed to Ireland mistrusting the treason of their owne people Then the Earles spoiled the Ile and slew all that they found there And at the verie same time Magnus the sonne of Haroald came with a great nauie of ships towards England minding
sent for Ithel and Madoc the sonnes of Riryd ap Blethyn to whom he promised rich gifts and great rewards besides the rule of the whole countrie if they could take or kill Owen to reuenge the dishonor that he had doone to the king and to them he added Lhywarch the sonne of Trahaern ap Caradoc whose two brethren Owen had slaine and Vchtryd the sonne of Edwyn which foure promised the bishop to bring him Owen and his father either aliue or dead and therevpon foorthwith gathered their power to destroie the whole countrie but Vchtryd sent priuie word before that all such of the people as would haue their liues saued should come to him And when the countrie heard this some fled to Arustly some to Melienyth some to Stradtywy and some to Dyuet where Gerald was destroieng the countrie And at that time Walter bishop of Hereford did gather an armie to defend Carmarthyn and met with such as fled to Arustly and Melienyth and destroied a great number of them Those that went to Stradtywy were gentlie receiued by Meredyth ap Rytherch and Vchtryd saued all such as came to him and so these foure came with their powers to the castell of Rydcors and thought best to haue entred the countrie by night and to take Cadogan and Owen his sonne vnawares But Vchtryd dissuaded them from that and thought it dangerous to enter the countrie by night for feare of ambushment but counselled them to enter in by day with their men in good order In the meane while Cadogan and Owen gat a ship at Aberystwyth which was latelie come from Ireland and escaped awaie and the daie after when they entred into the land they found none of them that they sought Therefore putting all the fault vpon Vchtryd they burned and spoiled all the countrie sauing the Sanctuaries of Padarn and Lhandhewi Breui yet they tooke diuerse men out of those places and caried them prisoners to their countries and then returned to their owne castels againe Then Owen with such as had beene with him at the burning of the castell fled to Ireland to king Murcart who receiued him ioiouslie for he had beene there before in the time of the warre of the two Earles in Anglesey or Môn and had brought the king rich gifts from Wales But Cadogan kept himselfe priuilie in Powys sent to the king to declare his innocencie Tehn the king was content he should remaine in the countrie and enioy the towne and lands that he had by his wife for she was daughter to a Lord of Normandie called Pygot de Say Then Madoc and Ithel his two nephewes diuided such lands as he and his sonne Owen had in Powys betwixt them and ruled it verie euill for they could neuer agree among themselues within a while Cadogan made such freends to the king that paieng a 100. pound fine he should enioy againe his landes in Caerdigan and that the inhabitants should returne againe to their houses and till the ground for the king had giuen commandement that no Welshman nor Normane should dwell within Caerdigan When they that were in Ireland vnderstood this they returned home priuilie and hid themselues in their coosens houses and shortlie after Owen returned againe to Wales but not to Caerdigan for his father had receiued that land vpon such condition that he should not suffer Owen to come therein nor succour him either with counsell monie or men Nowbeit Owen came to Powys and would faine haue sent messengers to the king but he could get no man that durst venture to speake for him Also at that time there happened some variance betwixt Madoc ap Riryd and the bishop of London lieutenant of the Marches about certeine felons of England that had fled to him for succor whom the bishop sent for but could not get wherfore he was sore offended with him Then Riryd vnderstanding of that sent to Owen desired his freendship whose greatest enimie he was before and by this meanes they were made freends and swore either to other that none of them should betraie the other nor agree by himselfe with the king or with his officers without the other and therevpon they burned and spoiled the lands of such as they loued not destroied all things that they met withall At this time also the Emperour Henrie did send his ambassadors to entreate of a mariage with Mawd the daughter of king Henrie and had hir to his wife And shortlie after the king banished and disinherited Peter de Bruse William Mallet and William Baynard and put to death the Earle of Mayne That yeare appeared a terrible Comete Then also the king remembred Iorwerth ap Blethyn whom he had kept long in prison and sent to know of him what time he would paie to haue his libertie and he promised the king 300. pound or the worth thereof in cattell or horses then the king set him at libertie and gaue him his land againe and gaue ten pound of that monie to Henrie sonne to