a D / giv 3t?ks for the founding ef a. < i • iLniBiB^Jsy • Bought with the income ofthe Addin Lewis Fund \JJ2 1 WALES AND THE WARS OF THE ROSES CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS C. F. CLAY, Manager Hmtttmu FETTER LANE, E.C. Eomtmrgf): 100 PRINCES STREET #eto ffiorft: G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS Bam&BB BtvB Calcutta: MACMILLAN AND Co., Ltd. ©oronto: J. M. DENT AND SONS, Ltd. Eoftno: THE MARUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA. All rights reserved WALES AND THE WARS OF THE ROSES BY HOWELL T. EVANS, M.A. St John's College, Cambridge Cambridge : at the University Press J9l5 Canttr t&ge : PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS vW. 26»p PREFACE AS its title suggests, the present volume is an attempt to ¦**• examine the struggle between Lancaster and York from the standpoint of Wales and the Marches. Contemporary chroniclers give us vague and fragmentary reports of what happened there, though supplementary sources of informa tion enable us to piece together a fairly consecutive and intelligible story. From the first battle of St Albans to the accession of Edward IV the centre of gravity of the military situation was in the Marches : Ludlow was the chief seat of the duke of York, and the vast Mortimer estates in mid- Wales his favourite recruiting ground. It was here that he experienced his first serious reverse — at Ludford Bridge; it was here, too, that his son Edward, earl of March, won his way to the throne — at Mortimer's Cross. Further, Henry Tudor landed at Milford Haven, and with a predominantly Welsh army defeated Richard III at Bosworth. For these reasons alone unique interest attaches to Wales and the Marches in this thirty years' war; and it is to be hoped that the investigation will throw some light on much that has hitherto remained obscure. vi PREFACE I have ventured to use contemporary Welsh poets as authorities ; this has made it necessary to include a chapter on their value as historical evidence. It was thought necessary, also, to give some account of the state of things in Wales during the first half of the fifteenth century, and of the part played by Welshmen in the last phases of the Hundred Years' War with France. I am deeply indebted to Prof. J. E. Lloyd, M.A., of Bangor University, for revising the proofs and for much salutary criticism; and to Mr J. Alban Morris of Cardiff for placing at my disposal his transcript of the manuscript History of Wales, by Ellis Griffith, in the Mostyn Library. The index has been compiled mainly by Mr T. L. Horabin of the Board of Trade. H. T. E. January io, 1915. The Historical Value of Contemporary Welsh Literature ...... The Penal Laws ..... Wales and the French Wars — Mathew Gough Herbert and Tudor ..... The Campaign of Ludford .... Mortimer's Cross ..... The War in Wales ..... Warwick and Herbert — Banbury The Return of Jasper Tudor — The Council of the Prince of Wales . . . Henry Earl of Richmond, and the March to Bosworth List of original Authorities i 1643 6689 114134157 202 231 The Vaughans of Bredwardine The Tudors and Pulestons Pedigree of David ap Einon The Herberts The Mansels Family of Griffith ap Nicholas The Dwnns . 113139 145 228 229229 230 CHAPTER I THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF CONTEMPORARY WELSH LITERATURE In the course of the present narrative, an endeavour will be made to show that Wales and the border counties exercised a more formidable and decisive influence than is generally believed, upon the course of the struggle between Lancaster and York. The history of the period has been thickly overgrown with the moss of tradition, romance, and myth, most of which accumulated during the sixteenth and seven teenth centuries. A great deal of the fiction was clearly invented to inflate family pride ; some was due to a literal interpretation of purely rhetorical passages in the panegyrics of the poets. It is needless to say that such material, except what can be shown to have a foundation of truth, or at least of strong probability, is worthless as historical evidence. Yet, it has held sway for many centuries, and has given rise to considerable confusion. It will be essential to our purpose to rely exclusively upon original documents and contemporary sources of information. Amongst these will be included certain Welsh records which have been hitherto, and are still to a large extent, unexplored fields of historical research. The greater part of this material is in manuscript, scattered broadcast in public and private libraries. Some of it is already in print, but in many different publications, and consequently most inaccessible to the average student. In so far as events were recorded at all in Wales during the second half of the fifteenth century, that function was e. w. r. I 2 THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF [ch. performed by the poets. Their chief interest, admittedly, is literary and linguistic. Nevertheless, the student of history may reasonably inquire what may be The poets. , . . , , i a i • I. their title to credence, what reliance can be placed upon them, and with what abatements their presentation of persons and events should be accepted as truth. Let it at once be granted that these men did not profess Their to write down facts, dry and ungarnished. limitations. History would have gained much, and literature lost little, if the bards, instead of writing historical poems, had recorded their information in the form of annals or chronicles. But they were primarily poets, not chroniclers. As poets, they necessarily employ the artifices of their craft. They exaggerate ; they invent ; they draw upon their armoury of rhetoric. They colour, and frequently distort, facts to suit the exigencies of the occasion, and in the interests of those whose patronage they solicited. Their information is often garbled. Further, those portions of their writings which have any value for the historian are not poems descriptive of events and actions. They are odes and elegies for the glorification of individuals, and only incidentally admit descriptive narrative. The fabrications of rhetoric, therefore, are not absent. There is little minuteness of detail ; rarely any chronology or geography. Genealogies are plentiful, but of family rather than of general interest. There is an amplitude of vague, hazy allusions, which were doubtless perfectly intelligible to that generation ; to us they are shades of a vanished past. Lastly, they are prejudiced, especially against the Saxon. Many of their poems were written under the sting of humilia tion, when the wounds of defeat were still open and sore. Invective not infrequently descends to vilification. In this respect the poetry of the period cannot be paralleled at any epoch in the history of the literature of Wales. CONTEMPORARY WELSH LITERATURE 3 This feature in the poets, however, has its value for the National historian ; for it reveals the deep chasm which prejudices. separated the two nations. Its most outspoken exponent was Lewis Glyn Cothi, who could rarely hide his invincible repugnance to the name of Saxon. It detracts considerably from the historical value of his testimony that he was himself a victim of persecution at the hands of English residents in Wales. He tells us that, having made preparations for taking up his abode in Chester, he was unceremoniously expelled from the city, and his belongings looted by the inhabitants. His fiercest attacks were dehvered when his feelings were thus embittered by personal affront, or by such a national disaster as that at Edgecote. The same applies, though in a lesser degree, to the lambent sarcasm of Guto'r Glyn. He had occasion to journey through many parts of England, visiting among other places Warwick, Stafford and Coventry. When he reached the north of England, he experienced a very hostile disposition towards his language and country. However, his weapons are not poisoned, though his threats are generally well- directed. These two are not the only poets that bear witness to the estrangement between the nations. Ieuan Deulwyn, smarting beneath the exclusion of his countrymen from civil rights, implores Sir Richard Herbert " to lock the door of privilege against the Saxon." Chwi a ellwch a'ch allwydd Roi clo ar sais rhag cael swydd. Dafydd Llwyd appeals to Jasper Tudor to bring to an end the days of official intolerance, and warns his countrymen against " putting their faith in the signet of the Saxon." But we are not surprised to find such bitterness in the poet when we know that he was the friend of Griffith Vaughan, who was brutally murdered by Lord Grey of Powys, in 1447. Some of Tudur Penllyn's lines are equally acrid, and were also largely the outcome of personal injury. The poets' 4 THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF [ch. invective was thus sharpened on a whetstone of disappoint ment, injustice, oppression, and cruelty ; their anger burned fiercely ; yet the dregs of passion are of little value, for serious history cannot be built on diatribes. Whatever pretensions to historical verity these poets may The poets- title have must rest mainly on their close acquaint- to credence. anceship with some of the chief politicians of the day. This enabled them to obtain infonnation at first hand from the actors themselves. This is the most that can be said on behalf of chroniclers in general, few of whom were actual eye-witnesses of the events they describe. The majority can claim no more than that they were con temporary. The Welsh poet, on the other hand, was a welcome guest at the homes of the gentry, whom he visited at regular intervals. Lewis Glyn Cothi's home was situated in the valley of the Cothi, in Carmarthenshire. Close by lay Newton, the home of his patron, Griffith ap Nicholas, who dominated West Wales in the middle of the century. He was intimate with the Herberts of Raglan, and with the Vaughans of Bredwardine and Tretower. At times we catch glimpses of him in Chester, Flint, Anglesey. His list of patrons, in fact, includes every contemporary Welshman of note. Ieuan Deulwyn, another Carmarthenshire poet, was a native of Kidwelly. He also dedicated several odes to the Herberts. Guto'r Glyn came from the neighbourhood of Llangollen, in the valley of the Dee. He was as ubiquitous as Lewis Glyn Cothi, and not less in demand as a household bard. Dafydd Llwyd and Tudur Penllyn lived in Merionethshire, on terms of friendship with the garrison at Harlech. There are strong grounds for the belief that Robin Ddu, the swarthy bard of Anglesey, met Owen Tudor when the latter withdrew to Wales after his escape from Newgate. It is to be observed, moreover, that the poets may have obtained access to the chief English politicians. Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, as earl of Pembroke, and for many years ij CONTEMPORARY WELSH LITERATURE 5 chief justice either of North Wales or of the South, had occasion to pay several visits to the country. He was an ardent patron of letters. But though there appears to be no evidence in his voluminous correspondence with men of letters that he ever came into close touch with Welsh literary circles, Lewis Glyn Cothi alludes to him in terms of sympathy and admiration. The early promotion of Reginald Pecock, apparently a native of West Wales, was due to the influence and patronage of Humphrey. Griffith ap Nicholas, the patron and neighbour of Lewis Glyn Cothi, together with a large number of other Welshmen, was in the duke's retinue when he appeared at the parliament of Bury, in 1447. ' In their writings these poets show abundant traces that they were alive to the march of events. It was Their J sources of an essential part of their business to get infor mation, and turn it to account. It is impossible to avoid the conviction that Lewis Glyn Cothi derived the raw material for his vivid description of the battle of Edgecote directly from some of the Herberts or the Vaughans, or their associates in that murderous fight. In his ode to Thomas ap Roger, who was among the slain, it is not difficult to discern what is intrinsically improbable, or what is palpably the product of the poet's imagination. When the poet asserts that the greatest carnage on that day took place under his hero's standard, we are inclined to ascribe it to a natural anxiety to magnify and applaud. Even the professed historian cannot always avoid the artifices of eloquence ; and fifteenth century chroniclers are rarely impartial. But in this ode there are undoubted germs of truth. A basis of fact underlies the amplifications and excesses of rhetoric. The statements that part of the Welsh army cut its way through the ranks of the northerners, that Thomas ap Roger fought against desperate odds with a broken lance, that the combatants amidst the clash and clangour of battle shouted, some for Edward, others for king 6 THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF [ch. Harry, some for Herbert, others for Warwick, have a note of probability and truth. Facts are hard to hide ; fabrica tion is not always easy. It is not strange, therefore, that the above description is in many ways substantiated by Hall, the Tudor chronicler. Guto'r Glyn's realistic version of the campaign against Harlech castle by the Herberts in 1468 is also a valuable piece of historical evidence which it would be fastidious to ignore. Briefly, and divested of its trappings, it amounts to this. One division of the attacking army advanced along the coast of North Wales, leaving a trail of devastation and ruin ; another advanced from the south ; Harlech offered but a feeble resistance — " By a Herbert it could be obtained for the asking " ; and the army numbered about nine thousand, an estimate which, as we shall see, is corroborated by Hall, and roughly by the Issue Rolls. It has always been assumed that William Herbert, earl of Pembroke, was a steady Yorkist. Lewis Glyn Cothi implies the contrary, and further research has proved con clusively that he was correct. The editor of the only edition of the poet failed to appreciate this fact, and consequently became enmeshed in a tangle of contradictions. The same poet observes that the sons of Griffith ap Nicholas were on the side of Lancaster, and William of Worcester agrees with him. We must therefore dismiss as worthless the idle story of the family biographer in the Cambrian Register, though that document has been credited by so distinguished an authority as James Gairdiner, and has been the favourite resort of generations of less responsible writers. One important function of the fifteenth century Welsh The poets Poet should not be overlooked. He was an as national instrument in the hands of the leader of the leaders. . . moment to advertise prospective political move ments, sometimes openly, at other times in enigma. Prophecies there are in plenty, the pardonable efferves cence of a seething nationalism. But it would be a i] CONTEMPORARY WELSH LITERATURE 7 mistake to regard these futurist proclamations as the forecasts of partisans, destitute of foundation, and un warranted in fact. In one of his poems Lewis Glyn Cothi, apprehensive for the cause of Margaret and her son Edward, alludes to Jasper Tudor's search for assistance in France and Brittany, his forthcoming return to Wales by sea, and his probable landing at Milford Haven about the Feast of St John. No date is given ; but the facts coincide with the movements of Jasper Tudor during the few months which immediately preceded the battle of Mortimer's Cross. For prophecy Jasper actually obtained help abroad ; he came and fact. foy sea . ftye battle took place in the first week in February. Now the Feast of St John the Evangelist would be December 27, and the few intervening weeks would enable Jasper to gather his forces and reach Mortimer's Cross, in Herefordshire, by February. Similarly, there are copious references to the prospective invasion of Henry of Richmond in 1485, which we cannot entirely ignore as vague and unreliable prophecy. It is a curious coincidence that the cherished belief of the medieval Welsh sage, that a Welshman would one day ascend the throne of Britain, found its fulfilment in the person of Henry Tudor. It has been said — and this is the prevailing modern view — _ . , that " during the civil war there was but one The title ° •wars of rose, the white rose of York, there was no Lancastrian rose : the red rose of the House of Tudor first appeared on Bosworth Field." This may be true of England ; it is not true of Wales. The red rose of the Tudors had appeared in Wales long before it blossomed in splendour on Bosworth field. From the very beginning of the war the Tudors made Wales their special sphere of action. Edmund, earl of Richmond, came here early in 1456, and made Pembroke and Tenby his headquarters. On his death the same year, his place was taken by his brother Jasper, earl of Pembroke. From then till 1485 the history of the 8 THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF [ch, war in Wales is largely a record of the movements and the schemes, the failures and the successes of Jasper. It is not surprising, therefore, that contemporary Welsh literature should contain frequent allusions to the family device. One or two instances shall suffice. In an ode to Owen Tudor, written soon after the battle of Mortimer's Cross, Robin Ddu, the Anglesey poet, while bewailing his hero's death, transfers his hopes to Jasper, and prophesies " the victory of the red dragon over the dishonoured white.^' Draig wen ddibarch yn gwarchae A draig goch a dyr y cae. Although in this couplet the play between " red " and " white " is unmistakable, the " dragon " as a substitute for " rose " may not seem convincing. However, the same poet in a poem written during the exile of the Tudors, looks forward hopefully to the time when " red roses will rule in splendour " : Rhos cochion mewn rhwysg uchel. Guto'r Glyn, in an ode to Roger Kynaston, composed shortly after the return of Edward IV, plays upon the conflict between a " rose of silver " and " a rose of gold." The rose is also a favourite emblem with Dafydd Llwyd, a warm associate of Jasper. The white rose of York, too, had its adherents. Lewis Glyn Cothi, exultant in praise of Sir William Herbert's prowess in the north of England, describes how " he triumphed with white roses " : A oresgynodd a'i ros gwynion. But as the white rose is acknowledged to have been a device of the Yorkists, it is unnecessary to enlarge on this point. The poets, moreover, were not ill-informed on events The French *n France, in which hosts of Welshmen took an wars. active share ; but their information is largely of local interest only. How they obtained their knowledge is not altogether a matter of conjecture. A constant stream of warriors passed to and fro between the two countries. Scores of French prisoners were at various I] CONTEMPORARY WELSH LITERATURE 9 times lodged in the royal castles of North Wales. On the conclusion of the war, although a few hke John Edward, who had married a French wife, became subjects of the king of France, the majority returned to their native land with tales of plunder and adventure. Guto'r Glyn voices the consternation with which the news of Mathew Gough's capture was received in Wales, and urges the collection of a ransom to redeem him. Lewis Glyn Cothi hints at the same warrior's exploit at the battle of Formigny in 1450, when, at the head of his men, he cut his way through the French lines to safety ; and we see no reason to reject the same writer's statement that Gough's life on that occasion was saved by Gwilym Gwent. His death on London Bridge, while endeavouring to save the city from Cade's rebels, sent the nation into mourning, a fact which is curiously corroborated by William of Worcester in a quaint Latin couplet1. The Anglesey poet already referred to appears to be our earliest authority for the romance of Owen Tudor and Catherine, the widowed queen of Henry V. Robin Ddu was in close touch with the Tudors and the chief families of North Wales. It is possible, probable even, that he got his information from Owen Tudor himself. The version in Stowe, which is the one generally accepted, is substantially the same, but of a later date. Enough has now been said to show at least that these writers cannot altogether be ignored by the LhdetPh°ets student of the history of the latter half of the dynastic fifteenth century. But after all, the supreme wars. J r importance of the poets lies in another direction. It is not theirs to record facts. It is theirs to give expression to the debates and the promptings of the nation's soul. And if we are to seek in them an accurate interpretation of popular feeling, the dynastic question as such had no meaning in Wales. Not one of them holds a brief to buttress either 1 See p. 62. io THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF [ch. Lancaster or York. They sing the glory of a Tudor or a Herbert according as each rises to eminence, and bids fair to become a national leader. Nor can it be said that they exposed themselves to a charge of apostacy if their panegyrics thus alternated between the one and the other. They were consistent in their nationalism. To them Herbert and Tudor were nationalists, not party leaders. Lewis Glyn Cothi saw in Edward IV a descendant of Gwladys the Dark, daughter of Llywelyn the Great ; and he appeals to him, " a royal Welshman," to rid them of oppression, and ameliorate the condition of the peasant. Similarly, Henry of Richmond found in Wales enthusiastic support not because he repre sented the claims of Lancaster, but because he was the grandson of Owen Tudor. No leader of dazzling pre-eminence had arisen in Wales since Owen Glyndwr. " Those who are awake know that Wales has long since fallen into a deep sleep, and awaits an embraving champion." Cysgu 'roedd Cymru medd sawl a'i gwyl Yn hir heb flaenawr fau ragorawl. These are the words of Lewis Glyn Cothi who knew the Their nation's pulse better than any of his contem- nationaiism. poraries. The wars of Owen Glyndwr had left the country bruised, and shackled by an oppressive penal code. The people were restive, and in the second half of the century became animated by a profound, sustained passion to rid themselves of the incubus of alien officials. They were no longer inspired by false hopes of an independent nationality. That ideal had perished. Yet Wales a nation was as virile a principle as in the days of the last Llywelyn ; and to advocate it was the touchstone of true worth in her leaders. The poets tuned their harps to blazon the nation's name, and to proclaim the chieftain best fitted to deliver them from bondage. The first of such men was Griffith ap Nicholas. He died about the time that Jasper Tudor came to Wales. In i] CONTEMPORARY WELSH LITERATURE ii Jasper the poet saw two important qualifications for leadership : he was related by birth to the reigning sovereign, Henry VI ; and he was the son of Owen Tudor. Accordingly, all were urged to unite beneath his standard. Not in vain ; a fact which is forcibly exemplified by the campaign of Ludford. When Jasper's cause waned, the mantle of leadership was transferred to Wilham Herbert, whose star rose rapidly above the horizon after the battle of Mortimer's Cross. After the death of Herbert at Edgecote, in 1469, the poets centre their hopes once more in Jasper and his young nephew, Henry of Richmond. In some poems the prospective saviour of his country is designated " Owen the Deliverer." That this belief in " Owen " was not a delusion finds curious illustration in the Welsh Tudor chronicler, Ellis Griffith, whose History of Wales is still in manuscript only, in the library of Lord Mostyn. For the general history of the period under con sideration this history must be consulted with caution. In many respects it is worthless. The following story, however, is interesting and suggestive. " William ap Griffith was a chieftain of North Wales. Deeply disappointed by the death of Edmund Tudor, earl of Richmond, before a son had been born to him, he threw his bard, Robin Ddu, into prison, exclaiming angrily : ' You made me believe that a scion of the House of Owen would one day restore us the crown of Britain. You now perceive that your prophecy was false, for Edmund has left no son to succeed him.' Soon it became known that the duchess was about to give birth to a child. Robin Ddu was immedi ately set free and despatched to Pembroke. A son was born, and they called his name Owen, by which name young Henry Tudor was for many years known among the Welsh1." On the social life of Wales at this period the poets are invaluable. They throw interesting light also on ecclesi- 1 The above is a brief summary of the tale which is given in full, in the original text, in an appendix to this chapter. For an excursus on authori ties, other than those of Wales, see Appendix at the end of the book. 12 THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF [ch. astical affairs. Lewis Glyn Cothi is trenchant in his satire upon the friars and the travelling minstrels, though his lampoon is often less robust than that of Guto'r Glyn. The sale of indulgences, and even the papacy itself, come beneath their scourge. " The Church is as impotent as the Govern ment," says Tudur Penllyn, " and armies have become the instrument of the devil." Dice, chess, carol-singing, cards, and dancing relieved the monotony of everyday Hfe. The " Life of Sir Rhys ap Thomas " in the Cambrian "The Life Register (1795) is a work which has enjoyed of sir Rhys much popularity, and has formed the basis of almost everything that has been written on Wales during the second half of the fifteenth century. The original manuscript appears to have been written in the early part of the seventeenth century by one who claimed some relationship to Rhys ap Thomas, in order, as he states, to dash in pieces some false, forged traditions respecting him. The writer traces the history of the family from the time of Griffith ap Nicholas, the grandfather of Rhys. The style is attractive, and characterised by unusual dramatic power. The writer was familiar with the chronicles of Hall and Holinshed ; in fact his account, when it deals with the general events of history, is largely a reproduction of Hall. He has also perused some of the fifteenth century Welsh poets, but not critically ; for he presumes that they give the literal truth and translates them accordingly. He states, for example, that Griffith ap Nicholas possessed seven strong castles, and that three great dukes with two other great judges of the realm attempted and failed " to crush and tread him under foot." These statements are a transla tion of an ode to Griffith by Gwilym ap Ieuan Hen1. 1 Gorcheslion Beirdd Cymru, 142-4. Saith gastell sy i'th gostiaw, A saith lys y sy i'th law; Tri dug a brofes trwy dwng A dau ustus dy ostwng; Nes iddynt na'th ddiswyddaw Dramwy ar draed dri mor draw. I] CONTEMPORARY WELSH LITERATURE 13 The writer then proceeds to amplify. The three dukes were " Richard, duke of York, Humphrey, duke of Bucking ham, and Henry, duke of Warwick, or rather Jasper, earl of Pembroke, to whom he had just cause of quarrel because Jasper took a liking to Griffith's castle of Cilgerran." It is no doubt true that these lords had large interests in Wales ; and further, that Griffith was actually engaged in strife with Jasper's brother, Edmund. But Jasper's relations with the family were friendly, and Griffith's sons fought with him against the Yorkists at Mortimer's Cross ; while it is certain that Cilgerran did not belong to Griffith ap Nicholas. Moreover, the account given here . of the attitude of Griffith towards the rival houses of York and Lancaster is seriously at variance with that given by Lewis Glyn Cothi ; for it states that Griffith, having been found guilty of felony, offered his services to the duke of York, and fought and died at Mortimer's Cross. To this we shall return. There are many adventurous tales which we have no means of verifying, but they are of personal, rather than general interest. Some of them, indeed, bear a striking resemblance to those con nected with other individuals at this period. Like Lord Stanley, Rhys ap Thomas is required by Richard III to give his son as a hostage ; while the story that Rhys, having promised Richard that whoever, ill-affected to the state, should dare to land in Wales where he (Rhys) had any employments under his majesty " he must resolve with himself to make his entrance and irruption over my bellie," and that, to verify his oath, he suffered Henry of Richmond, on landing at Dale, to pass over his body — this story also has its counterpart in the annals of Shrewsbury. The author asserts, further, that Rhys was absolute in the neigh bourhood of Milford Haven where Henry landed, that he kept Carmarthen castle, that Richard required him to safe guard Milford Haven against foreign invasion, and that he joined Henry at Dale, all of which are either contradicted by known facts or unsubstantiated by independent evidence. 14 THE HISTORICAL VALUE OF [ch. It would therefore be unsafe to take this work as a reliable guide. The recognised contemporary chroniclers have very little English to say of Wales. Their references are few and authorities. shadowy— the impressions of men who view things from afar. There is not a single continuous record. We have therefore to gather the sequence of events from a mass of material drawn from such official documents as the Rolls of ParUament, Rymer's Foedera, the Patent Rolls, Acts and Proceedings of the Privy Council, the Deputy Keeper's Reports, Inquisitiones post mortem, Statutes of the Realm, the Paston Letters and other correspondence, Municipal Records, and the original material to be found in the publications of various societies. Such material, though disconnected, is on the whole beyond suspicion, and it is possible to obtain from them a tolerably clear idea of the march of events1. APPENDIX Extract from the MS. " History of Wales," by Ellis Griffith, in the Mostyn Library. Genedigaeth Henri ap yr Edmwnt a dreith ym mlaen hyn o lafur. Yn y pryd a'r amser yr ydoedd brudiwr a bardd mawr o vewn tir Gwynedd y neb a elwid Rhobin Ddu brydydd. . .yr hwn ynn hyn o amser ynny blaen a ddywedasai i Syr William Gruffuth yr hwn yn y cyfamser aoedd ben Siambyrien o Wynedd i dygai Rishmwn goron tyrhas lloygyr am iben or achos yngydrym ac ir marchog gafel y gwirionedd o varwolaeth Iarll Ritsmwnt y vo a ddanvones i gyrchu y bardd wrth yr hwn y dywed ef drwy ymravaelion eiriau gwattwarus yn y modd yma. Aha Hrobin deg. Weie mor deg i mae ych brudiau chwi ynn dyvod tydi a wnaethost i mi ac i lawer dyn goelio i dygai Ritshmwnt goron y dyrnas. Megis ac i dangosais di imi yn fynnych o amseroedd or blaen. Neithyr yrowan ir wyf 1 For an account of the original authorities of the period the reader is referred to Historical Literature of the Fifteenth Century, Kingsford ; and Ramsay, Lancaster and York. i] CONTEMPORARY WELSH LITERATURE 15 i ynn gweled yn amlwg nad oes onid fluent a chelwydd oth ymddi- ddanau di. Or achos y djrwed y prydydd drwy gythrudd a llid ynn y modd hwn. Serre pette iarll Richmwnt gwedi marw ag wedi llosgi i gorff ef ac wedi boddi y lludw etto i mae i wraig ef yn feichiog ar ettivedd mab, yr hwn a fydd brenin o loygyr or achos yma, megis ac y mae'r chwedyl yn sathredig ymysg y Cymru, y vo a gedwis y Siambyrlen y bardd megys ynn garcharor oni gavas ef wir wybodaeth fod yr iarlles yn feichiog ac yna y vo a ollyngodd Robin yn hrydd yr hwn o fewn ychydig o amser ynnol a gymerth i shiwrnai o Wynedd i ddeheubarth. Ac ir oedd ef ynghastell Penvro pan oedd yr Iarlles yn travaelio oi chlevyd ac wrth i gynghor ef i kymerth hi y Siambyr o fewn y twr a dreithir uchod yn y lie y ganned iddi vab. Megis y mae gwyr hen o Gymru yn dywedud a hennwyd ynni vedyddio Ywain. Neithyr pan ir goshibion ddangos ir iarlles i henw ef y hi a beris ir esgob droi i henw ef ai hennwi ef Henry neithyr val kynt gwyr Cymru ai galwai ef Ywain yn vynnych no henri yr hwn wedi i ddyvod ef mewn oedran affoes allan or deyrnas i dir ffrainck rhag ofn brenin Edwart. CHAPTER II THE PENAL LAWS The rising of Owen Glyndwr in the first decade of the century was in some respects the greatest social calamity that the country ever experienced. The wide-spread ruin of monasteries, and the relentless devastation of lands, were the least among the evils which it brought in its train. In the first place; Wales was for many years afterwards regarded as an active volcano which might at any moment break out in violent eruption. Beware of Walys, Criste Jhesu mutt us kepe That it make not oure childeis childe to wepe, Ne us also, if it go his waye By unwarenesse ; seth that many a day Men have beferde of here rebellioun. Loke weie aboute, for, God wote, we have nede1. The English Government considered it necessary to Results of maintain a considerable force of archers and Giyndwr-s men-at-arms in the most disaffected districts. rising. Apart from the castle garrisons at Carnarvon, Harlech, Carmarthen and other royal strongholds, a force of about a thousand men was stationed in the very heart of the country, at Cymmer and Bala in Merionethshire, and at Strata Florida in Carmarthenshire. Even when England was being drained of its fighting men for the French wars of Henry V, Wales could not be left without a guard 1 " The Libell of English Policye," circ. 1436, in PoHtical Songs and Poems, 11. 190. Rolls edition. ch. n] THE PENAL LAWS 17 of nearly a thousand men1. In the eyes of patriotic Welsh men this military occupation served as a mark of abiding captivity and national subjection. Henry V, who had acquired an invaluable military training in Wales during his youth, was statesman enough to perceive that a disaffected Wales was a menace he could not afford to ignore, or treat with indifference. And so, being engrossed in plans of foreign conquest, he became anxious for a complete reconciliation. Owen Glyndwr himself was still, apparently, at large, and the possibility of a renewal of active hostilities not altogether remote. Thus, on the eve of the campaign of Agincourt in 1415, just before the army embarked from France, David Howel, a Welshman of note, was charged with complicity in the conspiracy of the earl of Cambridge. In his confession Cambridge stated that the earl of March, who was to replace Henry V on the throne, was to be taken to Wales, and there proclaimed king ; that the royal castles in Wales were to be seized ; and that David Howel was to engineer a rising in North Wales. David Howel's complicity in the affair could not be proved ; for, in the following year, he complained in parliament that he had been indicted of treason by one John Eliot before the king's justices, and that Eliot did not appear to support the charge2. Aware of the intractable temper of his Welsh enemies, the king sent repeated offers of pardon to Owen Glyndwr or his representative. A few weeks before his departure for France he sent Gilbert Talbot on a peaceful mission to Wales, with authority to pardon any rebels who might be disposed to submit. The following year Talbot went on a second embassy of a similar nature, armed with power to negotiate 1 In 141 1 there were 300 men-at-arms, and 600 archers ih these places. In 1415, Strata Florida had 40 men-at-arms, and 80 archers; Cymmer and Bala 300 men-at-arms and 60 archers each. Acts and Proceedings of the Privy Council, n. 14-18, 37-38, in. 146. 2 Rymer's Foedera, ix. 300-1. Rot. Pari. 4 Henry V, 64-6, 102. Appendix to Nicholas, Agincourt, 19. David Howel was accused ' sans aucune manere de droit.' For his subsequent history see chap. in. E. W. R. 2 18 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. with Owen's son Meredith, as Owen himself could not be found1. Moreover, it stands recorded that Henry gave instructions for the rebuilding of some of the monasteries that had been destroyed in the war. The abbey of Llanfaes in Anglesey was to be restored, and at least two of the monks were to be Welsh2. HJ The rising of Owen Glyndwr, in the second place, left a bitter heritage of feud among the Welsh families them selves. Many of them had been opposed to Owen's action from the beginning, and none more vehemently than David Gam, whose daughter Gwladys became the mother of the Herberts of Raglan. These loyalists were proscribed and ruthlessly persecuted by what may with propriety be called the patriots : their lands were devastated ; many were imprisoned ; not a few escaped vengeance by enlisting for the wars in France. For more than a generation frequent complaints were made to Parliament that those who had been loyal to the Government were the victims of ill-treat ment by Owen's partisans and those of their blood3. Some, apparently, found refuge in the old Welsh custom of rhaith, according to which three hundred men were required to swear to the loyalty or innocence of the accused*. However, the feud between patriot and loyalist was fiercely active long after the accession of Henry VI5. But blood-feuds and the establishment of a species of martial law throughout the land were not the only or the 1 Rymer, ix. 283, 330. July 5, 1415, and February 24, 1416. 2 Rymer, ix. 147-8. July 3, 1414. 8 Rot. Pari. (1413-14) 1 Henry V. 10. " Plusieurs des dits rebelles 6taient encore en vie, et autres de sang prochain a ceux rebelles ou leurs amis font graunde pursuite envers les loiaux lieges, surmettant en eux. lis demandent haute amende. Les dits loiaux lieges sont grevousement vexes en plusieurs parties et seigneurs de Galles, aucuns de eux par endite- ments, acusements. ou empechements, et aucuns par menaces et distresses prises, et aucuns par leurs corps prises et emprisonnes." See also, ibid. 1427, 329. 1 Rot. Pari. 1413, 10. See also the complaint of William ap William ap Griffith. Rot. Pari. 1439-42, 16. 6 Ibid. 1427. n] THE PENAL LAWS 19 least of the evil results of Glyndwr's rising. It produced a code of penal laws which increased in severity until the cataclysm of the Wars of the Roses swept away the old order of things, and ushered in a new era of coalition and prosperity. For many generations Welshmen were denied the ordinary privileges of citizenship : they could not acquire property in land within or near the boroughs ; they could not serve on juries ; intermarriage between them and the English was forbidden ; they could not hold office under the Crown ; no Englishman could be convicted on the oath of a Welshman1. These protective walls, which sought to guard the interests of English residents in Wales, could Welshmen ° ' who received not long withstand the assaults of social and 'zeas ip' political storms. The peasant fought for a path to freedom; his lord hungered for more land; the artisan was rising to a position of independence ; the merchant opened up new avenues of trade ; home and foreign wars created a demand for Welsh soldiers ; in the midst of all came a prolonged strife which finally shattered the filigree of social distinctions between the two nations. But while these forces were gathering strength the average Welshman was grievously handicapped by the penal laws. It would have been inexpedient, if not difficult, to withhold citizenship from a Welshman of commanding local influence, whose power and interests could be enlisted on the side of order by granting him denizenship. This appears to have been the position of Rees ap Thomas, a Cardiganshire 1 Que nulle homme Galeys desormes soit Justice, Chamberlain, Chaun- celler, Seneschal, Resceivour, chief Forestier, Viscompt, eschetour, ne conestable de chastel. . ; mais, soient angloys en mesmes les offices. . ; Item que nulle homme Engloys par touz les partiez de Gales soit enditS ou attache1 par hatie et envie de Galoys, . . soit convict par enquest des Galoys de nulle chose a luy surmys ; Item que nulle homme ne femme Engloys se marient a nulle homme ne femme Galoys ; Item, que les Burges Englois de Villes ne receveint nulle homme de demy sang del partie Galois destre enfranchiez deinz leurs villes. Ordinates Walliae. 2 Henry IV, March 18. Record of Carnarvon, •239, seq. See also " Statute of Wastours and Rymours " 4 Henry IV. 20 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. chieftain, who was admitted to the full rights of a citizen in 1413, and was the first thus to be favoured, unless we carry our history further back than the accession of Henry V. Rees subsequently held an official position of some moment in West Wales and received the alien priory of St Clear's1. Some years later; Griffith ap Nicholas was granted the privileges of Englishmen for similar reasons. To have made him the victim of a harsh penal code would have been unwise, perhaps dangerous. The same may be said of Griffith Dwnn to whom, in 1421, Parliament granted the full liberties of a loyal subject2. His family played a conspicuous part in the politics of the second half of the century. The penal laws, in that they forbade a Welshman to hold or purchase lands in England, affected, more by chance than by design, the civil rights of those who had migrated from Wales to England before the passing of the statutes, and had acquired a territorial interest there. But for their petitions to parliament, we might never have suspected their Welsh origin. Such was Lewis John, who is described as having been born of a Welsh father and mother. He had acquired a status in England as a freeman of the city of London ; he possessed estates in Essex, and was Warden of the Mint in London and Calais3. John Montgomery4 and John Steward were Welshmen who found themselves in the same difficulty. Both served with distinction at Agincourt, and afterwards in Normandy. The rights of such men were separately safeguarded by parliament on petition. 1 In 1438 he was made Steward of Cardigan, Cantrefmawr, and Glyn- cothi. In 1441 he and a few others received the alien priories of St Clear's and Llangenneth. In 1444 he received Gerardston, Cardiganshire. Rot. Pari. iv. 6; and Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. 2 Rot. Pari. (1413-37), 130. 8 Letters of Margaret of Anjou, 34. Rot. Pari. iv. 44-5. 4 Rot. Pari. iv. 45, Nicholas, Agincourt; 379-85. Record Reports ( 3:885), 546. which state that John Montgomery was bailiff of Calais and captain of Domfront. In 1430 he was on an embassy to the duke of Burgundy. Proceedings, iv. 72, 324. Rymer, ix. 594-5 ; x. 458, and passim. «] THE PENAL LAWS 2r It is beyond the scope of the present inquiry to follow the careers of these men in detail, or investigate the extent to which the people of Wales sought and found a larger ambit of enterprise in the general affairs of the country. In the Church they are represented by Reginald Pecock, the most daring thinker of his age, and by the astute diplomatist Philip Morgan, who became Bishop of Worcester and Chancellor of Normandy. In war, no soldier of the day won greater fame than Mathew Gough ; and but for his brilliance, a host of lesser lights from Wales would burn more brightly. Owen Tudor gave proof of courtly quahties by winning the affection of Queen Catherine. Few mastered the shifts of statecraft more successfully than William Herbert. Some of these, on account of the eminence they achieved in the Wars of the Roses, or the splendour in which they are wreathed in contemporary Welsh literature, will appear often in our story. Others, hke Pecock and Philip Morgan, who do not directly affect the story of Wales, have no claims upon the present narrative. To resume. Many obtained emancipation from civil thraldom by their eminent services in the French wars ; for example, David ap Thomas of Cardiganshire, in 1427, for his unswerving loyalty to Henry V. In this instance the liberation was not made hereditary1. A few years later he was to suffer imprisonment for his adherence to Humphrey, duke of Gloucester. In 1430, Rhys ap Madoe " born in Wales" received denizenship at the special request of the House of Commons for his sovereign heroism at Crevant and Verneuil. He appears to have been in personal atten dance upon the duke of Bedford when the latter crossed from France to England to compose the differences between Cardinal Beaufort and the duke of Gloucester2. The yoke next fell from the shoulders of Morgan Meredith. He 1 Rot. Pari. 1427, 325. Cal. Pat. Rolls, sub ann. 2 Rot. Pari. 1430-1, 372. Record Reports (1887). He received protection to cross to France in the duke of Bedford's retinue on February 7, 1425-6. 22 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. marked his deliverance by a prosperous trade in barley with the Netherlands, and later acquired some ascendancy in the local affairs of Kent1. In 1432 the franchise was bestowed upon Owen ap Meredith, who was probably the romantic Owen ap Meredith ap Tudor, better known as Owen Tudor2. There is a forbidding leanness about this grant which betokens flagrant insincerity of intriguing suspicion. He could not become a citizen or a burgess, nor hold a Crown office in any city, borough, or market town. By a process of elimination we infer that he could bear arms, acquire land, intermarry, and serve on a jury. He might hold a household appoint ment, a fact of outstanding significance in his particular case. As we shall see, he was already the husband of Queen Catherine, though the fact was not generally known. Another illuminating case is that of William ap William ap Griffith, who described himself as " English on his mother's side, being son to Joan, daughter of William Stanley, knight, and part English on his father's side." His father, he declared, had been loyal to the Crown against Owen Glyndwr, and had been despoiled of his lands in consequence. Parlia ment gave a guarded assent to his request ; for Wilham was not to marry a Welsh wife, and he was not permitted to hold any royal office in Wales3. Three years later, however, these embarrassing restrictions were removed. The Government became more liberal under Edward IV. In 1468 Morgan ap Meredith of Carnarvonshire, and one David Canons, were enabled to become burgesses of any Carnarvonshire boroughs, or of any other town in Wales and the Marches, with freedom to hold office and carry arms4- 1 Record Reports (1887). January 5, 1442-3. He was on a commis sion to investigate disturbances in 1456. Proceedings of the Privy Council, vi. 289. June, 1456. Also, Morgan Meredith of Carmarthen; 1441. C.P.R., 560. 2 Rot. Pari. 10 Henry VI. 415. The relations between Owen and Catherine are discussed fully in another chapter. 8 Rot. Pari, 1439, 16; and 1442, 45. See his pedigree in Dwnn, 11. 89. * Cal. Pat. Rolls, September 26, 1468, 107-8. n] THE PENAL LAWS 23 But of those that were formally emancipated by parlia- Griffithap ment the most aggressive was Griffith ap N1Choias. Nicholas, a remarkable character who domin ated West Wales in the middle of the fifteenth century. No reliable account of him is extant, for the spurious biographical sketch in the Cambrian Register, which was written more than a century and a half after his death, is a picturesque web of fancy woven to embellish a family pedigree1. His grandson was that Sir Rhys ap Thomas who is said to have deceived Richard III by an ingenious piece of sophistry, and who afterwards won a knighthood on Bosworth field. Griffith was intensely national, and in his generous patronage of the bards faithfully mirrors the Welsh aristo cracy of his day. He is the subject of many a panegyric in contemporary poetry where, with pardonable poetic licence, he is extolled as the autocrat of the south and the ruler of the west from Carmarthen to Anglesey2. His home was Newton, now Dynevor, near Llandilo, in Carmarthenshire. He held the position of approver for the king in Dynevor as early as 1425 ; so that he must have obtained release from civic servitude before that date, although the parlia mentary recognition of it was only recorded twenty years afterwards. Moreover, he was farmer of the lordship of Dynevor in 14403. A curious instance of the abduction of a woman of property gives him a lurid ascendancy which is not sub stantiated by the little we know of him. Margaret, the widow of Sir Thomas Maliphant, was journeying from Pembrokeshire to London, when she was seized by an unscrupulous adventurer Lewis Leyshon, who speciously 1 I refer to the account of him in the Life of Sir Rhys ap Thomas in the Cambrian Register, 1795. The original MS. appears to have been written in the early part of the reign of James I, as already stated, Ch. 1. 2 Lewis Glyn Cothi, 11, 1. See also Iolo MSS. 699, a poem by Iorwerth Fynglwyd. Gorchestion Beirdd Cymru, 155, a poem by Gwilym ap Ieuan Hen. The historic eisteddfod at Carmarthen, 1451, was held under Griffith's protection. 8 Minister's Accounts, 1166-8. John Perot was associated with him. 24 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. represented himself as her protector against the violence of Griffith ap Nicholas. Lewis escorted her in the guise of a friend as far as Twygeston, near Bridgend, the home of his accomplice, Gilbert Turberville. He then unmasked his dark purpose, which was to force her to become his wife. Margaret's honour, however, defied imprisonment, brutality, as well as the hypocritical pleadings of the parish vicar1. A similar case of abduction occurred in Lancashire about the same time, when Lady Butler was taken from her chamber at Bartonwood, and carried off in " her kirtle and her smokke " by one William Pulle of Wirral, who compelled her to say the words of matrimony in the parish church of Bidstone2. In 1443, by a royal grant, Griffith ap Nicholas was invested with the town of Tregaron, and the commote of Pennarth in which it was situated, a large district in the upper valley of the Teivy, during the minority of Maud, daughter and heiress of William Clement3. We shall probably not be far wrong in attributing this grant to the favourable influence of Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, who had been made Chief Justice of South Wales in 1440, and who spent some time in Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire during these years, for Griffith soon became one of the duke's most devoted followers. He continued to advance in power and position in subsequent years. In 1444 he was formally admitted as a fully privileged English subject4. The penal code was by this time tottering ominously : " Welshmen in increasing numbers seek to be citizens and to have the same freedom as Englishmen, which will be to the utter destruction of all Englishmen." Such were the words of the burgesses 1 Rot. Pari. 1439-40, 14. Lewis Glyn Cothi, i, ioo. Arch. Cambrensis, 1864, 247. 2 Rot. Pari. 1436-37 ; July. 497-8. 3 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 29 April, 1448. See a grant to Lewis ap Meredith, esquire of %he household, of £20 yearly rendered by Griffith ap Nicholas for Tregaron and Pennarth. The grant to Griffith bears date Tulv 24 144*. 