The Cambrian Sketch-Book: Tales, Scenes, and Legends of Wild Wales

by R. Rice Davies

When the solemn obsequies connected with the funeral of the deceased prince were over, the Cambrian barons and chieftains met in a national congress, and unanimously elected Prince Llewelyn-ap-Gruffydd and his brother Owen as joint sovereigns of Wales. The decision of the barons was hailed with the liveliest satisfaction by the Cambrian people. The reason of the existence of this feeling in favour of the two princes is obvious. Their father had been the idol of the Welsh. The people in both North and South Wales had felt that he had been cruelly treated by his brother, that he had been unjustly deprived of his inheritance, that his birthright had been taken from him by unfair means (for he was the lawful successor to Llewelyn the Great, the heir-apparent to the throne on his decease), and hence that the crown belonged to him by seniority. The people now rejoiced that the sons of the boy hero who in his youth had made King Henry’s army feel his power, were about to be placed in possession of their lawful inheritance as rulers and sovereigns of the Cambrian nation. In the following pages I shall place before the reader facts which show the wisdom of the choice which the national congress made.

But I have no intention, indeed it is wholly foreign to my present purpose, to write a life of Llewelyn, that is, a consecutive narrative of his deeds and acts, and his grand military achievements. In 1856 I compiled a biography of my hero, but it still remains in manuscript. Briefly stated, my present purpose is to paint a likeness of the last prince of the Cymru in three different aspects, that is, as a military commander and tactician, as a Cambrian patriot, and as a citizen and friend. Regarded in these several aspects, I shall, from reliable data, make it perfectly clear that the prince was as just as he was generous; that he commanded the respect, the love, the affection and the admiration of all who came in contact with him; that moreover, by his deeds of prowess, by the manifestation of great skill and eminent military tactics, by the rapidity with which he moved his army from one part of the battle-field to another, from one point of attack to another place which he regarded as vulnerable, he gained a title to be regarded as one of the greatest generals of those eventful times. He successfully resisted, and more than once conquered, the bravest army then existing in Europe.

Immediately after the Welsh princes ascended the throne of their ancestors, King Henry of England, at the head of a powerful army, invaded North Wales. For this attack the Welsh princes were wholly unprepared; and rather than risk an engagement with such terrible odds against them, they prudently retreated before the enemy, retiring to the mountain districts, from which the English king failed to dislodge them. Subsequently, but before Henry returned to England, a treaty of amity and peace was concluded between the Cambrian and Saxon monarchs. The conditions of this treaty were, first, that Llewelyn was to give up possession for ever of his patrimony, the four cantrevs; secondly, that he was to serve in Wales, or in the Marches, with one thousand foot and twenty-four horse,—this at his own expense; thirdly, that all the Welsh barons were to do homage to the English monarch. That the conditions of this treaty were most humiliating, we must at once admit; but under the circumstances there can be no doubt that Llewelyn acted wisely in acceding to them, for had he defied the enemy then, the struggle would have proved a hopeless one. The peace which he by the treaty secured, lasted for a period of nine years, when Llewelyn became (1254) the sole sovereign of Wales. From that time until his untimely end, he reigned alone: nobly and magnanimously did he wear the crown. His was a life without a stain of dishonour, as pure and bright as the crystal fountain; and he has left a name which will never die. Magnanimous was he, generous and noble was he, chivalrous and princely in mien and heart was he: hence the reason why he was almost worshipped by all who came within the sacred circle of his influence; and had he had a moiety of the power possessed by the English monarchs, the issue of the struggle would have been widely different. However, an all-wise Providence willed it otherwise, and it is our duty to bow our heads without a murmur, for He does all things in infinite love and wisdom.

After securing such important concessions from Llewelyn, the English king, if be had been wise, would have pursued a mild and conciliatory policy towards the nobles and barons of the Welsh nation: unfortunately for his reputation and statesmanship, good-will towards the conquered formed no part of the imperial virtues. He ruled with a rod of iron, the olive-branch forming no part of the device upon the king’s banner. Thus the fruit of his policy soon became apparent. It would be expecting more than human nature to suppose that the Cambrian chieftains and barons would remain peaceful and quiet on seeing their estates seized by lords Marchers. Moreover, the greatest oppression was practised by minions of King Henry, and for the most trivial offences the proud barons of Wales were subjected to cruel and extreme punishment. As was natural, his cruelties and his policy of confiscation produced everywhere disaffection, and ultimately a spirit of implacable hate was engendered. The people, to a man, were in the end ready to rise in order to throw off the bitter yoke. They had their leader, the brave prince Llewelyn; but the fruit was not yet ripe. But while he urged delay, he did not neglect preparation for the conflict, for he knew that the day of conflict must come. When the hour arrived, Llewelyn took the field, and his achievements far surpassed the most sanguine expectations of both himself and his brave followers. In the space of a single week he recovered from the enemy the possessions they had acquired by war in North Wales and Cardiganshire. Wherever he and his little army went, the enemy was compelled to yield, and to retire from the battlefield as defeated hosts.

