Dryslwyn Castle
Dryslwyn Castle is built on the same ridge as Dinefwr Castle. It is likely that Lord Rhys, the ruler of Deheubarth in the 12th century, maintained a stronghold in both places, although both castles were rebuilt in stone by later rulers. Dryslwyn Castle as it exists today “stands on top of a hill overlooking the Tywi valley. Its date of construction is unknown but the similarity between it and neighbouring Dinefwr Castle suggest that it was built at a similar time and possibly by the same person. The most likely builder was Rhys Gryg who occupied Dinefwr in the early 13th century, or possibly his son Maredudd, who inherited Dryslwyn from his father. By the late 13th century the castle at Dryslwyn had developed into the largest native Welsh castle in South Wales. In 1277 the English king, Edward I sent an Read more…
Sheep, baaaaaa…..
To say that there are sheep in Wales is like saying there is salt in the sea. Some of them are even smart, apparently: “Professor Morton put a flock of Welsh mountain sheep through a series of tests to measure their intelligence … [they] can map their surroundings, and may even be able to plan ahead. The discovery shows they have the brainpower to equal rodents, monkeys and, in some tests, even humans … Professor Jenny Morton from the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge says the beasts’ ‘stupid’ reputation may be unwarranted. She told BBC Wales: “Our tests showed they can do what is known as executive decision making. We looked at whether they were able to understand rules and got them to do what is known as a choice discrimination task. But when we changed the rules, they behaved pretty Read more…
10 months …
When my father died, last August, my husband made a wonderful video in his memory (here). That was 10 months ago. I’m still dealing with his death emotionally, and financially as the executor of his estate. I’ve blogged over at the Indie Chicks Cafe about the kinds of things that might be helpful for every child to discuss with his/her parent BEFORE it is too late … ….. A will and a lawyer. My father had a will and established a trust for his estate to protect my mom. He had a relationship with a lawyer he trusted. Thank goodness. An accountant AND an investment manager: My father did not, however, have either an accountant or an investment manager. He liked to manage his money himself, which was great when he was alive and able to see to it himself, but added to the Read more…
The Bard’s Daughter released!
Gwen mentions in The Good Knight, the first of the Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries, that her father was once accused of murder. Many of my readers have asked about that incident, and I decided it would be fun to tell that story. It ended up as a 22,000 word novella (about 100 pages), that I’ve decided to give away for free as a gift to my readers and as an introduction to the mysteries. Many thanks again to my amazing cover artist, Christine DeMaio-Rice of flipcitybooks.com for the beautiful cover! The Bard’s Daughter The Bard’s Daughter is a 22,000 word prequel to the Gareth and Gwen Medieval Mysteries: As a bard’s daughter, Gwen has spent her life traveling from castle to castle and village to village with her family, following the music. In the winter of 1141, Gwen’s family is Read more…
The Templars and Hospitallers in Wales
The Templars and the Hospitallers made inroads into Wales, though less than in other European countries. In Wales, they are very much associated with the Normans and the Holy Land … not that Welshmen didn’t go on Crusade, because some did, but that the institution didn’t attract much of a following among the native Welsh. “In 1156 the Countess of Warwick gave the Templars the church of Llanmadoc in the Gower, and until the early 1280s they held Templeton in Pembrokeshire – contemporary documents call it “Villa Templar”, “Templars’ village”. William Marshal may have given them the mill they owned outside Pembroke castle, and he may have been the donor who gave them the church of Kemeys Commander on the River Usk. The Templars also owned small parcels of land in Glamorganshire and Gwent. Though founded at the same time Read more…
Devil’s Bridge
I don’t know that this is particularly historical, but it was a beautiful spot, to the east of Aberystwyth. We stumbled upon it by accident a few yards from our hotel. This is a series of three bridges, built one on top of the other, as the needs of the road change. Plus a little Victorian mercantilism to charge for the privilege of seeing it 🙂
Medieval Monks