4 Rot. Pari. 1444, 104, w H] THE PENAL LAWS 25 of North Wales who, becoming alarmed at the robust vitality of the Welsh, petitioned parliament to put an end to it. Parliament, in acquiescing, specifically exempted Wilham Bulkley of Anglesey, " an Englishman who had married a woman of half-blood Welsh," and Griffith ap Nicholas. This indirect allusion is our only official record of Griffith's denizenship, but it implies that he had received it some years previously. At a later period his name appears on a number of commissions. For example, in 1445, he was authorised with a few others to inquire into the felonies of one David ap Meredith of Aberystwyth1. The number of those thus formally unfettered by parlia- The towns ment was comparatively few. Nevertheless, it ofthe should not be assumed that the laws against Marches. TTT , .. - Welshmen were equally stringent throughout Wales. Their own selfish propensities, and the struggle for existence in the turbid pools of riot, compelled the lords- marcher to lean towards tolerance ; for the greater the number of law-abiding burgesses, the greater the security in the towns on their demesnes, and the greater their revenues. It may be asserted with a fair degree of probability, that the early towns of Wales were not so exclusively foreign as they are sometimes represented to have been. It is certain that there was no general prohibition against the Welsh on the part of the lords-marcher, in whose demesnes most of the towns came into existence. Nor did the unfortunate results of Glyndwr's rebellion operate for any length of time so as to exclude Welshmen from the towns of the Marches. In 1406 Edward Charlton granted a charter to Welshpool, according to which only Welshmen " who were with us in. the rebellion shall be taken into the liberty." There were Welsh bailiffs in Tenby in the first decade of the fifteenth 1 Cal. Pat. Rolls, sub ann. 369 ; Stephenson, 11, 508. Other members of the above commission were Owen Dwnn, David Morys, Morgan Doe ( ? Dwnn) and William Burley. 26 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. century. A charter of the Mortimers to Usk about the same time declares that the corporation " having obtained our licence may freely make any Welshman a burgess of our town1." But if there was a less stringent regime in the Marches, it cannot be too strongly emphasised that the penal code perpetuated the cleavage between the two nations, discouraged the Welsh from peaceful enterprise, and produced considerable irritation, especially in the shires. So far we have dealt mainly with those causes of unrest which might be traced directly to Owen Welsh and , 5 . . J English Glyndwr s rising. There were others of a more remote origin. Since the conquest of the Principality by Edward I, Wales had been divided into shire-ground and the Marches. The shires were Anglesey, Merionethshire. Carnarvonshire, Carmarthenshire, Cardigan shire and Flintshire. There were two counties-palatine, namely, the earldom of Pembroke, and the lordship of Glamorgan. In all these the organisation was in every respect similar to that of an English county. The rest of Wales was known as the Marches. Here every lord was a law unto himself. Throughout the Marches Welsh and English customs existed side by side, but the tendency was for the latter to encroach upon the former. Thus, in 1415, the Welsh chieftains on the estates of the duchy of Lancaster in West Wales petitioned that they should hold their lands according to the custom of their forefathers, and that estates should not escheat to the Crown in default of heirs direct2. Some times dues exacted according to English law were super imposed upon those exacted by Welsh law. In 1417, Edward Stradling and the tenants of Bassaleg, in the seignory of Newport, were distrained upon for a tallage ; but the 1 For a fuller treatment of this question see an article by the author on " The Welsh and the Early Municipalities," in Celtic Review ; Jan. 1908. 2 Rot. Pari. 3 Henry V, 91. Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, was their overlord. His tenants petitioned that " I'avant dites terres ne serroient seisez en vos mains autrement que la loi Galoise demande." "] THE PENAL LAWS 27 seizures were afterwards restored to them on the ground that the tallage had not been paid in ancient times except when the lord attained his majority1. There were instances where the burden became intolerable, and many of the villeins were driven to seek elsewhere a more lenient rule, or a more adventurous existence. In 1446, the king's bondsmen of North Wales were absolved from the duty of executing felons, to which they were compelled by the sheriff, " by reason whereof bondmen have gone from the counties to divers parts of England, so that many towns are desolate, and rents and services and pence are taken away2." In some parts villeinage was rampant in its most hideous form. In 1449 a number of villeins were sold to Wilham Griffith of North Wales '* with their suc cessors procreated and to be procreated, and all their goods3." Of all the plagues that infested the stricken land the official worst was that of official tyranny. Tnis state- tyranny. ment applies more especially to the royal shires. Here the officials from the " Warnester," or watcher at the town gate, to the constable of the castle, from the bailiff to the sheriff, were aliens whose sympathies were rudely antagonistic to Welsh sentiment. Only in the lower orders of the Church did the native element predominate. During the first half of the century all the sheriffs of the counties of North Wales were English. So also were the constables of the castles, the chamberlains and the justices. The same is true of South Wales. Whenever we meet with the constables of Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Dynevor, Dryslwyn, Carmarthen, Laugharne, or even with such minor officials 1 Acts and Proceedings ofthe Privy Council, n. 215-6. February, 1417. See a writ issued to the Sheriff of the seignory, Morgan ap Evan ap Jankyn his lieutenant, and Morgan ap Roger (Rosser) his coroner. The lord of the seignory was the earl of Stafford. 2 Cal. Pat. Rolls, March 29, 1446. 426. Cf. Wynne, 83. 3 See the original document printed in Beaumaris Bay, 25, bearing the date 20 June, 1449. For this William Griffith see ante. Compare this with the tendency to emancipate bondmen in England, e.g. on the lands of the monastery of St Albans. Whethamstede, 11, passim. 28 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. as porters, they are invariably English. It is not until the accession of Edward IV that a change appears. The cleavage between the two peoples, and especially the clash between the native element and ofhconum-n" their English officials, is faithfully mirrored in Ht«aTure contemporary Welsh literature, one of the chief features of which, as we have already remarked, is its hostility towards the Saxon. The poet Lewis Glyn Cothi, for example, exults in the rise of Griffith ap Nicholas to official status because he views it as the opening of a new era, when " the Saxon will no longer be found presiding over the Sessions or holding, an official position amongst us1." It is in the poets of the period, too, that we must seek a true expression of the temper of public opinion in face of the disabilities under which the people laboured. Although contemporary poetry was produced largely at the command of the rich, and to eulogise them, and thus savours of a fawning timidity in dealing with social evils, nevertheless, there are many suggestive references to a deep and wide spread unrest. " Life is sad and heavy, men who were formerly in bondage are gradually becoming more enslaved," says Lewis Glyn Cothi2. The same poet frequently calls upon his heroes to draw their swords in defence of the common people and the innocent3. Similarly Guto'r Glyn, in a glowing panegyric to Edward IV : " Woe betide us who have been born in 1 Ni welir Sais diddirwy Na Saison mewn Sessiwn mwy, Na dyn o Sais yn dwyn swydd. Lewis Glyn Cothi, Works I. xxiv. 2 Mae bywyd trist, mae byd' trwm ; Meibion a gweision oedd gaeth Myned weithion maent waethwaeth. Ibid. I. xx. 8 A'th gledd bydd geidwad Ar gwmmin werin hyd gaer Warwig gron Ac ar y gwirion o'th gaer gerrig. Glyn Cothi, Ode to Watcyn Vaughan. " From thy stone castle come forward, sword in hand, to defend the common people and the defenceless." n] THE PENAL LAWS 29 servitude, and are the prey of strong thieves. Restore order. Come thyself, valiant Edward, and check the oppressors1." Nor did the overbearing temper of the nobility, and the dechne of Welsh law and custom escape the poets Lewis Glyn Cothi implores Owen ap Griffith " to mete out justice to the proud, and restore their ancient customs to the timid2." Similarly he appeals to another patron to " restore to Wales her own law3." Guto'r Glyn bewails the social restrictions which debarred anyone not of baronial lineage from rising above bis station, and vigorously assails the ineffectiveness of the ecclesiastical law to curb the im moderate licence of the clergy. One of the noblest features of Thomas ap Rosser, a chieftain slain at Edgecote, was that he evinced practical sympathy for the common people4. Bearing these circumstances in mind, it is not difficult to realise that contempt of law, which was general throughout the country, found most congenial soil in the Marches, where every lord was responsible for the maintenance of order within his own territories, and was frequently not without reason to subvert it. It is a commonplace of history that the Marches experienced every species of lawlessness which national acerbities, official vindic- tiveness, and the negation of effective judicial administration, could engender in a land of pathless woods and inaccessible mountains5. The Marches were deluged by all the barbarous 1 Gwae ni o'n geni yn gaeth Gan ladron ; gwna lywodraeth. Dyred dy hun, Edwart hir, I ffrwyno cyrph rhai anwir. Guto'r Glyn, MSS., Cardiff. Hafod, 3. 2 Rhoi cyfraith berffaith i'r beilch Rhoi devawd i'r rhai diveilch. Glyn Cothi, 1. 139. 8 Enyn y gyfraith unig i Gymru. Ibid. 1. 35. Also Cein. Lien. 11. 193. 4 Lewis Glyn Cothi. Ode to Thomas ap Rosser. 8 It is not our intention to digress upon the constitutional position of the lord-marcher. For a full exposition the reader may be referred to the admirable work of Morris, Welsh Wars of Edward I. See also Skeel, Council of Wales, Introduction ; George Owen's Treatise on the Government of Wales, in the Cymmrodor, vols. xii. and xiii. ; etc. For the lawlessness- of the Marches, see Wynne's History ofthe Gwydir Family, Wright's Ludlow*. 30 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. evils of a degenerate feudalism, countless in number and variety. Scientific atrocity had almost become an axiom of life. The savage licence and wolfish avarice of the strong were let loose upon the weak and the law-abiding. No recorded deed of romantic heroism relieves the abject bru tality of a Lord Powys, the murderer of Griffith Vaughan1, or the dexterous perfidy of a Grey of Ruthin. There is no splendid villainy even, such as is recorded in the annals of some of the Italian states during the century, unless it be the murder of Sir Christopher Talbot who was struck to the heart at his own castle of Caws2. Official records present nothing better than a frightful spectacle of barbarity, a catalogue of robberies and tragedies. The chief sufferers were the inhabitants of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Shropshire, who frequently reported their grievances to Parliament. Their cornfields were ruined, their stock reduced to ashes, their cattle driven to the mountains ; and not infrequently they were themselves imprisoned until heavy ransoms were paid. Merchants who plied their trade in the west were the prey of a godless nobility and a brutalised peasantry. Security of transit was impossible where the king's writ did not run3- The estuary of the Severn swarmed with pirates, every creek giving shelter to its seadogs who had their accomplices in the towns. They issued forth like an armed fleet in battle array4. The merchants of Bristol were not more immune than those of Ireland or Denmark5. Stolen cattle and stock were transferred recklessly by night from one side of the Severn Eyton's Shropshire. Archaeologia Cambrensis, vols, n., in. Rot. Pari. Statutes of the Realm, etc. 1 There are many references to the affair in Trevelyan Papers (Camden Society). Powy stand Collections, I. 335-8, n. 139-168 ; xrv. 126-1*8 2 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 21 Henry VI, 397. 8 " Ou le brief du roy ne court." Rot. Pari. 1413-37, 52. 4 Rot. Pari. 1430-31. " En grande nombre arraiez en faire de guerre." Ibid. 1427; 332. 6 Acts of the Privy Council, iv. 208. April 28, 1434. n] THE PENAL LAWS 3i to the other, and robbers were not to be deterred by legislation forbidding night-ferrying. The peasantry retaliated upon the insolence and ferocity of the municipal officials of North Wales by organised raids upon Conway, Dolgelly and Beaumaris on market days, which sometimes ended in bloodshed1. If the people were wronged they were not so servile as to return thanks for it. It need hardly be stated that this bewildering lawlessness was not the work of irresponsible hordes of outlaws and hardened ruffians. Those who were not to be constrained to the mean duties of villeins, when villeinage was fast becoming an anachronism, simply became the retainers of a depraved nobility whose predatory habits they aped. John Talbot of Goodrich Castle was a valiant soldier. In 1424 his services were required in France to assist in rescuing Crotoy. He refused to go until he had indemnified himself for the arrears of his wages, as constable of Montgomery Castle, by a profitable raid upon the prosperous citizens and farmers of Herefordshire2. Sir Reginald Grey and Hugh Wenlok were also among his unfortunate victims3. William Fitzwarren levied a body of armed men in Wales and de prived Richard Hankford of Whittington of his castle. The Corbets were bold enough to abuse and rob the collectors of the fifteenth in Shrewsbury4. John ap Meredith, a cousin 1 Lewis Glyn Cothi, vn. iii ; v. vii. A dark episode called the " Black Affray of Beaumaris " between the burgesses of that town and the Welsh of Anglesey ended in the death of the leader, David ap Ieuan of Llwydiarth. For more minute details of the lawless state of the Snowdon district, see Hengwrt MSS. in Arch. Cambrensis, 1846-8 ; viz. the Records of Inqui sitions for Merionethshire (1452-4). 2 Ordinances ofthe Privy Council, February 14, 1424 ; in. 138. Rot. Pari. 1424 ; 254. The names of some of the retainers may be of some interest : William ap Rees, David ap Jankyn, Thomas Walter, John Rotherwas, John Gam, John Roger, William Prees, Philip Madoe. David Miskyn, Jankyn ap Adam, Hugh ap Adam, John Gronowe, Walter ap Hugh, Griffith Kilbrest, Howel Sheplod, John ap David, Ieuan ap Gronowe, Ieuan Vaughan, Philip Iorwerth, Morys Penreth, Thomas ap Richard, Griffith Elvel. 8 Rot. Pari. 1425, 275 and 312. Both petitioned Parliament to compel Talbot to give security that he would keep the peace. 4 Rot. Pari. 1422, 193 ; and ibid. 1414-5, 30, 87. Also, Record Reports, 1419, 709. 32 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. of Owen Tudor, fought out his feuds alternately with William Griffith, chamberlain of North Wales, and the Thelwalls of Dyffryn Clwyd1. About the year 1442 the blaze of riot raged with amazing fury, private property and public finance being multiply equally involved in the general ruin. It was '" "'"'" found impossible to arrest miscreants. They passed from one lordship to another, and " having no place certain to tarry " transferred their ill-gotten wealth to places of security, and themselves beyond the reach of law and justice2. There was no decent reverence for the monasteries. Some years previously a papal bull had empowered the abbot of Margam to excommunicate a number of people who had despoiled the abbey of Neath3. But the pope's curse could not kill a fly, and his servants could be bought for a song4. The abbey of Strata Florida was placed under the care and government of the abbots of Whitland and Margam because the abbot could not guard it against strong thieves and robbers5. The abbot of Basingwerk, in Flintshire, complained of his losses through riots and robberies6. The abbot of Vale Royal in Cheshire lodges a similar complaint that " whereas he is fiefed of Llanbadarn and other property in the counties of Cardigan and Carmar then, and as in the said shires are some Welshmen to whom the said abbot has not given such rewards as they desired, they have indicted him at the sessions of divers felonies to compel him to give them rewards and fees ; and when he came to appear to the indictment he could not pass through certain lordships without being assaulted and beaten7." Moreover, " Welshmen accused of treason have been found to come into the towns and markets and stay there 1 Wynne, History ofthe Gwydir Family, 44-7. 2 Rot. Pari. I44I--2, 53-4 etc. 8 Glamorgan Charters, 1500 (1423). 4 Lewis Glyn Cothi, passim. 6 Glamorgan Charters, 1590 (1443, March 3). Cal. Pat. Rolls, 95 (1442). 6 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 1442, 42. 7 Rot. Pari. 1442 ; 42-3. n] THE PENAL LAWS 33 for several days without being arrested, because the sheriff and his ministers oftentimes have no knowledge of their persons nor of their being within the said county, some for favour and amity, some for doubt of hurt1." Such obliquity of conduct as these extracts reveal necessarily affected the royal revenues. The Exchequer suffered by an extensive evasion of customs' dues on merchandise passing through Wales and the Marches. Tenants and others in North and South Wales2 were frequently summoned to pay their debts by instalments, or otherwise to answer for the amounts due from them. Further, a number of native chieftains were about the same time outlawed or placed under arrest. The ringleader in Carnarvonshire was Evan ap Robin3 ; in the valley of the Dee, Sir Griffith Vaughan4; in Carmarthenshire, Owen, the son of Griffith ap Nicholas. The Privy Council ordered Owen to be placed under arrest ; Griffith himself and the Abbot of Whitland were summoned to appear before the Privy Council ; while some militant monk who had been traversing North and South Wales holding riotous assemblies called cymmorthau, narrating Welsh chronicles and traditions, and stirring up the people to rebellion, was immediately " to be found out and taken5." That this agitator was one of the bardic fraternity may be presumed with a fair degree 1 Statutes of the Realm, 1444-5 ; Rot. Pari. 1444-5, 106. 2 Proceedings of the Privy Council, v. 209. 29 August, 1442. " A levy to be made of various sums due to the king from South Wales. Rhys ap Thomas ap David, 10 marks ; John ap Rees ap Thomas, 10 marks ; David ap Thomas ap David ap Llewelyn, ^71. 13s. $d. ; Meredith ap Owen, ^133. 6s. Sd. ; Rees Vaughan ap Rees, £90 ; Maredydd ap Ievan ap Rees, £22. 13s. 4d. ; Llywelyn ap David ap Rees, if11.2s.oi." Also, ibid. ill. 78, 1423. Rot Pari. 1442. 3 See document in Wynne's Gwydir FamUy, 34-5, note 3. 4 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 1444, 281. In July of that year Griffith Vaughan of Treflidyan, Kt, Ievan ap Griffith of Gildesford, Reynold ap lord Griffith of Treflidyan, and David Lloyd ap Ievan ap Griffith of Gildesford, etc. were outlawed, and their property (Breamiarth, in Pole) given to John Sutton, Lord Dudley. — See above for the murder of Griffith Vaughan by Henry Grey, Lord Powys, in 1447. 6 Acts of the Privy Council, v. 244, 233. 5 March, 1443. Griffith ap Nicholas was in London in January, 1442. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 12. E. W. R. 3 34 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. of certainty. He may, indeed, have been Lewis Glyn Cothi, the most fervid nationalist of his time, whose spirit chafed beneath the miseries and humiliations of pohtical and social servitude. For he himself admits that he was at one time hunted down by the officers of justice, and that he was then sheltered by Owen ap Griffith ap Nicholas1. As we have just remarked, Owen was also under the ban of the law at this time ; and as Glyn Cothi was his neighbour, both may have been acting together. This defiance of law and order continued with varying success until the Tudors finally smothered it through the instrumentality of the Court of the President and Council of Wales and the Marches. Meanwhile, the administration of justice rested with the sheriffs of the counties and the lords of the Marches. They failed notoriously, either from self-interest, or gross absenteeism, or ineptitude. Conse quently the Privy Council was constrained to interfere. Although empty proclamations rather than energetic Attempts to action generally characterised its proceedings, restore order. ^ Pj-jvy Council was obviously apprehensive about Wales. One of the royal castles might at any time fall into the hands of the lawless element ; and a reduction of castles held by Welsh rebels had been a costly business during Glyndwr's wars2. The efficiency of the castle 1 Lewis Glyn Cothi, n. ii. A mi'n nhiredd Gwynedd gynt Yn herwa, yno hirhynt, Owain i gadw fy einioes Ei aur a'i win i'm a roes. " When formerly I was wandering in Gwynedd, Owen gave me his gold and his wine to save my life." I can see no evidence to support the generally accepted view that Lewis Glyn Cothi was hunted as a Lancastrian partisan. See the editor's note on the above passage, for example. 2 Ordinances of the Privy Council, 23 Jan. 1415, 339. See a petition from Gerard Strong praying that a warrant might be issued commanding the exchequer to grant him a discharge for the metal of a brass cannon called " Messager " weighing 4480 lbs, which was burst at the siege of Aberystwyth ; of a cannon called the " King's Daughter," burst at the siege of Harlech ; of a cannon which burst in proving it ; of a cannon with two chambers ; of two iron guns, and three other iron guns ; with n] THE PENAL LAWS 35 garrisons in North Wales, therefore, had been a matter of concern to Henry V. He stipulated that no burgess should be received into the king's wages at the castle, and any who had been so received were to be discharged and replaced by others. The burgess was not as efficient as the professional soldier ; and as the burgesses constituted themselves into an armed force at need, the employment of a burgess as a castle soldier implied a weakening of the combined force of town and castle. Another difficulty which Henry V had tried to grapple with was the absen teeism of sheriffs, for it was enacted that none were to be appointed to that office who would not perform their duties in person1. On the death of Henry V, the minority of his son and the continuance of the French war multiplied the difficulties of the Privy Council. Sometimes, as in 1422, commissions would be appointed to try and secure peace. But, with grim irony, the chief members were themselves the advocates and propellors of incendiarism, such as the Talbots2. On one occasion it was proposed to place the administration of private lands, viz. those of the Skydmores of Herefordshire, in the power of the Council itself, " lest riots and other inconveniences should arise3." But there were too many cross currents of interest, and privilege was too well fortified, for the extension of such a project. Another time an attempt was made to check absenteeism : all the constables of castles in Wales were directed to return to their posts, and the lords- marcher to hold their courts on one day, and to see that the law was duly obeyed within their own jurisdictions4. gunpowder, cross-bows and arrows delivered to various captains of castles or used at the aforesaid sieges. 1 Ibid. 25 October, 1417, 238-9. 2 Rymer's Foedera, x. 254. 3 Oct. 1422. John Talbot, William Talbot, and Edmund Ferrers of Chartley were on this commission. 8 Proceedings ofthe Privy Council. 9 Feb. 1422, 320-1. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 1446, 264. 4 Proceedings of the Privy Council, v. 3. 21 Nov., 1436. Minutes on the Government of Wales. 36 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. In 1437 a more comprehensive scheme was lodged. It a proposed was proposed to ascertain who the lords- councii. marcher were, and to appoint a special com mittee to deal solely with the affairs of the Principality and the Marches1- In pursuance of this plan, the lords were summoned to the Privy Council in the following year to assist in the formation of the proposed committee2. But, probably on account of the lethargy and the selfishness of those concerned, nothing was done. Nevertheless, the proposal is of constitutional interest as being apparently the first suggestion that the affairs of Wales and the Marches should be administered by a distinct council, the plan which subsequently materialised in the shape of the Council of Wales and the Marches. Five years later, in 1442, when the political temperature of the Marches was inordinately high, the laws of Edward I with regard to the administration of justice in Wales were examined, and the lords of the Marches were ordered to confer and take instant action, a task in which the duke of York promised actively to assist; In case they refused the Government threatened to find some drastic remedy. This was no empty boast. For on August 12, 1443, a conference actually took place at Harlech between Henry Norris, the deputy-chamberlain of Carnarvon, and the gentry of Merionethshire, to try and still the tempest of feud and riot. In October they came before the Council3. It may be remarked that other provincial assemblies provincial are recorded in the reign of Edward IV. But assemblies. tney were stnnm0ned to vote money rather than to restore order. In 1466 the freeholders and towns people of Anglesey agreed upon a subsidy of 400 marks to 1 Proceedings of the Privy Council, v. 81-2. 25 Nov., 1437. 2 Proceedings of the Privy Council. 16 Feb., 1438, vol. v. 92. Ibid. 1442, 211-213. 8 For a history of the Council of Wales see Skeel's Court and Council of Wales and the Marches ; The Cymmrodor, xn.-xv. and xix. ; and the authorities quoted. For the above conference see Medieval Boroughs of Snowdonia. n] THE PENAL LAWS 37 be paid within six years ; while in 1473 Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire voted a tollage to the Prince of Wales in honour of his first visit to the country1. One result of the prevailing anarchy was a periodical tightening of the penal fetters. The statutes "against the Welsh were confirmed in 1431, and again two years later2 ; though it was not until 1447 that the most elaborate and ponderous engine of oppression which the bigoted tyranny of officials could conceive was brought to bear upon the native element. This was at the parliament of Bury, which was assembled at the time of the death of Humphrey, duke of Gloucester ; and we shall be able to understand the circumstances more clearly if we consider the relations between Wales and the duke. Humphrey had acquired a personal interest in Wales as far back as 1414, when he was created earl of dukTofrey Pembroke. He was lord of Tenby and Cilger- wlies. ter m ran > and his possessions included the castle of Llanstephan, near Carmarthen, which he had obtained as a reward for his services at Agincourt. The place had been forfeited to the Crown by the treason of its possessor, Henry Gwyn, who had fought for the French in that battle3. In 1427 Gloucester was made justice of North Wales. He came to Chester in that year, presumably in his capacity as chief justice4, while in the following year we find him holding an inquisition at Bala5. In 1433 he held a court at Pembroke, and investigated a case of disputed in heritance. In 1437 he was appointed a justice in Anglesey6. 1 Antiquary, vol. xvi. Ministers' Accounts. 2 Statutes of the Realm, 1431, C 3. Rot. Pari, sub ann. 377. In 1442, at the instigation of the border counties. Parliament passed a number of laws against the harbouring of robbers, and called upon the sheriffs to be more alert and stringent. 8 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 1415-16, 129. Nicholas, Agincourt, 175. Cf. Ap pendix I, p. 63. 4 Vicker's Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, Appendix A, 437. 6 Powysland Collections, 1. 254. 6 Rot. Pari. iv. 474. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 19, 376, 452 ; Mathew Wogan and Thomas Perot were present at the investigation. 38 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. In 1440 the office of chief justice of South Wales was conferred upon him, and in August of the following year he held sessions at Carmarthen and Cardigan " to settle the disturbances and quarrels which existed between the in habitants ©f those parts," a task which involved him in " great costs and labour1." As we have seen, the years 1441 to 1443 were a period of unusual unrest and insecurity. Gloucester hoped to turn it to some advantage and to release his wife, Eleanor Cobham, who had been removed from Kent to Chester in 1442. At least, the wording of a pardon which was granted to Thomas Herbert, one of Gloucester's retinue, after the duke's death, states as much ; and it is significant that Eleanor was removed from Chester to Kenilworth next year, although she again returned to Wales (probably Flint Castle) in 1447, the year in which Humphrey died2. It is unnecessary to enter fully into the bitter court factions which culminated in the death of the duke of Gloucester. He condemned the cession of Maine, and led the opposition to Queen Margaret and Suffolk, who were determined to silence him. His impeachment was prepared. Parliament was summoned to meet at Bury St Edmunds in February, 1447. Gloucester came to Bury with a bodyguard of eighty horsemen3. One authority states that he came up directly from Wales, a statement to which the large number of Welshmen in his retinue lends support4. On his way he passed through Greenwich5. On their arrival at Bury on February 18, Gloucester and His weish some of his most prominent attendants were retinue. arrested. Amongst these were Sir Henry Wogan, 1 Proceedings, v. 138-9 ; Introduction, lxxxvi. and in. 267. See also Doyle n. 23. 2 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 1447; 68, 74-5. Vicker's Humphrey duke of Gloucester, 273-4. 8 English Chronicle, edited Davies, 116. 4 Three Fifteenth Century Chronicles, 150. 6 Rymer, xi. 179 ; a pardon to Thomas Herbert " armiger, formerly of Greenwich," which states that Gloucester proceeded from Greenwich to Bury. He appears to have passed through Wiltshire. Stow, 386. ii] THE PENAL LAWS 39 the duke's steward in the earldom of Pembroke1, Thomas Herbert, the elder brother of William Herbert (afterwards earl of Pembroke), John Wogan and Howel ap David ap Thomas2. Three days later, which was Shrove Tuesday, twenty-eight more of his retainers were sent to various places of confinement. Gloucester died on the 23rd February and was buried at St Albans, being accompanied thither by about twenty of his own entourage3. One of the charges levelled by his accusers against Humphrey was that he had endeavoured to raise a rebellion in Wales. They " enfourmed falsli the king, and sayde that he wolde raise the Welshmenne for to distresse him (Suffolk) and destroie him4." There is no reliable evidence of the existence of such a plot ; his servants certainly did not suspect that anything untoward was maturing until they had been placed under arrest5. On the other hand it is easy to realise how plausible such a charge would appear when once put forward. Wales had acquired unenviable notoriety as the nursery of treasonable enterprises. Dark suspicion attached to the very name. Throughout the reign she had been the cause of much anxiety to the central government. At this very moment the Marches were a welter of implacable feuds and national acerbities. A few years before one of Gloucester's retinue, Griffith ap Nicholas, had been summoned before the Council, and the family implicated in riots. Moreover, Humphrey's enthusiastic and liberal patronage of learning appealed with special force to the Welsh poets, 1 Welsh MSS. British Museum, Edward Owen, I. 618. Sir Roger Chamberlain and one Thomas Weryot were also among those who were arrested that day. 2 This is probably an error for David ap Thomas. There is no son Howel in the list given by Ellis, although there is a David ap Thomas, and his two sons Griffith and Rees. This Thomas Herbert, according to William of Worcester, Itinerarium, 122, had fought in France under Richard, duke of York, and in Portugal at the head of 300 men. He was a brother to Wilham Herbert, and died at Troye. He appears in a plea of debt in 1442. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 1442, 14. 8 English Chronicle, edit. Davies, 11 7-8. 4 Ibid. 62. 6 Gregory's Chronicle, 188. 40 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. and he found favour amongst them. Lewis Glyn Cothi, in an ode to Roger Kynaston, alludes to him in terms of admiration1. One of these bards had been traversing the country preaching insurrection, and that about the time when Eleanor Cobham was removed from Chester to Kenil worth. The duke of Gloucester was chief justice of South Wales, and, as we have seen, paid several visits to the country. Such a combination of circumstances made admirable soil in which to sow the seed of a charge of con spiracy. Of the prisoners, Sir Henry Wogan and Thomas Herbert were sent to London, Owen Dwnn to Wallingford, and Griffith ap Nicholas and David ap Thomas to the king's Bench2- David ap Thomas had been a prisoner in the Fleet in 1443. He may have been involved in the distur bance in Wales at that period. He was removed to Car marthen Castle where he was detained until Sir William ap Thomas found the necessary security of a thousand marks3. In the following July, five members of Gloucester's retinue, including Richard Middleton and Thomas Herbert, were tried 1 Lewis Glyn Cothi, v. i. Ode to Sir Roger Kynaston. Wyr y Dug, a vu wr da O Glousedr, myn bagl Assa. " He (Kynaston) was a grandson of the duke of Gloucester, who was an honourable man." This Kynaston had married Elizabeth, daughter to Henry Grey, Lord Powys, who was created earl of Tankerville by Henry V, and who had married Antigone, a daughter of Humphrey, duke of Glou cester. 2 The full list of prisoners is as follows, the names in brackets showing where they were imprisoned : Sir Henry Wogan, Thomas Herbert, Griffith ap David ap Thomas, and Evan ap Jenkyn (London) ; Jenkyn Thawe, Jankyn Lloyd Wogan, and John Wogan (Berkhampstead) ; William Wogan, Evan ap Jankyn ap Rees, and William ap John ap David ap Thomas Lloyd (Reading) ; William Wogan, William ap Thomas ap Robert ap Rees, and Henry Wogan (Leeds Castle, Kent) ; Alun ap Meredith ap Philip Madoe, Rees ap David ap Thomas, and Thomas ap Jankyn ap Rees (Norwich) ; Owen Dwnn, and Hugh Bennoth (Wallingford) ; John Eynon, and Hugh ap Thomas (Guildford) ; John ap Rees, Richard ap Robert, and WiUiam ap John (Southampton) ; David ap Thomas, Hugh ap Thomas, and Griffith ap Nicholas (King's Bench) ; Morgan (Nottingham). Ellis Letters, second series, I. 108-9. 8 Proceedings, v. 229, 272. He appears as a pledge for Griffith ap Nicholas on the latter's appointment as farmer of Dynevor. West Wales Hist. Society Transactions, n. 107-111. n] THE PENAL LAWS 41 for treason at Deptford, a special commission presided over by Suffolk having been appointed for the purpose. They were sentenced to death, and were already strung up at Tyburn when Suffolk arrived with a pardon from the king. Accordingly they were released and for the most part restored to their possessions. Suffolk succeeded Humphrey in the earldom of Pembroke1, although he had been made earl in reversion as far back as 1443. It is an instructive commentary upon the nervous statutes apprehension of parliament with regard to Wales against that it now confirmed all the statutes against Welshmen, ordaining that " all grants of fran chises, markets, fairs and other freedoms to buy or sell, or bake or brew to sell in the towns of North Wales, made to any Welshmen before this time, be void and of no value ; and that all bondmen of the king be compelled to such services and labours as they were accustomed to ; and that the officers have power to compel them to do such labours and services2." Moreover, in March a special edict was issued by the Privy Council enjoining the constables of castles in Wales to see to the safety of their charge3. These drastic measures were in all probability due directly to the number of Welsh squires in the duke of Gloucester's retinue, and indirectly to the state of anarchy in Wales during the four or five years which immediately preceded his arrest. There is not sufficient evidence to prove that Humphrey schemed to turn this anarchy to Suffolk's disadvantage. That seems to have been a mis chievous fabrication emanating from the cunning brain of Suffolk. Its only support are the statements in Herbert's pardon that Gloucester had endeavoured to release Eleanor 1 English Chronicle, edit. Davies, 118, Appen. Three Fifteenth Century Chronicles, 65. Gregory, 188. Lords Reports, v. 254-5. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 174. Suffolk also got some of the lands of Herbert. Rymer, 1447, 178. Cal. Pat. Rolls, op. cit. 2 Statutes of the Realm, n. 344. Rot. Pari. 1447, 139. 8 Proceedings, vi. 60. March 19, 1447. 42 THE PENAL LAWS [ch. ii Cobham, and the allegation of Suffolk himself at Bury. At the same time, it must be admitted that the circumstances were such as to make the allegation plausible enough. The state of Wales did not improve afterwards. " Mis governed persons take divers persons and cattle under colour of distress where they have no manner, fee, or cause to make such distress, but feign actions and quarrels. And many times for taking of such distresses and in such resistance of them, great assemblies of people, riots, maims and murders be made, and if it be not hastily remedied other incon veniences be like to follow, of which takings, bringings, and carryings in this behalf no due punishment is, whereof the people of the said parts daily abound and increase in evil governance1." In 1449, therefore, the duke of Buckingham, who wielded a wide territorial influence in Mid- Wales, was sent to deal with the matter, while the king traversed the Marches to lend support if necessary. But the Wars of the Roses were already at hand to make confusion more confused2. 1 Rot. Pari. 1447 ; and 1449, 154. Statutes of the Realm, 27 Henry VI, c. 4. The Justices of the Peace were again given additional powers to deal with the disorder. 2 Paston Letters, 11, 113. October 16, 1449. CHAPTER III WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS— MATHEW GOUGH The part played by Wales in the fifteenth century wars Welshmen between England and France has not hitherto abroad. received even a cursory examination. During the prolonged duel which followed the battle of Agincourt thousands of Welshmen crossed the sea, the nation's activity expending itself freely in the game of war. Archers and men-at-arms were greatly in request. The archer's pay was twice that of a labourer. Service abroad was a relief from disabilities and bondage at home. The lust for booty added zest to a life not otherwise unattractive. Such were the causes which allured Welshmen to France ; and their deeds of valour contributed materially to amplify the little glory which relieves the monotonous dreariness of those arid years. Although a detailed examination of the Agincourt campaign as it affected Wales is beyond the pale of the present work, it may be of interest to mention the most prominent Welshmen who shared in that triumph. Sir John Devereux is stated to have brought a force of 2c;o men-at-arms and a similar number of foot The battle of archers1 ; Sir John Skydmore of Herefordshire Agincourt. ^^ ^.^ ^^ ^^ men.at.arms an(J twelve 1 Nicholas, Agincourt, 334-384. The lists have been taken from Harl. MS. 782, collated with a copy of the MS. marked 1 in the College at Arms. Also the unpublished collections for Rymer's Foedera, Sloane MS. 4600, British Museum. Calendar of Norman Rolls. See also Royal Historical Society Transactions, 3rd series, vol. v. 1911. It states that the retinue of Devereux as given in the lists is impossible. 44 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. foot-archers1; John ap Henry2 and Thomas ap Henry two men-at-arms and six foot-archers each ; David Gam, esquire, three foot-archers. The greatest number of Welsh levies, however, was drawn from Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire and Brecknock, and served under John Merbury who was Chamberlain of South Wales at the time3. He is credited with having had beneath his standard over five hundred Welshmen4. Thomas Carew also had with him a large body of Welshmen5. Edward Stradling6 of Glamorgan, John Perot7 of Pem brokeshire, and William Wogan were with the duke of 1 Skydmore remained at Harfteur to garrison the town. Royal Hist. Soe. Trans. 1911, 112. Sir John Skydmore of Kenchurch had married the daughter of Owen Glyndwr. 2 John ap Henry received protection, July n, 1415, and Thomas on July 12. Record Reports, 1885. 8 Exchequer Accounts 46/20 ; 45/5. 4 Merbury's retinue came from Cardiganshire, Brecknock, and Car marthenshire, for whose wages he received £436 at Hereford. For in dentures, with seals signed at Carmarthen and Brecknock, January 26, 1415, see Exchequer Accounts 45/5 (10), 46/20. The following are the names of the men-at-arms. From (a) Carmarthenshire : John ap Rys, Henry ap Ievan, Gwyn Rys ap Llywelyn, Griffith Vychan, David ap Ievan ap Trahaiarn, Griffith ap Meredith ap Henry (total 5 + 102). (6) Cardiganshire : Meredith ap Owen, Owen Mortimer, Owen ap Jankyn, Yllort Llywelyn ap Cliffort, Walter ap Ievan ( = 5 -)- 238, thirteen of whom were wounded). (c) Brecknock : Watkin Lloyd, Andrew ap Lewis, Ievan ap Richard, Jankyn ap Meurig ap Richard, Jankyn ap John ap Rhys, Philip ap Griffith Bras, Richard ap Rys, Meurig ap Rys, Richard Prys ( = 9 + 160, fourteen of whom were wounded). Of the above 5 + 54 were on the sick list at Harfleur. SeeExch. Accts. 45/1. Hunter, 51. The West Wales men came from Gethinog, St Clear's, Llanstephan, Emlyn, Penryn (Pemb.), Tallagharn, Elvet, Wydegada, Trayne and Osterlo (Pemb.), Iskennin, Maenordeilo, Penarth (Cardigan), Hyrcoryn, Cayo, Isayron, Mabwynion, Caerwedros, Uwchcerdyn, Iscerdyn, Iswyle, Uchayron : and the men of Mid- Wales from Glyncawy, Cantrecelly, Hay, the Forest, Ystraffelte, Llywch, and Conwt. See Trans. Roy. Hist. Soe. 1911, 135. Penryn and Osterlo are now in Carmarthenshire. 6 Cal. French Rolls, 718. 6 Sir William Stradling (temp. Richard II) had two sons, Sir Edward, and Wilham. Edward married Jane, a daughter of Cardinal Beaufort. Their son was Sir Henry Stradling who married Elizabeth, a sister of William Herbert, earl of Pembroke. They had a son Thomas Stradling, and a daughter who married Miles ap Harry. The other son of Sir WilUam Stradling had a daughter Gwenllian, by whom Anthony Woodville, earl Rivers, had a daughter Margaret. 7 He was farmer of the lordship of Dynevor. 1433-52. West Wales Hist. Soe. Trans. 162-3. ni] MATHEW GOUGH 45 Gloucester ; Henry Wogan1 with the duke of York ; John Griffith and John ap Thomas with Sir William Bourchier ; John Glyn and Nicholas Griffith with Lord Talbot ; John Edward2 with Michael de la Pole, son of the earl of Suffolk ; Rees ap Rhydderch with Sir Rowland Lenthal of Hereford shire ; John Lloyd3 and John ap Rhys4. of Carmarthen were with the king. Sir Rowland Lenthal subsequently became lord of Haverfordwest. Of these warriors none perhaps are so well known as „ _„ David Gam, the ancestor of William Herbert, David Gam. - earl of Pembroke. He was one of the few men of note who were slain at Agincourt5. There is extant a tradition that he was knighted as he lay expiring on the field of battle. There is no conclusive evidence that the story is true. But the anonymous priest who accompanied the expedition, and afterwards gave an account of it, makes a vague statement that two newly-made knights were included among the slain6. The only knight mentioned by him is Sir Richard Kighley, and it may be presumed that he had been knighted before. Now, if two of the three of inferior rank who were slain were knighted on the battle field, we may reasonably suppose that David Gam was one, for he is given pride of place by every writer of the period. Our inference is strengthened by the fact that his son-in-law, 1 Received protection July, 1415. Record Reports, 1885. Cal. French Rolls. 2 Ibid. June 1, 1415. He received protection again on May 2, 1416,. being then in the retinue of John, earl of Huntingdon ; and again on February 5, 1416, in the retinue of Thomas Carew. Ibid. He was then designated " armiger." Rymer's Foedera ix. 249. 8 Received protection May 22, 1415. Cal. French Rolls, in Record Reports, 1885. 545-637, passim. 4 Received protection, August 6, 1415 ; ibid. He is perhaps the John ap Rys given in Merbury's list. See ante. 6 Nicholas, Agincourt, 369. Hardyng, note. • The men of note slain were the duke of York, duke of Suffolk, Sir Richard Kighley, David Gam, esquire, Thomas FitzHenry and John de> Peniton The account referred to is British Museum, Cottonian MS. Julius E iv. and Sloane MS. 1776. See Nicholas, Agincourt, Intro, ix. and. 136-7. Also Harl. MS. 782. 46 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. Sir William ap Thomas, was soon afterwards a favourite at court, and was knighted at the same time as Henry VI. The belief is fondly cherished that a number of other Welshmen were honoured with a knighthood on this historic field, notably Roger Vaughan of Bredwardine, Watkin Vaughan of Brecknock, and Watkin Lloyd of the same county. But we cannot escape a strong suspicion that these knighthoods have been fathered upon history by family pride. There certainly exists no reliable evidence. Indeed, Watkin Lloyd alone of the trio figures in the list of warriors1 which has survived. On the death of Henry V the control of Enghsh affairs in France fell to the lot of the duke of Bedford who, during the first few years of the reign, wrested from the French practically all districts north of the Loire. Meanwhile, a large number of Welshmen had joined the standards and a few were already holding responsible positions as captains and commanders. One of these was Sir David Howel whom we have already had occasion to mention in connection with the conspiracy of the earl of Cambridge. He was a native of Pembroke shire. He went abroad on the king's service in June, 1416, fought at Verneuil, and was a captain under the duke of Bedford in 1435 2. Sometime afterwards we find him in the retinue of the duke of York, designated as a knight. The records do not reveal the time or the occasion of his knighthood. In the following year, 1438, he was associated with Sir William Pyrton3. Another who wrote his name in the annals of the time sir Richard and in the literature of the land of his birth was Gethin. g^,. Richar(i Gethin. He was a son of Rhys Gethin, a native of Builth, although one authority describes 1 Nicholas ; Appendix, 60 ; and Dwnn's Visitations 1. 107, note. See the list of Brecknockshire squires above. 2 Record Reports, 1885, 545-637 ; William of Worcester's Itinerarium, 161 ; Stephenson, Wars of the English in France, n. 437. 8 Record Reports, 1887, February-May, 1435-6 ; May-August 1437-8. iii] MATHEW GOUGH 47 him as of North Wales1. He fought at Crevant (1423) and at Verneuil (1424) 2. After Verneuil he was made captain of St Cales, one of the towns captured by the earl of Salisbury3. He was also captain of Hiemes in 1424. In 1428 he played a distinguished part at the siege of Orleans with the earl of Salisbury, and four years later was raised to the command of the important fortress of Mantes4, where, in 1433-4, he had under his command twenty-one mounted lances, twelve foot lances, and one hundred and forty-five archers. Guto'r Glyn commemorates in song his elevation to this post, and elsewhere mentions a rumour that he had been taken prisoner in Normandy5. The fact affords additional evidence of the frequent and reliable com munications between the Welsh bards and their heroes abroad. Of the rest6 a few played a prominent part in the later events of the period, notably Sir John Skydmore, and the Wogans of West Wales. Sir John Skydmore received protection to cross over to France with his son John, in the king's retinue, on April 8, 1422. He was retained, as we have seen, with ten lances and thirty archers for service at Harfleur7. Later (May, 1435-6) he was in the retinue of the duke of York8. Sir John Wogan was in the service of the duke of Clarence in 14189. He held a commission to array the duke's troops in 1419 (August 9)10. In 1420 he appears in the king's retinue11. Owen Tudor was in the retinue of Sir Walter Hungerford. 1 Stephenson n. 436. The poet Guto'r Glyn is more reliable. See MSS. Cardiff, 2114/96. 2 Stephenson, 11. 394, 543. * Hall, 127. 4 Quicherat, Prods, rv. 14,. note 1 ; 17, note 2. Wavrin, 282. B Guto'r Glyn, MS. Cardiff, op. cit. 6 See Appendix I. ' Ordinances of the Privy Council, Feb. 1422, 320. 8 Appointed to take the muster of the Earl Marshal etc. at Dover, and of the duke of Exeter at London. May 28, 1423. Ordinances of the Privy Council, 100. 9 Rymer, ix. 595. 10 Record Reports, 1885, 715, 314. 11 On Nov. 18, 1419, he was appointed guardian of the lands of John Wogan deceased, of Carmarthenshire, during the minority of the heir. Record Reports, 1880. A John Ogan received a commission to array the men of Gournay and Neaufle, March 27, 1420. Ibid. 1881. 48 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. None of his compatriots, however, and few of his con- Mathew temporaries, achieved the fame of Mathew Gough. Gough. The lustrous splendour of his deeds shone in almost solitary brilliance in those sunless days. The prominence given to him by the chroniclers of the Tudor period, from whom Shakespeare drew the material for his historical plays, is such that Gough may well have inspired the dramatist in the creation of Fluellen. A native of Maelor, in the lower valley of the Dee, he crossed to France in the enthusiasm of youth. His father was Owen Gough, bailiff of the manor of Hanmer, near Whitchurch, in North Wales. His mother was a daughter of David Hanmer, the nurse of John, Lord Talbot, afterwards earl of Shrewsbury. It is not unlikely, therefore, that Gough from the first came into close touch with that gallant soldier. His name first appears in the list of the principal person ages who fought at Crevant and at Verneuil, where fell two of his countrymen, Richard ap Madoe and David Lloyd1. He may have joined the English forces in France with the levies of the Earl Marshal which were mustered by Sir John Skydmore in May, 1423 2- This was the army which, rein forced by some Burgundians, gave battle to the French at Crevant and routed them3. Gough distinguished himself in the pursuit and capture of the Bastard de la Baume, a brave Savoyard ally of the French. For this exploit the earl of Salisbury gave him " a goodly courser4." After Verneuil we find him captain of some of the fortresses which had been taken by the earl of Salisbury. He then played a prominent part in the military Operations which culminated in the reduction of Maine and Anjou5. In 1428 he was put in command of the important fortress of Laval, on the border between those two provinces, which 1 Stephenson, 11. 385; Hall, 118, 121. William of Worcester, Itinera- rium, 357. 2 Proceedings ofthe Privy Council, hi. 66, 87, 101. 8 Wavrin, 47-69. 4 Hall, 121. 