Soon after these successes, Llewelyn led a large army into South Wales. Before Dynevor Castle, near Llandilo, he encountered the English forces, which were commanded by Rhys Vychan. The battle was conducted with great skill and bravery on both sides; but at last the king’s army was thoroughly beaten and retired from the field. Immediately after this splendid victory, the Cambrian prince returned in triumph to the North, where his subjects received him with universal acclamation and heart-felt gratitude. But his work now had only just commenced. On his arrival at Aber, he found awaiting him a deputation from the four cantrevs,—tenants and chiefs residing on lands within his patrimony,—who had come to lay before their prince and friend the terrible wrongs they had to endure from the exactions of Geoffrey de Langley, who farmed the crown lands under Prince Edward of England. “Llewelyn, to avenge their injuries, crossed the frontier, carrying fire and sword to the very gates of Chester, from the walls of which, Edward himself is said to have been a galled witness of the havoc.” On this defeat Edward sought his father’s aid, but he sought it in vain: he then applied to his uncle, the king of the Romans, for assistance; but the forces he was thereby able to bring to the field were found either too cowardly or too weak to attack the Welsh. “The Cambrian prince with his army then took a détour, they entered the territory of Gruffydd ab Madog, lord of Dinas Brân, a chief who had formed a hostile league against Llewelyn and his native land,” upon whom he took ample revenge. On returning, he suddenly met the English army, which was commanded by Prince Edward in person. A terrible battle was fought between the Welsh and English armies; but at every point of the line Llewelyn’s troops were victorious. In this conflict, Edward’s forces were badly beaten, a small remnant only escaping with their life. After a brief repose, Llewelyn renewed his operations against the domains of Edward, and these he carried on without meeting with any serious opposition; but Llewelyn did not love war: in the hour of his most splendid triumphs he was anxious for peace. Immediately after his recent grand achievements, he wrote to King Henry offering, “if a peace were concluded, and the Welsh restored to their ancient laws, to give a sum of money to Henry, and to acknowledge his sovereignty.” Considering his late successes, we are surprised at his thus humbling himself to his foe. Doubtless he made this offer because of the deep solicitude he felt for the lives and property of his people. This generous offer was rejected with scorn by Henry, whereupon hostilities were recommenced with great and increased vigour by both of the contending parties.

In reviewing thus far the life and character of the Cambrian prince, we have seen that his decision was always followed by prompt and energetic action. Whenever he resolved to do a special thing or to gain a certain point, he at once set about its accomplishment. To this characteristic of the man is traceable the secret of some of his mightiest achievements. In the present case Llewelyn gained important victories before the English monarch could collect his forces and approach his—Llewelyn’s—dominions. During the lull the prince moved his army against the Lord of Powys, whom he easily defeated. The tidings of this victory having been carried to Gruffydd ab Madog, that chief felt that it would be madness on his part to resist the Cambrian prince, and he therefore sought and obtained a treaty of peace. Llewelyn then marched against the Earl of Gloucester, whom he defeated in a general battle. These successes and achievements roused the Welsh to the highest pitch of enthusiasm. Accordingly we find that the Cambrian barons and chiefs entered into a solemn league to defend till death the independence and freedom of their country. This confederacy was formed in the year 1258. On its being ratified the Cambrian prince commenced to march southward, and gained easy victories over the forces that were thrown forward to impede his progress. In a subsequent campaign in South Wales he took the castle of Maelienydd, in Radnorshire. Afterwards he invaded the English borders on the west side of Shropshire and Cheshire, where he gained important advantages over the lords Marchers. From thence he proceeded to the castles of Diserdd and Diganwy, which he besieged and destroyed. On being apprised of these fresh disasters, Prince Edward marched against Llewelyn, who retired to, and took refuge among, the “mountain bulwarks” of Carnarvonshire. As Edward dared not follow the Welsh prince there, he returned to England, “if not disgraced, at least without any particular honour.”

