The History of Oswestry: Comprising the British, Saxon, Norman, and English eras; the topography of the borough; and its ecclesiastical and civic history; with notices of botany, geology, statistics, angling, and biography: to which are added sketches of the environsCathrall, William
History
The History of Oswestry: Comprising the British, Saxon, Norman, and English eras; the topography of the borough; and its ecclesiastical and civic history; with notices of botany, geology, statistics, angling, and biography: to which are added sketches of the environs
Cathrall, William
Natural history -- England -- Shropshire; Oswestry (England) -- History
This youth was as distinguished, in the arts of love and war, as his
father. He became desperately enamoured with Hawys, the daughter of Sir
Joos, of Normandy; rescued the father from impending death, while in the
hands of Walter Lacy and Sir Arnold de Lis, two inveterate enemies, and,
as a reward for his gallantry and courage, received the hand in marriage
of his beloved Hawys. Fulk Fitz-Gwarine was heroic in all his
achievements, was knighted by Henry I., made steward of the King’s
Household, and Lieutenant of the Marches. In a skirmish with the Welsh,
under Grufydd ab Cynan, he was defeated, and Whittington Castle fell into
their hands. In the reign of Henry II. peace was made with Owen Gwynedd,
the succeeding Prince of North Wales: the Castle was retained by Owen;
and as some compensation for his loss, Fulk had the manor of Alston, in
Gloucestershire, bestowed upon him. It is recorded, says the Rev. W.
Davies, in his interesting “History of Whittington,” that “Fulk
Fitz-Gwarine, and John, son to Henry II. (afterwards King John,) were
playing at chess together, when it happened that they disagreed, and the
Prince gave Fulk a severe blow upon the head with the board, which the
latter returned in such a violent manner as almost to kill the young
Prince, a circumstance, had it happened, not much to be regretted, were
it not in consideration of the glorious Magna Charta afterwards obtained
from him.” Dovaston, in his fine descriptive poem, entitled
“Fitz-Gwarine,” makes his hero describe the quarrel in the following
lines:—
“Enough to name our last affray,
The Prince his temper lost at play,
The chess-board swung with coward sway,
And hurl’d my head upon;
Ill could the wrong my bosom brook,
I sent him first a furious look,
Then firm with knuckles clench’d I strook
The pate of royal John.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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