5 Stephenson, n. 411. Hall, 127. Issues, Easter, 1425. ill] MATHEW GOUGH 49 had been captured by Talbot in March of that year. At this period the most trivial incidents in his life are not allowed to pass unnoticed, an infallible symptom of growing popularity or accomplished fame. During the military operations in Maine in that year, he was sent out by Talbot to reconnoitre the enemy's position on the borders of Brittany. He set off in the dead of night, achieved his object by consummate tactics, and returned with complete information, having in the meantime " eaten only a little bread and drunk a Uttle wine to comfort his stomach1." In the same year he and his countryman, Richard Gethin, accompanied the earl of Salisbury in his advance on ithe Loire. On September 25, Salisbury captured the castle of Beaugency, and pursued his advantage by laying siege to Orleans. The relief of that fortress by Joan of Arc is one of the romantic chapters in French history. Beaugency had been placed in the keeping of Gough as Talbot's lieutenant, but the relief of Orleans seriously imperilled its safety. In June, 1429, it was completely surrounded by the triumphant Joan of Arc. Gough's position became precarious, and Talbot sent him an assurance that he would immediately be reinforced. Sir John Fastolf, realising the hopelessness of holding ' the place against such odds, although it was defended by " men of good stuff," advised the garrison to surrender2. The impetuous Talbot, however, resolved to challenge the supremacy of the French with a relieving force. But his army was soon in retreat, and Gough had no alternative but to sign articles of surrender. The French took pos session on June 18, the garrison being allowed to carry out all their belongings. On hearing of this disaster, Talbot and the whole army retreated towards Patay where he was himself defeated and taken prisoner3. Gough then tried 1 HaU, 138, 143. 2 Wavrin, 287. " Gens de bonne estoffe." 8 Ibid., 294. Monstrelet. Hall, 141. E. W. F. 4 50 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. to stem the French advance at Senlis ; and while he was there engaged, Laval was betrayed to the enemy by a neigh bouring miller. The swelling tide of French advance rolled onward with Gough a resistless force towards the Norman frontier. prisoner. The war n0 longer provided material for heroism. It had become a dreary succession of sieges and the raising of sieges. After the loss of Laval, Gough en deavoured to raise a bulwark of defence in Maine. For six weeks in the summer of 1432 he and Lord Willoughby pounded fruitlessly at the citadel of St Ceneri. At the end of that period, a French relieving force which offered battle near Vivain on the Sarthe, opposite Beaumont, was repulsed with considerable loss. On returning with their spoils and a number of prisoners Gough and Willoughby were unexpectedly attacked by another division of the French army under Ambrose Delore. Gough was taken prisoner, and the siege was abandoned in consequence1. Great was the distress in Wales when news of his captivity reached the circle of bards. Their solicitude found expression in a chorus of grief, panegyric and appeal. Ieuan Deulwyn soars to lofty heights of eulogy. Lewis Glyn Cothi sets him up as a standard of valour. Guto'r Glyn appeals for funds to ransom him. Gough was not long in captivity. He was redeemed, and it is not impossible that he may have found financial assistance in his native land2. During the next few years the records are all but silent with regard to his movements. When he does appear, he is in the vortex of the storm on the borders of Normandy and Maine ; now with Thomas Kyriel as captain of St Denis, a place which was yielded to the French in June, 1435 ; 1 Wavrin, 46-50. Monstrelet, i. 630. Hall, 165. Polydore Vergil 42. 2 At St Denis Gough was taken "by founderyng of his horse." Hall, 175. Polydore Vergil 79. Bu ar gler bryder a braw Ban ddaliwyd, beunydd wylaw. Guto'r Glyn. Hafod MS. 3. " The bards were disconsolate, and there was universal sorrow when Mathew Gough was taken prisoner." iii] MATHEW GOUGH 51 at another time as joint lieutenant of the important fortress of Le Mans, under Sir John Fastolf, governor of Anjou and Maine1. An official attestation of two indentures relative to the custody of this stronghold enumerates his personal bodyguard : sixty mounted lances, fourteen foot- lances, and two hundred and twenty-two archers2. Meanwhile, Joan of Arc, after the defeat of Talbot near Patay, had met with a series of glittering successes. But she failed in her assault on Paris and thereby lost prestige. In 1430 she escaped from the French court, was taken prisoner by the Burgundians, and in the following year burnt by the English at Rouen. In 1435, at the Congress of Arras, the English refused conditions of peace, and in consequence lost the alliance of Burgundy. In 1436 they were expelled from Paris. During the next fifteen years the interest of the war was concentrated in Normandy. In 1440 Gough assisted Somerset and Talbot in the reduction of Harfleur which had been captured by the French in 1435 . The French garrison made a gallant defence. A relieving force was despatched to raise the siege under Gaucourt, one of the most distinguished of those who took part in the reduction of Normandy. Gaucourt3 was lagging behind when he was unexpectedly set upon by a body of Welshmen under Griffith Dwnn, and taken prisoner4. The reverse was such a severe blow to the garrison that they were immediately forced to surrender. In 1442 Gough was at Chartres, and was one of the commanders to whom a large sum was paid by Dunois touching the demolition of the two fortresses of Gallardon 1 Wavrin, 66, 88-93. Fabyan 608. Hall, 185. Wavrin, 274. 2 Paston Letters, 1. 37. September 30, 1435. 3 Blondel, Reductio Normaniae, 277, 287-8, 375. Wavrin, 28, 222, 276. 9 Wavrin, 278-9. This was the Griffith Dwnn of the district of Kid welly, who, as we have seen, was denizened in 1421. The names are given in Itineranum, William of Worcester, 118-9. Homines lanceati Gryffith Don armiger apud capcionem domini Gaucourt : Johannes Mabbe de KedweUylond, Johannes Whyte, • Galfridus Doore, Geffrey Harflete, Johannes Davy, Johannes ap Gryffyth, Howel ap Gryffyth, Davy frater ejus, Jevan de Vawres (i.e. Ievan Vawr), Jevan Ragland. 52 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. and Tourville, the surrender of which had become the military necessity of a languishing cause1. English dominion in France now gasped fitfully to its close. The need for reinforcements and a directing genius had become an imperative necessity. Thus it was that in June, 1441, the duke of York, having been appointed Lieu tenant and Governor-General of Normandy, sailed from Portsmouth. He landed at Harfleur, and marched through Rouen to take part with Sir John Talbot around Pontoise. Amongst those who constituted his retinue were Sir Walter Devereux and Sir John Skydmore, while Sir William ap Thomas of Raglan was a member of his military council2. Sir William ap Thomas was the father of William Herbert, sir wiiiiam afterwards earl of Pembroke. He was a courtier aP Thomas. an(j councillor rather than a warrior. We have no record of his having achieved military fame. The prowess of Mathew Gough was popularised in the odes of an enthusiastic bardic circle. A curious tale of a later day immortalised David ap Einon, the hero of Harlech. Sir William ap Thomas can claim neither the real glory of the one, nor the legendary renown of the other. Early in the century, his family had cast their lot with the English opposition to the rising of Owen Glyndwr. David Gam, Sir William's father-in-law, had carried his enmity to such lengths that he made an ignoble and malicious attempt to assassinate the Welsh leader, a dark project which almost succeeded. The renewal of the French war by Henry V opened out for him a more honourable field of enterprise which he and his immediate descendants turned to considerable advantage. In the course' of years, 1 Stephenson, 11. 331-2. '' He held one knight's fee in Raglan in 1425 from Edmund, earl of March. See Calendar Inquis. post mortem, 96, 141. Sir John Skydmore received letters of attorney on going abroad, in February, 1440-1 ; and Richard Hare of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, in February. Record Reports, 1887. Sir William ap Thomas was infeoffed of Bassaleg, in Gwent, by the duke of York. For the close relationship which subsisted between them, see Proceedings (1441) 136-7. iii] MATHEW GOUGH 53 the family regained their esteem in the public opinion of Wales. Sir Wilham ap Thomas was familiarly known as the " Blue Knight of Gwent," while his wife Gwladys was hailed as the lodestar of a new nationalism1. Authentic details of his career are few and unimportant. He served on a number of commissions in South Wales, which throw a lurid light on the flagitious piracy that infested the estuary of the Severn. In 1426 he was enrolled among the thirty-six young gentlemen who were knighted in honour of Henry VI's knighthood2. The prevailing opinion that he was knighted by Henry V for his valour in the wars of France is therefore erroneous3. It is con ceivable that his path to honour was largely paved by the prowess of David Gam. We see no reason to refuse to identify him with the person of the same name and title who was sheriff of Glamorgan in 1440, a position which was held by his more distinguished son, William Herbert, some years later4. In 1450 he was joint ward of the lands of the countess of Warwick. This is apparently the last recorded notice of him in published records. 1 Lewis Glyn Cothi, I. i. 3. Dwnn's Visitations, 1. 292-3. Proceedings, v. In 1420 he served on a commission in South Wales with Maurice ap Meurig, John ap Howel ap WiUiam, and John Dansey " to arrest Thomas Wykeham." Also on a commission concerning the acquisition by John Havard from WUUam ap Thomas of the royal lordship of Talgarth. Also in 1432 with Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, " for the keeping of certain monasteries " ; also with Gloucester, Sir Edward StradUng, and Griffith Dwnn " for the custody of St John's, Carmarthen," 1432. Also with Strad ling and others " to enquire as to the malefactors who took at sea a ship caUed Le George of Sluys laden with wines and honey of certain merchants of Flanders and Picardy, and brought her to Tenby, sold the ship and distributed the wines " (1432). Also, in 1434, with StradUng and Sir James Audley " to make inquisition concerning acts of piracy, the goods having been carried to CornwaU and Wales and disposed of." In 1442 he and a few others investigated treasonable proceedings in West Wales. Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. 8 Wardrobe Account, 1426. Q. R. Misc. Wardrobe. Hall, 138. Cal. Pat. Rolls. 3 ColUns, Peerage, in. 25 ; and Dwnn's Visitations, 1. 292, are both misleading. The Ust of knights in Rymer, x. 357, is incomplete. 4 Clark, Glamorgan Charters, v. 1539, 1635-7, refuses to identify them on the ground that it would be below Sir William's dignity. We need only remark that a Neville was sheriff in 1450. Cardiff Records, v. 536. 54 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. To return to the war and Mathew Gough. In 1444, a truce was agreed upon at Tours between and the England and France to celebrate the betrothal Mate"01 of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. One of the conditions of this marriage alliance was the cession to the French of Anjou and Maine. The duke of York endeavoured to reap personal advantage from the alliance by a projected betrothal of his own son to a French princess1; and to enhance his prospects, in that object he sent Gough to assist the dauphin in an expedition against the Swiss in Alsace2. The negotiations for the cession of Maine did not find Gough in any humour of acquiescence. His conduct on this occasion exhibited a tenacity as inflexible as his patriotism was fervid. It was a galling experience to so valiant a captain to be summoned meekly to transfer to his enemy a district through the conquest of which he had won for himself undying renown ; and it did not fail to reveal in him a resourcefulness worthy of a better cause3 He doubted the expediency of such a surrender. The glory of British arms had not shone brightly since Crevant and Verneuil, and he dreaded the pernicious effects of a diplo matic check. Even Margaret, herself not devoid of com- bativeness, was captivated by his vigour and zeal4- The fateful promise to concede Maine was extorted from Somerset in 1444. It had not been fulfilled a year later, and the French began to press their demand. In December, 1445, Henry signed an undertaking to surrender Le Mans and his possessions in Maine by the following April. Mean while a truce was agreed upon. Gough was now captain of Bayeux5 1 Stephenson, I. 79-86, 160, 169. 2 Escouchy, 1. 11 ; Vallet de Viriville, m. 47. 8 Stephenson, 363-8. 4 Letters of Margaret of Anjou, 109-10. In one of her letters to the earl of Northumberland, Margaret evinces much concern for the safety of Gough. 5 Record Reports, 1887, sub ann. 1446. in] MATHEW GOUGH 55 In July 1446 it appears that he was in England1, perhaps in connection with the surrender. In the following year the question had already assumed an exacting predominance. On July 28, 1447, he and Fulk Eyton were commissioned to receive Le Mans from the hands of the earl of Dorset (afterwards earl of Somerset) and deliver it to the repre sentatives of Charles VII of France2. They were to use force if necessary. Gough adopted dilatory tactics and, far from appealing to the sword, did not even present his demand till September 23 s. When this was formally done, Osbern Mundeford, Dorset's lieutenant in Le Mans, refused to surrender on the technical ground that no letters of discharge were enclosed for him. On October 23, Henry VI wrote to Gough and Eyton : " We have been informed of the diligence which by our command you have done to have and recover unto our hands the town and castle of Le Mans4." But if Henry and his advisers thus put a specious interpretation upon their conduct, the king of France was nettled by their arbitrary and fearless evasiveness. On November 1 a conference was held at Le Mans between the French and English representatives to discuss the question of compensation. Gough and Eyton, who were to have made the formal surrender, conveniently absented themselves, and the cession was again postponed. French authorities interpreted their conduct as deliberate shuffling. Charles wrote to Henry complaining of their delay and studied disobedience : " And seeing the subterfuges, pre tences, and dissimulations to which they resorted, we sent our accredited messengers to your great Council at Rouen ; and, in consequence of the wrong, we have been moved to proceed against them5." On December 30, the Count of Dunois extracted from 1 Record Reports, 1887. He received letters of protection, July 5, 1446. 2 Stephenson, 11. 696-7. * 3 Ibid. 693-8. * Ibid. 702. 6 Stephenson, n. 361-5. Rymer, xi. 204, 216. 56 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. Gough a promise that he would surrender the town on January 15, 1448. Gough again prevaricated. Conse quently Charles obtained from the English Council at Rouen an undertaking that if the province -was not delivered into his hands by February 10, Gough would be held guilty of treason. The French were now prepared to enforce their demands at the point of the sword. On February 13, an army under the count of Dunois appeared before Le Mans. Gough was still stubborn, alleging that he awaited further orders from Adam Moleyns. On March 16, however, he yielded. He was allowed to march out with bag and baggage and substantial compensation. On the previous day he issued a protest in the king's name that the cession was only made in consideration of a secure peace, and that Henry did not resign the sovereignty of Maine1- Such a protest did not weigh a feather with the aggressive captains of France, but it revealed the bitter distress with which a born soldier accepted a rebuff of the making of others. It was sorry consolation to him that the Council issued a proclamation that he had done his duty as to the delivery of this rich province2. The disbanded garrison of Le Mans endeavoured to counterbalance this loss by establishing a new fortress at St James de Beuvron, in Brittany. Charles protested, and lengthy discussions followed. The question was still in the crucible of debate when the English sacked Fougeres. In the meantime Gough had tried to rescue Giles of Brittany, a loyal ally of England, who had been cast into prison when the duke of Brittany threw his influence on the side of the French3. Charles of France, resolved on the complete expulsion of the English from Normandy, suddenly put an end to this travesty of a peace, and in July active war once more began. 1 Record Reports, 1884, 330. Mathew Gough signs his name " Matheu." Stephenson, 11. 333. 2 Ibid. 1887, June 12, 1447-8. Stephenson, n. 702-14. A John Morgan witnessed the surrender. 8 Stephenson, 1. 280. iii] MATHEW GOUGH 57 St James de Beuvron had been recaptured a few weeks previously, the garrison being allowed to leave become with all their goods1. On the resumption of fubTectB. hostilities the English strongholds submitted in rapid succession, among them La Roche Guyon, an almost impregnable fortress in central Normandy, situated on the Seine. Its captain was the Welshman, John Edward, who had so far advanced his personal fortunes that he had married a French woman of considerable property, and a relative of the powerful French count, Denis de Chailly. Perceiving that English dominion in France was nearing its close, and being anxious not to jeopardise his wife's property, Edward, with tender dis cretion, became a vassal of the French king, and surrendered the fortress, " at the advice, prayer and entreaty of his wife, on condition that he should enjoy his wife's lands, and become a subject of king Charles2." We may assume that he was the same person who fought at Agincourt in the retinue of the earl of Suffolk's son. There were doubtless many other Welshmen who now transferred their allegiance to the French king3. St Lo surrendered on September 15. Gough, who was Gough at a* the time captain of Bayeux, was so in- Bayeux. censed at the conduct of the burgesses in admitting the French that he threatened to put their town and its suburbs to the flames4. Carentan submitted to the duke of Brittany on September 30. Gough shared the command of this fortress with his countryman, Wilham Herbert. This, apparently, is the first, and one of the very few authentic notices we have of the latter in connection with French affairs5. 1 Blondel, Reductio Normaniae, 76, 621. 2 Blondel, 88-9, 277. Wavrin, 134. Stephenson, n. 621. 8 Stephenson, 1. 311-3. An Ap Madoe was among the French men-at- arms in Normandy after the conclusion of the war. 4 Blondel, 95. HaU, 214-16. 6 Stephenson, n. 625. Herbert apparently crossed the Channel about 1440. See later. 58 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. Meanwhile, the duke of Alencon surrounded Bellerne, of captain of which, too, Gough was captain and bailly. Beiieme. -phe garrison, numbering about two hundred1, seeing that resistance was futile unless reinforcements arrived, of which they had no hope, surrendered the J town by composition. They were allowed to leave with their goods and chattels. This was November 20. Before the close of 1449, Renneville, the captain of which was " Griffith ap Meredith, Welshman," surrendered by composition2. Gough was now approaching the zenith of his splendid military career. His heroism flowed like an " Matago." ^ electric current through those who served beneath him. To have passed unsinged through a furnace of hostile French criticism could not have been expected of a far less vigorous protagonist. Blondel, a contemporary writer, was especially inflamed against Gough. With him Gough's rigour spelt savagery, though he could not deny the stout hardihood with which he inspired his men. Wavrin makes the interesting admission that for years afterwards the name " Matago," a French contraction of " Mathew Gough," was fondly cherished by the inhabitants of Bellerne in memory of their erstwhile captain3. On March 15, 1450, Sir Thomas Kyriel landed at Cher- Battieof bourg with reinforcements, and proceeded to carentan. lay siege to Valognes4. The duke of Somerset immediately sent him assistance under Sir Robert Vere, while Gough had to proceed from Bayeux, in command of about 800 men. Their combined efforts compelled the garrison to submit, on April 10, 14505. The English forces 1 "Droit bons combatans dont estoit capittaine Mathieu Gone," Wavrin, 150. " Ducentis enim barbaris sub Mathaeo Goth belUgerantibus," Blondel, 156. Berry, 329. Stephenson, 11. 625-8. 2 Stephenson, op. cit. 8 " The name ' Matago ' is to this day retained at BeUeme in memory of this vaUant Welshman," Wavrin, 150 ; and note, 282. 4 Hugh Donne of Wales, in the retinue of the duke of Somerset, and John Hokes of Tenby, in the retinue of Henry, Lord Bourchier, received protection, Oct.-Nov. 1448-9. Record Reports, 1887. 5 Blondel, 160. Berry, 331. Wavrin, 155. "1] MATHEW GOUGH 59 then set out in the direction of Bayeux. Along their line of march they had to ford the quicksands between the sea and Carentan, leaving this town on the right. The inhabitants of that place made a strenuous effort to cut off their rear, but Gough's irresistible dash swept them aside. " We have crossed in spite of the dogs," he exclaimed on reaching safety, and thereupon kissed the ground he had won1. They reached Formigny without further mishap, though the rapid concentration of French forces prevented any further general advance. Gough's contingent proceeded on its way to Bayeux, but were immediately recalled when it was seen that an engagement was imminent at Formigny. Here, on April 15, 1450, English domination in Normandy closed for ever. The French historian makes Gough address his troops on the eve of battle as follows : " Your valour, my brave men, has been steeled in many fires. Show how unconquerable it is in this Gough's 1 speech at day's conflict. Vengeance, rather than courage, inspires your foes. Let strength of limb and intrepidity of heart win for you a glorious victory. If you play the lamb they will savagely cut your throats with blood-stained knives. Remember that your fathers, greatly outnumbered, vanquished countless hosts of Frenchmen. Your ranks are firm, and if you have the same indomitable spirit as they, you will scatter in headlong flight yonder disorderly and unbridled host. Flight on your part can only mean captivity or ,death. Seize the spoils of the Frenchmen ! See how they glitter effulgent in silver and gold ! Enrich yourselves abundantly, or embrace death2." Thus does the French writer of those days conceive Gough to have been swayed by alternating moods of fear, doubt, hope, cupidity, and the memory of past glory. That the 1 Blondel, 169. 2 Berry, 333. Blondel, 171-2. The text is a free translation of the original. See Appendix II. 60 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. speech was put in the mouth of Gough rather than of Kyriel, the nominal leader, shows how the former had captured the imagination of his enemies. The day served to give additional proof of his courage. When the last gleam of hope of victory had William ° \ * Herbert a disappeared, he cut his way through the French lines at the head of the left wing, which con sisted of about 1500 men, and reached Bayeux in safety. The bulk of the forces under Kyriel were either slaughtered in position or taken prisoners1. William Herbert and Kyriel were among the captured2. Gough himself all but fell into the hands of his enemy. He was rescued in a moment of. extreme peril by his comrade and countryman, Gwilym Gwent, who was perhaps William Herbert ap Norman, a half- brother of William Herbert, afterwards earl of Pembroke3. The remaining English strongholds fell in rapid succession. Gou h's ^n ^ay I^' ^ough surrendered Bayeux to the march to count of Dunois, "after severe assaults and skirmishes, the walls being pierced by great cannon4." The pitiful sufferings of the garrison on their march to Cherbourg form one of the saddest episodes in this tale of disasters5. They were eight or nine hundred in number6, including the best and bravest of the Englishsoldiers in Normandy. They were allowed a white staff for their weary way. There were about three hundred women besides children. Some of the latter were carried in little cradles on their mothers' heads ; others clung around their mothers' 1 Blondel, 175. Wavrin, 153. 2 Stephenson, 11. 630. Paston Letters, 1. 67-8 ; n. 147. 3 Lewis Glyn Cothi, 1. viii, vn. Y vo gedwis ei vywyd I Vathew. Goch vyth i gyd. " It was he who then saved the life of Mathew Gough." See also, WiUiam of Worcester, Itinerarium, 120-2, where this Herbert is described as " consanguineus domini Herbert locum tenens de Penigele." This " Penigele " is probably " PengeUy " in Breconshire. 4 Stephenson, 11. 630, 730. 6 Stephenson, 1. 502. Hall, 216. The governor of Cherbourg in 1449 was Sir John Gough. 8 Ibid. 1"] MATHEW GOUGH 61 necks. Some were led by the hand ; many had to shift as best they could. Moved by their wretched plight, com passionate Frenchmen came to their assistance, some with horses, others with conveyances; for many of the women were French born, and were now abandoning their country for a foreign land1. " What great booty dost thou, O Mathew Gough, thus ignominiously expelled from France, now carry to England ? Bereft of thy plunder, thou, a weary wayfarer, seekest thy home, wielding a slender staff, not a quivering lance. Thy miserable end is an example to tyrants, who always die in the midst of calamities2." Such were the biting comments of the French contemporary historian. The remnants of the English forces gathered around Somerset at Caen after the defeat at Formigny. On June 24, that city capitulated3, and Somerset retired for a while to Calais. On August 12, Cherbourg, the last English foothold in Normandy, submitted to Charles of France. Sir John Gough refused to surrender without adequate compensation. To bring Gough's career to a close. After the fall of jack cade's Bayeux he crossed immediately to England rising. from Cherbourg. He was then placed in com mand of the Tower of London with Lord Scales. Early in July he was called upon to defend the city against the insurgent Kentishmen under Jack Cade, "because he was of manhood and experience greatly renowned and noised4." Cade's rebels entered the city on July 2. Three days later Gough issued forth by night at the head Death of ° J . ° . Mathew of a body of troops, dispersed the rioters, and Gough. attacked London Bridge, which was in the hands of Cade's men. The battle raged fiercely through 1 Wavrin, 154-5. Berry, 342. 2 Blondel, 212. See Appendix III. 8 Polydore, 78. ; Hall, 221. In Lewis Glyn Cothi's ode to Gwilym Gwent (op. cit.) there- are possible references to the engagement on London Bridge. 62 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. the night1, and many were hurled into the Thames to receive a watery grave in their heavy armour. Meanwhile, in the darkness lit up only by the blaze of burning houses, Mathew Gough was slain, fighting desperately to hold the bridge which he had succeeded in wresting from the men of Kent. He was honourably buried in the choir of St Mary's, of the Carmelite Friars. William of Worcester gave ex pression to the grief in Wales on the death of the hero in a curious Latin couplet : On the death of Mathew Goch Wales, in deepest gloom, cried, Och!2 " He was a man of great wit and much experience in feats of chivalry, the which in continual wars Contemporary ^ . opinions had valiantly served the king and his father beyond the sea3." Contemporary chroniclers unite in a chorus of praise and admiration. A native of a land of mountains and castles, he possessed in an eminent degree those qualities which make for success in a system of guerrilla warfare, in which the assault and defence of castles were the outstanding features. He warred in France for more, than a quarter of a century ; and he was one of the very few who emerged from that cauldron of blundering, incapacity, waste and havoc, with a name resplendent with brilliant achievements4. Contemporary poetical allusions to him are numerous in the vernacular, and afford ample proof of his popu larity in Wales, though, as far as we know, he never re-visited the land of his birth. Ieuan Deulwyn, Guto'r Glyn, and Lewis Glyn Cothi are unanimous in appraising 1 Three Fifteenth Century Chronicles, 68, 151. Gregory, 193. 2 Itinerarium, 357. Morte Matthei Goghe Cambria clamitavit, Oghe ! 8 English Chronicle, edit. Davies, 67. Stephenson, 11. 768. Hall, 221-2. Polydore, 86. 4 WUUam of Worcester, Annates, 768. See also the wiU of Sir John Fastolf for a proof of his affection for Gough. Paston Letters, 1. 456. November 3, 1459. "1] MATHEW GOUGH 63 him as the most daring and successful soldier of his day. A number of Welshmen sought means at the conclusion of the war to defray their ransom. Edward Stradling and his family were given licence to ship wool to Brittany for this purpose ; Robert Dwnn traded with Normandy to defray Lord Falconberg's ransom. His vessel, the James of Tenby, whilst coming to England laden with wines from Bordeaux, was captured by the French near Winchelsea, which involved him in another journey to France. John Derell exported wool to ransom his son who was a hostage in France. Lewis Howel traded with Normandy through certain merchants1. APPENDIX I For a list of those who received protection see Calendar French Rolls in Record Reports 1885, 545-637, and Calendar Norman Rolls, Record Reports 1880, 1881. The following is a list of the Welshmen; the dates given in brackets are those on which they received pro tection : Thomas ap Prene of Aberystwyth (March 23, 141 8) ; David ap Rhys of Pencoed, Herefordshire, who was on a commission to redress infractions of the truce with Burgundy, June 2, 141 8. He was in the retinue of Thomas Barre (Feb. 21, 1419) and with John, Lord Furnivale (June 2, 1421) ; John Hall of Wales, in Gloucester's retinue (May 15, 1421) ; John Henbury of Denbigh in Lord Scales's retinue (May 14, 1431) ; David Gronow of Tenby in Sir John Kyderowe's (May 28, 1421) ; Owen ap Thomas in the earl of Worcester's (June 8, 1421) ; various Welshmen (unnamed) in the king's and Lord Audley's retinues (July 6, 1417 and Feb. 16, 1 41 9) ; Wilham Porter of Cardigan in John Popham's (Feb. 2.3, 1416) ; John Aylward of Kidwely in Henry Gwyn's (August 4, 1419) ; William ap Griffith of Iscennin, Carmarthenshire, in Sir John Steward's ; Meredith ap William ap Patrick of Carnwallon, Car marthenshire, in Thomas Rempston's, who was captain of Meulan, Nov. 22, 1419 ; Henry ap Walter of Llanelly (Aug. 16, 1419) ; Henry ap Ieuan Gwynne in the king's (Oct. 18) ; Thomas ap David ap William of Wales, yeoman in Sir John Steward's retinue in 1 For the above detaUs see Record Reports, 1887, 387, 388, etc. Also French Rolls, 1459-61. . . Other Welsh ships mentioned are the Trinity of Newport and the Mary White of Tenby. 64 WALES AND THE FRENCH WARS [ch. Normandy (June 26), who was then captain of Nully-L'evSque. In 1418, Thomas Carew had a band of Welshmen in his retinue. Rymer ix. 596. During 1420-1 several commissions were issued to array Welsh archers. Sir Edward Stradling of Glamorgan received letters of attorney (May 24, 1426-7) j Roger Cause of Tenby in Sir John Kighley's retinue (Dec. 8) ; Thomas Llywelyn in the earl of Ormond's (Mar. 13, 1429-30) ; Ithel Llywelyn of Flintshire and Hugh Penllyn in Lord Fitzwalter's (Feb. 1430-1) ; Lewis ap Rhys Gethin of South Wales in Walter Cressener's (Jan. 1437-8) ; Edward ap Howel assessor of taxes in Normandy (1430) ; Stephenson n. 130, also 299, 437 ; Thomas Griffith, in Bedford's retinue (1435) ; John Vaughan, in Bedford's retinue (May 1422-3) ; David, son of John Parker of Chirk, in John de Burgh's, captain of Vernon on the Seine (May 7, 1424-5) ; Thomas Toker of Tenby, merchant, in Wilham FitzHenry's, captain of Honfleur (Dec. 12, 1422-4) ; William Wolf of Wales, knight, in Bedford's (1435), Stephenson 11. 433 ; Geoffrey Dwnn and William Vaughan of Cheshire (May 13, 1421, and May 1435-6) ; Gregory ap Heulyn of Denbigh, and Owen Dwnn in Lord Talbot's (Feb. 8, 1434-5) > Ednyfed Vaughan of Anglesey (Jan. 1435-6) in the earl of Mortain's retinue; Thomas Gamage of Caldecot and Cardiff in the earl of Suffolk's (May 1435-6) ; Geoffrey ap Rhys accompanied the bishop of St David's to the Congress of Arras in 1435. Robert Lewis of Cardiff, alias Vaughan of London, in Somerset's retinue (1442-3, May- June) ; Henry Michael of Cardiff in the retinue of William Pyrton, lieutenant of Guisnes (Feb. 1, 1443-4) ; Stephenson 11. 331-2. Lewis ap Meredith was Marshal of Mantes in 1444, ibid. 1. 461 ; and in the special service of the queen. Letters of Margaret of Anjou, 116. APPENDIX II Virtus enim vestra, fortissimi viri, hodierno conflictu quanta sit in hostium pugnam variis periculis retro probata ostendet. Si virili animo et corpore robusto adversus istos plus vindictae calore quam virtute concitos dimicet, ab hostibus praeclaram victoriam reportabit. Si ignave, veluti pecorum hostes inhumani versa guttura cruentis mucronibus abscindent. Estote memores ut vestri patres cum paucis innumeram Gallorum multitudinem vicerunt et nunc multo plures si animi vigor insit istam effraenatam turbam sine ordine in vos ruentem maximam in fugam disperget, a qua fugax nullus strictam captionem aut subitam mortem evadere potent. Nam vada jam mari cumulata Carentonium fugientibus viam praecludent. Fusis enim Gallis omnis vobis et posteritati vestrae comparata anircu praestantia perpetua nobilitatis insignia conse- quemini. Ditia Gallorum spolia, quae argento auroque praefulgere iii] MATHEW GOUGH 65 conspicitis, non mediocri sorte vestras fortunas augebunt, quae vos non ambigo consecuturos si animi praestantia in conflictu, veluti fortes proavi, in adversos pedem teneat fixum. Blondel, 171-2. APPENDIX III O Matthaeum Goth ! Spoliis agrorum et urbium raptu et tortura exactis tuas fortunas fecisti locupletissimas ; an ista affiicti populi oppressione cumulatas annis conservare potes ? Quid de tanta praeda nunc de Francia foede expulsus in Angliam defers ? Fractis enim corporis robore et animi virtute, armaturam, equos et quaecumque castrensia patriae direptione extorta victori Karolo, ut vitam a stricto gladio redimas compulsus cessisti ; et raptis omnibus exutus, non eques vibratam lanceam manu, sed tenuem stepitem ad tuos penates pedester portas. Pro sorte gloriae regni tui extoUenda vincula, carceres, wilnera, et gravissimas labores, noctu diuque tolerasti. Pro tantis rebus angore gestis, tametsi exteriora fortunae caduca amisisti, saltern summum virtute praemium honorem con- secutus es, et labore tot periculis repetito tui principis gratiam et popuh AngUci favorem habes, ut beneficiis pro remuneratione elargitis tuae calamitati condoleant. Tua enim foeda a bello Fonni- niaco fuga sempiterna ignominiae sorde tuam famam, tui nominis aestimationem deturpavit. Et quia fugiens proeliorum ordines dis- solvisse accusaris (cujus oecasione aiunt conflictum exitu sibi adversum et Gallis prospenim fuisse) et ob hoc tuo principi invisus et a populo implacabili furore concito reversus caede ferocissima necaris. In armis igitur perniciosus tibi, Mathaee, labor fuit, qui egestatem non divitias, qui dedecus non laudem, qui tandem crudele exitum non vitae securitatem attulit. Exitus vitae tuae miserrimus tyrannum semper emori calamitose ostendit. Blondel, 211-212. e. w. R. CHAPTER IV HERBERT AND TUDOR Of the luminaries who appeared in the political firmament during these stormy days of faction and war, none shone with a steadier light than Jasper Tudor. He was the son of Owen Tudor, an Anglesey gentleman who traced his descent from the old Welsh king, Cadwaladr. Owen was tall, handsome, and endowed with extraordinary charm of manner. He was also imbued with a lofty chivalry that continued to ennoble his life in spite of many hazardous vicissitudes during a period of fierce political convulsions, when chivalry degenerated into bruta lity and selfish lust of power. { It has been supposed that he was J one of the band of hardy Welsh warriors who did service at/Agincourt1. Reliable records, however, do not carry us back further than his appearance in the retinue of Hungerford late in the reign of Henry V2 He must soon have abandoned the fields of war for the alluring avenues of court life ; for during the infancy of the king he was at Windsor, in close attendance upon Queen Catherine and her child. It appears that Catherine might have married Edmund Beaufort, earl of Mortain (afterwards duke of His marriage v with Queen Somerset), but for the opposition of Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, who saw in the proposal the dangerous ascendancy of the family of his rival, 1 Stow. Strickland, Queens of England, n. 150, passim. * See ante, Chapter 11. ch.iv] HERBERT AND TUDOR 67 Cardinal Beaufort. Accordingly it was decreed by act of parliament, apparently about the year 1427-8, that a marriage with a Queen Dowager without a special per mission should be illegal. But it could not have been many years after the death of Henry V before Catherine bestowed her affections upon Owen Tudor in bold defiance of parliamentary decrees and courtly traditions. They were married secretly. We need not suspect the validity of the marriage1, though we cannot trace any legal ceremony. During the proceedings instituted by the Privy Council against Owen there was no suggestion of illicit relations between him and the Queen Dowager. Nor was there any question raised as to the legitimacy of the children. In fact the legality of the marriage is tacitly admitted. However, when the relations between rival parties became more strained, Edmund and Jasper Tudor, who had then been raised to the earldoms of Richmond and Pembroke respectively, deemed it prudent to obtain a parliamentary ratification of their titles, and a formal declaration that they were the king's half-brothers. A technical illegality may, indeed, have been committed if, as has been generally supposed, the marriage took place about 1430. Intermarriage with Welshmen was contrary to law, and Owen did not receive denizenship till 1432. The date of this grant, and the un usually stringent conditions attached to it, suggest that the marriage was known to a limited circle of courtiers who were not averse to shielding Owen while Catherine lived2. The statement of the London chronicler appears to corroborate this view3. 1 Ramsay, Lancaster and York, I. 496, seems to cast doubt upon it. It is suggestive of the admitted legality of the marriage that not even Richard III, in his proclamation against Henry Tudor, attempts to dis credit the marriage. 2 Revenues from the following Welsh estates were assigned to Queen Catherine on the death of Henry V : , Hawarden, Montgomery, Builth, TalyboUon, Lleyn, Maltraeth, Menai, Cemmaes, Newburgh, Beaumaris, Aberfraw, Flint, Coleshill, Mostyn, Englefield, Caldecot, Newton. Rot. Pari. 1. Henry VI. 203. 8 landon Chronicle, 123. Stow, 377. 68 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. Four children were born to Owen .and Catherine, three sons and a daughter, " unwetyng the common people tyl that she were dead and buried " : Edmund of Hadham, who was afterwards created earl of Richmond and married Margaret Beaufort (their son was Henry VII) ; Jasper Tudor of Hatfield who became earl of Pembroke ; Thomas who was a monk at Westminster and " lived a small time " ; and a daughter Margaret, who died young1. Hadham and Hatfield were royal residences. Many stories have naturally gathered around the romance of Owen and Catherine. Among the tares of tradition must be assigned the tale that Owen on one occasion introduced to the queen a number of his compatriots whom she playfully described as the " goodliest dumb creatures she ever knew," on account of their ignorance of any language but Welsh2. Soon after the death of Catherine, in January, 1437, Owen Tudor was summoned before the Privy Council to answer for his conduct. He was then at Daventry, and refused to come without an assurance that he would be allowed " freely to come and freely to go3." Though he received a verbal promise to this effect from the duke of Gloucester, he justly refused to admit the vahdity of it unless it were put in writing. Having thus incurred the danger of arrest, he came up to London and took sanctuary in Westminster. He remained there for some days, refusing to abandon his refuge, " eschewing to leave it although many persons out of friendship and fellowship stirred him to come out thereof and desport himself in a tavern at Westminster gate4." Malicious representations were then circulated accusing him of disloyalty. In his eagerness to belie his traducers he came but of sanctuary and appeared before the council, where he protested that he had done 1 HaU, 185. Miss Strickland gives the name Owen instead of Thomas. 8 Wynne, History of the Gwydir Family. * Acts and Proceedings of the Privy Council, v. 46. 4 Proceedings, v. 46-49. IV] HERBERT AND TUDOR 69 nothing to give offence to the king, and offered to " byde the law " with reference to any charge brought against him. He was then permitted to retire to Wales. He was not allowed his liberty for long. In contravention Owen of the assurance which had been given him he imprisoned. was piace(i un(ier arrest, taken to London, and consigned to Newgate. The council, recognising that an unwarranted breach of faith had been committed, drew up a statement, as lame as it is laboured, to prove that the royal assurance had not been violated. The charge preferred against him was that he had married the Queen Dowager without the king's consent. It was stated that the under taking given by him to answer any indictment involved the forfeiture of the royal promise of safe-conduct ; that at the time the promise was given neither the king nor Gloucester was aware of his hostile designs ; and that having already appeared before the council and been allowed to retire to Wales, he had forfeited the benefit of the assurance given1. The document is unconvincing. In February of the foUowing year, Owen Tudor and his servant contrived to break out of Newgate " in the night at searching time through the help of his priest, and went his way, hurting foul his keeper2." Having been recaptured by Lord Beaumont who was given a special grant of twenty marks for his expenses in the business3, he was once more summoned before the council. The priest was found to have £90 in his possession, which was confiscated to the Exchequer4. The priest His escape. . , , was sent to Newgate, whither Owen ludor also, after having been placed temporarily under the charge of the duke of Suffolk at Wallingford, was eventually removed. 1 Proceedings, v. 46-50. Introduction, xvii. It appears from the Clous Rerum, 239, that he was at one time a prisoner " notabiUs " in Windsor Castle. No date is assigned. 2 London Chronicle, 123. " Fraudulenter et subtiUter." Rymer, x. 709. 3 Rymer, x. 685-6. 4 Rymer, x. 686, March 24, 16 Henry VI. Miss Strickland suggests that this may have been the priest who married Owen and Catherine. 70 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. He contrived to elude his keepers once again and escaped to Wales, where, presumably, he remained till the outbreak of civil war1- He received a full pardon in November I4392- The intimate knowledge of Owen's misfortunes possessed by the swarthy bard of remote Anglesey, Robin Ddu, suggests that Owen repaired to his native land on his first release. In an angry lament, which internal evidence proves to have been written during Owen's captivity, the poet mourns his champion's confinement. " Neither a' thief nor a robber, neither debtor nor traitor, he is the victim of unrighteous wrath. His only fault was to have won the affection of a princess of France." The bard further gives vent to his anxiety for the welfare of Owen's children in lines which show that the soul of chivalry had not departed from the hills, though courtly circles knew it no more. The ode also corroborates the assertion of the annalist Stow, that the attachment between Catherine and Owen began at a dance3. 1 A formal pardon was granted to the sheriffs of London for their negligence in the matter. Cal. Pat. RoUs, July 29,. 1438. Rymer x. 709-10. 2 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 344 General pardon to Owen Meredith for all offences. 3 Robin Ddu. Ceinion Llenyddiaelk Gymreig. 217-8. Yr un dyn o'i rieni, Blodeuyn oedd blaid i ni, Sy' ngharchar, gyfar gofid, Yn Nghaerludd, anghywir Ud. Gwae fi fod ym margod mur Yn eu tid, Owain Tudur. Nid am ddwyn march mewn ffrwyn ffraeth Yn Uedrad anUywodraeth ; Nid am ddyled ef am credir Y mae'n y rhest, y meinwr hir ; . Ni bu leidr pan filiwyd, Na thraetur, lUn Tudur Llwyd. Er iddo gynt, ar ddydd gwyl, Fwrw ei serch frowys archwyl Ar ferch brenin y gwindir Oedd yn hardd wiw addwyn hir. Duw a ro rhag cyffro cur Iddynt hoedl, wyrion Tudur ; Y mab y mae genym obaith A ddel cynt o ddwylo caith. iv] HERBERT AND TUDOR 71 An entirely different, though hardly less romantic, tale of their early relations is given by the Welsh Tudor chro nicler : " Now Catherine had been a widow for some years. The council forbade her to marry again, a pro- Griffith on hibition which she openly resented. At that °man«udor s **me a S(luire °* Gwynedd, who was chief butler at court, conceived an attachment for the queen's maid of honour. One day in summer he and his friends were bathing in the stream which skirts the castle walls. The queen, observing them, saw that Owen — for that was the squire's name — surpassed the others in skill, and was more handsome of figure. Whereupon she turned to her maid and said, ' Yonder then is thy lover ? ' ' In truth,' replied the maid, ' no sooner am I alone than he plagues me with his attentions.' ' Let me,' replied Catherine, ' take your place in disguise to-night, and he shall harass you no more.' " Now Owen and the maid used to meet on the gallery not far from the queen's chamber. Thither the queen made her way stealthily at nightfall. Owen had already arrived: Only a few words had passed between them when they saw a light approaching as though the queen, as Owen thought, was on her way to her chamber. The maid's demeanour was strange, he thought, and he began to suspect that he was being deceived. He would have kissed her hps ; but Catherine, who wished to conceal her face, struggled, and received a slight wound on her cheek. Meanwhile the light was coming nearer, and they parted. " Next day Catherine instructed her chamberlain to command Owen to serve her in person at dinner. Then it was that Owen discovered that the queen herself was the fair intruder, and he bent his head at the thought that he had wounded her. According to some, he would immedi ately have returned to his native land ; according to others, the queen herself detained him at court, and having ascer- 72 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. tained his descent from the old British kings, married him secretly1." After the disgrace of Owen, his two sons were placed under the care of the abbess of Barking, Catherine de la Pole, sister of the earl of Suffolk, who occasionally complains of the non-payment of arrears that were due on their account2. The boys apparently remained there until 14403- Although Catherine made no direct reference to the Tudors in her will, it is conceivable that her appeal to Henry VI to fulfil " her intent tenderly and favourably " had a direct bearing upon the lot of the unfortunate boys4. It is certain that he afterwards shadowed their education and welfare with a tenderness and solicitude which were perhaps the Only gleams that played upon their early life. He placed them under the guardianship of " discreet persons to be brought up chastely and virtuously5." Nor did the king, Henry VI, neglect their father, Owen Tudor. He allowed him an annuity of £40, " which for certain causes him moving he gave out of his privy purse by especial grace6." The generosity of his royal half- brother was not lost upon Jasper, who served the dynasty of the Lancastrians in its hour of need with unflinching loyalty and exemplary devotion. The support which the Lancastrians found in Wales was due primarily to him. When his power waned, pubhc opinion veered largely to 1 History of Wales, ElUs Griffith MS. in the Mostyn Library. EUis Griffith was a soldier in Calais. The above account is a summary trans lation. (The original is given in the Appendix.) It should be observed that the History is unreliable in many details. For example, it states that Owen Tudor was put to death for marrying Catherine, that the marriage took place in 1425, and that Edmund Tudor and Jasper Tudor were raised to the peerage in 1436. 2 Rymer, x. 828. * In 1440, Catherine petitions the king to pay her the £52. 12s. od. which is due to her for the upkeep of Edmund ap Meredith ap Tudor and Jasper ap Meredith ap Tudor, this amount being arrears since the last day of February, 17 Henry VI. Rymer, x. 828. 4 The wiU is printed by Miss Strickland, vol. 11. 153. 6 Ibid. • Issue RoUs. Cal. Pat. Rolls. iv] HERBERT AND TUDOR 73 William Herbert, who had meanwhile risen to eminence in the councils of Edward IV. Wilham Herbert was one of the few men who left an wimam abiding impress on the history of his time. Herbert. jj]je jaSper Tudor he did not catch the ima gination of contemporary writers except during the last few years of his life, for his work was more in secret than in the open. The ponderous tread of armies of retainers afforded a more effective means of publicity ; his was the silent voice of the inner council chamber. The eyes of generations of historians have been so dazzled by the glamour of a Warwick that they have failed to see in Herbert the forerunner of the Tudor ministers. It is agreed that the absolutism of the Tudors originated with Edward IV, but the part played by the ministers of that monarch has not been adequately appreciated. We need not inquire into the ancestry of William Herbert. His The task is the province of biography rather pedigree. than of history The Welsh gentry of the six teenth Century, anxious that their family trees should appear to have their roots deep in the annals of old Wales or Norman England, forged pedigrees which gave many of them a spurious origin. The existing pedigree of William Herbert, which traces him back to the FitzHerberts of the twelfth century, cannot escape this taint of forgery. It is based on a manuscript which is supposed to have been in the possession of Lord Herbert of Cherbury, who flourished in the seventeenth century1. 