Cadogan by the daughter of Pygot All this while Owen and Madoc were burning and spoiling the Englishmen and Normanes and euer withdrew themselues to the land of Iorwerth which thing greeued him greatly wherevpon he sent word of his danger desiring them to spare his land Cadogans for if it were knowne that they came in anie of theirs the land was forfeited to the king When Owen and Riryd heard this they vsed his countrie more often than they were woont then Iorwerth seeing that chased them out of his countrie Then they went to the countrie of Vchtryd in Merionyth shire and the sons of Vchtryd sent word to their people to keepe them out of their countrie and so they did for meeting them by the waie they set vpon them and Owen and Madoc defended themselues manfullie but at the last they and their men were driuen backe and so they fled Owen to Caerdigan to his fathers countrie and Madoc to Powys Then Owen with his companions made diuerse roades to Dyuet and spoiled the countrie carieng awaie the men and the cattell to the ships that they came in from Ireland and after ransomed them and gathered a great number to him set vpon a towne of Flemings and burned it and returned to Caerdigan nothing esteeming his fathers danger nor the kings displeasure At this time it chansed that Owens men among other mischeefes laid wait for a bishop that was towards the king whose name was William de Brabant and slew him and all his men Then Iorwerth Cadogan were at the court to speake with the king concerning certaine businesse of their owne and as the king talked with them behold there came in a Fleming brother to the dead bishop who made an exclamation declaring how Owen ap Cadogans men had slaine his brother and a great number moe and how they were succoured in Cadogans land Then the king being therewith sore displeased asked Cadogan what he could saie to the
soldiers and such as the king loued well Therefore the king called his strength to him and sent to Gascoine and Ireland for succours and then comming to VVales in haruest time destroied all the corne that was in his waie yet he went not farre beyond Chester but returned backe without dooing any notable act for God as Matthew Paris saith defended the poore people that put their whole confidence in him The lord Iames Audeley whose daughter Gruffyth lord of Bromfield had married brought a great number of horssemen frō Almaine to serue against the VVelshmen who with their great horsses and vnaccustomed kind of fight ouerthrew the VVelshmen at the first encounter Wherefore the VVelshmen shortlie after minding to reuenge that displeasure made road into the said lord Audleys lands where the Almaines set vpon them pursuing hard such as fled to the straits who vsing that flight for a policie returned againe so suddenlie and so fearslie vpon the Almaines that they being not able to retire vpon the sudden were almost all slaine At this time there was great scarsitie in England of beefes and horsses whereof they were woont to haue manie thousands yeerelie out of VVales and all the marches were made as a desolate and desart place The next spring all the nobles of VVales came togither and sware to defend their countrie to the death and neuer to forsake one another and that vpon paine of cursing but shortlie after Meredyth ap Rees of Southwales not regarding his oth serued the king Then the king called a Parliament for a subsidie to conquere Wales when he had so manie losses and of late all the countrie of Penbrooke burnt and spoiled wher the Welshmen had found salt plentifullie which they lacked In the which Parliament William de Valentia accused the Earles of Leycester and Glocester as the workers of all this mischiefe wherevpon the Parliament broke without the grant of anie subsidie Againe shortlie after the same Parliament by prorogation was holden at Oxford where the king and Edward his sonne were sworne solemnlie to obeie the lawes and statutes of the realme but the kings brethren Gwy and William with Henrie son to the king of Almaine and Iohn Earle Warren forsooke the oth and departed awaie And there the lords of Wales offered to be tried by the lawe for any offense they had committed against the king vniustlie but Edward would not heare of it but sent one Patrike de Canton as Lieutenant for the king to Caermardhin and with him Meredyth ap Rees and this Patrike desired to speake vpon peace with the princes councell Wherevpon the prince meaning good faith sent his brother Dauid whom he had set at libertie with Meredyth ap Owen and Rees ap Rees to Emlyn to intreat with them of peace but Patrike meaning to intrap them laid an ambushment of armed men by the waie and as they should haue met these men fell vpon the Welshmen and slew a great number of them but the lords which escaped raised the countrie forthwith and folowed Patrike and slue him and the most part of all his men And after this the Prince desirous of peace and quietnesse to redeeme the same and to end all troubles and to