There were a lot of different orders of monks in the Middle Ages (still are, in fact), but the primary monasteries in England consisted of: Dominicans: Dominicans are about preaching and doctrinal conformity. They were (no surprise) the order behind the inquisition, with the intent to rule out any doctrine that didn’t abide strictly by received Catholic theology. “Domingo de Guzman (around 1170-1221), a Spanish priest travelling with his bishop Diego of Osma, encountered by chance Cistercian monks who tried to bring the Cathars of Southern France back to the Catholic Church. He saw the deficiencies of their attempts and decided to do a better job, by walking and dressing humbly, listening to and talking with people, being aware of contemporary developments, and first of all preaching the Gospel. He gathered a band of priests around him. After the Fourth Read more…
The Normans in Wales
The leader of the Normans, William the Bastard (William the Conquerer, William the Norman), won his first battle for the conquest of England at Hastings in October of 1066. He defeated the army of King Harold Godwinson, who’d force-marched his men from Stamford Bridge after defeating an invasion by King Hardrada of Norway. Harold’s forces almost held, but in the end, his discipline did not and he himself died on the battlefield. http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/william-the-conqueror.htm That was only the beginning, however, and it would be another six years before England was truly conquered. Wales, however, took a bit longer. The Welsh fought what amounted to a guerilla war for over 150 years against the Norman/French aggressors. Although the documentation of this war is mostly on the English side, it is interesting reading from the perspective of the Welsh. In the Chroncile of Read more…
Brother Cadfael’s Penance (review)
Ellis Peters began her Brother Cadfael series in 1977 with A Morbid Taste for Bones. Twenty books later, she wrote Brother Cadfael’s Penance, my personal favorite. She saved the best for last, as she died in October, 1995. Ellis Peters was the nom de plume of Edith Pargeter. Although she began the Brother Cadfael mysteries towards the end of the life, she had a long career in many other areas. Although she left school at fifteen, she taught herself Czechoslovakian, and then translated a number of works into English. http://www.dawleyheritage.co.uk/unpublished-articles/342/biography-of-edith-pargeter-by-p-wolfe Here’s the pitch for the final book: “For Brother Cadfael in the autumn of his life, the mild November of our Lord’s year 1145 may bring a bitter–and deadly–harvest. England is torn between supporters of the Empress Maud and those of her cousin Stephen. The civil strife is about to jeopardize Read more…
Brecon Castle
Brecon Castle was begun in 1093 by Bernard de Newmarch, when (as my book ‘Welsh Castles’ puts it) ‘he established his lordship of Brecon.’ The Normans had only come to Britain in 1066 and it was a wild time on the borders between England and Wales as they tried to gain control over the Welsh lands. The Chronicle of the Princes (Red Book of Hergest version) says (for 1093) “the French devastated Gower, Cydweli, and the Vale of Tywi; and the countries remained a desert.” The lands had been occupied since before the Romans came, as Pen-y-crug hillfort, or Caer Coch, sits to the northwest of the castle. http://www.wisdomofrhiannon.co.uk/Brecon.html Brecon Castle was much fought over. From Newmarch, the castle passed to the Braose dynasty. King John seized it from William de Braose, who was in rebellion, in 1207 and William’s son Read more…
The Kingdom of Deheubarth
Deheubarth was a southern Welsh kingdom, arising from the former kingdoms of Dyfed and Seisyllwg in 920 AD, under the rule of Hywel Dda. At various times, it fell under the auspices of Gwynedd, namely, during the rule of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in 1055 AD. The Norman conquest, as for the Saxons to the east, was not a happy event, however, and Deheubarth fell to them before 1100 AD. These Normans conquered the southern regions of Wales more fully than they ever did the north, including Deheubarth (until 1282, at which point Edward I conquered all of Wales). The Normans accepted a client rule in certain instances and granted Cantref Mawr to Gruffydd ap Rhys in 1116. In time, he passed its rule onto his son, Anarawd. With the help of Owain Gwynedd, Anarawd and Gruffydd successfully revolted against their Norman masters Read more…
Carreg Cennen Castle
The present castle at Carreg Cennen dates to the thirteenth century and Edward the first’s program of castle building. The site itself, however, has been occupied since Roman times (a cache of Roman coins and four prehistoric skeletons have been unearthed at the site). The first to build a castle here were the Welsh princes of Deheubarth. “The first mention of a medieval castle is in 1248 when Rhys Fychan regained control after his mother had handed the castle over to the English out of hatred for her son. Nothing remains of this earlier castle, the current buildings date back to the late 13th and early 14th centuries. In 1277 Edward I seized control of the castle, and in 1283 he gave it to one of his barons, John Giffard of Brimpsfield in Gloucestershire. It was probably during Giffard’s tenure Read more…
^