1 The curious may consult Dugdale's Baronage, n. 256. Jones, History of Brecknockshire, vol. n. pt u. 449-51. Arch. Cambrensis, 3rd series, iv. 16-30. Hist. MSS. Commission, 8th Report, Ashburnham Collection, vol. viii, 35 6, and 6th Report, 454 a. The story goes that when Herbert was made earl of Pembroke and installed at Windsor, Edward IV com manded the earl and his brother Richard to take their surnames after their first progenitor Herbert Fitzroy, and to forego the Welsh method of retaining pedigrees ; and that the king under his first great seal com missioned Ieuan ap Rhydderch ap Ieuan Lloyd of Gogerddan, Cardigan shire, to summon the bards to Pembroke, and to certify the Uneage of Herbert and his brother. "Thereupon the above Ieuan ap Rhydderch, 74 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. He was the son of Sir William ap Thomas and Gwladys, the daughter of David Gam1 ; and it is purely a matter of conjecture why the children were given the name of Herbert. It is possible that they wished to avoid the cloud of suspicion which enveloped their countrymen after the cataclysm of Glyndwr's wars. A Welsh name had a foreign sound, and was to many suggestive of rebellion. The family had been vigorous and aggressive in their hostility to the Welsh leader, and had in consequence been anathe matised by their countrymen. It was therefore a stroke of discretion to enter into a wider and more remunerative field of activity than Wales could afford, and to parade an English name. Sir William ap Thomas must have spent much of his His interest time In London. His eldest son Thomas, in commerce. W^Q fjgUred prominently among the followers of Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, first appears as " Thomas Herbert of Greenwich " ; while William is introduced on the stage of history as " William Herbert of London, chap man." This epithet suggests — and the fact is corroborated by the contemporary Welsh poet Howel Swrdwal, — that the Herberts entered into those commercial activities which did much to undermine the ascendancy of the feudal nobility, and to lay the foundations of the new. It was in 1440 that Wilham Herbert received the epithet " chapman2." The Howel Swrdwal, Ieuan Deulwyn, and Ieuan Brechva, having traced the pedigree, presented to their majesty their certificate in Welsh, Latin, English, and French, which stated that Herbert was descended from Peter Fitzherbert in the reign of king John, and from Herbert, son of Godwin, son of Elfrid, who had married a sister of Earls Harold and Tostig. Dated Aug. 12, 1460." Of course the earldom was not conferred upon Herbert till 1468. He never was named Welsh fashion even before 1460. There is no such commission upon the Patent, Close, or Exchequer RoUs. See also Catalogue Welsh MSS., British Museum. 1 Lewis Glyn Cothi and other poets. The editor identified " y G windy Gwyn " of one of Glyn Cothi's poems as the London residence of Sir WilUam ap Thomas, but gives no authority, 1. xvin. There was a house in London caUed le Herbert, but apparently it did not belong to the famUy. Rymer, 1461, 473. 2 Cal. Pat. RoUs, Feb. 2, 1440, 374. Record Reports, 1887. Dec. 26. John Stradling of Glamorgan was also in Kyriel's retinue at this time. IV] HERBERT AND TUDOR 75 protection which he had received two months before "as going to Calais, there to abide in the company of Thomas Kyriel, knight, lieutenant of the town, and engage in •victualling the same " was revoked, because he tarried in the city of London and its suburbs. This was the time when the duke of York and Sir Wilham ap Thomas went over to Normandy. A few years later we find him engaged in importing Gascon wines into the port of Bristol1. Moreover, the Herberts, in 1462, were in command of certain vessels for the defence of Bristol and other ports in the west against the Lancastrians2. We cannot be certain whether William Herbert accom- Herbertin panied York on his expedition in 1440, or Normandy. whether he joined Kyriel in Calais, and we need not attempt to erect an aerial fabric of assump tions. He is lost to view for some years. When he reappears towards the close of the Hundred Years War, when the French were following hard upon the track of the retreating English, he was under the vigilant eye of his distinguished countryman, Mathew Gough, as joint-captain of Carentan, in 1449 3. 1 Pat. RoUs, May 22, 1457, 353. On Oct. 10, 1457-8 protection was given to his brother " Thomas Herbert of Troye, Wales " in the king's service on the high seas. William of Worcester, Itinerarium, identifies him with Thomas of Greenwich. Record Reports. Howel Swrdwal refers to Herbert's commercial enterprise in the Unes : Dau lu ami dal o iwmynn Dwy long yn dyfod ai lynn. " He has two armies of taU yeomen, and two ships trading in wines." Swrdwal's poems have recently been pubUshed by the Bangor Welsh MSS. Society. The poem from which the above Unes are taken is dated 1450. This is impossible. There are references to Edward of York, which could not apply at least before 1461. There are indications that it may have been written just before Mortimer's Cross. 2 Cal. Pat. RoUs, March 1, 1462. Perhaps it should be stated that the name is variously spelt as Herbert, Herberd, Herbard, and even Here- bard, though Herberd is more common at first. It is not easy to distinguish the many Herberts of contemporary records. A WilUam Herbert of Gloucester kept Newport Castle in 1468-9. A Thomas Herbert of Glou cester was constable there in 1468-9, sheriff of Somerset 1468, High Bailiff of Guisnes 1468. There was another of the name in Salop and Staffordshire (1443), while Thomas, GUbert and WiUiam Harbard of Strood supported Cade in 1450. Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. 8 WilUam of Worcester, Itinerarium, 122, as we have seen, mentions a WUUam Herbert ap Norman who fought under Mathew Gough in France, and describes him as "locum tenens de Penigele." Elsewhere, ibid. 120, 76 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. From this circumstance it may safely be inferred that he had been in Normandy for some time1. After the reverse at Carentan he may have served with Gough at Fougeres and Belleme. He was taken prisoner at Formigny. For this reason he probably did not return to England until the remnants of the English army crossed the Channel under Somerset, in September, 1450. Henceforth we must follow his course in the main stream of political life. On the expiration of the duke of York's term as lieutenant The duke of °* France> in I445» Dorset, who soon after- York, and wards was raised to the dukedom of Somerset, Somerset. . was appointed to succeed him. York was made lieutenant of Ireland for 10 years, a specious form of exile. Certain individuals were appointed to seize and imprison him at Conway on his way to his new post in 1447, Sir John Talbot at Holt Castle, Sir Thomas Stanley in Cheshire, and one Richard " groom of our chamber " at Beaumaris. Sir Walter Devereux also was to be arrested. Nothing untoward happened2. Meanwhile the government of Margaret and Suffolk went from bad to worse. The popular opposition to them culminated in the banishment and death of Suffolk in 1450. Events then rushed onwards with perilous foreboding. Jack Cade raised the Kentishmen with temporary success, and was killed in a scuffle in July. In the confusion the duke of York abandoned his post with the avowed object of reforming the ministry, and landed in Beaumaris in August3. The duke of Somerset, who had succeeded Suffolk as leader of the court party, was summoned from Calais to deal with him, and was made constable of England in September4. This grant further inflamed pubhc resentment against the queen and her friends. he is called " WiUelmus Norman consanguineus domini Herbert." He fought at Banbury. Ibid. 1 "He may have accompanied Gough. See ch. in. 8 See the duke of York's letter to Henry VI, printed in Paston Letters, Introduction ; and also in HoUnshed. 8 Ibid. Also WilUam of Worcester, Annates, ii. 769. Hall, 225. 4 Rymer's Foedera, xi. 276. iv] HERBERT AND TUDOR tj Instructions had been issued to Henry Norris, deputy to the chamberlain of North Wales (Sir Thomas Stanley), Bartholomew Bold, who had succeeded John Norris as Captain of Conway in 14411, William Bulkeley, who was a sergeant-at-arms in Anglesey and may have held some office at Beaumaris2, and a few others, to arrest the progress of the duke of York on his return, and prevent his entry into Chester, Shrewsbury and the border towns. But York once again eluded their vigilance, reached his estates in the Marches of Wales, collected a strong body of followers and reached London safely3. However, there was bloodshed. Sir Wilham Tresham, Speaker of the House of Commons in the parliament of Bury, and one of York's most prominent supporters, was hastening to join his leader when he collided with the retainers of Lord Grey of Ruthin near Moulton, in Northamptonshire. Tresham was murdered4. In Wales, at least, the name of Grey of Ruthin was already synonymous with perfidy. There is hardly a more revolting figure in the annals of the war. Parliament met in November, William Oldhall, formerly a colleague of Sir William ap Thomas on the duke of York's council in Normandy, being chosen Speaker. Violent scenes took place between Somerset and York, the latter having the House of Commons on his side, the former relying on his supremacy at court. York subsequently retired to Ludlow5, Early in September an attempt was made to arrest Somerset at Blackfriars. It proved futile, and Somerset remained at the wheel during the Christmas adjournment. 1 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 497. He had eight soldiers. November 21, 1441. 2 Ibid. 129, August 16, 1448. He succeeded one Meredith ap Cynwric. 8 The garrison of Beaumaris Castle was increased to twelve in 1446, and to twenty-one in the foUowing May. This was probably the garrison till 1460. The constable was WilUam Beauchamp. The author of Calendars of Gwynedd gives no authority for making Bulkeley constable of Beaumaris in 1440. Beauchamp was followed by John Butler in 1460, who was supplanted by WiUiam Hastings on the accession of Edward IV. In 1451 an annual sum of £20 was aUowed out of the issues of the borough for four years for repairs. Minister's Accounts, in Medieval Boroughs of Snowdonia. Hall, 226. Paston Letters, op. cit. C.P.R. 1439; 3°i. 3°8. 4 WiUiam of Worcester, Annates, 769. 6 Hall, 226. 78 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. This fact is of importance ; for it shows that the flash of Athenian acuteness which illumined the attitud^ s recess emanated apparently from the favourite; s°omaereet. We re*er to ^e h°n°urs conferred during the Christmas festival at Greenwich. The king's half-brothers, Edmund and Jasper Tudor, two sons of the earl of Salisbury, viz. Thomas and John Neville, and William Herbert, were knighted1. It has hitherto been supposed that Herbert was knighted at Christmas 1449. This is an impossible date ; for, apart from the fact that Herbert was then in Normandy, authorities are clear in their assertion that the knighthoods were bestowed after the return of York from Ireland and Somerset from Calais. Except perhaps the Tudors, these were men whose sympathies were presumably with the duke of York. In conferring favours upon them the court party may have hoped to detach the Nevilles and Herbert from their friendship with the duke, and thus to weaken his influence at a most vital point, viz., the Marches. The position in South-east Wales was as follows : In 1449 Richard, earl of Warwick, had become possessed of the rich lordship of Glamorgan and Morgannwg2. The numerous ramifications of the families of Herbert and Roger Vaughan dominated Raglan and the surrounding district. Monmouth was part of the Lancas trian heritage 3. Abergavenny was held by a Neville in the person of Edward Neville, son of Ralph, first earl of West morland4. Humphrey Stafford, duke of Buckingham, was 1 " Festum natalis Domini rex tenuit apud Grenwych, ubi fecit duos fratres uterinos milites et comites, viz. Edmundum Richemund et Jasper Penbroch, ac Thomam et Johannem Nevyle, fiUos comitis Sarum, ac etiam Wyllelmum Herberd, Roger Leuconer et WyUelmum Catysby, miUtes," WilUam of Worcester, Annates, n. 770. (The Dictionary of National Biography, Doyle's Baronage etc., sub William Herbert, are misleading.) It will also be noted that WiUiam of Worcester asserts that the king's half-brothers were made earls on this occasion. This piece of evidence has been discarded on the ground that Edmund's charter is dated Nov. 23, 1452. Vide later. 2 See table on page 100, note 3, showing how Glamorgan came into Warwick's possession. ' It was annexed to the earldom of Lancaster by Henry IV. 4 He was summoned to parUament as Baron Bergavenny (Sept. 5, 1450) iv] HERBERT AND TUDOR 79 lord of Brecknock and Newport, and an adherent of the House of Lancaster1. The Mortimer estates of the duke of York lay to the north, stretching roughly from Builth to Denbigh and including Builth, Clifford, Ewyas Lacy, Maehennydd, Radnor, and Denbigh, with Ludlow as their centre, and at times Montgomery2. The court party realised that these estates, extending in an almost unbroken phalanx from Cardiff to Chester, would, if united under the duke of York, constitute a very serious danger. For, apart from the personnel of the leaders, these March lordships harboured a restless population whose chief occupation was petty warfare. On the other hand, if Somerset could retain the allegiance of the Nevilles and Herbert, the Marches would be divided almost equally into two opposing camps. This circumstance will serve tc explain also the unusual activity of Margaret on the borders of Wales during the next five years. The duke of York did not remain idle. When the feud York-s between the earl of Devon and Lord Bonville waiesT '" broke out in the west in 145 1, he took Herbert with him to settle the dispute3, though the importance of this association need not be over-estimated, in right of his wife, EUzabeth Beauchamp, daughter and heiress of Richard, earl of Worcester. 1 Humphrey de Bohun, earl of Hereford, left two daughters, Eleanor and Mary. Mary de Bohun married Henry IV, so that her portion of the estates, which were in Herefordshire and Monmouth, was annexed to the Crown. Eleanor de Bohun was married to Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester (d. 1397). They had a daughter, Anne, who married Edmund Stafford, killed at Shrewsbury, 1403. Anne received from Henry VI the lordship of Brecon and the patronage of Llanthony Abbey for her and her son. Their son was Humphrey Stafford, lord of Brecon, created duke of Buckingham in 1444. He was killed at Northampton in 1460. He was married to Anne Neville, daughter of Ralph, first earl of West morland. Their son was Humphrey Stafford, who was killed at St Albans in 1455. His wife was Margaret Beaufort, daughter of Edmund, first duke of Somerset. Their son was Henry Stafford, duke of Buckingham and lord of Brecon. He married Catherine WoodviUe, Uved in retirement at Brecon during Edward IV's reign, and was executed in 1483. 2 He gave charters to Ceri and Cedewain from Montgomery in August, 25 Henry VI. Collections of Powys Club, vol. 11. 388. 8 William of Worcester, Annates n. 770. Chronicle of the White Rose. BonviUe was besieged in Taunton. 80 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. inasmuch as the duty of suppressing riots in the west would naturally devolve upon the lords of those parts. In the winter of 1451-2 York's designs assumed a more menacing aspect. From Ludlow he issued a mani festo to the burgesses of Shrewsbury denouncing Somerset, and proclaiming his intention of marching on London to destroy him1. Having collected an army in the Marches2 he advanced on the capital. He found less encouragement than he had anticipated from the citizens, and was placed under arrest. Soon he was released and pardoned. His release is said to have been due to the rumour that another force was being mustered in Wales under his son, Edward, earl of March3. In the summer of 1452 the court party began their activities in the Marches. In July the king, accompanied by the queen and Somerset, went on a progress through the west, visiting Gloucester, Ross and Monmouth, in order to strengthen the fibres of loyalty and punish the guilty4- Walter Devereux of Weobley in Herefordshire, who was sheriff of that county in 1447, and some others were indicted for treasonable acts committed in the previous. February. Bearing in mind that this was the month in which the duke of York issued his manifesto to the burgesses of Shrewsbury, the charge- in all probability referred to the active participation of Devereux with York. Devereux was arraigned before justices Audley and Yelverton, but obtained the benefit of the act of grace pardoning all who had abetted York on that occasion5. In October a general pardon was granted also to " William Herbert of Ragland, in South Wales, of all offences before August 8 last, and any subsequent outlawries and for- 1 Ellis, Letters, 1st series, I. 11-13, dated Feb. 3, 1452. 2 HaU, 226. We seem to have no reUable means of estimating the numbers of troops raised during these wars. 8 Hall, 226 ; Fabyan, 626-7. 4 Privy Seals and Wardrobe Accounts. 6 The pardon was subsequently confirmed in the parliament which met immediately after the first battle of St, Albans, 1455. Rot. Pari. v. iv] HERBERT AND TUDOR 81 feitures1 " ; and shortly before to Owen ap Griffith, the son of Griffith ap Nicholas, and Philip ap Rees, " for tres passes against the statute of liveries2." These were also the outcome of the king's visit, and may reasonably be regarded as part of a deliberate plan to conciliate the minor gentry Herbert and undermine the predominant influence of the implicated. duke of York whether these had shared in York's immature enterprise the previous winter is a matter of conjecture. There is a strong presumption that Wilham Herbert was implicated. We have seen that he accompanied York to the west in the previous year. He was also on terms of intimacy with Devereux. Moreover, there is extant a proclamation against him in which he is denounced as a notable rebel and forbidding any to give him encouragement or support. The proclamation is undated ; but as this appears to have been the only occasion on which he was thus circumstanced, the reference is doubtless to his associa tion with York3. Further to strengthen and consolidate South Wales in the interest of the Crown, the king conferred made eari the earldom of Pembroke .upon his half-brother Jasper Tudor, Edmund at the same time receiv ing the earldom of Richmond4. Their titles and legitimacy were confirmed in the parliament which met at Reading, 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 1452-1461, 17. Dated Oct. 10, 1452. 2 Cal. Pat. Rolls, Sept. 30, 1452, 17. It appears that the earl of Warwick was at Cardiff on October 31, 1452. Clark, Glamorgan Charters, 1632. 8 " Rex Vicecomiti London — nos nuper per considerantes quae et quanta mala gravamina Wilms Herberd, miles Ugeis et subgitis uris in diversis partibus fecit et perpetravit per vobis precepimus quod statim post receptam in singuUs locis infra civitatem, praedictam et suburbia ejusdem publice proclamari faciatis. Ne quis prefato WiUo ahquod receptamentum aut auxiUum praebit — sed ipsum WiUum tanquam notabilem rebeUem ab omni gratia nostra — privatum fore et exemptum habeat et reputat." Claus Rerum, 300. 4 As has already been stated WiUiam of Worcester gives an earUer date. But the date of Edmund's charter is Nov. 23, 1452, and the two may have been ennobled at the same time. Jasper's creation appears under a parliamentary ratification of both titles on March 6, 1453. See Paston Letters, II. 285. Rot. Pari. 250. E. W. R. 6 82 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. March 6, 14531. In this declaration the name of their father, Owen Tudor, is significantly omitted, although there is a veiled reference to the fact that some of their ancestors were not English born, and to the disability under which they might have laboured as Welshmen2, disabilities which perhaps occasioned this strange declaration. It states that the king confers these grants upon his half-brothers of his own free will, and not at the instance of any other person. They were to take precedence of all other earls3. It is important to observe that the earldom of Pembroke was given to Jasper in spite of Margaret's having hitherto enjoyed the issues thereof4. The important castles of Pembroke, Tenby, Cilgerran, and Llanstephan were now therefore in Jasper's hands5. Henceforth he took an active part in the deliberations of the Government. In this parliament he introduced a bill into the Lower House asking, among other things, for a grant of the priory of St Nicholas at Pembroke. Intercession was made in favour of the monks of St Albans to whom a previous grant had been made by Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, and a provision was inserted in the bill saving the rights of the monastery6. When parliament rose for 1 " Quod Edmundus et Jasper declarentur vestri fratres uterini in legitimo matrimonio infra regnum vestrum predictum procreati et nati ac indigine regni vestri supradicti et nedum sic declarentur verum etiam sic auctoritate supradicta realiter et in facto existant." Rot. Pari. 250. 2 Rot. Pari. 251-3. 3 " motu proprio non ad ipsius vel alterius pro eo nobis super hoc oblate petitionis instantiam sed de nostra mera UberaUtate in comitem Pembroehie prefecimus." Ibid. 4 " non obstante jure titulo et interesse Margarete Regine Anglie precarissime consortis vestre, si que habeat in eisdem." Ibid. 6 Included in the lordship and members of Pembroke were, " Pembroke, Castle Martin, St Florence, Coedraeth, Tenby, Roos, Kemmaes, Burton, Milford, Cilgerran, Emlyn, Llanstephan, Dyffryn Brian, St Clear's," etc. Rot. Pari. 253. 6 Wethamstede, 1. 92-93. Jasper is described as " vir Ulustris frater regis ex parte matris qui de novo per ipsum regem in comitem Pembrochiae erectus." The chronicler remarks on the incident " a friend at court is often better than a fig on a plate, or a penny in a purse." It wiU be observed that the quotation suggests the " recent " creation of Jasper as earl of Pembroke. iv] HERBERT AND TUDOR 83 the Easter recess the Tudors kept in close touch with the king. One of them was at Norwich on April 20, 14531, and in communication with the Pastons. Meanwhile the Government became alive to the need of Government stringent supervision in Wales. Sir Thomas activity in Stanley, chamberlain of North Wales, was commissioned to compel the payment of arrears of debts and revenues from Merionethshire, Carnarvonshire, and Anglesey2, and to make inquisition in those counties touching trespasses, services, and customs concealed from the king, officers negligent of their duties etc.3 Cymmer Abbey was committed to the charge of the duke of Somerset, and Ellis ap Griffith ap Einon, which abbey " was endowed to the sum of £60 a year, though now the endowment does not exceed the value of 20 marks a year ; and the abbey, through dissensions between certain lords of the marches there, has suffered distraints at the hands of persons on either side and abductions of goods and chatties so that no ministers thereof dare occupy the lands of old collated to the abbey4." During the year 1453 the court party made renewed sir waiter efforts to strengthen their hold on Wales. Sir Walter Devereux had risked his hfe in the cause of York when the latter passed over to Ireland. In spite of this he was now favourably entertained by Margaret and Somerset. In March he was allowed to enter into possession of his wife's lands ; in May he was given a moiety of the castle and lordship of Narberth ; in December he was commissioned to make inquisition in Herefordshire touching all escapes of prisoners. Jasper Tudor received in addition to numerous grants in Warwick shire, Herefordshire, Lincolnshire, Surrey and elsewhere, the confiscated lands of Wilham Oldhall who was accused 1 Paston Letters, I. 253-4, and note to letter 187. 2 Cal. Pat. Rolls (1452-1461) 124. Aug. 12, 1453. 8 Ibid. 173. Sept. 12, 1453. * Ibid. 65. March 4, 1453. 6—2 84 HERBERT AND TUDOR [ch. of treason* and. a fee farm of £113. 6s. 8^., paid by the heirs of Roger Mortimer for the castle of Builth, and of £42 of the farm of Hereford, paid by the citizens1, as well as the lordship of Magor, in South Wales2. Jasper Tudor had not as yet definitely associated himself with Margaret and Somerset. He was con- andthe duk" stantly at the king's side, and it is a tribute ofvork. tQ the genumeness 0f the duke of York's protestations of loyalty that Jasper Tudor inclined to his side during this period of uncertainty and suspense. While York had no deeper purpose than the deposition of Somerset, he could, apparently, rely on the half- brothers. The birth of a prince to Queen Margaret in October, 1453, intensified an already strained situation. In November Jasper attended the council for the first time as a privy councillor, York being present, and Somerset absent ; and he attended again in December3. A more significant proof of the half-brothers' faith in the duke of York occurred a few weeks later. For when, in January 1454, the nobles were swept to London by the news of the king's imbecility, both were reported to have come in the company of the duke of York and the earl of Warwick with a large following, and to have been in danger of being arrested4- York was 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 1452-1461 ; 49-112 ; passim. 2 Ibid. 104, July 24, 1453. Edmund Tudor was given " a house in London caUed Baynard's Castle." Ibid. 79, March 30. Both received the keeping of the possessions of John, duke of Somerset, during the minority of Margaret. Ibid. 79 ; March 24. Two Welshmen, Morgan Meredith and John Roger, were keepers of the armoury of all the king's castles in South Wales. Morgan Meredith was in the service of Humphrey, duke of Gloucester, and held this' post in 1442. Ibid. (1441-1447) 65. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 106, July 5, 1453. A certain Henry ap Griffith of Backeton, Herefordshire, late of Newcourt, received a pardon. Ibid. March 26. He was steward of Usk and Caerleon. Welsh MSS. British Museum, 1. 643. 3 Proceedings of the Privy Council. At the P. C. meeting, Nov. 21, 1453, York again protested that he had come to do all he could for the king's welfare. See Paston Letters, Introduction, and Appendix. 4 " The erls of Warwyk, Richmond, and Pembroke comen with the Duke of York, as it is said, everych of them with a godely feleschip, and as Geoffrey Poole seithe, the Kynges bretherne been like to be arrested at their comyng to London, yf they come." Paston Letters, 1. 266. Jan. 19, 1454. iv] HERBERT AND TUDOR 85 expected in London on January 25th1. There is no valid reason for doubting this statement as to the friendly relations between the Tudors and York. The grant of the Pembroke estates to Jasper probably gave offence to Margaret. There is no evidence to show that he had the least sympathy with Somerset, whose unpopularity increased with the final loss of France in the previous year ; while during York's pro tectorate, although many Lancastrian lords were placed under guard, Jasper and Edmund were in attendance on the king2. The duke of York became Protector in March, 1454. Somerset was put in prison. Jasper Tudor frequently attended the meetings of the privy council3, and in November signed a series of arrangements for regulating the royal household, although in effect they considerably reduced the retinue of the king4. Henry recovered in December ; Somerset was released First battle of anf Edward's campaign in the north of England. at Towton. jje was accompanied by Sir Wilham Herbert ; and the Welsh foot-soldiers, the force that had triumphed at Mortimer's Cross, reinforced by the levies of Kent, con stituted the nucleus of the army which completed the annihilation of the Lancastrians at Towton1- It has been freely assumed, presumably on the authority of Wavrin, not a very faithful chronicler of English affairs, that the Lancastrian army comprised a large body of Welshmen who, led by Andrew Trollope, displayed magnificent dash in the teeth of a blinding snowstorm. Flattering though it be to national pride, it lacks corroboration. Indeed, there could have been but few Welshmen under the banner of Lancaster at that battle. Only a few weeks had passed since Jasper had brought the flower of Lancastrian Wales to Mortimer's Cross ; and in spite of his steadfast and insistent zeal he could not possibly have recovered in so short a space. Even now, 1 Hearne's Fragment — " The kinges footemen (were assembled) in a gTete numbre of which the moost parte were Wallshmen and Kentishmen." Wavrin, 340. It is generaUy supposed that David Mathew of Llandaff was Edward's standard-bearer at Towton. I find no authority for it. In fact, according to Rot. Pari. vi. 93, tlie king's standard-bearer on that occasion was Ralph Vestynden who got an annuity of £10 for his services. An old political song refers to some important Yorkist personage from Wales, as follows : The Dolfyn cam from Walys Three carpis be his syde. Political Songs, Archaeologia, 1842, 346. ch. vii] THE WAR IN WALES 135 when the clash of battle resounded in the north, he was quietly engaged in the task of reorganising and encouraging his adherents in Wales. If any Welshmen were arrayed against Edward at Towton, it seems that they must have been raised either by Margaret when she sought refuge in Wales after Northampton, or by Exeter and others as they passed along the borders of Wales towards Wakefield. But there is no peg on which such an assumption can hang. After his victory at Towton Edward, leaving to the earl Grant to °^ Warwick the task of reducing the Lancastrian sir wiiiiam strongholds of the north, returned to the Welsh border, and threw upon Sir William Herbert the responsibility of bringing Wales to obedience. With this object in view he began to invest him and his brothers with considerable power. When at York, on his way to the south, he made Wilham Herbert chief justice and chamberlain of South Wales, and steward and chief forester of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire1. On the following day (May 9) a commission was given to him and his two brothers Thomas Herbert2 and John Herbert8, and Hugh Huntley, " to take into the king's hands the county and lordship of Pembroke, with all members in England and 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs (1461-1467), May 8, 1461. Ibid. 7, 30. a This Herbert is also known as Thomas Herbert of Troy. A Thomas Herbert the elder was constable of Gloucester in 1461 (June 23). They are apparently the same ; for on July 10, 1461, he was given an annuity of 50 marks from Gloucester, being designated as Thomas Herbert, esquire of the body ; while on July 12, 1462, a grant was made to the king's servant, Thomas Herbert the elder, esquire of the body, of certain manors in Gloucestershire, and of the lands of Sir WilUam MuUe in Herefordshire, lands which Sir WiUiam Herbert was empowered to seize. In 1462 and 1464, he was on a commission of array in Gloucestershire. December 13, 1461, he was given a messuage (Garlik) in Middlesex. May 27, 1465, he received a pardon for the escape of one WiUiam Glover from Gloucester. In August, 1467, " Thomas Herbert the elder " was made chanceUor of the earldom of March, receiving the profits of Usk. On February 12, 1470, the reversion of the office of constable of Gloucester was given to Richard Beauchamp. Thomas Herbert died before June, 1471. On his death the lands of WilUam MuUe were given to his son who died without male heir. Cal. Pat. RoUs, passim. 3 He was a younger brother of Sir William, and was made king's attorney in the counties of Carmarthen and Cardigan. Cal. Pat. RoUs, August 12, 1461, 69. 136 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. Wales and the Marches of Wales, late of Jasper, earl of Pembroke ; the castle of Dunster, county Somerset, and other possessions late of James Luttrell, knight ; and the castles and lordships of Gooderich and Archenfield in the county of Hereford and the Marches of Wales adjacent to the county of Gloucester, and all advowsons late of John, earl of Shrews bury, rebels, with power to appoint stewards and all other officers." Herbert was also to take possession of the lands of Sir Wilham MuUe ; and two days later, May n, authority was given to him and Thomas Herbert and John Dwnn " to take into the king's hands and demise at farm the castles and lordships of Laugharne and Walwyn's Castle, late of James, earl of Wiltshire, in South Wales1." Moreover, Thomas Herbert became constable of Gloucester, while a half-brother William Herbert was made constable of Cardigan. These offices and honours were conferred on Sir William Herbert Herbert while the king was at York. Shortly raised to afterwards both returned to London, passing through Chester on May 28, and making a circuit of the Welsh border. A month later Edward was crowned with more than usual pomp and splendour. In honour of the occasion the most prominent of his friends from the Marches were raised to the peerage. Sir Wilham Herbert became Lord Herbert of Raglan, Chepstow, and Gower ; Sir Walter Devereux was formally recognised as Lord Ferrers of Chartley2 ; Sir William Hastings and 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs (1461-1467) 30, at York. Also ibid, sub dat. This John Dwnn was one of the Dwnns of Carmarthenshire, who took part at Mortimer's Cross and became prominent later. On March 11, 1461, a John Dwnn, usher of the chamber, was made Serjeant of the Armoury in the Tower of London. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 9. He was on many com missions with the Herberts, and is not to be confounded with the Dwnns of Cheshire. He is sometimes referred to as John Dwnn of Kidwely, but it does not appear that he was given official interest there tiU 1463-4. See later. He was constable of Kidwely in 1485. Laugharne is in Car marthenshire, and Walwyn's Castle in Pembrokeshire. 2 In July 1461, Devereux received a grant of the king's brewhouse caUed " le Walsheman," without Ludgate in the ward of Faryndon. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 126. vn] THE WAR IN WALES 137 Sir John Wenlok became Lord Hastings and Lord Wenlok respectively. Richard, earl of Warwick, was not made a duke as had been confidently anticipated in some quarters. This disappointment was the first drop of the torrent which engulfed the Nevilles. Immediately after the coronation a considerable re distribution of power took place in Wales. Lord Hastings was made chamberlain of North Wales1; Richard Grey, Lord Powys, became steward of Ceri, Cedewain, and Mont gomery2 ; John, earl of Worcester, became justice of North Wales3 ; John Dwnn was made constable of Aberystwyth and Carmarthen, and sheriff of Carmarthenshire and Car diganshire, ''with all profits of pasture of Aberystwyth," and the custom called " prysemayse4." Preparations now sped onwards for the immediate invasion invasion of Wales. On July 8 Lords Herbert of waies. an(j Ferrers were empowered to array all able- bodied men in the counties of Hereford, Gloucester, and Salop5. Early in August they were appointed to inquire into all treasons, insurrections, and rebellions in South Wales, and to pardon all who submitted, except Jasper Tudor, John Skydmore, Thomas Cornwall, and Thomas Fitzhenry6. 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, July 31, 1461, 26. 2 Ibid. July 1, 1461, 17. It thus reversed the decree of a few months earUer. * Ibid. November 25, 1461, 62. Hastings, Audley, and WiUiam Stanley were given possession of Hope and Hopedale in the Marches, and of Manorbier and Pennaly in Pembrokeshire. Ibid. 9. July 16. 4 In the same manner as Sir John Griffith, Edmund Beaufort, duke of Somerset, late severally held Aberystwyth. Cal. Pat. Rolls, Sept. 9, 1461, 40. ' Among other grants in Wales were the foUowing : Rees Vaughan was made provost of Raydirgey ; Richard Croft the younger, receiver of the possessions of John, earl of Shrewsbury ; Roger Eyton, constable of Shrewsbury ; Thomas Sandeland, cannoneer and master- plumber in the royal castles of North Wales ; John Moyle of Denbigh, an annuity of ten marks for his good services to the king's father ; and also letters of denizenship. Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. 5 Ibid, sub ann. 36. 6 With the two lords on this commission were Lord Herbert's brother, Thomas Herbert ; a half-brother named WiUiam Herbert, and John Dwnn. This William Herbert was made constable of Cardigan on August 2, 1461. On August 27, 1464, the king's servitor, WiUiam Herbert, esquire, one of the clerks of the signet, was appointed escheator within the county of 138 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. On August 12 Roger Kynaston and a number of others were commissioned to urge the king's subjects of Shropshire to array a force at their own expense for the defence of the county and the adjoining parts of Wales. On that day, also, separate commissions were issued to Thomas, John, and Richard Herbert, to act against Jasper Tudor. The general muster was to be at Hereford1. Parliament was not to meet till November, and Edward decided to spend a considerable portion of the interval in the Marches so as to keep in close touch with the progress of events in Wales ; and his movements appear to have attracted considerable attention2. He had reached the borders before the end of August. On September 4 he was at Bristol, where he was " most royally received." Four days later he left for Gloucester, whence he moved to Ross, Hereford, and Ludlow. He remained at Ludlow for nearly a week, till September 26 s. Meanwhile Herbert and Ferrers had gone into Wales to extinguish the few flickering Lancas trian lights, with every prospect of success. " As for any grete doing in Wales I trust God we shal not doubte. The Lord Herbert and the Lord Ferrers of Chartley with divers many other gentihnen ben gone afore to dense the countreye afore us4." Carnarvon. In January, 1462, he was given KUpek castle, eight mUes from Hereford, the confiscated property of the earl of Ormond. The reversion of his lands was bestowed upon Lord Herbert, should he die without male heir. A WiUiam Herbert was comptroUer of Bristol in 1466. On July 20, 14 61, the half-brother and Lord Hastings were empowered to seize certain lands in Northamptonshire. Cal. Pat. RoUs, passim. 1 Kynaston was sheriff of Merionethshire. In the meantime Lord Herbert's influence increased rapidly. On September 7, 1461, he received the custody of the Welsh estates of the duke of Buckingham during the minority of Henry, the heir. It included the lordship of Brecknock, Newport, and certain other parts of Gwent. By another grant he became steward of the royal lordships of CUfford, Glasbury, and Wynfurton in the Marches. His brothers, Thomas and Richard, and Lord Ferrers, were associated with him. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 13, 43, 98. 2 Paston Letters, n. 38, 41 ; August 23, 1461. * Ellis, Letters, First Series, 1. 15-16. "And there he wiU abide tiU Parliament time." He was at Gloucester on the 11 Sept. Privy Seals. Stow, Annates, 416. * ElUs, Letters; op. cit. 15-16. Written at Bristol, Sept. 9, 1461. vh] THE WAR IN WALES 139 After the reverse at Mortimer's Cross, 'Jasper Tudor had jasper's retired to his estates in Pembrokeshire. On movements February 25, three weeks after that battle, Mortimer-s he wrote to his stewards at Denbigh, Roger Puleston1 and John Eyton, exhorting them to be faithful. The letter was written from Tenby ; and it shows, what we have already pointed out, that the Herberts and their connections were regarded as the chief engineers of that campaign on the Yorkist side. " To the right trusty and well-beloved Roger a Puleston and to John Eyton, and to either of them. We suppose that ye have well in remembrance the great dishonour and rebuke that we and ye now late have by traitors March, Herbert, and Dwnns with their affinities, as well in letting us of our journey to the kinge, as in putting my father your kinsman to the death, and their trayterously demeaning we purpose with the might of our Lord and assistance of you and other our kinsmen and friends within short time to avenge. Trusting verily that you will be well willed and put your hands into the same, and of your disposicon, and with your good advice therein we pray you to ascertayne us in all hast possible as our especiall trust is in you. Written at our town of Tenby the xxv February2." On a previous occasion the Yorkists had held Denbigh with grim tenacity against Jasper. It was now as stubborn on his behalf. The castle was still holding out in July as appears from the letter which follows. 1 The famiUes of Tudor and Puleston were connected. Mallt m. Tudor ap Grono m. Margaret, dau. of Thomas ap | | Llywelyn ap Owen GwervU m. Griffith Hanmer ' > Angharad m. John Puleston Meredith ap Tudor m. Margaret I dau. of David Vaughan Roger Puleston Owen Tudor In 1456 the earl of Richmond gave Roger Puleston an annuity of 10 marks for his services. Arch. Camb. i. i. 146-7. Dated September 10. * Ancient and Modern Denbigh, 86 ; where the original letter is given as above. It is dated now for the first time. 140 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. " To Roger Puleston, Keeper of the castle of Denbigh. We have received your letters by Hugh and understand the matter comprised therein ; and as touching the keeping of the castle of Denbigh we pray you that you will do your faithful dihgence for the safeguard of it, taking the revenue of the lordship there for the vittaling of the same, by the hands of Griffith Vaughan, receyvour there, — we have written unto him that he should make p'veyance therefore ; and that ye will understand the goodwill and dispossicOn of the people and that country towards my Lorde Prince, and to send us word as soone as you may. Written at my town of Tenbye, the xxiii July1." Edward, with commendable clemency, had already made overtures of peace to the Pulestons and Griffith Vaughan ; for early in July he had enrolled them on a commission in Chirkland with a number of other staunch royalists of North Wales. But his conciliatory efforts were for the present unavailing2. Lords Herbert and Ferrers had already entered upon their task of reducing Wales on September 9, 1461. They had two important strongholds to deal with besides Denbigh ; for Harlech was held by David ap Eynon and some English Lancastrian refugees, notably Tunstal, while Pembroke castle was held for Jasper by Sir John Skydmore. Herbert attacked Pembroke first. It was the most Herbert formidable, and consequently the greatest attacks prize. The fleet was sent to co-operate so that Pembroke. ^ . r no assistance might reach the castle from beyond the sea3. Philip Castle of Pembroke and Thomas Mansel 1 Ane. and Mod. Denbigh, 87. Hitherto it has been found impossible to give the correct date to this letter. 2 The commission was to receive attornments from the tenants of Chirk. Others on the commission were John, abbot of Llaneguyfall ; David Kyffin, doctor of Laws ; John Hanmer ; John Trevor ; John Puleston, and Robert ap Howel. John Hanmer and Griffith Vaughan afterwards assisted in defending Harlech. Cal. Pat. RoUs (1461-1467), 37. a Th'erU of March (i.e. Edward IV, the Lancastrian writer of the letter not recognising him as king) is into Wales by land and hath sent his navy thiderbysea. Paston Letters, 11. 46. August 30, 1461. The ship for which vn] THE WAR IN WALES 141 were empowered to man some ships for the purpose. The Yorkist leaders would find no opposition on their march westwards ; Oystermouth castle, near Swansea, one of the gates of Gower, had been placed in the hands of a local Yorkist, Sir Hugh ap John1. Like so many others of the Welshmen engaged in these wars he had fought in France, and had been one of the council of Robert Norreys. He was now constable of the castle, and reeve of the lordship of Gower. He it was on behalf of whom the earl of Warwick used his influence with Elizabeth Woodville, afterwards the queen of Edward IV, to get her to accept him in marriage2. Tenby apparently offered no resistance, although much Pembroke care had been bestowed upon its fortifications submits. by jasper. Pembroke, too, was " victualled, manned, and apparelled for a long time after3." These preparations notwithstanding, Skydmore, when summoned by Herbert to surrender the castle into his hands, obsequi ously delivered it " without any war or resistance4." This took place on September 30. Skydmore's conduct was in complete harmony with the general practice during the wars. Impregnable as were many of the castles of England at this period, their history is an uninspiring recital of slavish deference to the will of the conqueror of the moment. The betrayal was inspired by a natural desire for personal safety and the security of his estates, though it availed him nothing for the moment. He received a written pledge from Herbert and Ferrers that his life would be spared and that his lands would not be confiscated. Both promised Castle and Thomas Mansel were caUed upon to provide mariners was the Trinity of Minehead. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 99 ; September 5. 1 Cal. Pat. Rolls (1461-1467), 81. April 1, and November 25, 1461. He was granted a yearly grant of 20 marks. See also Glamorgan Charters, v. 1664. Proceedings of the Privy Council, 1453, 138. Another of the famUy, apparently, was David ap John of Swansea. See a revocation of a protec tion lately granted to him to stay in the king's service because he delayed in the city and suburbs of London instead of victuaUing Calais. Cal. Pat. RoUs, February 7, 1464. 2 Archaeologia, 1842; 132-3. 3 Rot. Pari. 483. * Ibid. 142 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. to intercede with the king on his behalf. But in spite of this guarantee, when parliament met, a bill of attainder was brought against him. It failed to pass. Nevertheless, at the latter end of the parliament, his estates were forfeited by royal ordinance1. The lords promised that " he should have better than his sir John livelihood, and he was then admitted unto the skydmore. kyngs good grace as he hath redy to showe in writyng under the seale of the said Lord Herbert." Herbert was present in the parliament in which the attainder was moved and rejected. But " after many lords and knights had departed, by mervelous pry vat labour," a bill signed by the king was brought to the Commons containing an ordinance that Sir John Skydmore should forfeit his livelihood saving his life and goods. At the time he was at home in the country " trusting to the promise of Lords Herbert and Ferrers." Jasper probably superintended the affairs of his party in North Wales in person. He was assisted by the duke of Exeter2, and Thomas Fitzhenry of Hereford, who had fought with the Lancastrians at Mortimer's Cross. On October 4 it was reported that all. resistance was at an end, and that Jasper had taken refuge in the mountains of Snowdon, the last stronghold of so many lost causes, and the nursery of as many new enterprises. " And all the castles and holds in South Wales and in North Wales are given and yielded up to the king. And the duke of Exeter and the earl of Pembroke (Jasper) are floon and taken the mounteyns and divers lords with great puissance are after them ; and the most part of gentlemen and men 1 Rot. Pari. 483 contains his Act of Attainder. Also ibid. (1472-1503) 29, which contains his petition. A schedule annexed to tie petition notifies that WiUiam Herbert by the authority given to him by letters of Privy Seal, dated May 13, 1461, received Skydmore into the king's grace on September 30, 1461, at Pembroke. The attainder was reversed in 1472 (October 6). Rot. Pari. See an exemplification of it ; ibid. July 1, 1474. 2 He was Henry HoUand who married Anne, sister of Edward, but who remained a Lancastrian and was attainted this year. vii] THE WAR IN WALES 143 of worship are comen to the king and have grace, of all Wales1." The writer was premature. Denbigh seems to have yielded without further pressure. It must have suffered considerable damage during these years. As we have seen, in the previous year a substantial grant was made to repair the disastrous effects of the Lancastrian siege. Early in 1462 Edward IV advanced a sum to enable the burgesses to rebuild their houses " brent by certain rebells and traytors2." But Harlech had not yet submitted, and was to remain Battle of inexorable for seven. years more. Jasper Tudor Tuthiii. an(j f^e North Wales Lancastrians were brought to bay near Carnarvon. They made a last stand at Tuthill, just outside the walls of that town, on October 16, 14613. As the duke of Exeter had fought at Towton it is probable that he had brought reinforcements to Jasper by sea. The Yorkists once more triumphed, though Jasper again displayed his wonted subtle resourcefulness in eluding pursuit. He escaped to Ireland, where he stirred up strife during the winter4. It is curious that the engagement at Tuthill has escaped the notice of every historian of the Wars of the Roses. The Yorkists did not pursue their advantage by compell ing Harlech, the only remaining Lancastrian stronghold in Wales, to surrender5. It may be that, the day for the opening of parliament having been fixed for November 4, they were more desirous to appear there than to traverse the bleak and pathless regions of Snowdonia on the approach 1 Paston Letters, n. 52 ; October 4, 1461. 2 The original document is given in Records of Denbigh ; dated February 23, 1462. 3 Rot. Pari. 1461, 477-8. In 1455 there were 20 soldiers at Carnarvon, including men-at-arms and archers. In May 1460, there were 18, including five soldiers of the town, who were distinct from the castle garrison and had their own captain. Mediaeval Boroughs, Lewis. * Paston Letters, 11. 118. 5 Harlech had a garrison of 12 soldiers in 1442. Edward Hampden, governor in 1444, increased the number to 24. 144 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. of winter. Edward's supine indifference to the existence of this remote garrison kept North Wales in a state of war for several years after the rest of the country had been brought into subjection. An echo of the prevailing anarchy was heard in his first parliament in the form of a petition from the " Tenants and Commons of North Wales," as foUows : " Where many and divers of them been daily taken The Hariech prisoners and put to fine and ransom as it garrison. were m \ancl of war ; and many and divers of them daily robbed and spoiled of their goods and cattle contrary to the law by David ap Ieuan ap Eynon, Griffith Vaughan ap Griffith ap Eynon, Jenkyn ap Iorwerth ap Eynon, Thomas ap Ieuan ap Eynon, Griffith ap Ieuan ap Eynon, John ap Ieuan ap Eynon, John Hanmer, Morys ap David ap Griffith, David ap Ieuan ap Owen, David ap Einon ap Ieuan, Grommys ap Ieuan ap Eynon ap Ieuan, Grommys ap Howel ap Morgan, Edward ap Morgan, John Tother, clerk, Griffith ap Ieuan ap Iorwerth, and Rheinallt ap Griffith ap Bleddyn, and Morys Robert ; and over more the said David ap Eynon calleth himself by the name of Constable of Harlech, and that kepeth to the use and behove of him that he calleth his sovereign lord King Henry VI, saying as well by his mouth as by his writing that the said castle was committed to him by his sovereign lord aforesaid and by his sovereign lady Queen Margaret and his right and gracious lord Prince Edward, and sworn to keep it to their use and will not deliver it to no other person saving to such as one of them will assign, notwithstanding the King's commandment is the contrary. And daily the said David and all the aforesaid other misdoers take and repute in all their demeanour the said late king for their sovereign lord and not the king our sovereign lord that now is as their duty is. And moreover all the said misdoers taketh oxen, sheep, wheat, and victuals of the said poor tenants for stuff of the said castle with strong hand and will not VII] THE WAR IN WALES 145 deliver it to no such person as the late King hath deputed to be his constable there." Then follows a specious proclamation that David must surrender the castle before the Feast of Purification ; and that if he came to Carnarvon in peaceable wise, and there before the king's justice or chamberlain found sufficient security for his future good conduct, he would be pardoned ; otherwise he would be attainted of treason and his lands and title forfeited. This proclamation was to be made in the counties of Carnarvon and Merioneth1. The garrison defied the proclamation, and during the next few years Harlech remained a safe refuge for the Lancastrians, and a convenient hnk with Ireland and Scotland. Contemporary Welsh poets are unanimpus as to the assistance rendered by it to the cause. That it inspired the Lancastrians to renewed efforts became evident very soon. For a new scheme issued from their busy forge, according to which Jasper and the duke of Exeter were to land at Beaumaris, " by the appoint ment of Robert Gold, captain of the duke of Burgundy2 " ; while simultaneous attacks were to be made from the north and the south-east of England. Edward acted with decision . The scheme was destroyed before it matured. In February 1 Rot. Pari. 1 Edward IV. Einon ap Griffith (temp. Richard II) Lancastrian schemes. I Dayid ap Einon (Eynon) Ievan ap Einon daughter Rees ap Ievan daughter m. Ievan ap Meredith Meredith ap Ievan Howel Vychan Meurig Vychan David ap Meurig Vychan 1 — Morris John ap Meredith Ievan 1 Robert Owen Griffith Wynne, Gwydir Family, 28. 