purchase the kings good will offered the king 4000. markes and to his sonne 300. and to the Queene 200. to haue peace but the king answered What is this to our losses and refused it It appeareth by the Records in the Towre that about this time to wit An. 43. H. 3. There was a commission to William bishop of Worcester Iohn Mansel treasurer of Yorke the kings Chaplaine and Peter de Montfort to conclude a peace with the Welshmen but it is like that there was nothing doone to anie effect in that behalfe for the warre continued still Notwithstanding I find by Matthew Westminster that there was a certeine truce agréed vpon betwéene the king and the Welshmen for a yeare I read also in the same author that the bishop of Bangor was this yeare about Michaelmas sent from Lhewelyn the prince and all the Barons of Wales to the king to desire peace at his hands to offer vnto him the summe of 16000. pound for the same so that he would grant the Welshmen to haue all their matters heard and determined at Chester as they were woont to haue and to suffer them to enioy the lawes and customes of their owne countrie but what answere the bishop brought againe the said author maketh no mention The yeare 1260. prince Lhewelyn destroied the lands of Sir Roger Mortimer bicause he contrarie to his oth mainteined the kings quarell and tooke from him all Buelht sauing the castell which the Princes men gatte by night without bloodshed and therein much munition and so after the Prince had passed through all Southwales he returned to his house at Aber betwixt Conwey and Bangor The yeare folowing died Owen ap Meredyth lord of Cydewen And this summer certeine of the Princes men tooke vpon a sudden the castell of Sir Roger Mortimer in Melienyth and slew the garrison taking Howel ap Meyric the captaine thereof with his wife and children and the princes Lieutenant came and destroied it then Sir Roger Mortimer hearing this came with a great strength of lords and knights to Melienyth where the Prince came also and Sir Roger kept himselfe within the wals of the broken castell sent to the prince for licence to depart without hurt Then the prince hauing his enimie within his danger tooke compassion vpon him bicause he was his coosen and suffered him to depart with his people without hurt From thence the prince went to Brechnocke at the request of the people of that countrie which swore fidelitie vnto him and so returned to Northwales Prince Lhewelyn being confederate with the Barons against the king destroied the Earldome of Chester and rased two of Edwards castels Tygannwy and Diserth and thither came Edward and did nothing to speake of This yeare Iohn Strange the yoonger being Constable of Montgomery came with a great number of Marchers by night through Ceri to Cydewen which thing when the countrie men vnderstood they gathered themselues togither and slew 200. of his men but he escaped with the rest backe againe Shortlie after the Marchers and the Welshmen met besides Clun where the Englishmen had the victorie and slew a great number of Welshmen At this time Dauid the princes brother whom he had set at libertie forsooke him and succoured his foes with all his power Then Gruffyth ap Gwenwynwyn got the castell of Molde and rased it At this time died Meredyth ap Owen the defender of Southwales The yeare ensuing king Henrie lead a great armie towards Wales and by meanes of Orobonus the Popes legate there was a peace concluded betwixt the king and the Prince at the castell of Montgomery vpon Calixtus daie for which peace the prince gaue the king
name And where the kings crosse ought to be erected he caused his crosse to be erected in token that he is the verie true lord and the said lord Reginald at his first comming to those parts of Wales sold to certeine seruants of the king offices for lx markes which the said seruants bought before of the king for xxiiij markes which offices ought not to be sold at the choise of the lord 14 Item the king gaue Meredyth ap Madoc a captaineship for his seruice Reginald Gray tooke it from him neither could he get anie remedie at the kings hands for the same 15 Item one of the councell of the said Reginald Cynwrie Vachan told vs by mouth that as soone as the said Reginald Gray returned to Wales he would take xxiiij men of euerie Cantered and either behead them or imprison them perpetuallie 16 Item whereas we paid our taxes and rents in old monie halfe a yeare before the comming of new monie they inforced vs to paie new monie for the old These gréefes and the like the said Reginald offered vs and threatned that if we would send anie to the king to complaine he would behead them and when we sent anie to the king he could neuer speake with the king but spent vs much monie in vaine For which gréefes we beléeue our selues frée before God from the oth which we haue made to the king These greefes folowing the king and his Iustices offered to Rees Vachan of Stratywy AFter that the said Rees gaue the king his castell of Dyneuowr