History of Llangollen and Its Vicinity: Including a Circuit of About Seven MilesSimpson, W. T. (Wilfrid Tord)
History
History of Llangollen and Its Vicinity: Including a Circuit of About Seven Miles
Simpson, W. T. (Wilfrid Tord)
Llangollen (Wales)
I find him joining Prince Edward, the son of Henry III. then King of
England, with all his forces, in the year 1257; and his disaffection is
thus stigmatized by the old writers: {52a}—“But Gryffydd Ap Madog Maelor,
Lord of Dinas Bran, a person of notorious reputation for injustice and
oppression, basely forsook the Welch, his countrymen, and with all his
forces went over to the Earl of Chester.” {52b}
The following year, Llewellyn the Prince, returning from an expedition
into South Wales, met the Earl, and forced him to retreat with great
precipitation, leaving the possessions of his unnatural allies at the
mercy of the conqueror, who now resolved to be revenged on that
ungrateful fugitive, the Lord of Dinas Bran. He therefore passed through
Bromfeild, and miserably laid waste the whole country, and obliged
Gryffydd to keep close in his Castle of Dinas Bran, which, being situated
on the summit of a very steep hill, seemed impregnable to all the daring
efforts that could be used against it. {53}
King Henry, being now much incensed against the Welch Prince Llewellyn,
on account of the obstinate resistance he experienced, and having drawn
together the whole strength of England, even from St. Michael’s Mount, in
Cornwall, to the river Tweed, marched with his son Edward in great rage
to North Wales, and without any opposition advanced as far as Treganwy;
but Llewellyn having taken precaution, as was the practice of the Welch
in cases of invasion, to have all manner of provision and forage carried
over the river, and having secured the strait and narrow passages whereby
the English might advance into the country, the King’s troops were in a
short time so mortally harassed and fatigued, that they were obliged to
return to England in haste, and with great loss.
Gryffydd Ap Madog, finding King Henry unable to protect his estate,
submitted to his rightful Prince; and Llewellyn then passed to Powis, and
banished Gryffydd Ap Gwenwynwyn, who had also joined the English, and
took all the lands in the country of Powis into his own hands.
Llewellyn, who was a politic prince, received the submission of the Lord
of Dinas Bran, because he knew that inaccessible fortress could not be
forced from him, and that it would not be safe to have an avowed enemy,
with so strong a refuge for his disaffected subjects, in the rear of his
operations; otherwise Gryffydd Ap Madog had merited banishment as much as
his namesake of Powisland: nay, Gryffydd, Lord of Dinas Bran, married an
English lady, {54a} Emma, daughter of Lord Audley, whose father did much
mischief and hurt to the Welch, by bringing from Germany a body of
horsemen, who, by the uncommon size of their horses, with their unusual
manner of fighting, terrified and easily defeated the Welchmen at the
first; but when they had become more familiarized with their mode, they
took their revenge upon them, even on Lord Audley’s own land. {54b}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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