2 Three Fifteenth Century Chronicles, 158, 175. ¦ Also Paston Letters, 11. 45. 91. 93 ; February, 1462. E. W. R. 10 146 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. 1462, the earl of Oxford and a few others were executed as accomphces. On March 1, Lord Herbert and Lord Ferrers were commanded to array all able-bodied men in South Wales and the Marches, the former and his brother Thomas Herbert being also commissioned to equip a fleet from Bristol and neighbouring ports to clear the coast of Wales of Lancastrian ships1. It is not certain whether Jasper actually landed in Wales. During the early part of the year, as we have seen, he was in Ireland causing trouble. " These three weeks came there neither ship nor boat out of Ireland to bring no tidings, and so it seemeth jasper in there is much to doo there by the earl of Ireland. Pembroke2." Leaving him there for the pre sent, we shall consider what rewards were bestowed upon the Yorkists of Wales for their valuable services to Edward. A wide re-distribution of lands, and consequently of political power, now took place in Wales. The lavish profusion with which Edward enriched the Herbert family is a lucid commentary upon the value which he attached to their services. It was also an augury, clear and palpable, of Edward's intention to raise up a new aristocracy whose secret counsels were to aid him to outwit the old. The lands of Jasper, earl df Pembroke, the earl of Wilt- Welsh shire, and Sir John Skydmore had already Yorkists' been confiscated. Lord Herbert received those of Jasper and the earl of Wiltshire in South Wales. They included Pembroke, Tenby, Emlyn, Cilgerran, Llanstephan, and Walwyn's Castle3. A few days later, on February 12, he was given the custody and marriage of 1 Commission to William Herbert, knight, and Thomas Herbert, to take vessels and ships within the port of Bristol and other ports of the west towards Wales and ports in Wales to resist the king's enemies. Cal. Pat. Rolls, March i, 1462 ; 100, 132. A fortnight later, Thomas Herbert was given the custody of Bekford, Gloucester. Ibid. 18 r. 2 Paston Letters, n. 118. 8 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 114; February 3, 1462. In South-west Wales Herbert was invested with the manors of Magor and Redwyk, the town and lordship of Caldecot, the castle and manor of Archenfield, late of James, earl of WUtshire. Walwyn's Castle was also forfeited by Wiltshire. vii] THE WAR IN WALES 147 Jasper's nephew, Henry, earl of Richmond, then a child of four, "for a thousand pounds in hand paid." It was Herbert's intention, as we shall see, to marry him to his daughter Maud. A few days later he received the custody of the lordships Lord of Swansea, Gower, and Kilvey, during the Herbert. minority of John, son and heir of the duke of Norfolk, rendering the king two hundred marks a year ; also the town and castle of Haverfordwest for twenty years, rendering the king one hundred marks a year1. In April he appeared in the House of Lords, and was made a knight of the Garter. Richard Herbert received the confiscated lands of Richard Jasper's faithful adherent Fitzhenry, as well Herbert. ^ those of Sir John Skydmore, in Hereford shire, including the lordship of Moccas2. Roger Vaughan of Tretower, in Brecknock, received Roger extensive lands in Somerset, Devon, and Dorset3. vaughan. jjjg son jhomas ap Roger Vaughan became receiver of the lordships of Brecknock, Hay, and Huntingdon, during the minority of the heir to the dukedom of Bucking ham4. John Dwnn received Laugharne, the confiscated property of the earl of Wiltshire, as well as some lands in Northamptonshire, " for good service to Richard, duke of York, and against Henry VI and Jasper5." The lands of Thomas Cornwall, in Devon, were shared 1 Cal. Pat. Rolls, February 12, 1462; 114, 119. On August 26, 1462, Herbert was granted the custody of the lands of one Nicolas Iwardby, during the minority of the heir; Ibid. 211. John Mowbray, third duke of Norfolk, died November 6, 1461. He was succeeded by his son John (born October, 1444), the fourth duke of Norfolk, baron of Gower, Bromfield, Chirk, and Yale, on November 6, 1461. He died January 17, 1476, leaving an only chUd, Lady Anne Mowbray, who was betrothed to Richard, second son of Edward IV. On her death the dukedom escheated to the Crown. Doyle's Baronage. 2 Cal. Pat. RoUs, February 20, 1462 ; 77. 8 Ibid. July 11, 1462; 192. 4 Ibid. August 12, 1461 ; 43. B Ibid. February 24, 1462 ; in. On February 10, the office of master of the king's armoury in the Tower was confirmed to him. One of the name was also comptroUer of customs at Bristol. Ibid. 143, 188. 148 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. between John ap Jankyn and Trahaiarn ap Ievan ap Meurig1, while one David Gough received Stapleton in the Marches2. Thomas and Richard Croft received lands in Oxfordshire ; John Milewater found his reward in the receivership of confiscated castles in Wales ; Lord Ferrers received Richard's Castle in Herefordshire3. Amongst other grants one of the most interesting was that of " letters of denization as Englishman for the king's servitor David Middleton one of the yeomen of the Crown, born a Welshman," to him and his heirs4. The Middletons of Denbighshire wrote their names large in the annals of the seventeenth century as scholars, engineers, and sailors. Another recipient of grants was Sir Thomas Vaughan sir Thomas who piloted his craft with much skill through vaughan. many storms. His parentage is uncertain, though it seems to be generally agreed that he was a son of Sir Roger Vaughan. By some means he came under the protection of the duke of Somerset and Adam Moleyns, through whose influence the Privy Council reheved him of his disabilities as a Welshman. In 1450 he was master of ordnance and was commissioned to equip Carisbrook castle, Isle of Wight, against the attacks of the French. In 1458 we find him as treasurer of the king's household. Like his kinsman William Herbert he was associated with Jasper Tudor for a time ; but he soon took the badge of York, and was attainted at the Coventry Parliament. Edward gave him lands in Surrey, and in 1463 he was sent on an embassy to the duke of Burgundy5. 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, January 20, 1462; 76. Trahaiarn was on a com mission with the Herberts in June 1463. 2 January 23, 1462. Ibid. 114, 428. In March 1465, he is stated to be possessed of Stapleton, lately the lands of Thomas CornwaU. 8 Ibid. 91, 153. * Ibid. September 6, 1462; 198. One Thomas Banon received Llan- Uwch, Carmarthenshire. Ibid. 112. 6 Dwnn's Visitations, 1. 42, 106. Jones, Breconshire, in. 507. Pro ceedings of the Privy Council, v. 256. Stephenson, in. 475. In 1453 he received certain grants in Middlesex, being associated with Jasper Tudor ; also 50 marks a year. Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. Act of Resumption, 1455. His career is not easy to follow; for he appears sometimes as vii] THE WAR IN WALES 149 To return to the main stream of events. Though Jasper Tudor had been driven out of Wales, Edward con tinued to keep a strict watch on the borders. On November 1, 1462, John Paston, junior, who was staying at Holt castle in Denbighshire, wrote to his father saying that the duke of Norfolk was likely to keep his Christmas in Wales, " for the king hath desired him to do the same1." Soon, however, Edward summoned him to the north where the scattered Lancastrian parties were once more con centrating. The king was at Durham on December 11. With him were Herbert, Ferrers, and others of the " Kyngys house2." This description of the two lords is strikingly suggestive of what they had so far achieved, a position pregnant with superlative possibilities. We left Jasper stirring up strife in Ireland. We next Herbert and ^ear °^ ^im *n Scotland assisting Somerset, jasper in the at the head of three hundred men, to defend Bamborough castle, which was being besieged by the earls of Worcester and Arundel 3. The castle sur rendered on Christmas eve 1462, whereupon Jasper, unable to obtain the clemency proffered to Somerset and others, retired to Scotland under safe conduct, " unarmed, with Thomas Vaughan of Brecknock, and at other times as Thomas Vaughan of London. For the embassy see Rymer, xi. 504-7; and Wavrin, 412. The lands in Surrey were formerly the property of his wife's former husband Thomas Brown, who was attainted. Rot. Pari. v. 534. In 1462 he received the lordship of PenkeUy in Brecknock. Cal. Pat. RoUs, passim. He was keeper of the Great Wardrobe in September, 1460. On November 9, 1464, there is noted a "Pardon to Thomas Vaughan, esquire, keeper of the Great Wardrobe of Henry VI, one of the mainpernors of Jasper, for the custody of Cantrecelly and PenkeUy." He and WUUam Hastings were coupled in a grant of tie presentation to the next vacant prebend in the coUege of St George's, Windsor. On March 29, 1465, certain lands in Cardiganshire were granted to Thomas Vaughan "one of the yeomen of the king's Chamber" for his services to the king and his father. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 438. This apparently was he of the name who was kUled at Edgecote. 1 Paston Letters, 11. 119. But Norfolk did not stay in Wales, for he was at Newcastle on December 11, 1462. Ibid. 121-123. He was at Holt again in March, 1464. 2 Paston Letters, op. cit. Three Fifteenth Century Chronicles, 157. Lewis Glyn Cothi, 1. xvui. * William of Worcester, 780. Three Fifteenth Century Chronicles, 158. 150 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. white staves in their hands1." Subsequently he assisted. in the operations which culminated in the taking of Alnwick in May, 1463. Lord Herbert's exploits in the north are duly recorded by contemporary Welsh poets. Lewis Glyn Cothi nowhere gives a more glowing picture than that in which, with pardonable poetic licence, he describes his hero urging forward his men, " his frame ablaze on prancing steed, and his eyes glistening like glowing embers2." In the summer of 1463 Herbert's attention was once „ . , „ more directed to Wales, where the ashes of Herbert's ' power in war were still smouldering. In June he was made constable of Harlech and chamberlain and chief justice of Merionethshire, with all powers pertaining to the office of chief justice of North Wales, so as to be able to deal more effectively with the recalcitrant garrison there3. During Herbert's lifetime the country was to be separated from the jurisdiction of the justice of North Wales. Vindictiveness was certainly not a feature of Edward IV's treatment of his Welsh Lancastrian foes. If any of them even now were disposed to give in their allegiance Lord Herbert, Lord Ferrers, Richard Herbert, and Trahaiarn ap Ievan ap Meurig were empowered to grant them a full pardon4 1 William of Worcester, Annates, 780. Margaret had already sailed for Brittany, "going between Wales and Ireland with four ships." 2 A'i wyneb yn dan ar farch anwar, A'i olwg mawrwych val dig marwar, A'i fon, a'i ddwyfron, a'i ddar, a'i saled, A'i wayw yn lluched neu yn dan Uachar. Lewis Glyn Cothi, 1. xvin. * At the same time he became steward of Carmarthenshire and Car diganshire, Usk, Dinas, Caerleon, Builth, Ewyas and CUfford, grants which had been previously conferred upon him by Margaret. Cal. Pat. RoUs, June 17, 1463; 271. 4 Ibid. June 23, 1463 ; 280. This Trahaiarn, whom we have met with before, is addressed by Guto'r Glyn as one of the loyal supporters of Herbert, "his lance and his shield." Iolo MSS. 705. It is worthy of notice that some of the powers conferred upon Herbert encroached upon the jurisdiction of Lord Hastings, chamberlain of North Wales. vii] THE WAR IN WALES 151 But in spite of Herbert's vigilance and Edward's clemency, Further Jasper's enthusiasm, his hardihood, and his trouble in towering gift of patience, had not yet failed to inspire his followers to indomitable resistance. During the winter of 1463-4 material was laid for another conflagration. The duke of Somerset who, since his pardon by Edward at the end of 1462, had been kept in semi- confinement, became privy to a scheme which involved simultaneous risings in Wales and in the north of England. He was to engineer the rebellion in the northern counties of England ; while Roger Puleston and John Hanmer were entrusted with the leadership in North Wales. In South Wales Jasper relied upon Philip Mansel of Gower, Hopkyn ap Rhys of Llangyfelach near Swansea, and Lewis ap Rhydderch ap Rhys of Strata Florida1. They were probably assisted by Phihp Castle of Pembroke who was attainted soon afterwards " because, in spite of previous pardons, he assisted Jasper2." It will be recollected that he and Thomas Mansel had been commissioned to equip some ships during the siege and reduction of Pembroke. The rising in Wales was apparently premature. John Battle of Dwnn, who was now sheriff of the two West Drysiwyn. Wales counties, and captain of Carmarthen and Aberystwyth, with the help of Roger Vaughan, overwhelmed the insurgents at Drysiwyn in the valley of the Towy, between Carmarthen and Llandilo, before they could become dangerous. These Yorkists were subsequently rewarded with the confiscated estates of the luckless Lancastrians3. #1 This Lewis we presume to be the Lewis ap Rhys of Strata Florida, designated "armiger of Carmarthenshire," who was reported to have been executed with Owen Tudor after the battle of Mortimer's Cross. 2 Rot. Pari. (1464-5), 511-512. • Rot. Pari. (1464-5), 511-512. In the records the name is given as "Dryffryn." and is stated to be in Carmarthenshire. The spot aUuded to is no doubt that mentioned in the text. Drysiwyn was a royal castle. Its constable in 1439 was Thomas Staunton, who was also master-forester of Glyn Cothi. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 245. Lord Ferrers was constable of Aberystwyth in 1463. Record Reports, 1887, 423. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 270, 336. 152 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. m It was this engagement at Drysiwyn, probably, that phuiip brought Edward once more to the borders Mansei. 0f Wales. He was at Gloucester on February 9, and " punished his rebellious against the law1." Phihp Mansel and Hopkyn ap Rhys were attainted and their estates forfeited2. Roger Vaughan entered into possession of the former's lands, namely, Oxwich, Scurla Castle, Nicholston, Reynoldston, Manselton, parts of Llanrhidian, and certain rents from Kidwely ; and also of Llangyfelach and Kilvey, near Swansea, the property of Hopkyn ap Rhys3 John john Dwnn received two parcels of the duchy Dwnn. 0f Lancaster in the lordship of Kidwely. Henry Dwnn received an annuity of £20 from the issues of Kidwely, Carnwallon, Iscennin, which were also parcel of that duchy in West Wales4. We have no details to show how widely the infection of disloyalty spread in North Wales. Even the measures taken to combat it are swathed in a mantle of obscurity. Whatever was done fell to the lot of the duke of Norfolk, as appears from the following letter, which was written on March 1, from the duke's headquarters at Holt castle : " My lord (the duke of Norfolk) hath great labour and North cost here in Walys for to take divers gentlemen Wales. which were consenting and helping on to the duke of Somerset's going, and they were appealed of other certain points of treason, and this matter. And because the king sent my lord word to keep this country, is the reason why my lord tarryeth here thus long. And now the king hath given power to my lord whether he will 1 Privy Seals. Paston Letters, n. 144-5; and supplement to Intro duction, 82. 2 Rot. Pari. 511-2. The attainder was reversed by Henry VII. Ibid. x483> 278-9. Their confederate Lewis ap Rhydderch is not mentioned there. For detaUs of the local history of the Mansels, see Glamorgan Charters, passim. * Cal. Pat. Rolls, March 23, 1465; 426. A PhUip ap Rhys was Governor of Strata Florida in 1443, with Lord Audley and Meredith ap Owen. Glam. Charters, v, 1590. * Rot. Pari. v. 534. Also Cal. Pat. RoUs, March n, 1465. vii] THE WAR IN WALES 153 do execution on these gentlemen or pardon them, as he pleases, and as far as I can understand yet they shall have grace. And as soon as these men come in my lord proposes to go to London which will be probably in a fortnight. The men's names that be impeached are these, — John Hanmer, Wilham his son, Roger Puleston, and Edward ap Madoe. These be men of worship that shall come in." The writer was John Paston, the younger1. Somerset's hazardous undertaking in the north of England also met with disaster. He had drawn a large contingent from North Wales with the assistance, as we liave seen, of those patient and energetic kinsmen of Jasper Tudor, Roger Puleston and John Hanmer. " He stole out of Wales with a prevy many toward Newcastle2." At Durham he was detected and barely escaped being arrested in bed. " He escaped away in hys schyrt and barefote, and ii of hys men were take3." He then took a leading part in the campaigns of Hedgeley Moor (April), and Hexham (May). After the latter engagement he was captured by the servants of John Middleton4, and executed. The temporalities of the sees of St Asaph and Bangor were forfeited on account of the bishops' participation in these Lancastrian movements5. Herbert was once more empowered to pacify the Lan castrians of Wales. In October, 1464, he obtained a com mission to receive into the king's allegiance all rebels, with few exceptions, within Harlech castle and Merioneth shire6. Jasper as usual kept in the background during these commotions. He was a consummate engineer of rebelhon, 1 Paston Letters, ii. 151-2. 2 Gregory, 223. Rot. Pari. 511-512, which gives his attainder. 3 Gregory, op. cit. 4 WiUiam of Worcester, Annates. Brief Latin- Chronicle, 178. 6 Rymer, 1464—5 ; 534, 539. A Ust of the chief men in the north after Hexham does not contain the names of either Jasper or Herbert. Ellis, Letters, Second Series, 1. 131. 6 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 355. 154 THE WAR IN WALES [ch who considered his own person too valuable an asset to jasper Tudor-s his cause tp allow himself to fall into the adventures. clutches of his enemy. Fortunately for him he had many friends in the Principality, while Harlech was still a haven of refuge. His comrades, though dwindling in numbers, were sufficiently loyal to ensure his safety. If we are to credit contemporary poetry, his bard Tudur Penllyn, and his intimate friend Griffith Vaughan of Corsy- gedol, North Wales, could have revealed his places of hiding. They knew where he slept the night before his departure, and from what spot on Barmouth shore he sailed away to bide his time, and await the morrow of better hope1. " He moved," says Hall, " from country to country in Wales, not always at his heart's ease, nor in security of hfe or surety of living. Such an unstable and bhnd goods is fortune2." Ellis Griffith, the Welsh Tudor chronicler, gives more specific details, if we can trust them : " In that time (after the pacification of the north) Jasper, according to what I heard from my elders, took the ship which belonged to a gentleman who lived at Mostyn, in the parish of Chwitford in Flintshire, at a place called Pwll Picton. The earl (Jasper) was constrained to carry a load of pease-straw on his back as he went to the ship lest he should be recognised because there were not wanting those who searched for him, and he betook himself to Brittany more by his own naval skill than by the skill of the sailors of Picton3." Lord Herbert was now further enriched with a grant 1 Cardiff MSS. Tudur PenUyn. 2 HaU, 261. 8 "Yn yr amser y ffoes Jasbar. . . .y neb megis ac i klywais i vy henna- viaid yn dywedied a gymerth ysgraf i wr boneddic a oedd 3m trigo yn Mostyn o vewn plwyf Chwitford yn sin y fflint ynny man a elwir pwU pictun yn yr amser y gorvu ar yr iarll ddwyn baich o weUd pyse ar i gefyn wrth vyned ir ysgraf hrag ovon i neb i gannvod ef kannis nid oedd eissiau pobyl ynni esbio ef ar hyd y gwledydd ynno neithyr y vo a ddiengis ir mor ynnyr sgraf hon ai harweddodd ef oddiynno i vryttain vechan yn vwy drwy gowreindeb yr iaril nog o gowreindeb Uongwyr picktun." EUis Griffith, History of Wales, in the Mostyn MSS. vii] THE WAR IN WALES 155 of Crickhowel and Tretower, to be held in chief by the service of one knight's fee ; also of the " honour, castle, manor and borough of Dunster, together with other posses sions of Sir James Luttrell, Sir Walter Rodney, and Sir John Seymour, in Somerset and Devon1." The text of the grant is instructive in parts : " Whereas William Herbert holds to himself and his heirs the castles manors and lordships of Crickhowel and Tretower as of the king's castle and lordship of Dinas and Blaenllyfni which are parcels of the earldom of March, the king now releases all claim in the said castles, and grants that he may hold them in chief by the service of one knight's fee. His tenants shall be quit of attendance at courts within the said lordships, and he shall have power of ad ministering justice." In 1464 parliament again called upon the Harlech garrison to submit. It was now known that John Dowbeggyng and Thomas Daniel, among the most unpopular of Henry VI's ministers, had taken refuge there. The summons stated that David ap Ieuan ap Eynon and Rheinallt ap Griffith ap Bleddyn harboured refugees, that they inspired commo tions and gatherings against the king, and that the castle was used as a means of enabling the Lancastrians to enter the kingdom at their ease. Edward also issued a proclama tion to the Mayor and Sheriff of Chester, which was to be read in the city on three consecutive days, threatening the defenders with the penalty of death unless they submitted before January 1, 1465 2. During these years the garrisons of the North Wales towns were strengthened on account of the ever-present danger from the Lancastrians, and from Harlech in particular. Thomas Montgomery, constable of Carnarvon, had to keep 24 soldiers there throughout the reign, while from 1455 to 1458 there existed a separate town garrison of 12 under 1 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 268; June 12, 1463. Also ibid. 286; June 16, 1463. 2 Rot. Pari. 512. 156 THE WAR IN WALES [ch. vii a distinct captain1- At times the two garrisons were united. There were similar town and castle garrisons at Beaumaris during these years, numbering 12 and 24 respectively, under the direction of the constable. So also at Conway. APPENDIX TO CHAPTER VII The following were protected in the Act of Resumption of 1464-5. John Wynne, officer of the household ; Walter Mathew, Richard Gwynedd, Howel David, and John Howel, officers of the household ; John Goch, yeoman of the larder ; Morris Gethin, of the amobrship of the North Wales counties ; William Gronow, of an annuity of six marks of the toll of Presteign ; Rees Vaughan, of an annuity of £7 of the toll of Radyr ; John Newborough, keeper of the artillery and gunner of the North Wales towns ; John and Hugh Lloyd of Denbigh, of an annuity of 5 marks granted by Richard, duke of York, from the lordship of Denbigh ; Henry Trahaiarn ap Ievan ap Meurig, John ap Jenkyn ap Madoe, WiUiam Cemmaes, William ap Howel ap Thomas, John ap Morgan, Jankyn ap Thomas, John ap Jankyn, Meredith ap Morgan, WiUiam ap Morgan ap David Gam, John ap Gwilym, William ap Morgan, William ap Hopkyn, Howel Davy, Jankyn ap Howel ap Ievan, Jankyn ap Ievan ap Llywelyn ; WiUiam ap Morgan, David ap Gwilym, Thomas Herbert esquire of the body, of 50 marks a year ; Sir Thomas Vaughan, of lands in Kent, etc. ; Thomas the elder, of the constableship of Gloucester ; Thomas the younger, of the baiUwick of Guisnes in Picardy ; John Davy, of an annuity of £20 from the town of Montgomery ; Morris Arnold, Howel ap Meredith ap Howel, David Vaughan, Howel Swrdwal, Thomas ap Rosser, Thomas ap Madoe, Henry ap Griffith ap (? of) Ewyas, Griffith ap Richard of Builth, of an annuity of 100s. Of the above, Thomas Herbert, the younger, was probably the son of Lord Herbert's brother ; while Howel Swrdwal was the poet of that name, whose works have recently been edited for the first time, though this fact has escaped the editor. !/t% 1 See Lewis, Mediaeval Boroughs. Henry Bolde was Governor of Conway in 1461. CHAPTER VIII WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY At the accession of Edward IV " old maxims of govern- Anew ment and policy were tardily expiring, and era- the forces of a new era were in their season gathering to a head." The old maxims implied baronial and feudal supremacy, buttressed by serried ranks of retainers ; the new era implied the absolutism of the king, guided by the dark and labyrinthine manoeuvres of men of inteUect, many of whom were raised from obscurity for the purpose. " The king " said Warwick, when he could no longer tolerate the arrogance of the new men, " estranges great lords from his council and takes about him others not of their blood, inclining only to their counsel." Against the peril of the new monarchy the ponderous energy of the old aristocracy revived and struggled with desperate resourcefulness and heroism under the leadership of that feudal Gohath, the great earl of Warwick, until, after a last fleeting success at Banbury, it reached its dramatic close at Barnet. The most aggressive exponent of Edward IV's new . . , principle of absolute rule was Wilham Herbert, Constitutional r r . position of his confidential friend and adviser. Others Lord Herbert. .... , . were raised to eminence as a counterpoise to the prodigious might of Warwick, but none from such meagre beginnings as Herbert. Of him it must be said that he owed his advance less to lineage than to sheer ability and proficiency in the tortuous paths of intrigue. 158 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. He suited the temper of the times. We must regard him as the forerunner of Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell. The victory at Mortimer's Cross, opportunely foUowed by the accession of the Yorkists, opened before him a starthng vista. A man of his silent assiduity and serpentine methods was not slow to grasp opportunities thrown in his way. Herbert and Warwick, then, dominated the crisis which was already looming large in the political firmament, and by a strange irony both protagonists perished in the strife, though it was the cause of Herbert that triumphed. In some measure Herbert owed his rise to Warwick. Herbert's debt After his triumph at the battle of Northampton to Warwick. the iatter was supreme in England. His glory had then reached its mid-day splendour. At that very moment Herbert, as we have seen, held in Glamorgan as a gift from the Lancastrians positions which were Warwick's to bestow. The earl could easUy and rightfully have reclaimed them, and given the leadership of South Wales to another. He did not do so. Instead, he commissioned Herbert to arm South Wales against Jasper. The tale of how that commission fructified at Mortimer's Cross has already been unfolded. From that moment onwards Warwick and Herbert took divergent ways. Warwick fought the king's battles and largely managed his diplomatic affairs. He therefore cut an imposing figure in the pubhc eye. Herbert, on the contrary, was the courtier. He had the ear of his king. We get a ghmpse of his power in the inner circle of court life in 1463. This record narrates how Lord Clynton, in advancing his claim to the patronage of the Benedictine priory of Folkestone, threatens the town with reprisals, and clinches his threat by saying that he had the support of " Lord Herbert and others of the king's council1." It is a brief though illuminating illustration of the part Herbert was already playing. 1 Hist. MSS. Commission. Fifth Report, 590-1 (1463). viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 159 We suspect too that the commercial legislation of this year His com- found in Herbert a strong advocate if, indeed, merciai it was not actually inspired by him. It must interests. . J J certainly have been due to the initiative of men who, like himself, were interested in commerce. Parhament enacted, for instance, that trade with foreign countries should not be carried on in foreign bottoms if native ships were available ; and Herbert owned a number of merchant ships which traded with Ireland and foreign parts. In this connection we may note a curious piece of information contained in a grant to Lord Herbert " of all gear, fittings, wines etc. on a great ship caUed the Gabriell which he had. sent at great expense to foreign parts and which on its return from thence to England laden with divers wines and merchandise was wrecked on the coast of Ireland1." The king, too, alive to the interest of commerce, did not disdain to take part in trade and to compete with other merchants. The traders were rapidly rising in influence and wealth, and they found in Edward and his confidential adviser not only active supporters, but also at times dangerous competitors. This common interest, while it bound the king and Herbert, was directly antagonistic to the interests and traditions of Warwick and the old aristocracy. It served Herbert's purpose that the king cherished with enduring loyalty those whom he chose to honour with his friendship. Thus, when the estrangement between Edward and Warwick began to sweU to a flood of enmity on the secret marriage with Elizabeth Woodville in May 1464, Herbert's position was strengthened in proportion as that of the earl was weakened. To celebrate the king's The marriage wealth and honours were showered woodviiies. upon the queen's relatives. One was married to the young duke of Buckingham ; another to a Bourchier, 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, March 23, 1465 ; 427. All wrecks of sea were the property of the king. 160 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. the son of the earl of Essex ; a third to a Grey of Ruthin, the son of the earl of Kent1- Such aUiances were a servere strain upon the loyalty „ t , of the mightiest baron in England. But what- Herbert's son ° _ . , . marries the ever Warwick's mortification on their account, queen sis , ^ ^^ deepiy embittered by the favour shown to Herbert ; for Herbert had none of the halo of ancestry which encircled a Stafford or a Bourchier. At Windsor, in September, 1466, Herbert's son and heir, WiUiam, was married to the queen's sister, Mary Woodville, amid profuse magnificence. He was also given the title of Lord Dunster. At the same time Herbert's daughter was given in marriage to the young Lord Lisle. These arrangements, we are told, gave secret displeasure to Warwick2. Now Warwick, as heir to the earldom of Salisbury, could have preferred a claim of his own to the title Herbert as the king's of Lord Mohun of Dunster ; and, as already stated, the Dunster estates in Somerset, Dorset, and Devon had already been bestowed upon Lord Herbert in June 1463. Every favour given to Herbert seemed, with peculiar insolence, to detract from the prestige of Warwick. There can be no doubt that the former was now to a large extent wielding the destinies of the House of York. Others might wear the trappings of office, but Herbert was the man at the wheel. He was, as Wilham of Worcester describes him at this period, the king's most trusted adviser ; not a plaything like a Gaveston or a 1 WUUam of Worcester, Annates, 786. It has already been stated that Warwick had endeavoured to influence Elizabeth WoodvUle to marry Sir Hugh John of Swansea. See a letter from Warwick to her in Archaeologia, 1842, 132-3. The partiaUty of Edward for new men is reflected as early as the winter of 1461. Paston Letters. 2 WiUiam of Worcester, Annates, 786. [ ] Septembris factum est mari- tagium apud Wyndesore inter fiUum et heredem domini Herberd et Mariam sororem reginae EUzabethae, ac inter juvenem dominum de Lisle et fiUam ejusdem domini Herberd. Fecitque dominus rex haeredem Herberd miUtem ac creavit eum dominum de Dunstarre, ad secretam dispUcentiam comitis Warrwici ac magnatum terrae. Lord Lisle was the son of John Talbot, Viscount Lisle, who was kiUed at ChatiUon in 1453. He was ten years of age when he succeeded to the viscountcy in July 1453. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 161 Despenser, but a silent, calculating, resolute agent in the hands of Edward to extricate the Crown from the meshes of feudahsm. His was the task of fashioning a new monarchy and not of rejuvenating the old. In 1467 events developed with alarming rapidity. Early in the summer of that year gorgeous jousts were held at Smithfield to grace the visit of the Bastard of Bur gundy with whom Edward was negotiating an alliance. The Nevilles stood severely aloof, while Herbert figured prominently among the king's inner circle of friends. Of more sinister significance was the removal of Warwick's brother George, archbishop of York, from the chanceUor- ship. On June 8 Edward, accompanied by Herbert and a few others, went in person to the archbishop's inn at Charing Cross to demand from him the Great Seal1. The archbishop was impeached, and some time later Sir Thomas Vaughan and Sir William Parr were sent by the king to take possession of his manor of Moore2. Edward's resolve, on commercial if on no other grounds, to stand for friendship with Burgundy rather than with France, widened the breach between Warwick and Herbert ; while the blunt diplomatic proceedings which produced it gave unnecessary ruggedness to the severance. For Warwick, who had been in France negotiating with Louis XI, and incidentaUy intriguing with him, had been kept in ignorance of the Burgundian embassy to England. When he returned with the French ambassadors Edward treated them with gross incivility. They had brought with them presents of gold and jeweUery ; Edward sent them back with presents of hunting-horns and leather bottles. 1 WilUam of Worcester, Annates, 786. 2 Warkworth, 25. January 5, 1467-8, Thomas Vaughan was Treasurer of the Chamber, and treated for peace with Burgundy. On February 4, 1470, the duke of Burgundy acknowledges the receipt of the order of the Garter from him at Ghent. Rymer, xi. 651. He was appointed on the council of the Prince of Wales, July 8, 1471. Cal. Pat. RoUs. See also Grants of Edward V, xvi; and Archaeologia, xxvi. 277. E. W. R. II 162 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. " As they rowed home in their barge the Frenchmen Warwick's had many discourses with each other. But resentment. Warwick was so wrath that he could not contain himself ; and he said to the admiral of France, ' Have you not seen what traitors are about the king's person ? ' But the admiral answered, ' My lord, I pray you, wax not hot ; for some day you shall be weU avenged.' But the earl said, ' Know that those very traitors were the men who have had my- brother displaced from the office of chancellor, and made the king take the seal from him1.' " These events, doubtless, convinced Warwick that he Warwick must eventually appeal to the arbitrament wfth^he3 °f the sword. Then an unusual circumstance Lancastrians, occurred which made the antagonism between him and Herbert at once more personal and more envenomed. A certain person was captured in Wales carrying letters from Queen Margaret to Harlech. Lord Herbert, whose unsleeping vigilance was equaUed only by his unscrupulous daring, had him sent up to London to be examined. In consequence of his depositions Warwick was accused of treachery, and of being in secret communication with the Lancastrians, accusations which the earl indignantly repeUed. The prisoner was sent to Middleham to be interrogated by the earl, and the accusations were dismissed as frivolous 2- The incident served to sharpen the blade of Warwick's anger against the courtier through whose instrumentality the charge had arisen. The charge raised in his breast a tempest of warring emotions that carried him in poignant rage, away from court to his seat at Middleham. For some time he refused to return even under safe conduct. Perhaps 1 Wavrin, 1447-71, 545. 2 WiUiam of Worcester, Annates, 788-9. Quidam fuit captus in WaUia (portans) Utteras a regina Margareta ad castrum Hardlaughe, missusque Londinium per dominum Herberd ad regem, qui accusavit. . . . inter alios comitem Warrwici quod audivit suspiciosa verba ultra mare quod idem comes faveret parti reginae Margaretae. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 163 this was Herbert's stroke of retaliation ; for Warwick, it seems, had been the main obstacle in preventing him receiving the wardship of Lord BonviUe's daughter and heiress for his eldest son1. Not long afterwards (January, 1468) a reconciliation was effected between Warwick, Herbert, and others at Coventry. The reconcUiation was short-lived. The situation was now becoming critical. Herbert had been assiduously endeavouring to raise the temperature that his projects might prosper ; but the fuel which the spy had added to the flame was such as consumed Herbert himself. If Herbert was gifted with the more subtle inteUect, The lordship Warwick was better harnessed for war. The of Ragian. king, no doubt, realised this, and set himself to remedy it as far as possible by lavishing grants upon his favourite. In 1465 Herbert received part of the royal lordship of Usk, " with certain viUeins, bondmen, and bond women of the king with their issues2 " ; and also part of the royal lordship of Monmouth. These, being added to the Raglan estate, considerably enlarged that patrimony : " They shall form one united royal lordship caUed the lord ship of Raglan held in chief by the service of one knight's fee, and the said William and his heirs shaU have within the said limits aU royal rights." On September 26, 1466, he was given other lands in South Wales, as weU as the reversion of the estates of his half-brother William Herbert if he should die without heirs3. 1 HaU, 273-4. CeciUe BonviUe, the only cluld of VvilUam BonviUe, Lord Haryngton, was the heiress of the BonviUe and Haryngton estates. WilUam BonviUe was married to Catherine NeviUe, Warwick's sister. Worcester, 790-1. s Cal. Pat. RoUs, March 9, 425. The patent gives a minute description of the boundary. "And whereas Herbert holds in chief the lordship of Raglan and the manors of Penclauth, Metheny, as of the lordship of Usk, and the manor of Dyngestowe as of the lordship of Monmouth, the king releases him of aU rents and services," etc. 3 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 533. AnabiU, PyU, Steynton, Copped Bush, Thywode, Lamburston. The manor of Haverfordwest, and a third of St Briavel's. His offices of chamberlain and chief justice of South Wales, and steward of royal lordships, were confirmed at the same time. 11 — 2 164 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. On August 28, 1467, he became constable of Denbigh, Herbert's an(^ steward °f Denbigh, Montgomery, Ceri and power " Cedewain, and chief justice of North Wales1. The chief justiceship of North Wales had pre viously (1461) been given to John, earl of Worcester, who now in compensation received a grant of £200 from the issues of South Wales. About the same time Herbert received the wardship of the lands of Richard Grey, Lord Powys, and of the lands of Sir Thomas Talbot2 Further illustration of how the Herberts dominated Wales may be found in the names of the commissioners for North and South Wales touching clippings and falsifications of money. These were Lord Herbert, Devereux, Sir Richard Herbert, Sir Roger Vaughan, Thomas Herbert, John Herbert, Thomas Morgan, John Milewater, Thomas ap Rosser, Henry Griffith, and Morgan ap Jankyn ap Philip3. In North Wales the chief men upon whom Edward could rely were David Mathew, WiUiam Griffith, WiUiam Bulkeley, and John ap Meredith. In 1466 the three last mentioned, together with Griffith ap Robin, were ordered to inquire into the report that the greater part of the revenues and rents of Carnarvonshire and Merionethshire, and the fines of the great tourns in North Wales had not been paid during the reign and that the tenants refused to pay their rents4. Harlech largely accounted for this defiance of authority. The reconciliation between Warwick and the court 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 41, 136; Thomas Salesbury, younger, was made constable of Denbigh on January 23, 1466. 2 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 1467 ; 41, 49. Viscount Lisle was Talbot's heir. 8 Ibid. 54, 57. October 27, and August 14, 1467. For confirmation of grants to Richard Herbert, see ibid. February 5, 1465, e.g. Grove, Monnington, etc. Henry ap Griffith was on a. commission, March 28, 1465, to ascertain what castles and manors had belonged to WUtshire. Ibid. 451. Thomas Morgan, and Herbert's half-brother, John ap GwUym (or WiUiam), were on another commission touching felonies in Chepstow on May 11, 1467. Ibid. 29. 4 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 529. WilUam Griffith and Middleton took a muster of 700 archers of the earl of Worcester's retinue at Beaumaris, August 18, 1467, ibid. ; and on August 3, 1475, inquired into all shipments of wool, hides, etc. from North Wales. Ibid. 490. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 165 party was not only short-lived but superficial. The hostility to the WoodvUles was deepening. Edward's alliance with Burgundy, and especially the marriage of his sister Margaret to Duke Charles the Bold, brought Edward to the verge of war with France, whose wUy sovereign once more stirred up the dynastic strife in England. There was an active correspondence carried on between the Lancastrian exiles and their friends at home. Several arrests were made in the early summer of 1468. On this flood-tide of dissatisfaction, intrigue, and jas er Tudor revolt, Jasper Tudor, about the end of June, lands in landed near Harlech, probably at Barmouth North Wales. , , , F ,, J _, .„ , where he had a steady adherent m Griffith Vaughan. Jasper had with him " fifty persons and a few pence1." The little force had been conveyed in three ships, one of which, on its return to Normandy, was captured by a skUful manoeuvre on the part of Lord Herbert2. Jasper probably proceeded to Harlech for reinforcements, for the garrison there was stiU unsubdued3. We fail to see any authority for Ramsay's statement that Jasper " was unable to make his way to Harlech because the fortress was beleaguered by Lord Herbert." As a matter of fact Herbert's force did not arrive in North Wales till later. If Herbert had been there at the time of Jasper's arrival he ought surely to have been able to prevent the landing of such an insignificant party. Tudur Penllyn states that Griffith Vaughan was Jasper's chief agent in North Wales — and he certainly' was one of the defenders of Harlech — and that he had a fortified home stead near Barmouth, a convenient landing-place a few mUes south of Harlech. It is most likely, therefore, 1 WilUam of Worcester, Annates, 791. Yno i daw'n arglwydd llawen. Tudur PenUyn, MSS. i.e. "There (Harlech) our chief wiU land." 2 WiUiam of Worcester ; subtiU modo. 8 WilUam of Worcester, Annates, prope Hardlaughe. Tudur PenUyn, MSS. Ramsay, Lancaster and York, 11. 333, is misleading. 166 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. that Jasper landed at Barmouth. Nor was his progress stayed ; for he traversed North Wales as far as Denbigh. The people flocked to his standard, and he was soon His at the head of a considerable force1, with success. which he attacked that town. Denbigh was once again plundered and set on fire. The castle, of which Lord Herbert was now captain, apparently did not surrender to the Lancastrians, though Jasper was so far successful that he was able to hold sessions in the name of Henry VI2. It would be fastidious altogether to discard the evidence of contemporary Welsh poets on these events, some of whom give ample evidence of a close famUiarity not only with the projects of Jasper himself, but also with the move ments, prospective and otherwise, of the Lancastrians in England. Thus, Dafydd Llwyd, who was a man of estate as well as a poet, was obviously aware of Jasper's projected invasion. " The brave, long-haired invader wiU come with a fleet, and will hover around the North Wales coast after the Feast. Meanwhile, there will be disturbances in Kent before harvest-time, and the world will be in a turmoil. David ap Eynon (the ode is addressed to him) will keep Harlech true to Jasper and defy Edward3." This statement is substantially verified by WiUiam of Worcester who gives the date of Jasper's landing as " immediately after ti\e Feast of Saint John the Baptist4" (June 24). Moreover, there actually were disturbances in the south- 1 WiUiam of Worcester estimated them at 2000, which is probably an exaggeration, though he is roughly in agreement with contemporary poets as to the number of Herbert's force which took Harlech soon after wards. 2 Gregory, 237. " He rode ovyr the contraye and helde many cessyons and cysys in Kyng Harry's name." 3 Dafydd Llwyd, Cardiff MSS. A daw herwr dewr, hirwaUt, A'i dai ar hyd y dwr hallt. Wedi'r wyl i daw'r eleirch I dir Kent cyn medi'r ceirch O flaen y byd aflonydd Coedcrai ar Fenai a fydd. * WiUiam of Worcester, Annates; cito post festum nativitatis Sancti Johannis Baptistae. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 167 east of England, as a result of which the earl of Oxford was sent to the Tower, and a few were put to death. Edward now realised the supreme importance of Hariech reducing Harlech. On July 3, 1468, he com missioned Herbert to array the border counties of Gloucester, Hereford, and Salop, as well as the Marches, against Jasper1. There appears to be no record that any previous organised attempt had been made by Edward to subdue Harlech. A number of proclamations had been issued calling upon the garrison to surrender, but nothing further had been done ; and every overture had been met by an unequivocal refusal. The captain of the castle, de facto, was David ap Eynon, about whom there is no lack of fitting panegyrics in contemporary Welsh literature2, as well as in the prose writers of a later day. The latter especially can be consulted with amusement by those who are interested in the picturesque fables which gathered around his name a century or so later. He is supposed to have held castles in France until all the old women of Wales spoke of it3. Strangely enough, among the glistening array of Welsh captains who distinguished themselves at one time or another in the French wars, the name of this hero is found wanting. HistoricaUy his fame must rest upon his unrivaUed loyalty to the cause of Lancaster when every fortress in the kingdom had long since thrown in its lot with the fortunes of the House of York. Jasper Tudor was stiU at large in North Wales when he was attacked by the Herberts with a considerable force variously estimated at between seven and ten 1 Cal. Pat. Rolls (1467-72), 103, 127. The date of Herbert's com mission again falsifies Ramsay's statement already aUuded to. 2 For example, Dafydd Llwyd : Ni bu erioed a barr on Wr gowirach i'r goron. Cardiff MSS. 8 Pennant, 11. 121-2. Autobiography of Lord Herbert of Cherbury (Lee), 6-8. I see no evidence that David ap Eynon ever held a castle in France. * His name appears in records of Inquisition for Merionethshire, 1453-6. Arch. Camb. 1848, 69. 168 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. thousand1. There is no great disparity between the estimates jasper Tudor °f ^e poets and the chroniclers. The army defeated. was divided into two, possibly three, invading forces. One, under Richard Herbert, approached Harlech along the North Wales coast. Having reached Denbigh this force appears to have coUided with Jasper's some where between that town and the Conway valley. A number of prisoners were taken and twenty of them put to death. There is significant allusion to the executions in the tales of a later day. One story narrates how seven brothers were executed in Anglesey in spite of the prayers and earnest entreaties of the mother that at least one should be spared. Thereupon, with a pair of wooUen beads on her arms, she fell on her knees and cursed the earl (Herbert) ; " which curse fell upon him at Banbury2." The army pursued its course up the Conway vaUey, ravaging it with fire and sword. The entire Snowdon district experienced such unparalleled desolation that it had barely recovered more than a century later. Echoes of the slaughter still survive in song and story. Wynne, writing nearly a century and a half after the events, says " the print is yet extant, the very stones of manie habitations in and along my demaynes carrying yet the colour of the 1 WilUam of Worcester, Annates, 791, gives 10,000: ad custus domini regis, cum numero decern miUium armatorum. Guto'r Glyn says " 9000 yeomen." See poem in Records of Denbigh, 202-3. Another bard of the time, Hywel Dafydd ap Ieuan ap Rhys, estimates the force at 7000. Tynu a gwyr tonau gwin. Also: Saethu 'mhob parth saith mil pen. "Men draw from men waves of wine, arrows fly in every quarter from 7000 men." The above poem is quoted in Warkworth, 33, 35, notes; but is attri buted wrongly to Lewis Glyn Cothi. The sum paid to Herbert for the siege of Harlech, £7177, also suggests a large force. Issues, 9 Edward IV. On December 6, 1468, Lord Herbert was given the reversion of certain manors because the king owed him ^3168. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 132. 2 WUIiam of Worcester, Annates, 791. Guto'r Glyn suggests three divisions of the army. Tair cad aeth o'r teir gwlad tau Trwy Wynedd fel taranau. There is much tradition in Wynne's Gwydir Family, and in Lord Herbert of Cherbury's Autobiography, 6-8. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 169 fire." The whole borough of Llanrwst in the Conway vaUey was consumed, and the devastation was followed by a plague1. While Richard Herbert had been dealing with Jasper Harlech Lord Herbert himself had advanced north- surrenders. wards from Pembroke, taking the old Roman road, Sarn Helen. There was very httle resistance, though one experienced warrior in Herbert's army, Philip Vaughan of Hay, was kiUed during the siege2. On August 14 the castle surrendered at discretion. " That castyUe ys so stronge that men sayde that hyt was impossybyUe unto any man to gete hyt3." Fifty of the garrison were taken prisoners and conveyed to the Tower of London by Lord Herbert. Amongst them were three knights, namely, Sir Richard TunstaU, Sir Henry Bellingham, and Sir WiUiam Stoke. Two of the prisoners, Troublote and Thomas Elwick, were executed by Rivers who was constable of England4. It is noteworthy that the captain David ap Eynon did not suffer the extreme penalty, and tradition ascribes the leniency with which he was treated to the influence of the Herberts. He was Edward's received into favour and actually found reward clemency. a xew years jater5 ; as also did the famUy 1 Wynne's Gwydir Family, 49-50, 66. Guto'r Glyn : Tros greigiau mae d'olau di; Tir ar i gwnaent Eryri. Od ennynaist dan ennyd Drwy ladd ac ymladd i gyd, Dyrnod anufudd-dod fu, Darnio Gwynedd a'i dyrnu. Harlech a Dinbech pob dor 3m cynneu, Nanconwy yn farwor. Also, Hywel Dafydd ap Ieuan ap Rhys : Dareni daiar Wynedd. 