sithence the last peace the said Rees then being in the tent of the lord Payne de Gadersey at the same time there were slaine sixe Gentlemen of the said Reeses men for whom they neuer had amends which was to him great gréefe and losse 2 Item Iohn Gifford claimed the said Reeses inheritance at Hiruryn and the said Rees requested the lawe of his countrie of the king or the lawe of the countie of Caermardhen in the which countie the ancestors of the said Rees were woont to haue lawe when they were of the peace of the Englishmen and vnder their regiment but the said Rees could haue no lawe but lost all his lands They would haue had him to answer in the countie of Hereford where none of his ancestors euer answered Further in the lands of the said Rees were such enormities committed which doo most apperteine to the state ecclesiasticall that is to saie in the church of S. Dauid which they call Lhangadoc they made stables and plaid the harlots and tooke awaie all the goods of the said church and burning all the houses wounded the préest of the said church before the high altar and left him there as dead 3 Item in the same countrie they spoiled and burnt the churches of Dyngad Lhantredaff and other churches in other parts they spoiled their chalices bookes and all other ornaments and goods These be the greefes which the king and his Iustice gaue to Lhewelyn ap Rees and Howelap Rees AFter that a forme of peace was concluded betwixt Henrie then king of England and the prince of Wales the said king granted confirmed by his charter to the said Prince the homage of the said noble men so long as they stood fréends with the prince according to the said gift confirmation but Edward now king disherited the said Gentelmen of their lands so that they could not haue their owne lands neither by law nor by fauour These be the greefes doone by the Englishmen to the sonnes of Meredyth ap Owen AFter that the King had granted the Gentelmen their owne inheritance of Geneurglyn and Creuthyn he contrarie to the peace disherited the said Gentelmen denieng them all lawes and customes of Wales and of the countie of Caermardhyn 2 The said king in his countie of Caerdigan by his said Iustices compelled the said Gentelmen to giue iudgement vpon themselues where their predecessors neuer suffered the like of Englishmen 3 The said Iustices of the king haue taken awaie the courtes of the noblemen in Wales and compelled the people to satisfie before them for trespasses when as they ought to haue satisfied by the said nobles 4 When a wrecke hapneth vpon anie of the grounds of the noble men whose ancestors had wrecke they should haue the same yet the king forbiddeth them and the said king by color of that shipwrecke contrarie to their custome and law did condemne them in eight markes and tooke away all the goods of the shipwrecke 5 That none of our men of the countie of Caerdigan dare come amongst the Englishmen for feare of imprisonment and if it had not béene for feare of hurt the nobles would neuer haue stirred The complaints of the noble men of Stratalyn of the wrongs and greefes doone to them by Roger Clifford and Roger Scrochill deputie to the said Roger Clifford contrarie to the priuilege iustice and custome of the said noble men as they saie and prooue WHen the said Rogers compelled the said men of Stratalyn to giue them to haue their customes and priuileges twentie marks starling and after the paiement of the monie they brake by and by after this sort to put vpon twelue men according to the lawes of England which was neuer the manner nor custome of the said countrie 2 Item Madoc ap Blethyn was condemned in foure markes vniustlie contrarie to the lawes and vse of the countrie 3 Item Grono Goch was likewise condemned in fiue marks and twelue beasts contrarie to the custome of the countrie 4 Item the said Rogers tooke the lands of the men of the countrie as forfeit and for one foote of a stag found in a dogs mouth thrée men were spoiled of all that they had 5 Item Ithel ap Gwysty was condemned in a great sum of monie for the fact of his father done fourtie yeares before 6 Item the said Rogers laid vpon vs the finding of all the English soldiours whereof before there was but one halfe 7 Item we were giuen to maister Maurice de Cruny and were sold to Roger Clifford which was neuer séene in our parents time 8 Item the widow of Robert of the Mowld asked of the king the third part of the land in the Mowld in ward whereas it was iudged before the king that the said lands were neuer giuen in ward These be the Articles of greefes doone to the men of Penlhyn by the constable of Henrie Chambers of the white Abbie and his men CYnwric ap Madoc was spoiled by them in time of peace of eight pound foure oxen corne the worke of one plough for two yeares and to the value of thrée pound of thrée of his men and they had the worth of xvj pound for the said eight pound and did beate him besides which was more wrong for then he was the princes constable at Penlhyn And all the cause that they pretended to make this spoile was onelie that they said they had found foure and twentie sheafes