I pass over, as forming no part of my design, the insurrection of De Montford, that nobleman’s success against Sir Roger Mortimer, and his triumph over Prince Edward, whom he kept a prisoner in Hereford Castle. Further, I shall content myself with a passing reference to the invasion of Glamorganshire by Llewelyn, the important treaty of Montgomery in 1267 between Henry and Llewelyn, and the death of the former five years afterwards.

When Edward ascended the throne, be called upon Llewelyn to do homage at his coronation. The Welsh prince replied that he was prepared to comply with the mandate, provided some English noblemen of distinction were sent to the Principality as hostages for his security. The negotiations respecting the question of homage, and the correspondence relating to the imprisonment of Eleanor de Montford, Llewelyn’s betrothed, were carried on until the summer of 1277, when Edward, at the head of a numerous body of vassals, invaded North Wales. Llewelyn’s army being small, he dared not risk a general battle, so he retired and took refuge among the inaccessible defences of Snowdon—a safe asylum, a secure retreat on all occasions when the commissariat department of the army was attended to. Anglesey being now in the hands of the English, and there existing disaffection among some of the South Wales chieftains, the prince found himself so hemmed in that supplies could not be obtained. “Urged by the sufferings of his famishing soldiers, and without any chance of relief,” and his betrothed still being a prisoner, Llewelyn was compelled to sue for peace; but King Edward refused to entertain any proposal short of an unconditional surrender. Under the treaty which was then agreed to, it was stipulated that Llewelyn was to do homage in London annually, to deliver up all prisoners, to restore all forfeited lands, to resign the feudal supremacy over his barons; and all the Welsh chieftains, excepting the five barons of Snowdon, were to hold their lands direct from Edward. The conditions of this treaty were strictly observed by the Welsh prince for a period of about four years. To his subjects those were years of suffering. The administration was corrupt; gross frauds were practised on the Welsh; while oppression, tyranny, and cruelties characterized the proceedings of the representatives of the Government. The people complained of the wrongs which they sustained, and mildly but firmly asked for a redress of their grievances; but a deaf ear was turned to all the representations which were made. At last the yoke became intolerable; they appealed to Prince David for assistance, and that prince renounced his “unnatural allegiance to Edward,” and became reconciled to his brother Llewelyn; and the two princes and a number of powerful and influential chieftains organized a concerted movement with a view to drive the English from their land and to re-establish the freedom and independence of their country. Their cause was good, and their object just and noble; but, ah me! they lacked the power and resources necessary to accomplish their grand and holy purpose.

Llewelyn and his brother, having matured their plan of action, at once commenced the campaign. They jointly invested the castle of Flint, on the estuary of the Dee; and from thence they marched to and successfully attacked the castle of Rhuddlan. The Cambrian army then moved along the coast, and were hotly pursued by Edward, who overtook the retreating forces near Conway. Here a general battle was fought between the contending forces, in which the Welsh were victorious. On his defeat the English king retired to Hope Dale, from which he soon recommenced operations, and re-occupied Rhuddlan without experiencing any opposition. From Rhuddlan he “despatched a part of his army by sea to take possession of the Isle of Anglesey,” and from thence, by means of a bridge of boats, this section of the army crossed over the Menai and landed at Moel-y-Don, near Bangor. When the reflux of the tide had broken the communication between the artificial bridge and the mainland, the Welsh army rushed from their hiding-place, and nearly the whole number of the enemy were either killed by the sword or perished in the waves. To Edward this was an unexpected disaster. For a moment it paralysed his operations. He felt that he had underrated the strength and undervalued the generalship of Llewelyn, and to make up for the losses he had sustained he raised fresh levies throughout his dominions.

During the preparations which were being made by Edward for another campaign the Cambrian princes were not idle. They arranged that the younger brother, Prince David, should be entrusted with the defence of North Wales, while Llewelyn would march against the English forces in South Wales. In the county of Cardigan Llewelyn gained important victories against the enemy; with a small body of troops he proceeded to the vicinity of Builth, with a view to consult some chieftains of that locality; and here, unattended and alone, this great, brave, manly, heroic, and magnanimous prince fell by the hand of an assassin. Thus perished, in the year 1282, after a reign of twenty-eight years, Llewelyn, the last native prince of the Cymry!