2 Guto'r Glyn, in Records of Denbigh, 202-3. WiUiam of Worcester, Itinerarium, 328. 3 Gregory, 237, and WiUiam of Worcester, Annates. 4 Gregory, 237. Brief Latin Chronicle, 182, states that TunstaU was pardoned by the king ; WUUam of Worcester, 791, says that he was executed. 6 In 14 Edward IV Prince Edward gave him licence to hold lands in Kynnowys. Hist. MSS. Commission; Puleston MSS., in Arch. Camb. 1880, 150. Autobiography of Lord Herbert of Cherbury, 6-8. 170 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. of Jasper's ardent follower, Griffith Vaughan1. Ievan ap Robert ap Meredith of Carnarvonshire was also invited to accept a pardon2. He was a sturdy adherent of Jasper, and had wrought considerable mischief to those who had yielded to Edward in North Wales. It is obvious, there fore, that Edward dealt with commendable clemency with this recalcitrant garrison. On December i, 1468, he issued a general pardon to aU. Herbert found his reward in the earldom of Pembroke, „ ,_ to which he was raised on September 8, 14683. Herbert made * , earl of The wily Jasper once more evaded his pursuers. " The olde Lorde Jasper and sum tyme erle of Pembroke was in Walys. Men wene that he was not oute of Walys whenn that the Lord Herberde come with hys oste ; but favyr at sum tyme dothe grete ease, as hit jasper ys prevyd by the hydynge of that lorde sum escapes. tyme Erie of Pembroke4." Tradition says that he escaped to Brittany from the house of Griffith Vaughan. The young earl of Richmond, whom a stroke of luck The eari of was soon to make the most important Lan- Richmond. castrian in the realm, came now, if he had not come before, into Herbert's hands.' As we have seen, Herbert had already been given the custody of the earl's estates during his . minority ; but the boy's movements are wrapped in obscurity, and we cannot be certain that Herbert secured his person untU after the fall of Harlech. It is interesting to note that Herbert intended to marry him to his daughter Maud ; for one of the clauses in his will states " I will that Maud my daughter shall be married to the Lord Henry of Richmond5." This project, dictated 1 His son Reginald received an annuity of four marks from the issues of Chirk, from Richard, duke of Gloucester, March 26, 1471. Arch. Camb., 1863, 55; and 1875. 2 Original document in Wynne, 50. 8 WiUiam of Worcester, 791. * Gregory, 237. 6 Herbert's wiU ; Powys Club Collections, 11. Appendix, xvni. Another daughter was to be married to Lord Powys. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 171 alike by a natural solicitude for the welfare of his children, and by a clear perception of the possible contingencies of the future, was not too ambitious even for a new man who had married his son to the queen's sister ; while it was certainly in harmony with the king's own policy of courting the Lancastrians. Herbert may have been alive also to the passionate Herbert as appeal of the leaders of Welsh public opinion a national that Wales should not be made the cockpit leader. of contending Enghsh factions, but should seek to unite in an endeavour to rid the country of the baneful rule of English officials. To the poets there was no dynastic question. Now that Herbert stood in sohtary pre-eminence, they appealed to him as fervently as they had appealed to Jasper to achieve unity in Wales. As far as Wales was concerned there could be no happier union than that of the Tudors and the Herberts. In the whole range of fifteenth-century Welsh literature there is no more fervent longing for leadership, unity, and patriotism, than that of Guto'r Glyn in an ode written immediately after the faU of Harlech. " Tax not Anglesey beyond what it can bear. Let not the Saxon rule in Gwynedd and Fhnt. Confer no office upon the descendants of Horsa. Appoint as constables of castles throughout Wales men of thine own nation. Make Glamorgan and Gwynedd, from Conway to Neath, a united whole. And should England resent it, Wales wUl rally to thy side1." 1 Na fwrw dreth ar Fon draw Ni elUr ei chynnuUiaw. N'ad trwy Wynedd blant Rhonwen Na phlant Hors yn y Fflint hen. N'ad, f'arglwydd, swydd, i un Sais, Na'i bardwn i un bwrdais. Kymmer o wyr Kymru 'rowron Bob cwnstabl o Fenstabl i Fon. Dwc Forgannwc a Gwynedd, Gwna'n un o Gonwy i Nedd. O digia Lloegr a'i dugiaid, Kymry a dry yn dy raid. Guto'r Glyn in Cein. Lien. Gymreig, 192. 172 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. The interests of a large number of Edward's Welsh adherents were safeguarded in the parliament of 1467-8 1. Many of them received additional grants. In September Rewards and Lord Herbert acquired Chepstow castle by pardons. a grant from the duke of Norfolk2 ; in October he was given power to make a weir across the Thames from Paternoster Lane to the Surrey side3 ; in November he was made master-forester of Snowdon, and constable of Conway, and captain of the town ; in April, 1469, he was made chamberlain of North Wales4. Another Welsh Yorkist who remained in favour was Roger Kynaston. He and Roger Eyton, late sheriff of Salop, were given a general pardon in March, 14665. In 1 Rot. Pari, sub ann. Sir Roger Vaughan, of the lands of Philip Mansel and Hopkyn ap Rhys ; CantreUy, Llangoid, Alexander's Town, reversion of PenkeUy. Morris Arnold, of 40 marks from Monmouth town. Thomas Herbert of the lands of MuUe in Gloucester. Thomas Vaughan, son of Sir Roger Vaughan. He, together with Lord Dunster, and John Herbert, were on a commission on December 6, 1468, to hold the reversion of certain manors for Lord Herbert, on the death of the wife of Sir WilUam Beaumont. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 132. John Dwnn of Laugharne (Talaugharne), Cleygyn, Pybour, "for his services to the duke of York, and against Jasper." See also Cal. Pat. Rolls, November 9, 1467 ; and March n, 1465; 430-1. On August 9, 1463, a John Donne was on a commission to investigate complaints of Spanish merchants. Ibid. 301. Thomas Vaughan, yeoman of the Crown, of Gerardestown, in Car diganshire (granted, 1465-6). Richard ap Rhys, of 10 marks a year (granted, 1465-6). Hugh Lloyd and John Lloyd, of grants in the counties of Carnarvon and Merioneth. Howel Davy and John Howel his son, and John Davy, of grants in Montgomery. Morris Gethin, of the amobrship of North Wales counties. Richard Herbert. John ap Ieuan ap Llywelyn, of an annuity of 10 marks from Radnor. 2 Cal. Pat. Rolls, September 12, 1468. 8 Ibid. October 12, 1468; 11 1. 4 Ibid. 113, with payment for 24 soldiers. On May 3, 1469, he was confirmed in the possession of Chepstow, Gower, Swansea, Kilvey, and Lougher, which places he acquired by a writ "precipe in capite." Ibid. 154, 163 ; and passim, for grants to Devereux. 6 Ibid. 98, 518. A commission was given to Herbert and Shrewsbury to arrest Kynaston and bring him before the CouncU, August 28, 1467. Eyton was constable of Shrewsbury in June 1467. Distinguish this Kynaston from one of the same name, of Walford. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 173 March of this year Edward pardoned a Pembrokeshire gentleman, Richard Bennet or Hugh of Monkton, who apparently had been Jasper's adherent1. His clemency extended even to Roger Puleston2, Jasper's old friend, also described as Roger ap John. The winter of 1468-9 was characterised by disturbances, Warwick's arrests, and executions, which were due largely grievance. ^0 fjjg dark machinations of Warwick. Herbert's supremacy in the councUs of the king was now an abiding chaUenge to aristocratic self-esteem, and Warwick was deter mined to remove him and his chief associate, Lord Rivers3. For their " mischievous rule, opinion, and assent have caused our sovereign lord and the realm to fall in great poverty, disturbing the ministration of the laws, and only intending to their own promotion and enriching. The said seditious persons have caused our sovereign lord to spend the goods of our holy father, and have advised him to give of his livelihood to them above their degrees. The king estranges great lords from his councU and takes about him others not of their blood, inchning only to their counsel4." Although there were other grievances such as the close friendship between Edward and Charles, duke of Burgundy, the kernel of Warwick's complaint was the king's partiality for the new men. "It is to reasons of this nature that may be attributed the overthrow and slaughter of the Welsh5." Warwick succeeded in detaching Edward's brother, the duke of Clarence, from the court party, and before committing himself irretrievably he made certain the aUegiance of his royal aUy by marrying him to his daughter, IsabeUa NeviUe, which was accomplished at Calais on ] Ibid. 515. 2 Ibid. 152, March 28, 1469. 8 Third Croyland Continuator, 457-8. Paston Letters, 11. 326. From the latter it appears that Herbert was at court on October 28, 1468, and about to depart, probably for his Welsh seat. '¦' Sende me worde if my lorde of Pembrok be go." * See the letter of Clarence and Warwick, 12 July, 1469 ; Warkworth, 46. 6 Third Croyland Continuator, 45 7-8. 174 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. July ii, 1469. On the foUowing day the letter or manifesto already referred to was issued in the names of Clarence and Warwick, allusion being made also to the " covetous rule and guiding of certain seditious persons." The two announced their intention of appearing at Canterbury on July 16, to lay their grievances before the king. MeanwhUe the earl of Warwick had already set his Robin of northern friends in motion under the standard Redesdaie. of « R0bin of Redesdale1." These marched southwards in strong force. On hearing of their advance Edward summoned Herbert with reinforcements from Wales, whither he had repaired towards the end of October2. He himself set out on a progress through the eastern counties, going northwards as far as Stamford and Newark. The attitude of the people becoming increasingly hostUe, he returned to Nottingham3. There he appears to have stayed for some days after July 9 awaiting reinforcements. Hum phrey Stafford of Southwick, who had recently (May) received the earldom of Devon, was ordered to enrol the levies of Somersetshire and Devonshire*. These consisted mainly of archers. It is curious, in view of the prominence of the Welsh archer in the French wars, that there were few, if any, of this arm in Herbert's contingent5- Guto'r Glyn introduces us to a feast held by the Herberts „ . on the eve of their departure. Internal evidence Herbert sets r out towards proves that the poem was composed at the Gloucester. r time, or shortly afterwards, and certainly before the catastrophe at Edgecote. It is here stated that Herbert, at the head of a strong force, marched to Gloucester ; and that his objects were the suppression of a rising of the common people, and to defend the king ' Warkworth, 6-7, says Sir WiUiam Conyers adopted this name. See also Introduction to Paston Letters. Hearne's Fragment, 24, mentions Lord Latimer as the captain of the band. He was Warwick's uncle. 2 See ante. HaU, 273-4. 3 Third Croyland Continuator, 445-6. 4 Hearne's Fragment, 24. 6 Warkworth. Hearne's Fragment. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 175 against the earl of Warwick. The poet, moreover, is sincere and candid in his admission that Herbert was the object of intense hatred in England. And there can be no reason able doubt that Guto'r Glyn derived his information from the Herberts themselves1. From Gloucester the earl of Pembroke (Herbert) advanced to a place called Cottishold2. Perhaps the chronicler refers vaguely to the Cotswold HiUs. Very possibly the aUusion may be to the spot where Cotswold House now stands, five miles from Cirencester, on the line of the Roman road (Ermin Street) from Gloucester, which joins the Fosse- way at Cirencester. Curiously enough, there is a lane called the " Welsh Way " joining the two roads a little above Cirencester. At Cottishold Pembroke was joined by the earl of Devon. The combined armies thereupon continued their march towards Northampton. It seems impossible to give an exact estimate of the numbers of the troops employed ; chroniclers' figures are always suspi cious, and there appears to be no means of checking them. The estimates of Herbert's contingent vary from 6000 (HaU) to 13,000 (Warkworth). MeanwhUe, the northerners were said to be making for the same point as the royalists — Northampton. The Welsh contingent were said to be " the best in The weish Wales." They were drawn mainly from Gwent force. (Monmouthshire), Brecknock, Gower, Pem brokeshire, and the neighbourhood of Kidwely. There were no men of note from the royal counties of Carmarthen 1 Guto'r Glyn, "I Wledd." Cardiff MSS. Wrth ofn Iarll yr aeth fy ner I Gaerloyw a'r gwyr lawer. Ofni Lloegr, ein un Uygad, Ai bribwyr oU yn bwrw brad. Blino y maent o'm blaenawr Blant Ronwen, genfigen fawr. "My lord with many troops advanced to Gloucester on account of the Earl. I fear lest he be the victim of treachery. The people of England have harassed our leader, and he is the object of deep maUce." 2 HaU, 273. 176 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. and Pembroke ; while Glamorgan, which belonged to the earl of Warwick, could not be expected to provide fighting material to do battle against its lord. Pembroke county, of course, was represented by its earl, Lord Herbert. With him were John Wogan, son and heir of Sir Henry Wogan1, and John Eynon, a warrior who had had experience in France under the duke of York. Kidwely sent another old French warrior in the person of Henry Dwnn, son of Owen Dwnn; also Henry Dwnn of Picton, Meredith ap GwUym, and Hoskyn Hervey, a companion in arms with Griffith Dwnn in France2. Brecknock was represented by the Havards — Wilham, Lewis, and Thomas; by the Morgans — William, Walter, Walter (another), and Henry: Gwent by Thomas Huntley, another of York's retinue in France ; Thomas ap Harry, one of Lord Herbert's retinue ; and Thomas Lewis of Chepstow. The Herberts and the Vaughans, whose many ramifications had now spread throughout South Wales, were represented by Sir Richard Herbert ; another Richard Herbert, probably of Ewyas, . the ancestor of the second line of Herberts, a natural son of Lord Herbert ; another WiUiam Herbert3, a half-brother of Lord Herbert ; John ap William, by whom is meant presumably Lord Herbert's brother John ; Thomas ap Roger Vaughan, the son of Herbert's mother Gwladys by her first husband Roger Vaughan ; and William ap Norman, another of the earl's relatives. The last three are said to have fought in the French wars*. 1 WUUam of Worcester, Itinerarium, 118. Sir Henry Ogan chevaUer fuit in Francia, de Pembrokeshyre, et maritavit filiam WiUiam Thomas, chevaUer ; qui Sir John Ogan, chevaUer, obut apud Banbery felde. 2 Ibid. Griffith Dwnn habuit 3 fiUos in Francia: Robertus Dwnn non maritavit; Henricus Don in Francia maritavit fiUam Sir Roger Vaughan, chevaUer, et mortuus (est) apud Banbery felde; tercius filius minor Johannes Don, qui maritavit filiam domini de Hastynges, cham- berlayn regis. 8 WilUam of Worcester, Itinerarium ; fuit occisus BristoUiae in cras- tino Sancti Jacobi. This may be an error for the Thomas Herbert slain there according to Warkworth, 7. * WiUiam of Worcester, who also mentions a Thomas Glys. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 177 HaU, the chronicler, therefore, was not far from the literal truth when he stated that Herbert came "with the extremity of aU his power." He adds that the earl " was not a little joyous of the king's summons, partly to deserve the king's liberality which of a mean gentleman had promoted him to the estate of an earl1." The earls of Pembroke and Devon came into touch A preliminary Wlt^ ^eir enemy Somewhere in the neigh- skirmish, bourhood of Northampton. On Monday, Tulv July 23, 1469. J ' J J 23, the earl of Pembroke's brother, Richard Herbert, and the earl of Devon, with a strong force of cavalry went on in advance to reconnoitre. They un expectedly collided with the northerners, and a sharp fight ensued in which a number of Welsh gentlemen were slain, notably Thomas ap Roger, son of Roger Vaughan of Bredwardine, Herefordshire. In consequence of this shock the whole force was compelled to retire2, and fell back upon the main body, which had taken up its quarters at Banbury3. Meanwhile the northerners must have come into touch with the citizens of Northampton, and perhaps even with the earl of Warwick, who could not have been far distant. The earl, as we have seen, had announced his intention of being at Canterbury on July 16, his daughter having been married to Clarence five days before at Calais ; and he was certainly on the scene the day after the battle. 1 HaU, 273-4. * Guto'r Glyn, in Ceinion Llenyddiaith Gymreig, I. 193. Dyw Uun y bu waed a Uadd. " On Monday there was blood and carnage.'' Ieuan Deulwyn, Bangor Welsh MSS. Society. Dyw Uun rwi'n deaU as Yno yternwyd yn tyrnas. "On Monday, I understand, our nation was repulsed." Guto'r Glyn is our authority for the death of this Thomas ap Roger on the Monday. Dyw Mawrth gwae ni am Domas; Dyw Llun, gyda'i frawd, y Uas. " On Tuesday we mourn for Thomas, on Monday he was slain whUe fighting at his brother's side." 3 HaU, 273. Warkworth, 7. E. W. R. I2 178 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. It was probably the assurance that they would receive reinforcements from Northampton that emboldened the northerners to pursue the royahsts, a task which they had refrained from attempting after the first day's engagement. It is possible, too, that having ascertained Edward's whereabouts, they hoped to prevent a junction between him and his friends by an immediate attack. At' any rate, they moved towards Banbury, and took up a strong position on the hiUs around Edgecote Lodge, about five mUes from that town. If the earl of Pembroke expected support from Edward t , he was soon to be disillusioned. Most of Pembrokeand Devon the courtiers had fled. Lord Rivers, whose qu,ane influence in that neighbourhood should have been sufficient to caU forth a strong force, had gone to Chepstow ; others had found refuge in Norfolk " with the connivance of the king as it is generaUy said1." To add to the difficulties of the royahsts Pembroke and Devon engaged in an unseemly quarrel about quarters and a comely wench. The earl of Devon, it appears, had found lodgings before Pembroke's arrival ; but the latter managed to oust him. According to HaU's version, who alone narrates this incident, Pembroke was the chief offender. A fierce altercation ensued. " After many words and cracks " the earl of Devon gave rein to his irritation and marched away from the battlefield with all his men a distance of ten or twelve miles2. Whatever may be thought of Pem broke's arrogance and his indecorous gallantries, nothing can justify Devon's conduct in aUowing a personal insult to over-ride his loyalty. Less than two months had elapsed since Edward had bestowed an earldom upon this nobleman. This defection inflamed the anger of contemporary writers in Wales more perhaps than the loss of the battle itself ; and many are the envenomed allusions to it. The death 1 Croyland Continuator, 445-6. Wavrin, 580. 2 Hearne's Fragment, 24. HaU, 273-4. Warkworth, 7. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 179 of the earl of Devon soon afterwards did something to sweeten Guto'r Glyn's cup of bitterness1. This occurred on July 25, the day before the great The Welsh battle, according to Hall, although it seems attack. more probable that it took place on the 24th, the day after the first skirmish with the northerners, when the two sections of the royalists had once more joined hands. However, on July 25 (Wednesday) the earl of Pembroke once more offered battle in spite of his ally's treachery. He may have hoped to destroy the northern army before any reinforcements should reach them from Northampton. If he anticipated that they would receive such assistance his surmise proved to be accurate. There may be some force, too, in the statement of the English chronicler that the Welsh, inspired by the prophecies of their poets that they would one day vindicate their rights, were impetuous and eager for battle, confident of the issue " as their unwise prophesiers promised them before." "The truth is that in those parts and throughout Wales there is a celebrated and famous prophecy to the effect that, having expeUed the English, the remains of the Britons are once more to obtain the sovereignty of England, as being the proper citizens thereof. This prophecy, which is stated in the chronicles of the Britons to have been pronounced by an angel in the time of king Cadwalladr, in their credulity receives from them universal belief. Accordingly, the present opportunity seeming to be propitious, they imagined that now the long- wished-for hour had arrived, and used every possible exertion to promote its fulfilment. However, by the providence of God, it turned out otherwise, and they 1 Guto'r Glyn, Ceinion Llenyddiaith Gymreig, i. 192, 200. Ni aned twyll ond ti, Ni bu unbrad ond Banbri. Arglwydd difwynswydd Defnsir A ffoes; ni chaffas oes hir. "There never was deceit or treachery Uke that of Banbury. The earl of Devon fled ; he did not live long afterwards." 180 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. remain for the present disappointed of the fulfilment of then- desires1." Pembroke had no other alternative than to fight. Like a true soldier he did not think the battle lost Why Pembroke until it had been fought. Devon s force had been withdrawn, including the main body of archers. The Welsh were now the only loyal troops in arms. The king was without an effective foUowing and, as events proved, in extreme personal danger from the earl of Warwick and his rebels. An inglorious retreat might have been as disastrous as the battle itself proved to be. In any case, it would justify Edward in impugning the loyalty of one upon whom he had lavished unprecedented wealth and honour. Pembroke was spurred by duty as weU as by his innate courage. On July 25, therefore, he sent forward his vanguard. Some fighting took place. Sir Henry NeviUe, son of Lord Latimer, was taken prisoner and put to death. The advantage was with the Welshmen, who succeeded in occupying the hUl at Upper Wardington before the close of the day2. On the following morning, Thursday, July 26, the _,..,, two armies were in position to renew hostihties. The battle of r Edgecote, HaU describes the scene of this day's battle as " a fair plain near to a town called Hedge- cote, three mUes from Banbury, wherein there be three hiUs, not in equal distance, nor yet in equal quantity, but lying in manner although not fuUy triangle." Edgecote lies about five mUes from Banbury, almost in a direct line between it and Northampton. The three hiUs referred to are those at Upper Wardington, which we are to under- 1 Croyland Continuator, 446-7. 2 HaU, 273-4. Hearne's Fragment, 24. Guto'r Glyn refers, presumably, to the death of Sir Henry Neville in the line : Marchog a las ddyw Mercher. "A knight was slain on Wednesday" (July 25). Ieuan Deulwyn also aUudes to this fight : Ag yn nos Iago nesaf. "On the evening of St James's day." viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 181 stand as the west hill ; at Culworth, the east hiU ; and at Thorpe MandeviUe, the south hill. From these hiUs there extends a gentle slope towards Edgecote and the river Cherwell, a tributary of the Thames. This was the " fair plain " or moor, caUed Danesmoor, which also has given its name to the battle. Upper Wardington, on which The the Welshmen were encamped on the morning battlefield. 0f f^g battle, is about three miles from Thorpe MandeviUe where the northerners had taken up their position, and about a mile from Edgecote. The distance between Thorpe MandeviUe and Edgecote across the moor is about two and a half miles, and that between Wardington and Culworth, whence Warwick's auxUiaries advanced, about three1. On the morning of July 26 the northerners opened the _. . attack with a shower of arrows. The Welsh, Richard Herbert's being deficient in this arm, were compelled to abandon their stronghold and descend to the plain, where a fierce conflict was waged for several hours. " Pembroke behaved himself like a hardy knight and expert captain ; but his brother Sir Richard Herbert so valiantly acquitted himself that with his poleaxe in his hand he twice by fine force passed through the battle of his adversaries and returned without mortal wound. When the Welsh were on the point of victory John Clapham, esquire, servant of the earl of Warwick, mounted the eastern hiU with only five hundred men and gathered all the rascal of Northampton and other viUages about, bearing before them the standard of the earl of Warwick with the white bear, crying, A Warwick ! A Warwick ! 2 " 1 Ramsay^s suggestion (vol. n. 342, note 4) that the action must have taken place within an area of half a mile, or three-quarters of a mUe at most, in depth, by a quarter of a mile in width, therefore seems wide of the mark. There were two actions even on this day, the one between Thorpe and Wardington, and the other between Wardington and Culworth. 2 Hall, 274. Guto'r Glyn states that the action took place on a Thursday : Duw a ddug y dydd ddyw Iau. "The field was lost on Thursday." So, too, Ieuan Deulwyn. There is no reliable authority for the state- 18a WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch Some writers have maintained that these reinforcements were royal levies who turned traitors. But, apart altogether from its inherent improbability, the assertion is disproved by Hall, who is substantiated by William of Worcester1. Whatever the strength of these auxiliaries it was sufficient Death of *° nu^fy ^e splendid valour of the Welshmen, Pembroke and who broke, fled, were pursued, slain, and captured in large numbers. About one hundred and sixty-eight Welshmen of note are said to have fallen2. Pembroke and his brother Richard Herbert were among the prisoners, and were taken to Banbury. The next day the earl made a codicil to his will (July 27) . On the foUowing day both were executed at Northampton by the orders of Warwick and Clarence without any opportunity of ransom3. " Entreaty was made for Sir Richard Herbert both for his goodly person which excelled all men there, and also for his chivalry on the field of battle. The earl when he should lay down his head on the block said to John Conyers and Clapham ' Let me die for I am old, but save my brother which is young, lusty, and hardy, mete and apt to serve the greatest prince in Christendom.' This battle ever since has been, and yet is continual grudge between the northernmen and the Welsh4." Wavrin's account5 of the battle appears to agree in ment of Oman that Clapham was at the head of the vanguard of the royal reinforcements, and treacherously fell upon the flank and rear of the Welsh whom he had come to assist. Oman's Warwick. 1 WilUam of Worcester, Itinerarium, 120-1 ; per exercitum comitis Warici. 2 Ibid. 119. Quam plures alu de valoribus gentibus Walliae ad minimum 168 vel circa. He estimates the slain at 1500; Warkworth at 2000. 8 Croyland Continuator, 446. « Hall, 275. Cf. Polydore, 122. Wavrin, 584, states that the Herberts were stoned to death by the people. "Le comte de Warwic commanda que on les emmenast morir, et ainsi furent les deux bons chevaUiers Uvrez au peuple, qui piteusement les lapiderent." 6 Wavrin, 581-2. He does not give the name of the stream, but he obviously refers to the Cherwell. According to this account Devon retreated on the day of battle when he saw that the northerners had been reinforced. vm] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 183 the main with that already given. He states that on the wavrin-s evening before the day of battle a preliminary account. skirmish took place between the combatants along the banks of the river Cherwell. This was the fight already alluded to, as a result of which the Welsh occupied the hiU at Upper Wardington. They also seized, according to Wavrin, the passage over the river, presumably at Edge cote, and compelled the northerners to retire with great loss. This was on the following morning. In the afternoon, however, the northerners were reinforced to such an extent that the Welsh were considerably outnumbered, and had to retreat with immense loss. Thomas ap Roger was slain, while the two Herberts were taken prisoners. Guto'r Glyn also gives an interesting account of the weish battle. Judging from its wealth of detail accounts. an(j jts accuraCy on points of chronology, it must have been obtained from some of the Welshmen who took part on that fateful day. We have already quoted largely from him in so far as he is corroborated by Enghsh authorities. Lewis Glyn Cothi alludes to the Welshmen's onslaught when they cut their way through the enemy's lines, and is confirmed by the graphic account given by HaU. He adds that in the heat of battle " amidst the clash of lance and shield and the loud clangour of battle, hoarse shouts were heard on every side, some shouting ' Herbert,' others ' Our Edward ' ; some ' Warwick,' others ' King Harry1.' " Earl Rivers and his son John were captured at Chepstow and, having been brought to Kenilworth, were executed 1 The above is a free translation of the Unes : Yno clywid yn unawr Griaw maes rhwng gwewyr mawr: Rhai Herbert, rhai 'n Edwart ni, IarU Warwic, eraiU Harri. Lewis Glyn Cothi, I. 17. The poet ends his poem by calUng upon the three sons of Thomas ap Roger who, as we have seen, was slain, to take vengeance for their father's death. The poet was present at this hero's pubhc funeral. 184 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. on August 12. The earl of Devon was also taken in Somerset shire and put to death at KenUworth. King Edward was seized not far from that town. Of the Welshmen who were either slain at Banbury The or subsequently put to death, the foUowing siain. names are given by both WiUiam of Worcester and Warkworth, and they are the only names common to the two lists : Lord Herbert and his brother Sir Richard Herbert, Thomas ap Roger Vaughan1, Henry Dwnn of Picton2, John Eynon of Pembrokeshire, and WiUiam Herbert half-brother to Lord Herbert3. Of the rest, the following are mentioned by Wilham of Worcester : Richard Herbert, bastard ; John ap WiUiam, a brother of Lord Herbert, who had fought in France4; John Wogan, son and heir of Henry Wogan ; WiUiam Herbert ap Norman ; Henry Dwnn of Kidwely ; Thomas ap Harry ; Thomas Lewis ; Wilham, Lewis, and Thomas Havard ; William, two Walters, and Henry Morgan ; Thomas Glys ; Hoskyn Hervey ; Meredith ap Gwilym ; and . Thomas Huntley. Warkworth adds the foUowing : Sir Roger Vaughan ; Henry Wogan son and heir5 ; Watkin Thomas, son of Roger Vaughan6 ; Ivan ap John of Merwyke ; David ap Jankyn 1 A charter to Neath abbey by the earl of Warwick, June 24, 1468, is witnessed by Sir Roger Vaughan, chanceUor, and Thomas ap Roger, coroner. Thomas, as we have seen, was slain in battle. Clark, op. cit. 2 See ante for grants to him in South Wales. 8 WiUiam of Worcester, Itinerarium, 119, says that he was slain at Bristol on the foUowing day. Warkworth says that it was Thomas Herbert that was slain there, and that this WUUam was of Brecknock. HaU says that ten others were executed, but does not give their names. 1 Probably John GwUym of Ytton. He and Thomas Lewis and Thomas ap Morgan were on a commission touching felonies in the lordship of Chepstow, May 11, 1467. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 29. 6 I am inclined to the opinion that Warkworth means the son and heir of Henry Wogan, i.e. the John Wogan mentioned by WUUam of Worcester. He was the son of Sir Henry Wogan and Margaret, daughter of Sir WiUiam ap Thomas. 8 He cannot be the son of Thomas ap Roger, for this Watcyn was addressed by Lewis Glyn Cothi (1. vi) together with his two brothers, after Banbury. Watcyn, son of Roger Vaughan, was slain in Herefordshire, perhaps at Mortimer's Cross. He is not specificaUy mentioned as having been at Banbury by either Glyn Cothi or Guto'r Glyn, though both mention Thomas. viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 185 of Lymerwyke ; John Dwnn of Kidwely ; Rice ap Morgan of Ilston ; Jankyn Perrott of Scottesburght ; John Contour of Hereford. Of these it is probable that Sir Roger Vaughan did not take part in the battle1 ; he certainly was not slain there, for Lewis Glyn Cothi calls upon him to avenge Banbury, and a few years later he was executed by Jasper at Chepstow. Nor was John Dwnn of Kidwely slain at Banbury, for he, too, played a prominent part later. When we contemplate this formidable hst of dead, The defeat comprising the cream of the aristocracy of a national South Wales, it is easy to understand why the defeat was regarded in Wales as a national calamity. It was not a party reverse. Of this there is no suggestion. " Let us hasten to the north to avenge our country. My nation is destroyed, now that the earl is slain " said Guto'r Glyn2. " This greatest of battles was lost by treachery ; at Banbury dire vengeance fell upon Wales " wrote Lewis Glyn Cothi3. The defeat con vulsed Wales more profoundly than any other battle in which the Welsh had hitherto been engaged, and evoked a universal outburst of fierce, passionate, and tearing rage. It is not difficult to explain the summary execution Warwick's °f Wilham Herbert by the earl of Warwick. conduct. ^ a critical period in Herbert's career it was Warwick, as we have seen, who supphed the bridge over which he passed to the Yorkist fold ; and Herbert had become the chief instrument in driving Warwick himself 1 Lewis Glyn Cothi, i. viu. He is not mentioned by WiUiam of Worcester. 2 Awn oU i ddial yn iaith Ar ddannedd y nordd uniaith. Ef am Uas i a'm nassiwn Yn awr y lias yr iarll hwn. Guto'r Glyn; Cein. Lien. Gymreig, 192-3. Y maes grymusa o gred, Ac o wall ef a goUed. Yn Manbri y bu'r dial Ar Gymmru deg, a mawr dal. Lewis Glyn Cothi, 1. 17. 186 WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY [ch. from that very fold. Edward had chosen to entrust to this meanest born of his courtiers the confidence which the NeviUes regarded as their right by birth, by wealth, and by power. Warwick could not forget the part played by Herbert in displacing his brother from the chancellorship. It was Herbert's informer, too, who had first openly accused Warwick of treachery. It was Herbert who had received the earldom of Pembroke which had long since become the heritage of scions of the royal house. Warwick had crossed the Rubicon with the avowed resolve of destroying him and his associates ; and having once launched his craft on a sea of disloyalty, he had no logical alternative but to remove his opponents. We do not thereby justify his rebeUion. But if the above considerations, and the death of Sir Henry Neville, gave Warwick sufficient cause for putting the earl of Pembroke to death, for the execution of Richard Herbert there was not a shadow of justification. This was the brood of malice. WiUiam Herbert was the ablest of those subtle advisers who stood around the royal person and gave the reign its most distinctive constitutional feature. Warwick, doubt less, with his glittering phalanx of retainers, dazzled his contemporaries ; but the statesmanship of the future was to move along the tortuous paths of intrigue, and to depend less on the armoury of feudalism than on the inteUectual equipment of royal favourites. The Tudor monarchy had not yet come, but Edward IV and Herbert were its harbingers. Herbert had many of the characteristics of Tudor ministers, not the least of which were his un popularity and his devotion to the king's service. He justified the confidence reposed in him even estimate of on military grounds ; for at the moment of greatest peril to the Yorkist dynasty he risked all while Hastings stood aloof and Lord Rivers took igno minious flight. His unpopularity was that of the parvenu who rises to eminence. The eminent churchman who viii] WARWICK AND HERBERT— BANBURY 187 said of another distinguished Welshman of the period, Reginald Pecock, that he was instigated by the devU, said of Herbert that he was a fierce oppressor of churchmen and others for many years1. But there appears no evidence to substantiate the aUegation. His interest in commerce coincided with that of Edward and may have inspired it. It certainly foreshadowed the basis on which England's greatness was to rest. It is easy to over-estimate racial characteristics in judging character. But there were moments in Herbert's career when the fire and impulsiveness of the Celt dominated his actions. There is hardly a historic paraUel to the fateful explosion of passion which took place on the roadside inn on the eve of Banbury, and culminated so tragicaUy on the morrow. On the other hand, the general tenor of his conduct along the perilous and giddy paths by which he ascended to power discloses a cool, calculating circum spection. The spite of fortune brought him into conflict with the most commanding of medieval barons, and few men would have dogged the track of a Warwick with such inflexible resolution. The son of a Welsh knight, he forged a career which made him the first statesman of a new era, and the most redoubtable antagonist of the last and most formidable of the old. 1 Brief Latin Chronicle, 183. Hie W. Harberde, gravissimus et op pressor et spoliator ecclesiasticorum et aUorum multorum per annos multos, hanc tandem, justi Dei judicio pro suis sceleribus et nequicus recepit mercedem. CHAPTER IX . THE RETURN OF JASPER TUDOR— THE COUNCIL OF THE PRINCE OF WALES A few days after the defeat of the royahsts at Edgecote Edward himself was taken prisoner at Olney, three miles west of KenUworth, and thence removed successively to Coventry, Warwick, and Middleham. That the king should thus unceremoniously be paraded over his kingdom at the whim of one of his subjects revealed the obhquity of the political situation. Comedy succeeded the tragic excesses of faction in close proximity. For the moment Warwick wielded official patronage Warwick's ^y "g^t of conquest, and the discomfiture interest of the most favoured among; his rivals put in Wales virtually within his gift a number of advanta geous positions in Wales. Lord Hastings recovered his former office of chamberlain of North Wales. He was made also constable of Beaumaris1. Severe as had been the strain upon his loyalty, the earl of Warwick in the moment of triumph displayed no vindictiveness. The events of the last few years, nevertheless, must have taught him that South Wales was a vast field of combustible material which he should have under his personal control, and his interest in the lordship of Glamorgan gave him a plausible excuse for seizing certain offices. He became justiciar and chamberlain of South Wales, constable of Cardigan and Carmarthen, steward of the two counties, and seneschal 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 165; August 12, 1469. ch. ix] WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR 189 of Cantref Mawr, the forest of Glyn Cothi, and of the Welsh courts1, offices which had been vacated by the death of Lord Herbert. Edward's incongruous position soon came to an end. He returned to London in October free from the tutelage of his proud subject, and immediately commenced operations with his usual vigour in a crisis. Eighteen months of strange flux and reflux of fortune followed. He sent the foUowing order to Lord Hastings within a few days of his arrival in the capital : " We charge you that ye make proclamations on our behalf in aU necessary places in the shires of Anglesey, Carnarvon, and Merioneth, that they obey the laws and pay their duties of the country ther yerely growing as hath been of old time due and accustomed, certifying us the names of those who were disobedient ; and inasmuch as we are informed that Sir Henry Bolde, sheriff of Anglesey, payeth not his duties belonging to his office of sheriff we charge you to put another in his place in that office unless he pays, until ye have other commands from us2." On November 7 Edward made his brother Richard Lord Ferrers chief justice of North Wales3. In South Wales of chaniey. he rehed largely upon Lord Ferrers of Chartley. This man had not figured conspicuously for some time, having been completely overshadowed by Lord Herbert. But he had served on a number of commissions ; in October Edward gave him a commission of array in the border counties, and a few weeks later the constableship and stewardship of Brecknock, Hay, and Huntingdon during the minority of the duke of Buckingham4, and power to seize the lands of rebels in the border counties. Lord Herbert's widow, a sister of Lord Ferrers, received the 1 Ibid. August 17, 1469. Rymer, xi. 647. 2 Welsh MSS. Brit. Museum; part 1. 1900, 26-7. Edward Owen. 8 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 179. In the previous year he had received the wardship of the lands of Sir Roger Corbet. Ibid. 1 Ibid. October-November, 1469. igo WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR [ch. custody of her late husband's lands during her son's minority1. The most consistent Yorkists in West Wales were the Revolts in Dwnns. In November John Dwnn was ap- west waies. pointed constable of Haverfordwest, and steward of Llanstephan and Cilgerran castles. The Lancastrian malcontents in this remote district chafed at the ominous rise of the family into favour, and the kindred of Griffith ap Nicholas under the leadership of his two grandsons, Morgan ap Thomas and Henry ap Thomas, seized Carmarthen and Cardigan castles and held them against royal authority2. Richard, duke of Gloucester, was caUed upon to deal with the danger, and we may presume that his intervention reached its mark. We cannot say whether the outbreak was incited by Warwick and Clarence, but in February the constableship of Cardigan was taken away from Warwick and given to the steady Yorkist Sir Roger Vaughan, whUe the duke of Gloucester now became chamberlain and steward of Cantref Mawr and the other estates of the duchy of Lancaster in those parts3. Further to strengthen his hands in Wales Edward gave John Dwnn, Ferrers, John Herbert, and the young earl of Pembroke power to array men for service, and Robert Griffith similar power in Shrop shire. Even Lewis Glyn Cothi urges Sir Roger Vaughan and his son Watkin to stir their kindred on behalf of Edward and to avenge Banbury4. 1 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 175, 204. Margaret, the wife of Sir Richard Herbert, was given custody of her son. She afterwards married John Herle. Lord Herbert, in a codicil which he added to his will on July 27, had given charge of his son, then nine years of age, to his brother Thomas Herbert, with a present of "two gilt pots that came last from London, and his great courser." Collins, Peerage, in. 113; Warkworth, 44; see also his wiU. John Herbert was one of his executors. 2 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 175, 180, 181. Hist. MSS. Commission Report, 1. 407. ' Cal. Pat. Rolls, December to February, 1469. 1 Dwnn married a daughter of Hastings. For the prominence of Dwnn in court functions see Record of " Bluemantle Pursuivant," in English Historical Literature of the Fifteenth Century, Kingsford. Young Pembroke was knighted in 1466. In 1470 he was invested with a number of his ix] WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR 191 Meanwhile there had become apparent symptoms of john impending trouble in various parts of the Dwnn. kingdom. The most serious outbreak took place in Lincolnshire early in March, under the leadership of Sir Robert WeUes, one of Warwick's henchmen. The rebels were scattered in an engagement afterwards known as Losecoat Field. Next day (March 13) "the king, nothing mistrusting the duke (Clarence) and the earl, sent from Stamford toward them John Dwnn, one of the squires of his body, with two letters in his own hand, telling them to come to him and disband their levies. John Dwnn found them at Coventry. The duke and the earl told him that they would come to the king with a thousand or at most fifteen hundred men. Dwnn, noticing that they were not going in the direction of the king, told them of it1." In fact they took the road to Burton to gather troops. Edward thereupon proclaimed them traitors. They fled to France, where the cynical Louis XI contrived Warwick t° bring them and Queen Margaret into hne. allies with The queen and Jasper met their new aUies at Amboise and came to an understanding — a sort of paradox which, though temporarily successful, produced another furious conflagration. The aUiance was sealed by the betrothal of Margaret's son to Warwick's daughter, Anne2. In due time Jasper and other Lancastrian leaders prepared to launch their craft on an unfathomable sea of uncertainties, piloted by their erstwhile enemy. They landed at Dartmouth on September 13 and proclaimed Henry king. Edward was taken unawares and, being deserted by his northern followers, narrowly escaped capture by crossing the sea. Warwick marched leisurely to London and restored Henry VI. For this reason, and for no other, father's offices. Ferrers was made sheriff of Carnarvon and master-forester of Snowdon in 1470. Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. Wethamstede, n. 103. Rymer, xi. 656. Lewis Glyn Cothi, 1. vui. 1 Rebelhon in Lincolnshire, Camden Miscellany, 1. 10—12, No. 39. 2 Warkworth, 12. Polydore Vergil, 13 1-2. 192 WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR [ch. can the earl of Warwick be caUed the king-maker. For, as we have seen, he cannot justly claim to have placed Edward IV on the throne. When Edward The title of . ., "King^ was proclaimed king, Warwick was virtuaUy a fugitive seeking shelter beneath his standard. To attribute the victory of Towton to Warwick is to discount unjustifiably the generalship of Edward who was admittedly the better soldier. And with regard to this second en thronement of Henry, it was so fleeting that a title based upon it becomes a grotesque caricature. The government of the kingdom now devolved upon jasper in Warwick and Jasper Tudor. The latter; with Wales. discerning promptitude, returned to Wales. We find him at Monmouth on December 16, writing to his devoted foUower, John Puleston, appointing him sheriff of Flint " for his good services1." On January 23 he was commissioned to array South Wales and the Marches. On February 14 he took the constableship of Gloucester2. At Pembroke he found his nephew Henry, earl of Richmond, " who was kept in manner hke a captive but weU and honourably educated by Lady Herbert3." The tale runs that he took him to London and presented him to Henry who foretold that he would heal the breach between the factions. This prophecy was of course manufactured after the accession of the Tudors. In March, 1471, Edward returned, landing at Ravenspur. With cool audacity he prevaUed upon the citizens of York to receive him, not as king, but as a loyal subject of Henry VI. He then passed on by a circuitous route to London, which he reached on April 11. 1 The original letter is printed in Arch. Cambrensis, I. i. 146-7. 2 Rymer, xi. 680-1. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 233, 236, 252. 8 HaU, 285-7. Polydore, 134-5. According to a petition of Sir Richard Corbet to Henry VII, Corbet brought Richmond to Hereford after the death of Lord Herbert at Banbury, and there handed him over to J:asper. But Jasper was out of England during that campaign. If it refers to 1471 the petition is very vague and loose. Owen and Blakeway, Shrews bury, 1. 248. ix] WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR 193 His backsliding brother Clarence had now come over to his side. Three days later, on Easter day, Edward and Warwick met at Barnet. After a few hours' fight Edward's strategy prevailed and the earl was slain. That afternoon Edward marched back to London in triumph. He was accompanied by the young earl of Pembroke1. The victory kindled a bright flame of enthusiasm in Wales; for Guto'r Glyn, one of the most representative writers of the period, regarded it as an occasion for national rejoicing and the death of Warwick as just retribution for the death of Herbert2. Margaret landed at Weymouth on the day of Barnet. Her chances of success, now very remote, depended largely on her being able to unite her forces with those of Jasper Tudor in Wales. The latter had raised Herefordshire and had seized the castles of Richard Grey, Lord Powys. Edward relied upon Sir Roger Vaughan assisted by Devereux, Roger Kynaston, and Richard Corbet, to thwart the efforts of Jasper, while he himself, having assembled a great muster at Windsor, advanced by long, rapid strides against Margaret8. News of the crushing blow to her cause at Barnet reached the queen soon after her landing. At Cerne abbey she took counsel with Somerset and other Lancastrian leaders. It is generaUy assumed that Jasper came from Wales to take part in the conference. But contemporary writers are silent with regard to any such movement on his part, and such an enterprise was practicaUy impossible in so short a time ; for only nineteen days intervened between Margaret's landing and the battle of Tewkesbury, 1 Political Songs and Poems, n. 280. 2 Ode to Roger Kynaston : Llyma faes llawen fu ynn Ar ddyw Pasc arwydd paham I dialedd Duw WiUiam. "This was a happy victory. On Easter day God avenged WiUiam." The poem adds that Roger went to meet Edward on his return from abroad. 8 Cal. Pat. RoUs, March-April. Rymer, xi. 681. E. w. R. 13 194 WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR [ch. which hardly sufficed for the news to reach Jasper in Wales and for him to travel to the south of England and again return to levy troops. Having gathered a considerable army in Somerset, Tewkesbury, Wilts, and Dorset, the Lancastrians marched May 4,1471. towards Gloucester "trusting to be assisted by Welshmen by means of Jasper Tudor who had been sent to array them1." But Edward came across their path at Tewkesbury, and completely routed them. Margaret was taken ; and her son Edward, who seems to have faUen into the hands of Sir Richard Croft, was slain. So also weish was Wilham Hanmer, probably a member of knights. that devoted North Wales Lancastrian house2. But Wales was more conspicuously represented on the side of the victors. John Dwnn and Roger Kynaston were knighted on the field of battle3. The hopes of Lancaster once more found refuge in Wales. jasper's In spite of the vicissitudes of a long and bitter activity. experience Jasper's faith in the ultimate success of his cause remained constant and undimmed. It was his lot again to avoid the zone of greatest peril, and with prescient wisdom he rescued his party from a third con secutive calamity. He was at Chepstow on his way to join the queen when he received news of the fight at Tewkesbury. To retrace his steps and spin new webs was therefore the better course. Rumours of risings in other parts of the country prevented Edward advancing to Wales, though spies had kept him well informed about the movements of the Welsh Lancastrians4. He commissioned Sir Roger 1 Arrival of King Edward IV, 22-27, HaU, 297. Croyland Continuator. 