of tyth in the house of a seruant of the said Cynwric 2 Item Adam Criwr was condemned in eight shillings eight pence and a mare price twentie shillings and was taken and beaten for that he had taken the stealer of that mare and brought him bound with him the which théefe was forthwith deliuered 3 Item Iorwerth ap Gurgeneu was condemned in foure pound for that he had scaped out of their prison in time of the warres and was found in the said towne in the time of peace and this is directlie against the peace concluded betwixt the king and the Prince 4 Item Caduan Dhu seruant to the constable of Penlhyn was condemned bicause he would not receiue the old monie for new 5 Item Gruffyth ap Grono the Princes man was spoiled of an oxe price eleuen shillings eight pence and after that the constable had plowed with the said oxe seuen moneths he paid to the said Gruffyth for the said oxe thrée shillings foure pence 6 Item two seruants of one named Y Bongam were spoiled of two pounds for that they tooke a théefe that robbed them by night and yet the théefe was deliuered 7 Item Eneon ap Ithel was taken beaten and spoiled of two oxen price foure twentie shillings two pence for this cause onelie that the said oxen went from one stréete to an other in the towne 8 Item Guyan Maystran was spoiled of his monie because a certeine merchant of Ardudwy owed them certeine things and yet the said merchant was not of their bailiwicke The greefes of Grono ap Heilyn A Tenant of Grono ap Heilyn was called to the kings court without anie cause then Grono came at the daie appointed to defend his tenant demanded iustice for him or the law which the men of his countrie did vse all this being denied the said tenant was condemned in seuen and twentie pound j.d. ob Then the said Grono went to London for iustice which was promised him but he could neuer haue anie where he spent in his iournie fiftéene markes 2 A certeine Gentelman was slaine who had fostered the sonne of Grono ap Heilyn and he that killed him was taken and brought to Ruthlan castell then the said Grono and the kindred of him that was slaine asked iustice but some of them were imprisoned and the killer discharged Then Grono went againe to London for iustice which the king did promise him but he neuer had anie but spent twentie markes 3 The third time Grono was faine to go to London for iustice in the premisses where he spent xviij marks vj.s. viij d And then likewise the king promised him that he should haue iustice but when he certeinelie beléeued to haue iustice then Reginald Gray came to the countrie and said openlie that he had all doings in that countrie by the kings charters and tooke away all Bailiwicks which the king had giuen the said Grono and sold them at his pleasure then the said Grono asked iustice of the said Reginald but he could not be heard 4 The said Grono tooke to farme for foure yeares of Godfrey Marliney Maynan and Lhysfayn then Robert Cruquer came with his horsses and armes to get the said lands by force and for that Grono would not suffer him to haue the said lands before his yeares came out he was called to the law and then the said Reginald Gray came with xxiiij horssemen to take the said Grono And for that they could not that daie haue their purpose they called Grono the next daie to Ruthlan and then Grono had counsell not to go to Ruthlan Then they called him againe to answere at Caerwys but the said Grono durst not go thither but by the conduct of the bishop of S. Asaph for that Reginald Gray was there and his men in harnesse 5 For these gréefes for the which he could get no iustice but labour and expenses of liiij markes and more and for that he durst not in his owne person go to the court he sent letters one to the king an other to his brother Lhewelyn to signifie to the king that he should loose all the fauour of the countrie if he kept no promise with them and so it came to passe because the men of Ros and Englefild could get no iustice the king neglecting the correction of these things lost the whole countrie Humblie sheweth to your holines lord Archbishop of Canturburie primate of all England the noble men of Tegengl that when the said noble men did their homage to the lord Edward king of England the said king promised them to defend them and their goods and that they should vse all kind of right priuilege and iurisdiction which they did vse in time of king Henrie of the graunt of the said king whereof they were after spoiled FIrst they were spoiled of their right and priuileges and customes of the countrie and were compelled to be iudged by the lawes of England wheras the tenor of that their priuilege was to be iudged according to the lawes of Wales at Tref Edwyn at Ruthlan and at Caerwys and the best men of the countrie were taken bicause they desired to be iudged at Tref Edwyn according to the tenor of their priuileges by