2 Paston Letters, m. 8-9. 8 Kynaston was made sheriff of Merionethshire for Ufe in 1473, a former grant to him of that office having been annulled by a grant made in the same parliament to the Prince of Wales. He also became constable of Harlech. Paston Letters, in. 8-9. Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. * Restoration of Edward IV, 27. Polydore, 154-5. HaU, 302-3. As we have seen he was commissioned to array South Wales for Edward on April 25. See a poem on Roger Vaughan by Huw Cae Llwyd. ix] WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR 195 Vaughan "a man there both strong of people and of friends to the intent by some guile or engine suddenly to surprise and trap the earl." But Jasper was sufficiently powerful to overawe South Wales. He seized Roger Vaughan and put him to death at Chepstow. But the bishop of Llandaff, who seems to have assisted Jasper, lost the temporalities of his see, though on the accession of Henry VII Jasper gave ample proofs of reciprocal gratitude in lavish grants to the cathedral, which still cherishes his name1. From Chepstow Jasper retreated to Pembroke. It has been said that he was there besieged "with ditch and trench" by Morgan ap Thomas, a grandson of Griffith ap Nicholas, and a supposed adherent of the House of York ; and that Morgan's brother David, a Lancastrian, contrived to gather a strong force, securing many of his brother's supporters by disseminating a false report that Morgan did not reaUy wish to capture Jasper, but only to make a pretence of investing him ; and that thus with the assistance of a rude rabble armed with hooks, prongs, and glaives, he succeeded in rescuing him after a siege of eight days2. But it may be well to observe that this family had been consistent sup porters of Jasper, and that only in the previous December this Morgan ap Thomas had given conspicuous manifesta tions of hostility to Edward's government. Moreover, if Jasper could have held his own in East Wales where the Herberts and Vaughans were all-powerful, he was not likely to find much difficulty in the west. Jasper sailed from Tenby to Brittany, taking with him his nephew, the earl of Richmond. They found refuge with Duke Francis II3. The escape of Henry, which proved 1 Rymer. Proceedings of the Privy Council. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 1471. Cardiff Records, iv. 40. Jasper gave the beUs to Llandaff cathedral, and to numerous churches in Glamorgan: Cardiff, Cowbridge, Aberdare, Llantwit, St Fagans, GelUgaer, Llancarvan, etc. 2 Polydore, 155-6. Hall, 302-3. 8 Restoration of Edward IV. Warkworth seems to suggest that Henry of Richmond had come over from France with Jasper and Warwick. Stowe states that Jasper found him at Raglan. See also Polydore, 158-9, and note above. 13 — 2 196 WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR [ch. to be a far more momentous stroke than Jasper could have foreseen, was galling to Edward, who made Tasper and Richmond immediate efforts to get hold of him and his elusive uncle. He sent secret messengers to the duke of Brittany, offering lavish rewards for their apprehension and dehvery ; to which the duke rephed that he could not honourably surrender them, but promised to guard them vigilantly so as to prevent them engaging in any movement hostUe to Edward's government. Edward sent again "promising yearly to reward him with a fuU hand and a weU-stuffed purse." A rumour took wing that Edward was likely to succeed before the year was out: "Men say that the king wiU have dehvery of him (Jasper) hastUy ; and some say that the king of France wiU see him safe and shaU set him at liberty again1." During the next few years Edward's friends in Wales obtained their rewards2- Robert Dwnn was made constable of Cardigan. John, earl of Shrewsbury, became chief justice of North Wales, with power to suppress rebels. The earl of Pembroke entered into most of his father's offices " without proof of age3." Wilham Vaughan received an annuity from Glasbury and other manors in Brecknock. Others who received favours were : Thomas Vaughan, son and heir of Sir Roger Vaughan ; David Middleton ; John Howel of Montgomery ; Wilham Herbert, son and heir of Sir Richard Herbert4 ; Sir John Dwnn ; Hugh Conway ; Rice , Griffith ; Richard ap Rhys ; and Lord Ferrers of Chartley. The Stanleys were invested with considerable power in 1 Paston Letters, Sept. 28, 1471, and November 4, 1472, in. 59. Issues, 11 Edward IV. HaU, 302-3. Polydore, 158-9. 2 Rot. Pari. 12-13 Edward IV, 46-76, and passim. Cal. Pat. RoUs, June-August, 1471. 8 He shared with the duke of Gloucester the offices of chief justice and chamberlain of South Wales. Cal. Pat. Rolls, 275 etc. * In July 1471, John Devereux and John Herbert were ordered to find out what lands belonged to the late Richard Herbert in Herefordshire. They both with Thomas Perot, John Wynne, Thomas Vaughan (son of Sir Roger Vaughan), and Thomas Morgan were on various commissions of array in Wales and the borders in 1472. ix] WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR 197 North Wales and Anglesey. On August 27, 1471, Lord Ferrers and the earl of Pembroke were given authority to pardon all rebels except Jasper Tudor, the earl of Exeter, John Owen, Hugh MuUe, and Thomas Fitzharry1. The chief interest of the latter part of the reign of Edward The ad- IV in its bearing upon Wales lies in the attempts o?thetrat'on made to secure a more effective administration Marches. 0f f^g iaw_ -p^e government of Wales was a thorny question, and Edward was no doubt conscious of the magnitude of the task of initiating reforms. Since the time when Earl Warrenne defied Edward I with a rusty sword no king had seriously contemplated any radical changes in the administration of the Marches. The privy councU of Henry VI groped along many obscure paths before it hit upon the principle of a separate council, which adumbrated what proved to be the real solution. But though the shaft traveUed in the right direction it had not sufficient momentum to reach its aim. Years of almost incessant warfare had now wrought abiding change. Though the traditional privileges of the lord-marcher were not yet effete, and alien officials were as narrow and irascible as ever, the numbers of the former had ominously declined, whereas the opponents of the latter had gathered sufficient confidence to render the irritating anti-Welsh laws an anachronism. Moreover, Wales had almost become one vast lordship-marcher. The broad lands of the duchy of Lancaster had faUen to the Yorkist Edward. The rich lordship of Glamorgan had met a similar fate. So that the king, already lord of the Mortimer estates, stood unassaUable even as a lord-marcher, his only imposing rival being the duke of Buckingham. As the chief -seat of the Mortimers was Ludlow, that town became a sort of capital for Wales and the Marches when Edward conceived the happy idea of making it a residence for the Prince of Wales, to whom he gave a 1 Rymer, xi. 719. 198 WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR [ch. separate court. The heir-apparent was created Prince of Wales on Tune 26, 1471. He was then nine The Council J ' , ~" , , of the Prince years of age. In July1 he received a formal grant of the principality of Wales and the counties-palatine of Chester and Flint ; and a council was assigned to him for the management of his household and the general control of his education, the chief members of which were the queen, the archbishop of Canterbury, the dukes of Clarence and Gloucester, Earl Rivers, Lord Hastings, and Thomas Vaughan, the prince's chamberlain. Any four of these could form a quorum, and their authority was to continue tiU the prince was fourteen years of age2. The position of Edward as the most considerable of the lords-marcher would naturaUy invest the council with authority over the greater part of Wales. And there was plenty of work to do, for the volcanoes of anarchy were active. In July it was reported that " the Walyshemen be busy ; what they meane I can not seye " ; whUe in the foUowing January the king himself intended going to Wales3. Further general instructions were issued to the councU in February, 1473. In the spring of the same year its activity was directed specificaUy to the pacification of the Marches. This appears to have been its first organised' effort in the suppression of disorder. The circumstances were as foUows : "On account of the robberies and murders especiaUy in the counties of Hereford and Salop as well by men of those shires as by men of the Marches of Wales, for which before 1 July 17, 1471. The councU was ordained on July 8. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 283. 2 Other members were Robert StiUington, bishop of Bath and WeUs, the abbot of Westminster, Lord Dacres, Sir John Fogge, Sir John Scotte, John Alcock, and Richard Forster. The appointment of Thomas Vaughan as chamberlain to the prince "who is so young and tender of age that he cannot guide himself" is noted again in January, 1474. In July of that year record is made of a house buUt by him at great cost within Westminster abbey for him and the prince. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 414, 455. Grants of Edward V, vm. For other ordinances see HaUiweU, Letters of the Kings of England, I. • Paston Letters, ill. 11. ix] WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR 199 there was no penalty or remedy, the king sent his queen and the prince with many lords spiritual and temporal, and judges, as commissioners to inquire and determine these defaults ; and furthermore for the reformation of the same within the said shires." The lords put their commission into execution at Hereford. Inquiries were made by a grand jury of 18 knights and squires in one inquest ; "which persons with great difficulty and long tarrying at last appeared before the said commissioners, and before taking oaths said openly in the presence of the commissioners that they dared not tell the truth for dread of murder, and to be mischieved in their own houses, considering the great number of misdoers and the bearers up of the same." Before presenting they demanded a special pledge "of the king's good grace and assistance of the lords," and a promise that the persons presented should not be lightly dehvered without due examination. Certain individuals were thereupon indicted before William Alyngton, justice of the peace for Hereford, and the records were delivered to the king's bench. In spite of this, at the sessions held at Ross, in Hereford shire, "on the Thursday before the Feast of AU Hallows," 1473, before Thomas Braynton and John Wynne, justices of gaol delivery, a number of miscreants were secretly acquitted1. There is no reason to suppose that the lawlessness here Rhys aP referred to had anything to do with the decrepit Thomas. cause of Lancaster, or with the machinations of the duke of Clarence who was now restive and quarrelsome2. It was probably nothing more than a local riot. Miles ap Harry of Newcourt, the only man of position among the 1 Rot. Pari. vi. 159-60. Cal. Pat. RoUs, 366. Paston Letters, in. 83. Their names were MUes ap Harry, Robert ap Rosser, John Vawr, Morgan Vaughan, Henry ap Roger, and about eighteen others, mostly yeomen and labourers. 2 Ramsay seems to associate the two. It wiU be recoUected that the duke of Clarence, in spite of his previous desertion and subsequent re conciliation with Edward, quarreUed again with his brother, and was put to death. 200 WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR [ch. accused, had been an associate of the Herberts in similar trouble in 1457. He received a formal pardon in June, 1473. There was also some trouble in West Wales where Rhys ap Thomas, grandson of Griffith ap Nicholas, who afterwards figured prominently in the general history of the times, took the lead. One of the charges against him on this occasion was that he entered into his inheritance without licence1. These events, if only of local significance, were not without anxiety to Edward, for in the Easter of this year the prince and his court could not leave Wales2. In the winter there was further disorder in which the Herberts were concerned ; and an order was issued to Lord Rivers, Walter Devereux, John Devereux, and Richard Croft to array the county of Hereford to suppress them "because they did not appear before the king and council when summoned, to answer for divers offences committed by them in Wales and the Marches, but withdrew to Wales and stirred up rebelhon3." In 1475 we have another iUuminating document : "Whereas there have been perpetrated great and heinous complaints of robberies, murders, manslaughters, ravishing of women, burning of houses by the inhabitants of the Marches and now of late by errant thieves and rebeUious of Oswestry hundred and Chirksland ; for redress of same I am commanded to assemble the people to punish the misdoers, and I entrust Thomas, marquis of Dorset and Richard Grey, knight, to do the same. Therefore aU men in your bailiwick between 60 and 16 should array them selves as soon as possible4." ,1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 360, 388. 2 Paston Letters, in. 83, April 2, 1473. 3 Cal. Pat. RoUs, February, 1474. The rebels were WiUiam Herbert, John Herbert, and Thomas Herbert, two natural sons; and John and Roger, two sons of Roger Vaughan. Paston Letters, m. 107. For the Welshmen who took part in Edward's expedition to France in 1475 see Rymer, 846. 4 Letter of Prince Edward to the Shrewsbury bailiffs from Ludlow, June 8, 1475. Owen and Blakeway's Shrewsbury, 252. ix] WARWICK AND JASPER TUDOR 201 The king summoned the council of the prince to be at Ludlow on March 24, 1476, to discuss with Concentration '' " of authority the lords of the Marches, to whom the king had sent separately, the best means of restoring order, intimating that he would be there after Easter1. In 1478 he required the earl of Pembroke to exchange that earldom for that of Huntingdon, assigning as his reason that it was "for the reformation of the weie pubhque, restfuU governance, and ministration of justice in South Wales ; and for the satisfaction of grete and notable sommes of money diewe by the said earl of Huntingdon' ' to the king2. The earldom of Pembroke was given to the Prince of Wales. With a similar object the king purchased Holt castle from Lord Abergavenny. These fragmentary details serve to prove how active were they who would establish the negation of order. They manifest also a sincere desire on the part of Edward to evolve order out of chaos. And there seems no doubt that he was to some extent successful, for we hear very httle of riots and disorder during the last few years of his reign. 1 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 574. 2 Rot. Pari. 203. Lords Report, Appendix, v. 417, 419. Ramsay, 11. 431. See also Cal. Pat. RoUs, 566. In the ordinances for the prince's councU in 1473 a more special charge was given to Rivers and John Alcock than in 1471. In November of that year Rivers was made the prince's governor and Alcock the president of the councU. In January, 1476, the prince was made justiciar of Wales ; and in December he was given power to appoint justices in the principaUty and the Marches. In 1478 the councU drew up certain regulations for the better government of Shrewsbury. See the Cymmrodor, xn.-xv. Welsh MSS., British Museum, Part 1. 1900. CHAPTER X HENRY, EARL OF RICHMOND, AND THE MARCH TO BOSWORTH We need not enter into the general history of the reign of Richard III, except in so far as that may be necessary to explain events in Wales. At the time of his father's death Prince Edward was at Ludlow with his uncle Earl Rivers, Sir Thomas Vaughan " an aged knight1," and other members of his council. They left immediately for London. Richard, duke of Gloucester, who was at York, also hurried to the capital. At Northampton he met Henry, duke of Bucking ham, "with whom the duke of Gloucester had long confer ence, in so muche that as is commonly beheved he even then discovered to Henry his intent of usurping the king dom2." Buckingham had hved in obscurity during Edward IV's reign although he had married the queen's sister, Catherine Woodville. The prince's party had reached Stony Stratford when Rivers and Vaughan were seized by Gloucester and the councU of the prince dismissed. The queen, on being informed of these proceedings, took sanctuary at West minster. Shortly after reaching London Richard was made Protector. He was assisted in his designs by Lord Stanley, the son of the man who was guilty of double-dealing at Bioreheath. Stanley was justiciar of Chester, and he had married Margaret, the countess of Richmond. He was thus step-father to Henry Tudor. 1 Croyland Continuator, 486; miles seniUs aetatis. 2 Polydore, 174. ch. x] HENRY TUDOR 203 But of Richard's accomplices the most favoured was the The duke of Buckingham. In his anxiety to carry dukeof the duke with him Richard sacrificed the Buckingham. advantages which Edward IV had gained m Wales by concentrating authority in royal hands, for he made Buckingham chief justice and chamberlain of North and South Wales, and constable of all the royal castles in Wales and the border counties — Carmarthen, Pembroke, Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Tenby, Dynevor, CUgerran, Llanstephan, Wal wyn's Castle, Haverfordwest, Narberth, BuUth, Monmouth, Usk, Caerleon, Dinas, Ewyas Lacy, Ludlow, Clifford, Radnor, Montgomery, Wigmore, Carnarvon, Conway, Beau maris, Harlech, Denbigh, and Holt ; he had -power to garrison these forts, to appoint sheriffs and other officials ; to take the customs at Tenby and Milford ; and to levy troops. He was made steward and seneschal of the vast Mortimer estates and of the lands of the duchy of Lancaster1. Certain precautionary measures were taken to secure the effective transference of this authority. Thus Richard sent the foUowing order to the auditors of Wales: "We considering that the due shaU sustain great costs in executing his authority have granted that he have and retain in his own hands such money as he shall receive to our use by reason of the said office of chamberlain." The inhabitants of Gower were charged to vacate aU offices in that seigniory, to take the duke of Buckingham as their ruler, and to suffer any whom he would appoint to enter into their tasks "peasibly without interruption." Hugh Bulkeley, the deputy-constable of Conway, was not disposed to acquiesce in the new arrangements, and Richard wrote to Hugh's father, Wilham, teUing him to see that his son gave up possession of the castle. A mandate was given to the people of Carnarvonshire to assist the duke as their sheriff. 1 Rymer, xii. 180. Grants of Edward V, 7-10, May 15. Ibid. 13. 204 HENRY TUDOR [ch. Somewhat similar measures were taken in Pembroke and the Forest of Dean1. Meanwhile the revolution which Richard and Buckingham Richard contemplated was rapidly maturing, and the becomes latter summoned troops from Wales. The young king was now removed to the Tower and dis appeared. Richard preferred a charge of treason against Lord Hastings and summarily put him to death. John Morton, bishop of Ely, who might have proved an obstacle, was sent to Brecon a prisoner. A few days later the queen was prevailed upon to give up her second son, the duke of York, who was with her in sanctuary. Buckingham received him in Westminster Hall and handed him over to Richard, by whom he was placed in the Tower to share his brother's fate. Then Shaw preached a notorious sermon in St Paul's advocating the claims of Richard to the throne ; after which Buckingham held a meeting of the citizens in the GuUdhaU where he made an eloquent appeal to the Protector to accept the crown. Richard thereupon became king on June 26. About the same time Sir Thomas Vaughan was put to death at Pontefract, Lord Rivers having suffered a similar fate2. Buckingham continued to advance in favour. In June he was made great chamberlain, and shone conspicuously at the coronation festivities. It was he who bore the king's train in the procession from the palace to the abbey. In July his powers in Wales were confirmed and he became constable of England. He accompanied the king in his progress westwards immediately after the coronation, but at Gloucester he took leave of Richard and retired to Brecon. His departure was the beginning of Richard's anxieties3. 1 Grants of Edward V, May. Excerpta Historica, 17. Richard WiUiams was constable of St Briavel in the Forest of Dean. In Pembroke the king reUed upon Richard Newton, Richard Mynors, Hugh Huntley, and the Perot famUy. 2 Polydore, 182. A monument was erected to Vaughan in the chapel of St Paul's, Westminster Abbey. » Cal. Pat. RoUs, July 15. Hall, 382. x] HENRY TUDOR 205 From that moment Henry Tudor, earl of Richmond, Hen becomes the central figure in the opposition to eari of' the new king: Buckingham and Morton had Richmond. , , n not been long together at Brecon before they agreed upon a combined movement to dethrone Richard, place Henry on the throne, and marry him to Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV. The late king, as we have seen, had made repeated attempts to get hold of Henry. In 1476 he had sent Dr Styllington and two others to Brittany "laden with great substance of gold, and that his demand might seem more honest he commanded them to teU the duke that he desired earl Henry because he might make some match with him in marriage, by affinity, whereof the roots of the adverse faction might be utterly pulled up." The duke at first refused, but "at the last, wearied with prayer and vanquished with price, he delivered the earl to the ambassadors, not supposing that he had committed the sheep to the wolf, but the son to the father, as one who thought that king Edward meant simply to marry with Henry, Elizabeth, his eldest daughter." Richmond was taken to St Malo whence he was to be shipped to England. But at that place Henry was overtaken by fever " through agony of mind" which necessitated the postponement of the voyage across the channel. Meanwhile it was represented to the duke by John Chenlet what was likely to be the fate of Henry if he fell into Edward's hands, for Henry VI had recently been put to death. In consequence of these representations the duke once more yielded and sent Peter Landois "who, counterfeiting some business, while that by long talk devised of purpose he hindered them of their intended voyage, he caused earl Henry, almost dead, to be brought politicly into a most sure sanctuary within the said town and not long after reduced him again to the duke1.!' Henry and his Lancastrian friends were now joined by the Woodvilles whom Richard's tyranny had sent abroad. 1 Polydore, 164-6; Hall, 322-3; Rymer, xn. 22-24. 206 HENRY TUDOR [ch. Soon after his accession, therefore, Richard sent Thomas Hutton to Brittany instructing him to propose a conference on commercial affairs between England and the duchy and "to understand the mind and disposition of the duke anent Sir Richard Woodville and his retinue, and to enserche and know if there be intended any enterprise out of land upon any part of this realm, certifying with all dihgence aU the news and disposition there from time to time1." Some weeks elapsed before the duke replied that the king of France had made him substantial offers for the delivery of Henry and threatening war if he refused ; and that alone the duke would not be able to withstand the might of- France, but would be compeUed to deliver Henry unless Richard sent him 4000 English archers paid for six months, and if necessary 2000 or 3000 more at the duke's expense. If Richard agreed to this he would await the fortunes of war rather than deliver Henry2. Whether the duke was sincere in his protestations may be doubted ; for he actuaUy authorised his treasurer to lend Henry ten thousand crowns of gold to enable him to join Buckingham's enterprise against Richard. The causes which led Buckingham to desert Richard Buckingham's are obscure. It has been said that the king conspiracy. had refused him the Lancastrian half of the Bohun estates in the Marches3, which had become vested in the Crown, the other half being already held by Buckingham as heir of Eleanor Bohun and Thomas of Woodstock. But Richard had virtually conceded this demand in July. It is probable that, being aware of the murder of the two princes in the Tower, Buckingham joined a widespread conspiracy which had already been set on foot by the Lancastrians and 1 Letters, etc., Richard III, 1. 22-23. Polydore, 191. 2 Letters, etc., 39-43; 54. 3 Humphrey Bohun, earl of Hereford, left two daughters, Mary and Eleanor. Mary married Henry IV, and so her part of the inheritance had become vested in the Crown. Eleanor married Thomas of Woodstock earl of Buckingham, and her portion had descended to Henry, the present- duke of Buckingham. x] HENRY TUDOR 207 the discontented WoodviUes to place Edward V on the throne ; and that plan having fallen through by the death of Edward, he entered into Morton's project at Brecon of placing Henry of Richmond on the throne. It is certain that while Buckingham and Morton were maturing their plans in Wales, Queen Ehzabeth and Henry's mother, Margaret, were plotting in London on the same lines through the medium of a learned Welsh physician named Lewis. When the queen had fuUy concurred Margaret summoned her friends, raised money, and appointed her servant Reginald Bray to be her chief agent in the con spiracy. She sent Hugh Conway to Brittany with a large sum of money, telhng him to advise Henry "to arrive in Wales where he should find aid in readiness." When Richard became aware of the conspiracy Buckingham was summoned to court but excused himself " alleging infirmity of stomach1." On October 15 Richard issued a proclama tion against him. Three days later there were simultaneous revolts at Exeter, Salisbury, and Brecon. From Brecon the duke marched towards the Severn with an army of Welshmen "whom he as a sore and hard-dealing man had brought to the field against their wiUs and without any lust to fight for him, rather by rigorous commandment than for money2." Buckingham's movements were made known to Richard who contrived that armed men should be set around him. In Wales the king rehed upon Thomas, son of Sir Roger Vaughan, and his kinsmen. They were to hang on his rear if he should endeavour to advance from Brecon across the border, while Humphrey Stafford was to watch the passes over the Wye and the Severn. Buckingham managed to 1 Polydore, 195-8. Croyland, 491-2. For Hugh Conway see ante. He was treasurer at Calais under Henry VII. He was previously keeper of the wardrobe, and in i486 commissioner of mines. Letters of Richard III, etc. 1. 231; Campbell, 1. 26, 317. Rot. Pari. 250, 361. Reginald Bray was afterwards knighted. Rot. Pari. 342. 2 Polydore, 199. Croyland. Rot. Pari. vi. 245. 208 HENRY TUDOR [ch. reach Weobley, the home of Lord Ferrers1, where he had to remain for ten days on account of the floods, which carried away bridges, and otherwise made it impossible for him to cross into England. Gradually this enforced inactivity demoralised his army which, having fingered idly and without money, victuals, or wages, suddenly departed. Morton made good his escape to Brittany. Buckingham fled in disguise to Shrewsbury, and was sheltered for some time by Ralph Bannister. Being discovered he was brought to Richard at Salisbury by John Mytton, sheriff of Shrop shire, and executed in the market-place there2. It appears that Buckingham had shown favour to the The Vaughans and might reasonably have counted vaughans. upon their assistance. But no sooner was he weU out of reach than they attacked Brecon and robbed the place. ' 'Before my Lord of Buckingham departed out of Weobley Brecon was robbed, and the young ladies and gentlemen were brought to Sir Thomas Vaughan's place, the traitor who was the captain of the said robbing, with Roger Vaughan of Talgarth his brother, and Watkin Vaughan his brother, and John Vaughan ; having been rewarded by my lord every one of them, and the least of them had £zo of fee of my lord with other diverse gentlemen which some been alive and some dead3." The Vaughans then went in pursuit of the duke and Sir WUIiam Knyvett, a gentleman whom Richard had made steward of Castle Rising4. After the duke had been taken they searched for Lord Stafford and Sir Wilham Knyvett, both of whom were in the keeping of Elizabeth Delabeare and William ap Symon. His friends had shaved Lord Staf ford's head, dressed him in a maiden's raiment, and conveyed him to Newchurch. They fetched him and Knyvett again 1 Croyland, 491-2. Ferrers does not seem to have participated. 2 HaU. Rymer, xn. 240. Owen and Blakeway's Shrewsbury, 236-7. 3 Document in Owen and Blakeway, 241. 4 Grants of Edward V, 1. 18. x] HENRY TUDOR 209 to Kynnardsley and kept them there untU David Llywelyn Morgan1 came and placed Delabeare under arrest. But Elizabeth and WiUiam ap Symon stealthUy conveyed the fugitives to Adeley where they remained four days. Then there came a great army out of Wales, but eventuaUy Stafford and his companion escaped to Hereford, " Stafford riding behind WiUiam ap Symon aside upon a pillow like a gentlewoman rode in gentlewoman's apparel2." It is necessary here to remove a slight misapprehension. Sir Roger Vaughan of Tretower, the father of Thomas Vaughan, was slain not, as has been supposed, at Edgecote, but at Chepstow by Jasper Tudor in 1471. The assist ance given by this family to Richard is the subject of an ode by Lewis Glyn Cothi, where it is stated that Vaughan, having given valiant support to Edward, would help Richard to keep the Rose3. The attitude he took up was not unnatural in view of the circumstances in which he was now placed. The extraordinary authority with which Richard had vested Buckingham in Wales was a serious menace to the smaller gentry, and particularly to the Vaughans, not only in Brecknock but also in Gower, where Thomas Vaughan was lord of Oxwich4. Men hke WUIiam Herbert and Jasper Tudor could appeal to a strong national sentiment ; Buck ingham had no such qualification. Moreover, throughout the reign of Edward IV the Vaughans and the Herberts had 1 This Morgan was afterwards made constable of Hay. Welsh MSS., Brit. Museum. 2 Stafford MSS. n. 24. The three brothers Vaughan were pardoned by Henry VII. Campbell, Materials, etc. 1. 408. 3 Lewis Glyn Cothi, 1. xv : Cryv oedd ar gadoedd, deunaw gwart gadarn, Gyda'r brenin Edwart; A chwedi ev o awch dart, I gadw rhos gyda Rhisiart. The editor misinterprets the poem on account of his faUure to dis tinguish between this Vaughan and the Thomas Vaughan executed at Pontefract. 1 Glamorgan Charters, v. 1713. Gower was part of the confiscated estates of PhiUip Mansel, which had been given to Sir Roger Vaughan. Polydore Vergil, as we have seen, suggests that Buckingham had been oppressive. E. w. R. 14 210 HENRY TUDOR [ch. been Yorkist, and to this was attributable the predominance they now enjoyed. Buckingham's sympathies, on the other hand, had been Lancastrian, and his sudden rise could not have been welcome to the earl of Huntingdon (WiUiam Herbert). Huntingdon was actually justiciar of South Wales when the position was given to Buckingham. After the latter's death the office was again given to him as well as the stewardship of Usk, Caerleon, Ewyas-Lacy, and other Mortimer-Lancastrian estates in South-east Wales x. Thomas Vaughan became steward of Brecknock, while Roger Vaughan received PenkeUy in Brecknock and Brynllys in Radnor2. In West Wales, Rhys ap Thomas received an annuity of forty marks, while Richard Wilhams became constable of Pembroke, Tenby, Cilgerran, Haverfordwest, and Manorbier. Apart from the above grant, which was not given to him immediately after the rebellion, there is no authority for 1 Welsh MSS., British Museum, 350 seq. Cal. Pat. RoUs. 2 The following were also rewarded by Richard: John Huddleston, offices in Monmouthshire; Thomas ap Morgan, ^40; PhiUp ap Rhys, parcel of Knighton ; Morris ap Rhys, portreeve of Presteign; John Edwards, constable of Usk. Annuities varying from forty marks to ^100, receivable from the lordship of Usk were granted to Sir Thomas Bowles, John ap Jankyn, William Lewis, Morgan Gamage, WiUiam Herbert of Raglan, Robert ap Jankyn, Phillip ap Morgan, PhiUp Kemys of Shirehampton, Morgan Rhydderch, Edward ap Jankyn, John Morgan, PhiUp Kemys of Caerwent, and Morris Lewis. Annuities from Abergavenny to John Vaughan, John Thomas, Rice Llywelyn ap Morgan, and David PhiUp. Annuities from Monmouth to Hopkyn ap Howel, PhiUp Herbert, WiUiam Herbert esquire of the body, John Hewes, and WiUiam Serjeaunt. Others in South Wales were Walter Endreby of Kidwely, William Kemys of Newport, and Walter Wynston of Ewyas. The foUowing found favour in North Wales: Richard Vaughan received Aber in Carnarvonshire and Kemes in Anglesey, David Vaughan several offices in those two counties, Hugh Lloyd offices in Carnarvon and Merionethshire, WilUam Hanmer the wardship of Robert Puleston, Thomas Tunstall constable of Conway, Sir Richard Huddleston constable of Beaumaris, Sir Roger Kynaston constable of Harlech and sheriff of Merionethshire with payment for sixty soldiers at Harlech, Thomas Salesbury constable of Denbigh with twelve soldiers, Lord Powys an annuity of £100, Sir William Stanley chamberlain of Cheshire and constable of Carnarvon, WilUam Griffith an annuity. William Griffith was one of the ushers of the chamber. Edward IV had given him the fee farm of Monmouth. Ievan ap Tudor ap Owen received protection. Welsh MSS., British Museum. Cf. Gairdner, Richard III, appendix, 342. Rot. Pari. 22 Edward IV, 203, for grant to Herbert. x] HENRY TUDOR 211 Gairdner's statement that Rhys ap Thomas gave active assistance to Richard. It is true that the Attitude of Rhys ap' " Life " of Rhys in the Cambrian Register sug gests that he was won over through the medium of the countess of Richmond's physician, Lewis, but there is so much deliberate fabrication in that document that it would be dangerous to place any reliance whatever upon it1. Meanwhile the earl of Richmond had set sail from Henry,s Brittany with a fleet of fifteen vessels. For adventures. SOme reason he had been delayed ; and when at last he took to sea his ships were scattered by a violent tempest which drove some of them back on the French coast and others on to the coast of Cornwall and Devon. Henry, however, succeeded in coming to anchor off Poole or Plymouth about the time that Richard had reached Exeter (November 12th). Henry "seeing the shore beset with soldiers which king Richard had everywhere disposed, commanded that no man should land before the residue of his ships should come together. While he tarried he sent out a boat to see whether they were his friends who were arrayed on land. They were informed that they were sent from the duke of Bucking ham to be ready to accompany Henry safe unto the camp. But Henry, suspecting it to be a trap, as it was indeed, lioisted sail and returned to Normandy. Thence he returned on foot to Brittany, having received permission to pass through Normandy from the king of France, and also money to bear his charges2." When he reached Brittany he received inteUigence that the duke of Buckingham had been beheaded, and that a large number of English refugees were at Vannes, in Brit tany. At Rennes during the Christmas of 1483 he was joined by his friends, who proclaimed him king, he promising to marry Elizabeth of York. He received further promises 1 Richard III, 133. Gairdner quotes the introductory sketch to the Works of Lewis Glyn Cothi. But the editor, as has been pointed out, jreUed on the Cambrian Register. 2 Polydore, 201-3. Croyland, 495. 14—2 212 HENRY TUDOR [ch. of help from the duke of Brittany, and prepared for another invasion. Parliament met in January, 1484. Henry and Jasper were attainted, whUe Henry's mother, the countess of Richmond, was declared incapable of holding or inheriting any estate or dignity. Her husband, Lord Stanley, had proved loyal to Richard thus far. It was anticipated that another attempt would be made by Henry in March, and the king became increasingly anxious for his expulsion from the confines of Brittany. He offered the duke the revenues of the Enghsh estates of Henry and the refugees if he kept them in ward. At last, in June, 1484, Peter Landois, on behalf of the duke, negotiated a truce favourable to Richard1. But Henry, through the sleepless vigUance of John Morton, became aware of it and decided to cross into France. Jasper and a few friends immediately entered Anjou. Henry, "two days after departing from Vannes, and accompanied by only five servants, feigned to go unto a friend who had a manor not far off, and, because a huge multitude of English people were left in the town, nobody suspected his voyage ; but when he had journeyed almost five mUes he withdrew hastily out of the highway into the next wood, and putting on a serving-man's apparel, he as a servant foUowed his own servant (who was his guide in that journey), as though he had been his master and rode on with so great celerity, keeping yet no certain way, that he made no stay anywhere, except it were to bate his horses, before he had gotten himself to his company within the bounds of Anjou2." The company then proceeded to Angers and thence to Paris, passing the winter as the guests of Charles VII of France. Richard's anxious suspicions were intensified when Lord Stanley wished to excuse himself from court, a request 1 Rymer, xii. 226. 2 Polydore, 206-8. Richard had endeavoured to get the mediation of Austria between him and Brittany with regard to Henry. Letters of Richard III, 11. 4. x] HENRY TUDOR 213 which Richard granted only on condition that he left his son Lord Strange behind as a hostage1. In June, 1485, he issued a proclamation against Henry, in which it was stated that Jasper, John earl of Oxford, Sir Edward Woodville, and others had fled from Brittany because the duke would not agree to their plans ; that they had taken refuge in France ; had chosen as their leader Henry Tudor who, in return for the assistance he was to receive, was prepared to relinquish the claim of the kings of England to the title of king of France. It is to be observed that this proclamation, though it asserts that both Owen Tudor and Henry's mother were of iUegitimate descent, does not impute any iUegahty to the marriage of Owen Tudor and Catherine, the widow of Henry V2. Richard's activity was not confined to proclamations. Richard-s There seems to have been current a prophecy preparations that Richmond would land at Milford. There in Welles is a smaU viUage of that name in Hampshire, and Richard may have been deceived into believing that that was the place intended, for Lord Lovel was sent with the fleet to the Solent. More probably the object of this move was to keep an eye on Henry's preparations at the mouth of the Seine on the opposite coast. At any rate, Richard did not lose sight of the magnificent natural harbour of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire as a possible landing- place. For ' 'he commanded noblemen and gentlemen dweU- ing about the seacoast, and chiefly the Welshmen, to keep watch by course after their country's manner, to the intent that his adversaries should not have ready recovery of the shore and come a land ; for the inhabitants about the seacoasts place, in the time of war especially, on the hiUs adjoining, lamps fastened upon frames of timber, and when any great or notable matter happeneth, by reason of the approach of enemies, they suddenly hght the lamps, and 1 Croyland, 501 ; Stow, 467 : Polydore, 214. 2 Paston Letters, in. 316. EUis, Letters, 1. 162. 214 HENRY TUDOR [ch. with shouts through town and field give notice thereof ; from thence others afterwards receive and utter unto their neighbours notice after the same sort. Thus is the fame thereof carried speedily to all viUages and towns, and both country and town arm themselves against the enemy1." In West Wales Richard, took very minute precautions Richard which he might reasonably have expected would wiiiiams. have made it invulnerable. In Pembrokeshire he placed his trust in Richard Williams, whom, as we have seen, he had made constable of the important castles of Pembroke, Tenby, Manorbier, Haverfordwest, and of Cilgerran, the gate to Cardiganshire. Elaborate prepara tions were made to put Pembroke castle in a state of defence. The woods around Narberth were cut down to supply it with fuel. The chamberlain of Carmarthen, Richard Mynors, paid Richard Newton £113. 14s. 6d. for the expenses which he had incurred in strengthening the castle; and Henry Wogan, the treasurer of Pembroke, by an order in council, was requested to provide it with war material2. Richard also relied upon Wilham Herbert, earl of Huntingdon, whose official position in South Wales as justiciar gave him considerable power in the royal counties of Carmarthen and Cardigan. By another grant he became possessed of the castles of the late duke of Buckingham, which gave him a starthng pre-eminence in Brecknock. Sir James TyreU controUed the upper valley of the Towy from Builth and Llandovery, as well as the lordship of Glamorgan, for though TyreU had been ordered to Guisnes the levies of the lordship were to take their instructions from him3. The Vaughans (Thomas, Walter, William, and 1 Polydore, 213-14. 3 For this he was paid £100 and 20 marks. Richard Owen was receiver of Kidwely. Richard Williams was to hold Manorbier and Penally by knight's service. Another recipient of favours was Howel ap John of Llanllwch in Carmarthenshire. A Hugh ap John was denizened. Richard also gave grants for the rebuilding of churches at Llandovery and Hirwaun in Carmarthenshire. Welsh MSS., British Museum. 3 Welsh MSS., British Museum. Roger Bikley was constable of Llandovery. x] HENRY TUDOR 215 Richard) were induced by various grants to continue in their loyalty and secure the valleys of the Wye and the Usk. It wUl thus be seen how little, if any, foundation there is for the statement that the chief authority in South Wales was divided between Rhys ap Thomas and Walter Herbert in so far as that authority could be based on official status1. Neither had any official position of consequence. Walter Herbert may have represented his kinsman, the earl of Huntingdon ; but Rhys ap Thomas had no such connection. The Tudor chroniclers wrote of him in the knowledge of the strong support he undoubtedly gave Henry at Bosworth. The influence of Rhys was based on the predominance of his family ; and whatever forces he gathered during his journey through Wales was a tribute to his own personal ascendancy and to the strength of national sentiment. In North Wales Richard's supposed friends were the chamberlain William Griffith, Huddleston constable of Beaumaris, and Sir William Stanley constable of Carnarvon, and lord of Bromfield, Yale, Holt, and Wrexham. The garrison at Beaumaris was strengthened ; Denbigh was granted 200 marks to repair its walls2. Meanwhile Henry's preparations were advancing at the Henry,s mouth of the Seine. From Paris he had moved movements. toRouen. There he heard that Richard intended marrying Ehzabeth of York, and that the other daughter was to be married to an obscure man. "This matter pinched Henry by the very stomach, because thereby he saw that he could not now expect the marriage of any of 1 Gairdner takes this view on the authority of Polydore. 2 The foUowing were Richard's grants in Wales this year: Walter Vaughan, steward of Elvel; William Vaughan, a brother of the Thomas Vaughan who had opposed Buckingham, an annuity; so also did Walter, the son of that Thomas ap Roger who was slain at Banbury, and Richard Vaughan; John ap Morgan of Usk; Robert ap Howel, constable of Skenfrith ; David Goch of Radnor ; Richard and Roger Baker of Breck nock; Sir Richard Croft was told to repair Radnor and Elvel castles; Nicholas Spicer, receiver of South Wales, was to give the burgesses of Brecon ^60 towards repairing their town waUs ; David Vaughan received denizenship and the ferm of Caerwys and Conway ferry. Welsh MSS., British Museum. Pat. RoUs. 216 HENRY TUDOR [ch. king Edward's daughters, wherefore he thought it was to be feared lest his friends should forsake him. Therefore it was thought to stand with their profit if by affinity they could draw into surety of that war Walter Herbert, a man of ancient authority among the Welshmen, who had with him a sister marriageable ; and to procure the same, messengers were sent to Henry earl of Northumberland, who had in marriage Walter's other sister, that he would deal in that cause ; but the ways were so beset that none of them could come to him1." This Walter Herbert was a natural son of Lord Herbert, the first earl of Pembroke. There can be no doubt that he gave support to Henry, for he was afterwards knighted and made steward of Talgarth and CantreceUy2. It wiU be remembered that Lord Herbert, in his wiU, intended that his daughter Maud, now the wife of the earl of Northumber land, should be given in marriage to Henry. Henry was of course well acquainted with the famUy under whose care he had been for some time before his departure for Brittany. The marriage proposal does not seem to have reached Walter Herbert. However, a messenger came to Henry from Morgan of Kidwely, a lawyer, who informed him that Rhys ap Thomas and Sir John Savage were whoUy devoted to his cause ; that Reginald Bray had gathered no small sum of money for his service ; and that he should therefore set out for Wales at the earhest opportunity3. This Morgan belonged to a Tredegar famUy. Llywelyn sir john ap Morgan of Tredegar had two grandsons, who Morgan. were C0USmSj Evan Morgan and Jankyn ap Phihp. Evan Morgan had a son Sir John Morgan of Tredegar who, as we have seen, had already received small grants in the lordship of Usk. He was one of the receivers of petitions in the first parhament of Henry VII by whom he was 1 Polydore, 215. 2 Campbell's Materials, etc. 1. 108 ; 11. 443. Rot. Pari. vi. 379. 3 Polydore, 215-16. Croyland. x] HENRY TUDOR 217 knighted, made steward of Machen, sheriff of GwenUwg and Newport, and constable of Newport "with the making of all particular offices in those lordships during the minority of Edward duke of Buckingham1." He brought Henry military assistance soon after the landing at Milford. Jankyn ap PhUip had a son Morgan ap Jankyn ap Morgan of PhUip of Langston who was on a few com- Kidweiy. missions with the Herberts under Edward IV. He was pardoned by that king in 1475 for some unknown offence2. He had two sons : Trahaiarn Morgan, "skiUed and qualified in the laws of England3"; and John Morgan, who afterwards became bishop of St David's. Polydore appears to confuse these two brothers when he states that it was John Morgan, a lawyer, who negotiated with Henry. The lawyer was Trahaiarn. Polydore is similarly in error with regard to the Christian name of Rhys ap Thomas, whom he calls Richard. Neither Hall nor the author of the. Life of Rhys ap Thomas faUs into the same error. They caU him Morgan Kidwely and Morgan of Kidwely respec tively. This Trahaiarn had married a co-heiress of Henry Dwnn, and had thus become possessed of Mothscwmb, a place within a mUe or so of Kidwely ; and hence he is called Morgan of Kidwely. On the accession of Henry he became chanceUor of Glamorgan with a fee of £20 -a year, whUe his son, Henry Morgan, was in close attendance upon that^ sovereign4. However, the most active plotter in Henry's favour was the brother John Morgan, whom Henry afterwards presented to the parish church of Hanslap in the diocese of Lincoln, 1 CampbeU, I. 94, 584. Rot. Pari. 336-384- 2 Cal. Pat. RoUs, 561. 3 Dwnn. 11. 218; "yn ddysgedig ac yn raddol ynghyfraith Lloegr." There is no John Morgan of Kidwely among those who received favours from Henry VII. Gardner's Richard III, foUowing Polydore, gives the Christian name of Morgan of Kidwely as " John." Ramsay confuses Morgan Kidwely the Attorney-General with (Trahaiarn) Morgan of Kidwely, the Welsh lawyer. * CampbeU. 1. 77-91, 230, 555, 597- October — December, 1485. Cardiff Records. Letters etc. of Richard III, 11. 90. Henry Morgan, Sir David Owen, and Hugh Vaughan held household appointments. 218 HENRY TUDOR [ch, made dean of St George's chapel Windsor, and of St Mary s Leicester, and also clerk of parliament with a fee of £40 a year. This Morgan of Kidwely has also been confounded with Morgan Kidwely the Attorney-General. But that official had no connection with Wales, and he is not mentioned by any authority. His connections were mainly with Dorset and the south of England1- To resume. Henry, accompanied by Jasper Tudor, Henr lands J0*111 Morton, and the earl of Oxford, set sail at Miiford from the mouth of the Seine on August ist Haven. . . - " with a few ships and a force of about 2000 men, whom a French authority describes as the worst rabble that one could find2. They were under the command of Philibert de Shaunde. The weather was very favourable and he arrived at Milford Haven on August 7th, a little before sunset. He landed at Dale on the northern shore of the entrance to the haven, though Richard was informed that the landing took place at Angle on the opposite shore. It is possible that a detachment landed at Angle so as to advance on Pembroke and Tenby castles. Richard had kept a close watch here during the winter- On the following morning, at break of day, the invaders 1 In May 1480 he was on a commission to investigate the conceaUng from the king of lands belonging to the manor of Dorset. In July he was on another commission to find out what lands belonged to Henry, duke of Somerset, in Herts and to the Earl of Wiltshire in Dorset. He was on commissions of array in WUts and Dorset in 1484. He helped Richard against Buckingham, and was rewarded with a grant of certain manors in those two counties. In February 1485 he was on a commission in Yorkshire. He was attorney-general after the accession of Henry. There were others of the family : Geoffrey Kidwely was comptroUer of the port of Southampton. Maurice Kidwely was another. Grants of Edward V, 30-1 ; xxxi. Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. 2 Comines Dupont, 11. 246. Molinet, 11. 406. 3 Polydore, 216. Hall, 409-10. Bernard Andre\ Memorials of Henry VII, 24-5. Croyland, 500-1. See also a letter of Richard to Henry Vernon on August n, 1485; Hist. MSS. Commission Reports, MSS. of the duke of Rutland, I. 7. "departyd out of the waters of the Seine the first day of this present month and landed at Nangle beside Milford Haven on Sunday last passed, entending our destruction." Sunday would be August 7. Soon after the landing Sir David Owen was knighted. x] HENRY TUDOR 219 marched to Haverfordwest and, meeting with no opposition, The loyalty proceeded five miles beyond. The association of Richard of the Tudors with Pembroke told immediately Williams. . , . , , in their favour; for Arnold Butler brought inteUigence that the inhabitants of the town " were ready to support Jasper their earl." Richard III found at least one loyal Welshman in these parts in the person of Richard Williams, the constable of Pembroke. It is noteworthy that here alone during his march to Bosworth, at least until he reached Shrewsbury, Henry met with any opposition, though it was suppressed without difficulty1. WiUiams had no force at his command which could resist an army of 2000. He himself probably hastened to Nottingham where the king received news of the landing. This fact has never been fuUy appreciated, that though Nottingham is nearly 200 miles distant from Milford, Richard was informed of Henry's coming within four days of the actual event, surely a tribute to the loyalty and expeditious movements of WiUiams. He fought with Richard at Bosworth and was attainted in the next reign2. Henry was stiU in the neighbourhood of Haverfordwest when he was informed that Rhys ap Thomas and Sir John Savage were hostile to him ; and on the following day (August 9th), when he had entered Cardigan, a similar rumour reached him that Rhys ap Thomas and Sir Walter Herbert were at Carmarthen prepared to chaUenge his progress. These rumours caused him some anxiety. "He resolved to go against them, and when he had either put them to flight or received them into his obedience, to make haste against king Richard." He sent forward a body of cavalry, but they soon returned with the information that no danger was to be apprehended from Carmarthen. On the contrary, Richard 1 It is significant, too, that in the Ust of those who were rewarded by Henry VII there appears to be only one Pembrokeshire man. The Arnold Butler of the text was of Dunraven in Glamorgan. 