the lawes of Wales 2 Whatsoeuer one Iustice dooth his successor dooth reuerse the same for in Dauids cause Reginald Gray reuoked that which his predecessor confirmed and allowed 3 If he doo take anie Gentleman of the countrie he will not let him go vpon suertie which he ought to doo 4 If anie Gentleman be brought to the castell of the Flynt vpon small accusation and his cattell withall they can neither be deliuered nor haue delaie vntill they giue the constable an oxe and vntill they paie thrée pound fées to Cynwric for the hauing of the delaie 5 Reginald Gray gaue the lands of the men of Merton to the Abbot and couent of Basingwerke against the lawes of Wales and the custome of the countrie and contrarie to the forme of the peace betwixt prince Lhewelyn and the king that is to saie xvj Caratatasterrae 6 The noble and best of the countrie be iniured for that the king builded the castell of Flynt vpon their ground and the king commanded the Iustices to giue the men as much and as good ground or the price But they are spoiled of their lands and haue neither other lands nor monie 7 Reginald Gray will not suffer men to cut their owne wood vntill he haue both monie and reward and vntill they paie for it also but permitteth others to cut it downe fréelie which they ought not to doo by the lawes and customes of Wales 8 Where the men of Cyrchynan couenant with the king to giue the king halfe a medow of condition the king should not suffer the woods to be cut downe Howel ap Gruffyth being present yet Reginald Gray hath broken the same permitting euerie man to cut their woods and spoile them also of their medowe 9 The sonne of
ibidem taketh the gouernment vpon him 299. excommunicated 300. refuseth to deliuer his brother out of prison ibidem he submitteth himselfe to the king 304. he complaineth to the pope vpon king Henrie 308. maketh the principalitie of Wales tributarie to the church of Rome 309. putteth king Henries armie to flight 310. he dieth 313. Dauid ap Gruffyth 319. forsaketh his brother 326.335.350 his answere to the kings offer 370. he is taken and put to death 374. Dauid Fitz Gerald bishop of Meneuia 201.237 Denbigh D 10. the owners of it sithence the Dauid ap Gruffyth 377. giuen to Henrie Lacy Earle of Lincolne 377. Dial Rodri 38. Dinerth 45. Dinevowr D 6. and 17. the castell wonne 269. Donwalhon Prince of Stratclwyd 64. Dyffryn Clwyd D 10. Dyganwy D 10.262.267.326 parcell of the possession of y e Erle of Chester D 10. Dyuet D 17. destroied by the Danes 65.71 giuen to Arnulph 154. then to Iorwerth ap Blethyn 158. thirdlie to Saer 159. fourthlie to Gerald 161.272 E. EGbert King of England being the firste of the Saxons 25. he entred into Wales 24. he chaungeth the name of Brytaine into England 25. his warres against the Danes 27. he dieth ibidem his wife hated the Brytaines and caused the king to vse them hardly ibidem Elife ap Madoc 257. his lands taken from him sauing Crogen and 7. towneships ibidem Edelfled 44.47.48 Edgar king of England spoileth Northwales 61. dieth 64. Edmund K. of England 51. he is slaine 58. Ednyuet Uachan 249.306 Edwal Yoorch 7.9 Edwal Uoel 46. he is slain 51. Edwal ap Meyric 72. slain 73. Edwal Uachan the sonne of Edwal Uoel slaine 65. Edward the elder 43. he taketh London and Oxford from his sister 44. he disinheriteth his sisters daughter 49. dieth 50. Edward the Martyr 64. Edward the Confessor 92. Edward Earle of Chester 319 retireth 321. commeth to Wales 326. goeth to the holy land 328. crowned king of England ibidem he commeth to Chester 333. his offer to the Prince 364.365 his offer to Dauid ibidem he brought al Wales to his subiection 374. he giueth the lands of the Welshmen to the noble men of England 377. Edward Caernarvon 376. taketh homage of the freeholders of Wales 382. Edward of Woodstoke 384 Edward of Westminster 388. Edward of Westminster 389. Edward sonne to K. Richard the third 390. Edward the sixt 396. Elizabeth Princesse 394. Eneon ap Owen ap Howel Dha 65 he is slaine 66. Eneon ap Cadiuor 119. England and Englishmen 25. driuen out of the countrie of Senghennyth 279. they doo oppresse the Welshmen 337. Easter not kept by y e Brytains at the time appointed by the church of Rome 17.18 Esylht the daughter and heire of Conan D 16.22.24 Ethelwulphs genelogie 29. he was bishop of Winchester 32 Ethelbald maried his mother in law 32. Evneth y e sonne of Bledred 41. F. FAmine in Southwales 71. Fermael the sonne of Edwal 18. Flemings came to Dyuet 163. they desire peace 277.279 G. GAlfrid Arthur bishop of Lhanelwy 203. Gauelford 25. Geffrey Blyth bishop of Couentrie and Lichfield 392. Geffrey Langley 321. Genelogies estéemed among all nations 31. Gerald de Windsore steward of Penbrooke 154. Gilbert Strangbow Earle of Strigule 169.172 Gladys daughter to Lhewelyn ap Iorwerth 298. Gwaith y dinas newydh 47. Gwaynyttyd 113. Gwent D 19. spoiled by the Danes 42. Gwenwynwyn lord of Powys 250. getteth againe the castell of Poole 248. laieth siege to the castel of Payne in Eluel 251. discomfited 252. detained prisoner by the Counsell 260. released of his oth of obedience to the king by the pope 267. Gweythen 32. Gwyneth ¶ See Northwales Gilbert De Humfreuile 125. his heires 134. Glamorgan D 19. spoiled 71. won from the Welshmen 122 Goths whence they came 39. Grono ap Owen ap Edwyn lord of Tegengl 172. Grono ap Ednyuet vachā 327. Gruffyth ap Madoc slaine 49. Gruffyth ap Lhewelyn ap Sitsylht 90. he is slaine 101. Gruffyth ap Conan commeth to Anglesey 112. he warreth against Trahaern ap Caradoc 113. ioineth with Rées ap Theodor 114. obteineth the principalitie of Northwales 115. he maketh peace with king Henrie the first 174. dieth 190. his statute to reforme the abuses of minstrels 191. Gruffyth ap Rées ap Theodor 175. putteth himselfe in armour against the king 176. he taketh the towne of Caermardhyn 178. he dieth 190. Gruffyth ap Trahaerne ap Caradoc 162. Gruffyth Maylor L. of Bromfield 242. Gruffyth ap Rées taken by his brother Maelgon and sent to prison 250. set at libertie 252. he dieth 256. Gruffyth ap Lhewelyn ap Iorwerth 280 goeth with an army against William Marshall 282.292 disquieteth his father 297. valiant and couragious 298.307 imprisoned by his brother ibidem great sute to the K. for his inlargment 301. deliuered to the K. and sent to the towre where séeking to scape he brake his necke 307. Gruffyth lord of Dinas Bran 293.300.304.321.327 Gurmond D 15.6 Gwgan ap Meyric 34. H. HAsting the Dane 39. Henrie the first K. of England 157. he commeth into Wales 173. againe 184. he is in danger to be slaine 185. he dieth 188. Henry the second king of England 204. he commeth to Wales 206. put in danger of his life 207. he maketh peace with the lords of Wales 208. commeth to Southwales 209. againe 219. he commeth to Northwales 221. lieth incamped at Berwyn 222. in danger to be slaine ibidem he goeth the Ireland 230. returneth from Ireland againe 232. forsaketh his wife 239. he dieth 241. Henrie the third king of England 276. commeth to wales and buildeth a castell at Mountgomerie 280. commeth againe with an armie to Wales 283. againe 289. marieth 293. commeth againe to Wales 299. called to appéere before the Abbots of Aberconwy Cymer 309. he commeth again to Wales 310. he and the Earle of Chester come to Wales 322. commeth to Montgomerie and maketh peace with the prince 326. he dieth 328. Henrie Lacy lord of Denbigh and Earle of Lincolne 377. Henrie prince of Wales 392. Henrie Sidney knight of the order 400. Howel the brother of Conan Tindaethwy 22. King of man 25. Howel Dha prince of Southwales 45. prince of al Wales 52. his lawes 53. he went to Rome 54 he dieth 58. Howel ap Ieuaf 62. vseth his brother Meyric cruellie 63. ruleth Northwales 64. he is slaine 66. Howel ap Edwyn 88. he is slaine 93. Howel ap Grono lord of Stratywy Cydewen and Gwyr 159. he is traiterouslie slaine 161. Howel ap Ithel lord of Ros Ryuonioc 183. Howel ap Owen Gwyneth a valiant captaine 199. Howel ap Ieuaflord of Arustly 240. Hubert de Burgh kéepeth the castell of Douer 275. gaue the French nauie an ouerthrow 277. some of the Barons conspire against him 283. owner of Montgomerie 284. his folie 285. committed to prison 288. escapeth out of prison 289. reconciled to the King 292. Huganus lord of Westwales 47. Hugh Lupus Earle of Chester 151.155 he dieth 157. Hugh de Montgomerie Earle
Also that which is more perilous he called vs vnto a place not to vs safe amongst our deadlie enimies our fugitiues and felons and their spies and murderers to doo him homage and fealtie to the which place we can no waies come without danger of our bodie especiallie seeing our enimies aboue said be in that place at the kings table and sometime in counsell and openlie brag themselues And though lawfull and reasonable excuses were alledged by our messengers before the king and his councell why the place was not safe nor indifferent yet he refused to allow or appoint anie other place indifferent for vs to doo our homage and fealtie which we were and are readie to doo vnto him in anie safe place by him to be appointed if he will appoint anie and to performe the other articles of the peace concluded and sworne And for that it pleased him not to come to anie place where we could with safetie do him homage we were suiters to him to send anie from him to receiue our oth and homage vntill it pleased him to appoint a place where we shall doo our homage to him personallie the which thing he vtterlie denied to doo We therfore beseech your Fatherhoods earnestlie that it please you to consider what danger should happen to the people both of England and of Wales by reason of the breach of the couenants of peace aboue said if now warres and discord should follow which God forbid attending and calling to remembrance the prohibition of the holie father the Pope latelie in the councell at Lions that no warre should be mooued amongst Christians least thereby the affaires of the holie land should be neglected that it would please you also to helpe with