2 Rot. Pari. 220 HENRY TUDOR [ch. Griffith, " a man of high parentage," joined him with rein- . J forcements from that very town. He is said The attitude J of Rhys ap to have " revolted to Henry, from which we are to infer, presumably, that the troops there with Rhys ap Thomas and Herbert were supposed to be loyal to Richard. Sir John Morgan also came in with a few followers. Was it with, or without, the connivance of Rhys ap Thomas and Herbert that these two men joined Henry ? Polydore leaves the impression that it was without their connivance ; and that Henry, when he left Cardigan for Shrewsbury, was uncertain of the allegiance of Rhys and Herbert. On the other hand, there can be no doubt that Rhys intended ultimately to attach himself to Henry. The family had always supported the Tudors and the House of Lancaster. His father and uncle had fought at Mortimer's Cross. Rhys himself and his brothers had coUided with Edward IV ; and on one occasion Richard, then duke of Gloucester, had been called upon to suppress them. Richard III had given him a small annuity but no official status, though his family prestige in West Wales was such that he would at once have become the leader of any important enterprise among the Welsh of those parts1. It is instructive to note, moreover, that Polydore couples Rhys Rhys ap Thomas with Sir John Savage. The and the latter was a son of Lord Stanley's sister, and Stanleys. , , , , J drew a stipend from Holt castle, the property of the Stanleys; and the Stanleys were deeply implicated in Henry's enterprise2. We may, therefore, fairly suspect 1 One of the inaccuracies of his "Life" in the Cambrian Register is to make him at this period constable of Carmarthen castle. That office was held by Sir John Dwnn who was also sheriff of the two counties. We hear nothing of Dwnn during these great events. He was probably away, as he was an officer at Calais and deputy of Risbank. He retained his positions under Henry VII. Rot. Pari. 341. Letters of Richard III, etc. 1. 15. 2 Polydore, 216 seq. Cal. Pat. Rolls. "BaUad of the Lady Bessy." When Lord Strange unsuccessfully tried to escape from court he confessed that his father was implicated and threw himself on the king's mercy. x] HENRY TUDOR 221 that Rhys ap Thomas and Sir John Savage were agents in a common intrigue, and the suspicion is confirmed by the " Ballad of the Lady Bessy." The plot was deep and dark. It seems to have been arranged that when news of Henry's landing would be passing through Carmarthen on its way to Richard's headquarters at Nottingham, it would be noised abroad that Rhys ap Thomas and his confederates would oppose Henry, in order that Richard might be luUed into a sense of false security, as indeed he was ; for though he heard the news on the nth he did not move tiU the 15th. Further to disarm suspicion they joined Henry at intervals, Rhys two days before he reached Shrewsbury, Sir John Savage between Shrewsbury and Bosworth, and Stanley on the battle-field. Henry had already sent messengers to inform the Stanleys, the Talbots, and his friends in North Wales, that he was making for Shrewsbury along the vaUey of the Severn. His letter to his kinsman John ap Meredith1 has been preserved, and is as follows : "By the King. "Right trusty and weU-beloved, we greet you weU. And whereas it is so that, through the help of Almighty God, the assistance of our loving and true subjects, and the great confidence that we have to the nobles and commons of this our principality of Wales, we be entered into the same, purposing, by the help above rehearsed, in aU haste possible to descend into our realm of England, not only for the adoption of the crown, unto us of right appertaining, but also for the oppression of the tryant, Richard late duke of Gloucester, usurper of our said right ; and moreover to reduce as weU our said realm of England into its ancient estate, honour, and property and prosperity, as this our said principality of Wales and the people of the same to their erst liberties, delivering them of such miserable servitude as they have piteously long stood in : We desire 1 Wynne's History of the Gwydir Family, 55-56. 222 HENRY TUDOR [ch. and pray you, and upon your allegiance strictly charge and command you that, immediately upon the sight hereof, with aU such power as ye may make, defensibly arrayed for the war, ye address you towards us, wheresoever we shaU be, to our aid, for the effect above rehearsed, wherein ye shall cause us in time to come to be your singular good lord ; and that ye faU not hereof as ye wiU avoid our grievous displeasure, and answer it unto your peril. Given under our signet at our ( ). "To our trusty and weU-beloved John ap Meredith ap Ievan ap Meredith1." From Cardigan Henry proceeded northwards "through Henry-s rugged and indirect tracts." His natural line march. 0f march would be through Strata Florida, Aberystwyth, MachynUeth, and thence to Newtown and Welshpool in the upper vaUey of the Severn ; but, local tradition apart, there is no data which wiU enable us to describe his itinerary between Cardigan and Shrewsbury. But he knew enough of the temper and history of the people among whom he had landed to realise that his descent from Cadwaladr and the kings of old would win him support ; and that the display of a fiery red dragon would fire enthu siasm2. This standard was offered at St Paul's after the victory. He was also conscious of the influence of the poets, and had utihsed them to prepare the people for his reception. One of these was Robin Ddu3, to whose writings we have already referred in connection with Owen Tudor. During his progress through Cardiganshire he was joined 1 It will be observed that the date and place are left blank. I do not find John ap Meredith's name among those who were rewarded by Henry, which is curious if he assisted him. 2 ,Hall, 410. Bernard Andre1. 9. Croyland, 501. 3 Y mae hiraeth am Harri, Y mae gobaith i'n hiaith ni. "We look forward to the coming of Henry; our nation puts its trust in him." Robin Ddu, in Ceinion Llenyddiaith, 221. See also the unpubUshed poems of Bedo Brwynllys (Cardiff MSS.), and other contemporary poets. X] HENRY TUDOR 223 by a few local squires who were afterwards rewarded1. On reaching the confines of Merionethshire he probably received a North Wales contingent, several of whom were signalled out for distinction after Bosworth "for true and faithful service done as weU in this our late victorious field as otherwise2." The tale runs that at MachynUeth he was sheltered by Davydd Llwyd, the poet, who was uncertain whether to prophesy faUure or success, until his wife solved the difficulty by saying that he could lose nothing by predicting success ; for if it proved true he might be rewarded, and if it proved false Henry would not hve to reproach him. The tale is one of many fables of a later day, and is discredited by the fact that the Tudors had found no more stalwart supporter than Davydd Llwyd. When Henry was a two days' journey from Shrewsbury Rh s he came to an understanding with Rhys ap joins Thomas, whom he promised the lieutenantship of Wales in return for his support. Rhys had now an effective argument for a bargain in an imposing array of followers, "a great bande of soldiers3." It was now about August 12 or 13, and Henry might be in the neighbourhood of Newtown or Welshpool. Rhys had traversed Mid- Wales with the black raven as his standard*. Among the Carmarthenshire people who were rewarded by Henry after his accession were Adam ap Evan ap Jankyn 1 The chief of these were Rhys ap PhUip, who became rhaglaw of the county; Owen Lloyd, who was made constable of Cardigan, where he was foUowed by Rhydderch ap Rhys next year ; David Glyn ; PhiUip ap Rhys ap Thomas Vaughan of Mabwynion, who became steward of that district and baiUff of Isaeron. Rot. Pari. vi. 363. Cal. Pat. RoUs, passim. 2 The foUowing came from North Wales : Edward ap Ednyfed, who received the woodwardship of Merioneth; Howel ap Griffith ap Howel who received the fee-farm of PenmaenUwyd; Richard Pole, who became . sheriff of that county ; RheinaUt Davy, who got an annuity of 100/- from Pennal; Robert Gethin of Snowdon; Edward Morgan of Aberffraw; WiUiam Eynon; WiUiam Griffith ap Robin, and Rhys ap Llywelyn, who became sheriff of Carnarvon and Anglesey respectively, and both of whom received denizenship early in i486. Also Piers Stanley and Piers Egerton. CampbeU, 295, etc.. Rot. Pari. 353, seq. ; Rymer xii. 89 ; Cal. Pat. RoUs, passim. 3 Polydore, 217. * "Ballad of the Lady Bessy." 224 HENRY TUDOR [ch. "in consideration of his true service unto our noble progen itors of long tyme passed, and to us nowe late in our victorious journey and field, to his great costs and damages" ; and Philip ap Howel and his wife "sometime our nurse," an interesting fact of Henry's childhood1. Of the assistance rendered by Rhys ap Thomas there is ample evidence besides what is contained in the Patent RoUs. There is striking testimony, for example, in the Enghsh baUads of Tudor times, allowance being made of course for exaggeration. The " BaUad of the Lady Bessy " alludes to him thus : Sir Rhys ap Thomas, a knight of Wales certain, Eight thousand spears brought he ; Sir Rhys ap Thomas shall break the array, For he wiU fight and never flee2. Again, the " Rose of England " : Then Sir Rice ap Thomas drawes Wales with him, A worthy sight it was to see How the Welshmen rose wholly with him, And stogged them to Shrewsburye3. 1 The Carmarthenshire grants are as foUows: John ap Thomas, who became steward of the Welsh courts of Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire ; •Morris Lloyd of Wydegada, for service in our late triumph; Owen ap Griffith, who was made steward and constable of Laugharne; Geoffrey Rede, receiver of Kidwely with an annuity of £20, and with Rhys ap Thomas and Morris ap Owen supervisor in the duchy of Lancaster; Adam ap Evan ap Jankyn, attorney in the two counties; his brother David, rhingyU of Kidwely and CarnwaUon, escheator in South Wales, and the amobrship of Iscennin; Richard Owen, receiver of Kidwely; Morris ap Owen, a simUar office in CarnwaUon and Iscennin, for his services ; Hugh Vaughan forester in Kidwely lordship ; John Aubrey, rhaglaw in Carmar thenshire for his services at Bosworth; Walter ap Lewis, baiUff and attorney in Kidwely and the district; PhUip ap Howel and his wife an annuity of ^20 "for true service done unto us." Rot. Pari. vi. 350. Cal. Pat. RoUs, passim ; September — December, 1485. CampbeU, passim. 2 Early English Poetry, xx. (1847). 8 Child's Popular Ballads, in. 331-3. The Lady Bessy also teUs Lord Stanley : Your brother dwelleth in Holt castle All the Welshmen love him weU; He may make a great company. X] HENRY TUDOR 225 Moreover, Rhys himself was generously rewarded — the first of the family to receive conspicuous favour from the English Government since the time of his grandfather, Griffith ap Nicholas, in the reign of Henry VI. Amongst other marks of favour Rhys was knighted on Bosworth field, and was made constable, steward, and lieutenant of Brecknock, steward of Builth, and chamberlain of Cardigan and Car marthen counties1. It is probable that Sir Walter Herbert joined Henry at the same time as Rhys, and brought with him the levies of south-east Wales, notably of Monmouth and the surrounding districts2. When Henry reached Shrewsbury, about August 15th, Henry at ne found the gates shut and the portculhs let Shrewsbury. down ; and so he fell back to Forton for the night. The town subsequently surrendered and gave him a contingent of men at its own cost. Henry was now joined by those to whom he had sent messages soon after his landing. From Shrewsbury he marched to Newport where he encamped for the night. That evening he was joined by Gilbert Talbot and a few hundred Shropshire men. Thence he proceeded to Stafford where he had an interview with Sir Wilham Stanley. Stanley's men were drawn largely from North Wales and the valley of the Dee. From Stafford Henry moved to Lichfield. Richard heard now for the first time that his rival had traversed Wales unopposed. It threw him into a fierce 1 Campbell, i. 105-9; n. 91. He was also a commissioner of mines. 2 Evan Lloyd Vaughan, constable of Neath and Aberavon, for service etc. Hugh ap Howel, £20 out of the fee-farm of Monmouth for service at Bosworth "where it happened him to be sore hurt and maimed"; John ap Howel, steward and receiver of Monmouth; Walter ap David ap John, coroner of Gower; WUUam Llywelyn of Newport and Thomas ap Morgan ; Hugh Richard of CantreceUy ; Nicolas WiUiams of Monmouth ; Mathew Cradock, constable of CaerphUly; WUUam Herbert, receiver of Monmouth, Whitecastle, Skenfrith; others in Glamorgan and Aber gavenny. The affairs of the earldom of March were to be managed by nine commissioners including Jasper, Morgan John PhiUp, and Thomas Morgan of Gloucester. Cal. Pat. Rolls, passim. Campbell, 253, 298. Jasper became lord of Glamorgan. E. W. R. I5 226 HENRY TUDOR [ch. rage, for he had believed "that his men whom he had disposed for defense of that province wer ready in aU respectes." He had been informed that Henry had such a small company that he " should surely have an eveU ende whan he showld come to that place, where either he should be forced to fight against his wiU, or taken alive by Walter Herbert and Rhys ap Thomas1." He immediately set out for Leicester. Meanwhile a strange chance happened to Henry. Being stiU in doubt as to the disposition of Lord Stanley he fingered, accompanied by only twenty armed foUowers, in the rear of his army, dehberating what he should do ; for he now knew that Richard was at hand. In the neighbourhood of Tamworth he lost aU trace of his army at nightfaU and had to pass the night in deadly fear in a viUage, perhaps Whittington, three miles away from them. The army was equaUy anxious about Henry until he returned to them early next morning, excusing himself that he had been consulting some of his friends in secret. ^He then had a private interview with the two Stanleys at Atherstone, and a httle before evening on the same "day Sir John Savage came over to his side2. From Leicester Richard advanced to Bosworth where he pitched his tent for the night. A terrible dream disturbed his rest, "for he thought in his sleep that he saw horrible images as it were of evU spirits haunting evidently about him, as it were before his eyes, and that they would not let him rest ; which vision truly did not so much strike into his breast a sudden fear as replenish the same with heavy cares3." On the morning of August 22nd he drew up his men with John, duke of Norfolk, on the left, the earl of Northum berland on the right, and himself in the centre. Henry, having rested his men during the night, also drew his men 1 We have already shown that Richard had no real grounds for this reUance on Rhys ap Thomas at least. * Polydore. HaU. Croyland. 8 Polydore, 222. x] HENRY TUDOR 227 out for battle. The earl of Oxford was chief captain of Bosworth. tlie army- GUbert Talbot commanded the right, Sir John Savage the left, and Henry the centre " trusting to the aid of Lord Stanley, with one troop of horsemen, and a few footmen." Lord Stanley was mid-way between the two hosts; and when Henry asked him to arrange his men for battle he sent an evasive answer that he would join him "with his army weU appointed," and that Henry should "set his own folks in order1." Richard's troops attacked with great shouts and a flight of arrows. The battle was raging when the king was informed of Henry's vulnerable position. Giving spurs to his horse he issued from the flank and made for Henry's standard. But Henry and his men withstood him manfully untU WUIiam Stanley came to their assistance. In the thick of the fight Richard was slain. Norfolk and Lord Ferrers (Walter Devereux) were slain. A few took sanctuary, but the greater part threw down their arms. The earl of Northumberland was received into favour. Henry was crowned on the battle-field. In the evening he came to Leicester. Thither also was brought Richard's body "naked of all clothing, and layd upon an horse back with the arms and legs hanging down on both sides," and buried at the Franciscan abbey. Rhys ap Thomas was knighted on the battle-field, and gave considerable assistance to Henry in subsequent years. Jasper Tudor became duke of Bedford, and married the widow of the late duke of Buckingham2. The later history 1 Bernard Andr6, 29. Polydore, 222-6. 2 The foUowing Welshmen found favour with Henry in the first year of his reign in addition to those already mentioned: Morris ap David ap Griffith of Knighton; David ap Madoe Gough of Ceri and Cedewain; WiUiam Lloyd, constable of Denbigh; John Thomas, constable of Hay; Hugh Lloyd, escheator of Denbigh ; John ap Evan ap Llywelyn of Radnor ; Thomas Havard of Caerleon; Hugh Lewis of Denbigh; David Middleton, escheator of Denbigh; John ap Meredith ap Ieuan Lloyd of Denbigh; David Lloyd, one of the keepers of the Tower of London; David Owen, chief carver of the king. Rot. Pari., 344-66. CampbeU, 208-30. Robert ap GwUym ap Thomas of Hereford, Walter ap GwUym of Archen- field, and the Vaughans who opposed Buckingham, were pardoned. 15—2 228 HENRY TUDOR [CH. of Jasper and Rhys is beyond the pale of the present work. The new king inaugurated an era of internal peace, so that Lewis Glyn Cothi a few years later was able to say with truth, "The boar is cold in his grave ; the world is stiU, and envenomed feuds asleep." A'r baedd oer i'r bedd a aeth A'r egwyd a'i rywogaeth. A'r byd es enyd y sydd A'i holl wenwyn yn llonydd. THE HERBERTS. GwUym ap Jankyn David Gam Thomas Roger Vaughan of Bredwardine Howel Jankyn Gwladys m. Sir William1 ap Thomas Evan l Thomas of Raglan Jankyn of Llantwit Tohn Thomas EUzabeth Margaret Herbert m. m. (died Sir Henry Sir Henry at StradUng Wogan Troye) WUUam2 Sir Herbert Richard earl Herbert of of Pembroke Colebrook John WiUiam Herbert Herbert (John ap WiUiam) 1 i 1 E 1 I Richard Sir i 1 WiUiam i Sir ir Herbert William Herbert Walter Richard of Herbert earl of Herbert Herbert Ewyas of Pembroke of Troye Montgomery WilUam Herbert earl of Pembroke (new creation) John Wogan Thomas Wogan i Henry Wogan dau. m John Wogan Sir John Wogan David ap Jankyn Thomas ap David I John ap Thomas dau. m. Sir WiUiam Perot Sir Owen Perot Thomas Perot 1 Cal. Inquis. post mortem, 47 : EUzabetha quae fuit uxor GuUelmi app Thomas, armigeri, — nuUa tenuit in com. Hereford nee march. 2 He had other sons : George, John, PhUip, Thomas, WiUiam, Richard. x] HENRY TUDOR 229 THE MANSELS. Richard m. Lucy, dau. Mansel of PhiUp of Scurlage Isabel, dan. m. Sir Hugh Mansel of John of Penrice Sir Richard Mansel m. dan. of GUbert TurberviUe of Penlline | John Mansel m. Cecily WUIiam Beauchamp earl of Warwick Isabel m. Sir Roger Umfraville of Penmarch CecUy m. Sir WiUiam Cantelupe of Cantleston dau. of m. PhUip (1420 — 1471) m. dau. of Griffith I Mansel Sir PhiUp ap Long Nicholas Jenkyn Mansel FAMILY OF GRIFFITH AP NICHOLAS. MabU, dau. of Meredith ap Henry Dwnn Gwenllian m. Nicholas m. dau. of Griffith ap | Llywelyn of Newton Griffith m. ap m. dau. of Sir Nicholas Thomas Perot Griffith ap David ap Thomas Thomas ap Griffith Owen ap Griffith -r Morgan David Henry Jankyn Sir Rhys ap Thomas Thomas ap Griffith Rhys ap Griffith 1 David I Nicholas 230 HENRY TUDOR [ch. x THE DWNNS. Griffith Dwnn i , Robert Dwnn Henry Dwnn Henry Dwnn Meredith l David 1 Sir John Dwnn I Sir Edward Dwnn Owen I Harri Dwnn of Picton Daughter m. Trahaiarn ap Morgan ap Jankyn LIST OF ORIGINAL AUTHORITIES Acts and Proceedings of the Privy Council. H. Nicolas. (Record Commission, 1834.) Ancient and Modern Denbigh. John WUliams. Denbigh, 1856. Andr6, Bernard. Vita Regis Henrici Sepiimi, Memorials of Henry VII. J. Gairdner. (RoUs Series, No. 10.) Antiquary. Vol. xvi. etc. Archaeologia. Vol. xxix. etc. Archaeologia Cambrensis. Basin, Thomas. Histoire de Charles VII et Louis XI. J. Quicherat, (Soci6t6 de l'Histoire de Paris, 1855.) Beaucourt, G. du Fresne de. Histoire de Charles VII. (Paris, 1885.) Bekyngton, T. Letters of. G. WiUiams. (RoUs Series, No. 56.) Berry. See Blondel. Blakman, J. Liber de vita et miraculis Henrici VI. Printed by Hearne (1734). Blondel, R. De Reductione Normanniae. J. Stevenson. (RoUs Series, No. 32.) Brief Latin Chronicle. See Three Fifteenth Century Chronicles. Calendars of Gwynedd. Breece. Cambrian Register, 1795. Life of Sir Rhys ap Thomas. CampbeU, Materials for the History ofthe Reign of Henry VII. 2 vols. (RoUs Series.) Capgrave, John. De Illustribus Henricis. (RoUs Series, No. 7.) Cardiff Records. Ceinion Llenyddiaith Gymreig. Chartier, Jean. Chronique de Charles VII. (Edit. VaUet de ViriviUe, 1858.) Chronicle, Davies. EngUsh Chronicle, printed for the Camden Society, by Sylvester Davies. No. 64. Chronicle, Giles. A Chronicle (Henry IV — Henry VI) printed by Dr Giles from MSS. Sloane 1776, and Reg. 13. C. 1. 232 LIST OF ORIGINAL AUTHORITIES Chronicle, London. English Chronicle of London, printed by Sir H. Nicolas, 1827. Chronicle of the Rebellion in Lincolnshire. J. G. Nichols. (Camden MisceUany, vol. 1.) An official account by some one in the royal service. Chronicles of the White Rose of York. (Bohn, 1845.) A coUection of documents relating to the reign of Edward IV. Clark. Carta et Munimenta Glamorganiae. Glamorgan Charters. Claus Rerum. Record Office, Fetter Lane. Collections, Historical and Archaeological, relating to Montgomeryshire. Powys-Land Club. Comines, PhiUppe de, . Mimoires de; edit. Dupont. (Paris, 1840. Soci6t6 de l'Histoire de France.) Croyland Abbey; Ingulph's Chronicle of, wilh Continuations; edit. Riley. (Bohn, 1854.) Cymmrodor. Cymmrodorion Society. Davydd Llwyd, Poems by. Cardiff MSS. Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, Reports of. Devon Issues. Issues of the Exchequer, Henry III — Henry VI, from tbe Pell Records, by F. Devon. (Record Commission, 1837.) Doyle, J. E. The Official Baronage of England, 1886. 3 vols. Dugdale, Sir William. The Baronage of England. 2 vols. (1675.) Dwnn's Heraldic Visitations of Wales. 2 vols. Welsh MSS. Society. 1846. ElUs, Sir Henry. Original Letters Illustrative of English History. (Three Series, 1825-1846.) Escouchy, Mathieu D'; Chronique de. (Soci6t6 de l'Histoire de Paris.) Excerpta Historica. Sir H. Nicolas. (London, 1831.) Fabyan, Robert. The New Chronicle of England. H. EUis. (1811.) Foedera, Conventiones el Litterae. T. Rymer. (London, 1709.) Fortescue, Sir John. The Governance of England. Edit. Plummer. (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1885.) Gairdner, James. Life and Reign of Richard III. (London, 1879.) Gorchestion Beirdd Cymru. Edit. Rhys Jones. Shrewsbury, 1773. Edit. Cynddelw (revised). Carnarvon. Grafton; Richard. Chronicle of England. (London, 1809.) Grants etc. of Edward V. J. G. Nichols. (Camden Society, No. 60.) Gregory, William. Historical Collections of a London Citizen; 1189-1469. J. Gairdner. (Camden Society, New Series, No'. 18.) Guto'r Glyn, Poems of. Hafod MSS. Cardiff Library. LIST OF ORIGINAL AUTHORITIES 233 HaU, E. Chronicle containing the History of England from Henry IV to Henry VIII. H. EUis. (London, 1809.) Hardyng, John. Metrical Chronicle, with continuation of R. Grafton. H. EUis. (1812.) Historical Literature of the Fifteenth Century. Kingsford. Historical MSS. Commission Reports. Historie of the Arrivall of King Edward IV. J. Bruce. (Camden Society, 1838.) Holinshed, Raphael. Chronicles of England, etc. H. ElUs. (London, 1807.) Howel SwTdwal. Gwaith Barddonol. Bangor Welsh MSS. Society.. J. C. Morrice, 1908. Huw Cae Llwyd. Poems of. Cardiff MSS. Ieuan Deulwyn, Casgliad o Waith. Bangor Welsh MSS. Society. Ifor WiUiams, 1909. Inquisitiones post mortem, Calendar of. Iolo MSS. Issues. Issue RoUs ; PeU Issue Rolls. MSS. Record Office, Fetter Lane. Letters and Papers Illustrative of the Reigns of Richard III and Henry VII. 2 vols. James Gairdner. (Rolls Series, No. 24.) Letters of Margaret of Anjou. C. Munro. (Camden Society, No. 80.) Lewis Glyn Cothi. Poetical Works of. 2 vols. (Oxford, 1837.) Cymmrodorion Society Publications. Liber Niger Scaccarii. T. Hearne. (Oxford, 1728.) Life of Sir Rhys ap Thomas. See Cambrian Register. Lords' Reports. Reports of the Lords' Committee on Matters apper taining to the Dignity of a Peer. (1829.) Mediceval Boroughs of Snowdonia. Lewis. University of Wales Guild of Graduates. Ministers' Accounts. Monstrelet, Enguerrand de. Chroniques. Buchon. (Pantheon Lit- teraire, 1836.) More, Sir Thomas. Life of Richard III. Lumby. (Pitt Press.) Opera Omnia. (London, 1689.) Mostyn MSS. History of Wales by EUis Griffith. Paston Letters. J. Gairdner. 3 vols. 1872. Patent Rolls, Calendar of. Prepared by the Deputy Keeper of the Records. Pecock, Reginald. Life of; by John Lewis. (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1820.) Plumpton Correspondence. T. Stapleton. (Camden Society, No. 4.) 15—5 234 LIST OF ORIGINAL AUTHORITIES Political Songs and Poems. T. Wright. (Rolls Series, No. 14.) Polydore Vergil. (Camden Society, No. 29.) Popular Ballads, Child. Privy Seals. MSS., Record Office. Fetter Lane. Queen's Remembrancer's Miscellanea, etc. MSS., Record Office, Fetter Lane. Receipt Rolls. MSS., Record Office, Fetter Lane. Record of Carnarvon. Records of Denbigh and its Lordship. WUUams. Wrexham, i860. Repressor of Over Moche Wijtyng the Clergie. C. Babington. (RoUs Series, No. 19.) Roiuli Parliamentorum. (Record Commission.) Royal Historical Society's Transactions. 1911. Rutland Papers. (Camden Society, No. 21.) Rymer. Collections, etc. Stafford MSS. See Historical MSS. Commission Reports. Statutes of the Realm. (Record Commission, 1810.) Stevenson, J. Letters and Papers Illustrative of the Wars of the English in France. (Rolls Series, No. 22.) Stow, John. Annates or Generall Chronicle of England, with Con tinuation by Howes. (London, 1615.) Three Fifteenth Century Chronicles. J. Gairdner. (Camden Society, 1880.) Transactions of the Cymmrodorion Society. Trevelyan Papers. (Camden Society.) Tudur PenUyn. Cardiff MSS. Warkworth, J. HaUiwell. (Camden Society, '1839.) Wavrin, Jehan de. Recueil des Chroniques, etc. (Rolls Series.) Welsh MSS. British Museum. Edward Owen. Cymmrodorion Series. West Wales Historical Society's Transactions. Whethamstede, Johannes. Registrum, etc. Riley. (RoUs Series, No. 28.) Worcester, William of. Annates Rerum Anglicarum. Printed by Stevenson. (Rolls Series.) Itinerarium. 1777. Printed by Simeon. Wynne. History of the Gwydir Family. Oswestry. 1878. INDEX Aber, 210 Aberdare, 195 Aberfraw, 67 Abergavenny, 78, 109, no, 201, 210 Abergele, m Aberystwyth, 27, 34, 86, 90, 96, 137, 151, 203, 222 Adam ap Evan ap Jankyn, 223-4 — ap Howel, 98 Agincourt, Battle of, 17, 20, 37, 43, 45. 57. 66 Alcock, John, 198, 201 Alexander's Town, 172 Alnwick, 150 Alun ap Meredith ap PhUip Madoe, 40 AnabiU, 163 Andrew ap Lewis, 44 Angle, 218 Anglesey, 16, 26, 37, 70, 77, 83, 89, 168, 171, 189, 197, 223 Archenfield, 136, 146 Arnold, Morris, 156, 172 Arras, Congress of, 51, 64 Aubrey, John, 224 Audley, Justice, 80 Audley, Lord, 53, 63, 91, 102, 122, 123, 137, 152 — , Nicholas, 102 Baker, Richard, 215 — , Roger, 215 Bala, 16, 37 Bamborough, 149 Banbury, 76, 157, 168, 176-192, 215 Bangor, see of, 153 Banister, Ralph, 208 Banon, Thomas, 148 Barmouth, 154, 165-6 Barnet, 157, 193 Barre, Thomas, 63 Basingwerk, 32 Bassaleg, 26 Bayeux, 54, 57-61 Baynard's Castle, 84, 132 Beauchamps, The, 77, 79, 89, 101, 135 Beaufort, Cardinal, 21, 44, 67 — , Edmund. See Somerset, duke of. — , Margaret, 68, 79, 92, 96 Beauforts, The, 89 Beaugency, 49 Beaumaris, 27, 31, 67, 76-7, n6, 145, 156, 164, 188, 203, 210, 215 Beaumont, 50, 69 Bedford, John, duke of, 21, 46, 64 Bellingham, Sir Henry, 169 Bennayth, Richard, 173 Bennoth, Hugh, 40 Bikley, Roger, 214 BlaenUyfni, 155 Bioreheath, Battle of, 102-4, I23» 202 Bohun, Eleanor, 79, 206 — , Humphrey. See Hereford, earl of. — , Mary, 79, 206 Bolde, Bartholomew, 77 — , Henry, 156, 189 BonviUe, Lord, 79, 163 — , CeciUe, 163 Bosworth, Battle of, 7, 23, 92, 215- 228 Bourchiers, The, 45, 58, 116, 132, 159 Bowles, Sir Thomas, 210 Bray, Reginald, 207, 216 Brechva, Ieuan, 74 Brecon (Brecknock), 44, 79, 97-8, 101, 114, 117-8, 123, 138, 147, 175-6, 189, 191, 204-10 Bredwardine, 177 Bristol, 30, 75, 98, 130, 138, 146-7, 176 Brittany, 20, 49, 63, 150, 154, 170, 195, 205-8, 212-3, 2I6 236 INDEX Bromfield, 147, 215 Brown, Thomas, 149 BrynUys, 210 Brys, Thomas, 149 Buckingham, Humphrey, duke of, 13, 42, 78, 79, 82, 85, 89, 9°. 95. 97. 99. i°°. io4> IQ8, no, 113, 117-8 — . Henry, duke of, 79, 138, 202-9 — , Edward, — , 217 BuUth, 67, 79, 84, in, 150, 156, 203, 214 Bulkeley (Bulkley), Hugh, 203 — , WUUam, 25, 77, 164, 203 Burgundy, 51, 63, 161, 165 — , duke of, 145, 148 Burley, WilUam, 25 Bury, ParUament of, 5, 37-42 Butler, Arnold, 219 Cade's rebelhon, 9, 61, 75-6, 122 Caerleon, 84, 109, no, 203, 210 CaerphiUy, 100 Caerwys, 215 Calais, 61, 75-6, 78, 104, 105, 113, 123, 173, 177 Caldecot, 67, 146 Cambridge conspiracy, 17, 46 Canons, David, 22 CantreceUy, 149, 172, 216 Cantref Mawr, 189, 190 Cardiff, 79, 100, 118, 195 Cardigan, 26-7, 37-8, 44, 86, 89, 125, 135-137. 149-50. i72. 188, 190, 196, 203 Carentan, 57, 59, 75-6 Carew, Thomas, 44, 45, 64 Carmarthen, 13, 16, 27, 38, 40, 44, 86, 89, 91, 96, 100, 124-5, 135-7. 150-2, 175, 180, 188, 190, 203 Carnarvon, 16, 26, 37, 83, 86, 89, 138, 143, 145, 155, 164, 170, 172, 189, 202, 203 Carregcennen, 96 Castle Martin, 82 — , PhUip, 140, 141 Catherine, Queen, widow of Henry V, 9, 21-2, 66-72, 94, 127, 213 Cause, Roger, 64 Caws, 30 Cedewain, 79, no, 137, 164 Cemmaes, 67, 102, 123 • — , WiUiam, 156 Ceri, 79, no, 164 Chamberlain, Sir Roger, 39 Charltons, The, 25, 104 ChatUlon, 163 Chenlet, John, 205 Chepstow, 136, 164, 176, 183, 185, 194. 195 Cherbourg, 58, 60, 61 CherweU, River, 181, 183 Cheshire, 76, 90, 101-3, 115, 198 Chester, 37, 38, 40, 77, 79, 96, 102, 112, 119, 155, 202 Chipping Norton, 130 Chirk, 140, 147, 170, 172, 200 Chwitford, Thomas, 154 CUgerran, 13, 37, 82, 146, 190, 203, 210 Cirencester, 121, 175 Clapham, John, 18 1-2 Clarence, George, duke of, 105, 173, 174, 177, 182, 190-3, 198-9 Clement, Maud, 24 — , WilUam, 24 Cleobury Park, no Cleygyn, 172 CUfford, 79, 138, 150, 158, 203 Cobham, Eleanor, 38, 40-1 Coedraeth, 82 ColeshiU, 67 Contour, John, 185 Conway, 15, 31, 76-7, 86, 116, 168-172, 203, 215 — , Hugh, 196, 207 Conyers, John, 182 — , Sir WiUiam, 174 Corbet, Sir Richard, 192, 193 — , Sir Roger, 103, 116, 189 CornwaU, Thomas, no, 137, 147 Cottishold, 175 Court of the President and Council of Wales, 34, 36, 39 Coventry, 104-5, 108, 111-2, 115— 17, 120-1, 148, 163, 188, 191 Cowbridge, 195 Cradock, Mathew, 225 Crevant, Battle of, 21, 47, 48, 54 Crickhowel, 155 Croft, Sir Richard, 108, no, 116, 122-3, 137. 148. I94. 200, 215 — , Thomas, 148 Culworth, 181 Cymmer, 16, 83 Cymmerch, in Cymmorthau, 33 Dafydd ap Einon ap Rhys Hywel, 161, 168 Dale, 13, 218 INDEX 237 Danesmoor, 181 Dansey, John, 53 Daventiy, 68 David, Howel, 156 David ap Ieuan ap Eynon (David ap Einon), 140, 144-5, 155, 166-7 David ap Einon ap Ieuan, 144 — ap Griffith, 51 — ap GwUym, 156 — ap Ieuan, 31, 51 ap Owen, 144 ap Trahaiarn, 44 — ap Jankyn, 184 — ap Madoe Gough, 227 — ap Meredith, 25 — ap Rees ap Llywelyn, 109 — ap Rhys, 63 — ap Thomas, 21, 31, 40, 195 ap David ap Llywelyn, 33 Davy, Hopkin, 124, 128 — , Howel, 156, 172 — , Johannes, 51 — , John, 156, 172 Deio ap Ieuan Hen, 129 Delabeare, EUzabeth, 208-9 Denbigh, 79, 89, 96, 109, in, 116, 120-1, 137, 139, 140, 143, 156, 164, 166, 168, 203, 215 DereU, John, 63 Despensers, The, 101, in, 161 Deulwyn, Ieuan, 3, 4, 50, 62, 74, 94 Devereux, Anne, 117 — , Sir John, 43 — , — , 193, 196, 200 — . Sir Walter (Lord Ferrers), 52, 76, 79-83, 97, 101, 104, 106-8, 116-123, 132-142, 146-151, 164, 172, 189, 190, 196-7, 200, 208, 227 Devon, earl of, 79, 121, 175-180, 184 Dinas, 109, 155, 203 Doe, Morgan, 25 DolgeUy, 86 Donne, Hugh, 58 Doore, Galfridus, 51 Dorset, Thomas, marquis of, 200. See Somerset. Drysiwyn, 27, 15 1-2 Dunois, Count of, 51, 55, 56. 6o Dunster, 136, 155 — , Lord. See Huntingdon, earl of . Durham, 189 Dwnn, Geoffrey, 64 — , Griffith, 20, 51, 53, 176 Dwnn, Henry, 152, 170, 184, 217,, (of Picton) 176, 184 — , John, 95, 102, 123, 136-7, 147, 151-2, 172, 185, 190-1, 194, 196, 220 — , Owen, 25, 40, 64, 76 — , Robert, 63, 196 Dwnns, The, 90, 129-30, 136, 139, 190 Dyffryn Brian, 82 Dynevor, 23, 27, 40, 44, 106, 130, 203 Dyngestowe, 163 Edgecote, Battle of, 3, 5, 11, 29, 149, 174, 178, 180-183, 188 Edward I, 26, 36, in — IV, earl of March, 6, 8, 10, 17, 22, 28, 36, 73-203 — V, 202, 204 — , Prince, 74, 100, no-i, 120, 144, 164, 194, 200 — . John, 8, 45, 51 — ap Ednyfed, 223 — ap Howel, 64 — ap Jankyn, 210 — ap Madoe, 153 — ap Morgan, 144 Edwards, John, 210 EUot, John, 17 Elizabeth of York, 205 EUis ap Griffith ap Einon, 83 Elwick, Thomas, 169 Emlyn, 82, 146 Enderby, Walter, 210 Englefield, 67 Evan Lloyd Vaughan, 225 — ap Jenkin, 40 — ap Robin, 33 Ewyas, 79, 150, 156 — Lacy, 109, no, 203, 210 Eynon, John, 40, 184 — , WUIiam, 223 Eyton, Fulk, 55 — , John, 139, 176 — , Nicholas, 103 — , Roger, 137, 172 Exeter, Henry HoUand, earl of, 120, 142, 143, 145, 197 Fastolf, Sir John, 49, 51, 62 Ferrers of Chartley. See Devereux, Walter. Ferrybridge, 133 Fitzhenry (Fitzharry), Thomas, no, 116, 124, 128, 137, 142, 147, 197 — , William, 64 238 INDEX Fitzwalter, Lord, 64, 132 Fitzwarren, WUUam, 31, 197 Flint, 25, 67, 96, 116, 112, 171, 192, 198 FlueUen, 47 Formigny, 9, 59, 61, 76 Fortescue, Sir John, 108 Fougeres, 56, 76 Francis II, duke of Brittany, 193, 196 Gabriell, The, 159 Gam, David, 18, 44, 45, 52, 53, 74 Gamage, Morgan, 210 — , Thomas, 64 GeUigaer, 195 Geoffrey ap Rhys, 64 Gerardston, 20, 172 Gethin, Morris, 156, 172 — , Sir Richard, 46, 47, 49 — , Rhys, 46 — , Robert, 223 ¦ Glamorgan, 26, 53, 78, 89, 100-1, 109-10, 112, 118, 123, 158, 171, 176, 188, 195, 197 Glasbury, 138, 196 Gloucester, 80, 130, 131, 135-6, 152, 156, 167, 174-5, 192, 194, 204 — , Humphrey, duke of, 4, 13, 21, 23-4, 26, 37, 39, 41, 53, 63, 66, 68, 69, 74 — , Richard, duke of . See Richard III. Glover, WiUiam, 135 Glyn, David, 223 Glyn, John, 45 Glyn Cothi, Forest of, 128, 157, 189 Glyn Cothi, Lewis, 3-10, 13, 23, 28-31, 34, 48, 50, 62, 74, 93-4, 99. 125, 129, 149, 150, 168, 183-5, 190-1. 209 Glyndwr, Owen, 10, 16, 17, 22, 25, 26, 34, 44, 52, 74 Glys, Thomas, 176, 184 Goch, David, 215 — , John, 156 Goodrich, 31, 136 Gough, David, 148 — , Sir John, 60-61 — , Mathew, 9, 21, 48-62, 73, 76, 101, 123 — , Owen, 48 Gower, 90, 136, 141, 147, 151, 172, 175, 203, 209 Gregory ap Heulyn. 64 Grey of Ruthin, Edmund, Lord, 77, 104, 106, 113, 132, 160, 164 Grey, Henry, earl of TankerviUe, 33, 40, 104 — . Richard, Lord Powys, 3, 30, 103, 104, 107-8, 116, 137 — , Sir Richard, 200 Griffith, ElUs, n, 14, 76, 154 — , Henry, 98, 116, 164 — . Sir John, 45, 81, 137 — , Nicholas, 45 . — , Rice, 196 — , Robert, 190 — . WiUiam, 27, 32, 164, 210, 215 — ap David ap Thomas, 40 — ap Ieuan ap Eynon, 144 ap Iorwerth, 144 — ap Meredith, 58 ap Henry, 44 — ap Nicholas, 4, 5, 10, 12-3, 20, 23-5. 28-9, 33, 39, 40, 81, 90-4, 124, 128-130, 190, 195, 200, 229 — ap Richard, 156 — ap Robin, 164 Grommys ap Howel ap Morgan, 144 — ap Ieuan ap Eynon ap Ieuan, 144 Gronow, David, 63 — , WilUam, 150 Guto'r Glyn, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 28-9, 47, 50, 62, 150, 168-71, 174-5. 177. 179. 181, 183-5, 193 GwenUwg, 216 Gwent, 97, 100, 138, 175-6 — , GwUym, 9, 60, 61, 99 Gwilym, John, 184 — ap Ieuan Hen, 12, 23, 129 Gwladys Ddu, 10, 74, 176 Gwyn, Henry, 37, 163 Gwynedd, RheinaUt, 124, 128 — , Richard, 156 HaU, 63 Hampden, Edward, 143 Hanmer, David, 48 — , John, 103, 104, 140, 153 — , WiUiam, 153, 194, 210 Harflete, Geoffrey, 51 Harfleur, 44, 47, 51-2 Harlech, 16, 34, 52, 115, 120, 122, 129, 140, 143-5, 150-5, 162- 171, 194. 203 Hastings, WiUiam, Lord, 77, 130, 136, 138, 149-50, 176, 186- 89, 198, 204 INDEX 239 Havard, John, 53 — , Lewis, 176, 184 — , Thomas, 176, 184, 227 — , WilUam, 176, 184 Haverfordwest, 45, 85, 109, 124, 147, 163, 190, 203, 210 Hawarden, 67, 116 Hay, 123, 147, 169, 189 Hedgeley Moor, 153 Henbury, John, 63 Henry V, 16, 17, 20, 35, 46, 52-3, 66-7 — VI, 6, n, 18, 46-197 — VII, 7, 10, 11, 13, 68, 92-6, 107, 147, 153, 170, 192-228 — ap Griffith, 84, no, 123, 156, 164 — ap GwUym, 97, 100, 129 — ap Ieuan Gwynne, 63 — ap Ievan, 44 — ap Roger, 199 — ap Thomas, 190 — ap Walter, 63 Herbert, Lady, 92, 189 — , GUbert, 75 — , John, 135, 138, 164, 172, 190, 196, 200 — , Margaret, 190 — , Maud, 147, 170 — , PhiUp, 210 — , Sir Richard, 3, 73, 98, 123, 138, 147, 150, 160, 164, 169, 172, 176-7, 181-6, 190, 196 — , Richard, 184 — , Thomas, 38-40, 74-5, 100, 117, 135-8, 146, 156, 164, 172, 192 — , Walter, 215-6, 219-20, 224-5 — , WilUam, earl of Pembroke, 6, 8, 11, 21, 39, 44, 45, 52-3, 57. 60, 73-4, 78, 80-200 — , William (half-brother of WilUam, earl of Pembroke), 136-8, 163, 176 — , WilUam, earl of Huntingdon. See Huntingdon. — , WiUiam, son of Sir Richard, 184, 196, 210, 225 Herberts, The, 4, 6, 18, 74-8, 98, 139. 146, 167, 169, 171, 175-6, 181, 195 Hereford, 79, 83-4, 89, 97-101, no, 116, 120-31, 135-7, 147-8, 167, 192—200 — , earl of, 79, 206 Herle, John, 190 Hervey, Hoskyn, 176, 184 Hewes, John, 210 Hexham, 153 Hirwaun, 214 Holt -Castle, 76, 116, 149, 152, 201-3, 215 Hoord, Roger, 103 Hope, 137 Hopkin ap Howel, 210 — ap Rhys, 124, 128, 152, 172 Howel, David, 17, 46 — , John, 156, 172, 196 — , John ap, 225 — , Lewis, 63 — ap David ap Thomas, 39 — ap Griffith, 51 ap Howel, 223 — ap John, 114 — ap Meredith ap Howel, 156 Huddleston, John, 210 — , Sir Richard, 210, 215 Hugh, Richard, 173 — ap Jenkyn ap Ievan ap Madoe, 98 — ap John, Sir, 141, 214 — ap Thomas, 40 Hungerford, Sir Walter, 47, 66 Huntingdon, 147, 189 — , WiUiam Herbert, earl of, 160, 201, 210, 214 Huntley, Hugh, 135, 204 — , Thomas, 176, 184 Hutton, Thomas, 206 Huw Cae Llwyd, 194 Ievan ap Griffith, 33 — ap Ievan Gadara, 109 — ap Lloyd, 73 — ap Richard, 44 — ap Robert ap Meredith, 170 — ap Tudor ap Owen, 210 Ireland, 76, 78, 83, 95, 105-6, 125, 143, 145-6, 149-50, 159 Iscennin, 152 Ivan ap John of Merwyke, 184 James, The, of Tenby, 63 Jankyn ap Howel ap Ievan, 156 — ap Ievan ap Llywelyn, 156 — ap John ap Rhys, 44 — ap Iorwerth ap Eynon, 144 — ap Meurig ap Richard, 44 — ap Philip, 216-7 Johannes ap Griffith, 51 John, abbot of LlaneguyfaU, 140 — , Sir Hugh, 160 — , Lewis, 20 — ap Gwilym, 98, 156, 164 — ap Henry, 44 240 INDEX John ap Howel ap William* 53 — ap Ieuan ap Llywelyn, 172, 227 — ap Ievan Eynon, 144 — ap Jankyn, 148, 210 — ap Jankyn ap Madoe, 156 — ap Meredith, 31, 164, 221-2 ap Evan Lloyd, 227 — ap Morgan ap David Gam, 156 — ap Rees, 40, 44, 45 — ap Thomas, 33 — ap Richard, 98 — ap Robert, 98 — ap Thomas, 45 — ap William, 184 Kemys, PhiUip, 210 — , William, 210 Kidwely, 90, 152, 172, 175-6 Kighley, Sir John, 64 — , Sir Richard, 45 Kilpek Castle, 138 Kilvey, 147 Knylle, Sir WiUiam, 123 Knyvett, Sir WUUam, 208 Kyffin, David, 140 Kynaston, Sir Roger, 8, 40, 103, 108, 116, 138, 172, 193-4, 210 — . Griffith, 103 — . PhiUp, 103 — , WilUam, 103 Kyriel, Sir Thomas, 50, 58, 60, 74-5 Lamburston, 163 Lancaster, duchy of, 26, 78, 152, 190, 197, 203 Lancastrians, Chapters v-x Landois, Peter, 205, 212 Latimer, Lord, 174, 180 La Roche Guyon, 57 Laugharne, 27, 136, 147, 172 Le George of Sluys, 53 Le Mans, 51, 54-6 Lenthal, Sir Rowland, 45,- 85 Leominster, 105, 125-6 Lewis, Welsh physician, 207, 211 — , Hugh, 227 — . Morris, 210 — , Robert, 64 — , Thomas, 176, 184 — , William, 210 — ap GwUym ap Thomas, 97 — ap Meredith, 24, 64 — ap Rhydderch, 152 ap Rhys, 151 — ap Rhys, 128, 124 Gethin, 64 Leyshon, Lewis, 23 Llanbadarn, 32 Llancarvan, 195 Llandilo, 151 Llandovery, 214 Llanfaes, 18 Llangenneth, 20 Llangyfelach, 152 Llanllwch, 148, 214 Llanrhidian, 152 Llanrwst, 169 Llanstephan, 37, 82, 146, 193, 203 Llanthony Abbey, 79 Llantrissant, 100 Llantwit, 195 Lloyd, David, 48 — , — . 128 — , — , 227 — , Hugh, 156, 172, 210, 228 — , John, 45, 156, 172 — . Morris, 224 — . Owen, 223 — , Watkin, 44, 46 — , WiUiam, 227 — ap Ievan ap Griffith, David, 33 Llwyd, Davydd, 3, 4, 8, 166-7, 223 Llywelyn ap David ap Rhys, 33 — ap Cliffort, 44 — , Ithel, 64 — , Thomas, 24 — , WiUiam, 225 Losecoat Field, 191 Lougher, 172 Ludford, 11, 96-126 Ludlow, 29, 77—80, 90, 102—8, 119-20, 138, 197, 200-3 Luttrell, Sir James, 136, 155 Lynell, Sir John, 123 Mabbe, Johannes, 51 Machen, 216 Maehennydd, 79 Maelor, 48 Magor, 146, 184 Maine, 35, 48-56 MaUphant, Margaret, 23 — , Sir Thomas, 23 Maltraeth, 67 Manorbier, 137, 210, 214 Mansel, PhUip, 95, 120, 124, 128, 151-2, 172 — , Thomas, 140-1., 151 Manselton, 152 March, earl of. See Edward IV. Marches, The, 25-6, 29, 36, 39, 77-120, 123, 146-8, 167, 192, 197-8, 200 INDEX 241 Maredydd ap Ievan ap Rees, 33 Margam, 33, 112 Margaret of Anjou, 7, 38, 54, 76- 144, 150, 162, 191-4 — , countess of Richmond, 202, 211 — , dau. of Sir WilUam ap Thomas, 184 Marywhite, The, of Tenby, 63 Mathew, David, 134, 164 — , Walter, 156 Maud Herbert, 147, 216 Maurice ap Griffith, 180 — ap Meurig, 53 Meredith, Morgan, 21, 84 — ap Cynwric, 77 — ap GwUym, 176, 184 — ap Owen Glyndwr, 18 — ap WiUiam, 63 Merioneth, 36, 83, 86, 89, 138, 145, 150, 153, 163. 164, 167, 172, 189, 194 Meurig ap Rhys, 44 Michael, Henry, 64 Middleton, David, 148, 164, 196, 227 — , John, no, 153 — , Richard, 40, no Miles ap Harry, 44, 98, 199 MUewater, John, no, 148, 164 Milford Haven, 13, 82, 125, 203, 213-216 Moccas, 147 Moelwick, 109 Monmouth, 78-80, 89, 98, 123, 172, 175. 103, 192, 203 Montgomery, 67, 116, 137, 156, 164, 172, 203 Morgan, David Llywelyn, 209 — , Edward, 223 — , Evan, 216 — , Henry, 176, 184 — , John, 56 — , John ap, 215 — , Sir John, 216, 220 — , Llywelyn ap, 216 — , John, Bishop, 217 — , Thomas ap, 164, 196, 210, 225 — , Trahaiarn, 216 — , Walter, 176, 184 — , WiUiam, 176, 184 — ap Evan ap Jankyn, 27 — ap Jankyn ap Philip, 164, 217 — ap Meredith, 22 — ap Thomas, 190, 195 — ap Rhydderch, 128 — ap Roger (Rosser), 27 — of Kidwely, 216-8 Morgan Kidwely, 217-8 — John PhiUp, 225 Morgannwg, 78, 109 Morris ap Rhys, 210 — ap David ap Griffith, 227 — ap Owen, 224 Mortimer, The, 44, 74, 79, 84, 89, 107, 111, 197, 203 Mortimer's Cross, 7, 8, 11, 13, 75, 93-4 Morton, John, 200, 205-8, 212, 218 Morys, David, 25 — ap David ap Griffith, 144 Moyle, John, 137 MuUe, Sir WiUiam, 135-6, 172 — , Hugh, 197 Narberth, 83, 90, no, 203, 214 Neath, 100, 171, 184 Neville, Richard, earl of Warwick. See Warwick. NeviUes, The, 53, 78, 79, 85, 102, 104, 109, 132, 137, 161, 163, 173, 180, 186 Newcourt, 84, 199 Newport, 27, 75, 79, 138, 216 Newton, 67 — , Richard, 204, 214 Nicholas ap Rees, no Nicholston, 152 Norfolk, duke of, 132, 149, 152, 172 Norris (Norreys), 36, 77, 141 Northampton, 79, 103, 113, 123, 147, 158, 175, 182, 202 Ormond, earl of, 64, 124-26, 135. See WUtshire. Oswestry, 200 . Owen, Sir David, 217, 227 — , John, no, 197 — , Richard, 114, 224 — ap Griffith, 224 — ap Griffith ap Nicholas, 33-4, 81, 94-5, 124, 129, 130 — ap Gwilym, 129 — ap Jankyn, 44 — ap Meredith. See Owen Tudor. — ap Thomas, 63 Oxford, earl of, 146, 167, 213, 218 Oxwich, 152, 209 Oystermouth, 141 Pecock, Reginald, 4, 5, 187 Pembroke, 26, 37, 67, 73-128, 135- 157, 169-70, 176, 192-214 Penclauth, 163 242 INDEX PenkeUy (PengeUy), 60, 75, 149* 172, 210 PenUyn, Hugh, 64 Tudur. See Tudur PenUyn. PennaUy, 137, 214 Pennarth, 24 Perot, Thomas, 37 — , John, 22, 44, 126 — , Thomas, 124, 196 — , (Perrott), Jankyn, 185 Philip, David, 210 — ap Griffith, 44 — ap Howel, 224 — ap Morgan, 210 — ap Rees (Rhys), 81, 152, 210 — ap Rhys ap Thomas Vaughan, 223 Picton, 154 Pole, Catherine de la, 72 Poole, Geoffrey, 84, 85 Powys, Lord, 170, 210. See also Richard Grey. — , Lewis, 124, 128 Presteign, 125-6, 156 Privy CouncU, 33-6, 68, 116, 118 Puleston, John, 140, 192 — , Robert, 210 — , Roger, 116, 120, 123, 139, 140, 151. 153. 173 PuUe, WiUiam, 24 PwU Picton, 154 Pyll, 163 Pyrton, Sir WiUiam, 46, 64 Radnor, 79, 118, 123, 125, 172, 203, 215 Radyr, 156 Raglan, 78, 80, 136, 163, 145 — , Ievan, 51 Ratcliffe, Sir John, 132 Ravenspur, 192 RedcUffe, 119 Redwyk, 146 Rede, Geoffrey, 224 Rees ap David ap Thomas, 40 — ap Rhydderch, 45 — ap Thomas, 19 — Vaughan ap Rees, 33 Rempston, Thomas, 63, 96 Rhaith, 18 RheinaUt ap Griffith ap Bleddyn, 144. 1-55 — Davy, 223 Rhuddlan, in Rhuvoniog, m Rhydderch, Morgan, 210 — ap Rhys, 223 Rhys ap Llywelyn, 223 — ap Madoe, 21 — ap PhUip, 223 — ap Thomas, Sir, 6,_i2,_i3, 23, ^0^210^3251 — ap"~Daviar33 Rice ap Morgan, 185 — Llywelyn ap Morgan, 210 Richard III, 170, 190, 196, 198, 202-228 — , Hugh, 225 — ap Madoe, 48 — ap Rhys, 44 172, 196 — ap Robert, 40 Richmond, earl of. See Tudor. Rivers, earl, 169, 173, 178, 183, 186, 198, 200-4 Robert, Morys, 144 — ap GwUym ap Thomas, 227 — ap Howel, 140, 215 — ap Jankyn, 210 — ap Rosser, 199 Robin Ddu, 4, 8-1 1, 70, 127 Robin of Redesdale, 174 Roger, John, 84 — ap John, 173 Roos, 82 Ross, 80, 138, 199 Ruthin, 116. See Grey. Rys ap Llywelyn, Gwyn, 44 St Albans, 37, 39, 79, 82, 85-6* 117, 121, 130-3 — Asaph, 153 . — Briavel, 163, 204 — Ceneri, 50 — Clear's, 17, 82 — Fagan's, 195 — Florence, 82 — James de Beuvron, 56, 57 — John's, Carmarthen, 53 — Field's, 132 — Nicholas, 82 Salesbury, 103 — , Thomas, 164, 210 SaUsbury, earl of, 47-8, 121, 161 Salop, 116, 137, 167, 190, 198 Savage, Sir John, 216, 218, 220-1, 226-7 Scurla Castle, 152 SenUs, 50 Serjeant, WiUiam, 210 Shaund6, PhiUbert de, 218 Shrewsbury, 31, 77-80, 89, 96, 102, 120, 122, 137, 200-1 — , earl of, 89, 97, 136-7, 172, 196 INDEX 243 Sion ap Rhys, 129 Sheen, 86 Skydmore, Sir John, 13, 47-8, 52, 91. 95, 101, no, 122, 124, 128, 137, 140-2, 147 Skydmores, 35, 89, 122, 124, 151 Snowdon, 142-3, 168, 172 Somerset, duke of, 51-194 Spier, Nicholas, 215 Stafford, Humphrey, 79,11 7, 122,174 — , 207, 208, 209 Staffords, 79, 117, 122 Stanley, Lord, 13, 202, 212, 220 — .• Sir Thomas, 76-7, 82, 103, 115 — , WiUiam, 137, 210, 215, 225 Stapleton, 148 Staunton, Thomas, 157 Steward, John, 20, 63 Steynton, 163 StUUngton, 198, 205 Stradling, Edward, 26, 44, 53, 63-4 — , Henry, 44, 97 — , John, 74 — , Sir William, 44 Strange, Lord, 213, 220 Strata Florida, 16, 32, 151 Suffolk, duke of, 38-42, 45, 51, 64, 69, 72, 76, 95 Swansea, 141, 147, 152, 172 Swrdwal, Howel, 74, 128-9, 156 Symon, WilUam ap, 208-9 Talbot, Sir John, 31, 35, 45-52, 64 Talbots, 17, 30, 35, 164, 225, 227 Talgarth, 53, 216 TalyboUon, 67 Tenby, 25, 37, 53, 58, 82, 95-6, 121, 139-141, 146, 195, 203, 210 Tewkesbury, 193—4 Thawe, Jenkyn, 40 Thelwalls, 32 Thomas, John, 227 — ap Griffith ap Nicholas, 91, 95, 124, 130 — ap David ap WiUiam, 63 — ap Harry, 176, 184 — ap Henry, 44 — ap Ieuan ap Eynon, 144 — ap Jankyn ap Rees, 40 — ap John, 210 — ap Madoe, 156 — ap Morgan, 184 — ap Prene, 63 — ap Rosser (Roger), 5, 29, 98, 147, 164, 176, 183, 184 — , Watkin, 184 — , WiUiam, 123 Thorpe Mandeville, 181 Towton, 130-5, 143, 192 Towy, 125, 151 Trahaiarn ap Ievan ap Meurig, 148 Henry, 150, 156 Thomas, 98 Tregaron, 24 Tresham, Sir WiUiam, 71 Tretower, 147 Trevor, John, 140 Trinity of Minehead, 141 — of Newport, 63 TroUope, Andrew, 106-7, I34 Tudor, Edmund, earl of Richmond, 7, 11, 13, 67-8, 72, 78, 81-6, 90-2, 97 — , Henry. See Henry VII. — , Jasper, earl of Pembroke, 3, 7, 8,. 10, 13, 66-8, 72-8, 81-6, 92-127, 136-7, 140-154, 158, 192-7, 165-173, 185, 191, 211-228 — , Owen, 4, 8-11, 21-2, 32, 47, 66-72, 82, 90, 95, 109, 127-8, 151, 213 Tudors, 68, 78, 83-5, 91-2,95-7, 192 Tudur PenUyn, 3, 4, 12, 154, 165 TunstaU, Sir Richard, 140, 169 TurberviUe, Gilbert, 24 Tuthill, 143 Twygeston, 24 Tyrrel, Sir James, 214 Upper Wardington, 180-3 Usk, 26, 84, 98, 109-10, 135, 163, 203, 210 Vale Royal, 32 Vaughan, David, 156, 210, 215 — , Griffith, 3, 30, 33 of Corsygedol, 140, 154, 165, 170 — , Hugh, 217, 224 — , John, 64 — , Morgan, 199 — , PhiUp, 122-3, l69 — , Rees, 137, 156 — , Reginald, 170 — , Richard, 210, 215 — , Roger, 208, 210 — . SirRoger,ofTretower,78,97-8, 113, 118-23, I27, 151-2, 164, 172, 177, 184, 190, 193-6, 200 — . Roger, of Bredwardine, 46, 129, 176 — , Sir Thomas, 148-9, 156, 161, 198, 202-4 244 INDEX Vaughan, Thomas (son of Sir Roger), 147, 196, 207-10, 214-5 — , Walter, 214-5 — , Watkin, 46 — , — of Bredwardine, 128-9 — , — (son of Sir Roger), 184, 190, 208 — , William, 196, 214 Vaughans, 4, 98, 113, 172, 214, 227 Vaures, Ievan, 51 Vawr, John, 199 Verneuil, 21, 46-8, 54 Vestynden, Ralph, 134 ViUeinage in Wales, 27, 31 Vychan, Griffith, 44 Wakefield, 116, 121-3, 131, 135 Walter ap David ap John, 225 — ap Gwilym, 227 — ap Ievan, 44 — ap Lewis, 224 Walwyn's Castle, 136, 146, 203 Warwick, Richard, earl of, 6, 73-195 Welsh pedigrees, 73 — poets, 5-12, 28, 39, 50-2, 91, 99, 103, 145, 150, 166-8, 171 Welshpool, 25 Wenlok, John, -130, 132, 137 Weobley, 80, 108, 208 Whitland, 32 Whitney, Roger, 112 Whyte, John, 51 Wigmore, 90, 96, 126, 203 WUIiam Griffith ap Robin, 223 — ap Griffith, 11, 63 — ap Hopkin, 156 . — ap Howel ap Thomas, 156 — ap John, 40 — ap Morgan, 156 ap David Gamme, 98 WiUiam ap Norman, 99, 176, 184 — ap Owen, 109 — ap Rees, 89 — ap Thomas, Sir, 40, 46, 52-3, 74-7, 184 ap Robert, 40 — ap WUIiam ap Griffith, 18, 22 WUUams, Richard, 204, 210, 214, 218 — , Nicholas, 225 Wiltshire, earl of, 38, 86, 136, 146-7. See Ormond. Wogan, Sir Henry, 38, 40, 45, 91, 97, i°9, 176, 184 — . Jankyn Lloyd, 40 — , John, 39, 40, 47, 176, 184 — , Mathew, 37 — , WilUam, 40, 44 Wolf, WiUiam, 64 WoodviUe, Anthony. See Rivers. — . Catherine, 79, 202 — , Sir Edward, 213 — , Sir Richard, 206 WoodviUes, 141, 159, 160, 207 Worcester, John, earl of, 137, 164 — , Richard, earl of, 63, 79 Wrexham, 215 Wydegada, 86 Wynfurton, 138 Wynne, John, 156, 196, 199 Yale, 147, 215 Yelverton, Justice, 80 York, Richard, dukeof, 12, 39, 45-6, 521.4, 75-172 Yorkists, 6, 13, 89-90, 94, 99-126, 134, 139, 141, 143, 146, 148, 195-204, 167, 172, 185-6, 190 Ytton, 184 CAMBRIDGE : PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, M.A. AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS JANGLESE Q JConway A Uluthill *J ~ V" •o Den6igho\ fy \ "Chester GHET T°Ruthin ^ jV Dinas Sran Holt" (*5 oMalpas Harlech® ^ yj Cummer >¦ ~6oDolgelly\ > oChirk & *rf*"" 0 '**¦ rflT* Oswesf n/£> Llanfyllino _ •* .^ Si e 5? Welshpool^ TALBOT oCaws Shrewsbury et& xo* * Machynlleth CEDEWAllt . ^Montgomery _C** Llanidloes ReuitoiunJ\ CERI GWERZHRYNlOti ¦fj ''%$ _, MAELIENiiYDO Presto* Strata < YOR K /Vetw Radnor* _ OW Radnor „ onergest Florida PENNARTH >4* Rfiothj ^Cardigan ^pngerran&\f^sEjU lufi ^LANCASTER Wfcfcgi mohtimerC £* ^^aTnmrlnTn ty Narberth 05 \ isckmvkiV fr tCfearsy ^Llanstephan . v KtVALLON oStjvicholas grdweat *%. „ Llandovery ^r p.£i >*V foCarregcei ^ Builth\„ffoor^%. &^£f"° ^ H "*? rJ'Snodhih- .udlow JbPLudfard Richard's L imer'a Cross eominster Hereford %& oTalgarth *** j7asbury oTalgar D/wasYORK t€* ^Ss teenkellu „Trrfoi.Sr S4en/rit)i W,„„J„;„t *«( w ^Jf^'i/ oTretomr 8jpmfHth jMjoodrich qCrichhoaietl > I\y3 IVAite Cos* _<|