your counsell with the lord and king that he would vse vs and order vs according to the peace agreed vpon the which we will no waie infringe And if he will not harken to your counsell therein which God forbid that you will hold vs excused for we will no waies as much as in vs lieth procure the trouble or disquietnes of the Realme And if it may please you to giue credit to our messengers which we doo send to the king at the daie by him vnto vs appointed to alledge our lawfull excuses in those things which they by mouth shall on our part shew vnto you resting to doo your will and pleasure if it please you to write againe Dated at Talybont the 6. daie of October An. 1275. Shortlie after the king came to Chester willing the Prince to come thither and doo him homage which when the Prince detracted to doo the king gathered an armie to compell him thereto The yeare folowing the countesse of Leycester wife to Symon Montfort which remained at a Nunrie in Montargis in France sent hir daughter to Wales to marie the Prince as it was agreed betwixt them in hir fathers time and with hir came hir brother Aemerike and a goodlie companie who fearing the coast of England kept their course to the Iles of Sylle where by chance they met with foure ships of Bristowe which set vpon them and tooke them and brought them to the king who intertained the ladie honourablie sending hir brother to be kept prisoner in the castell of Corff from whence he was remooued to the castell of Shirburne Then the king prepared two armies whereof he lead one himselfe to Northwales as farre as Ruthlan and fortified that castell And the other he sent with Paganus de Camurtijs a worthie soldiour to Westwales who burned and destroied a great part of the countrie And this yere it rained blood in diuers places in Wales The yeare ensuing the lords of Southwales came to the kings peace and did him homage and deliuered the castell in Stratywy vnto the kings lieutenant Paganus de Camurtijs Then the prince vnderstanding this and seeing that his owne people had forsaken him sent to the king for peace which was agreed vpon these conditions First that all those which the Prince kept prisoners of the kings freends and for his cause should be set at libertie Item that the Prince should paie to the king for his fauour and good will 50000. markes to be paid at the kings pleasure Item that foure Cantreds should remaine to the king and his heires for euer which Cantreds I thinke were these Cantref Ros where the kings castell of Teganwy stood Cantref Ryuonioc where Denbigh is Cantref Tegengl where Ruthlan standeth and Cantref Dyffryn Clwyd where Ruthyn is Item that the lords Marchers should quietlie enioy all the lands that they had conquered within Wales Item that the prince should paie yearelie for the Ile of Môn or Anglesey 1000. marks which paiement should begin at Michaelmas then next ensuing that also he should paie 5000. marks out of hand and if the Prince died without issue the Ile should remaine to the king and his heires Item that the Prince should come to England euerie Christmas to doo the king homage for his lands Item that all the Barons in Wales should hold their lands of the king sauing fiue in Snowdon who should acknowledge the Prince to be their lord Item that he should for his life enioy the name of Prince and none of his heires after him so that after his death the foresaid fiue Barons should hold of the king and of none other Item that for the performance of these articles the Prince should deliuer for hostages ten of the best in VVales without imprisoning disinheriting or time of deliuerance determined also the king to choose twentie within Northwales which should take their othes with the Prince to performe all these articles and if the Prince should swarue from anie of them and being thereof admonished would not amend and redresse the same they should forsake him and become his enimies The Prince was also bound to let his brethren enioy their lands in VVales of whom Dauid had long serued the king whom the king had made knight contrarie to the maner of VVales and had giuen him in mariage the daughter of the Earle of Derby whose first husband was latelie deceased to whom the king gaue Denbigh in Northwales and a 1000. pound lands therewith His other brother Roderike was latelie fled to England out of prison and Owen the third was deliuered at this composition This peace was concluded in the kings absence who appointed one of his Commissioners to wit the lord Robert Tiptoft to take an oth for him and authorized the said Robert Anthonie Beke and William de Southampton Prior prouinciall of the Friers preachers Commissioners nominated on his behalfe to receiue the like oth of the said Lhewelyn for whose part Theodor or Tuder ap Ednyuet and Grono ap Heilyn were Commissioners At this time the king builded a castell at Aberystwyth and returned to England with much honor vnto whom the people granted a subsidie of the twentie part of their goods towards his