Welsh Marches

11
Aug
2020
A tour of Wigmore Castle

A tour of Wigmore Castle

Stepping into the past

Recently in August 2020, I was lucky enough to get the chance to visit Wigmore castle, home of the medieval Mortimer family. Wigmore is sadly in a severely neglected and dilapidated state, having been abandoned to the ravages of time and mother nature. The wooden steps up to the keep have now rotted away and the paths are overgrown with vegetation. Access to the keep is by fighting through weeds, but those who do make the effort will be rewarded with magnificent views over the surrounding Welsh Marches. The castle is remarkably well situated to give commanding views over the whole landscape.

Here was where the Mortimers held court, where treaties were signed, marriage alliances brokered, and great banquets held. Looking out over the quiet and secluded landscape, with only birds and the wildlife for company, it’s quite hard today to imagine a castle in its prime. This would have been a busy place, brimming with activity. Lord Mortimer would ride out at the head of his retinue, and upon his return, one imagines a sudden flurry of activity, as servants, cooks, groomsmen and sentries were all hurried into action. There would have been great hunts in the forests nearby, to supply meat for the castle table. A great boar’s head perhaps, to celebrate an important victory. Outside the castle, the landscape would have been quite wild to our eyes. Though the valley was mostly cleared of trees and dotted with small farms, rivers ran unobstructed, while wolves still lived in the dense Welsh woods close by.

The castle ruins

Surrounding Wigmore castle is a thick curtain wall, with concentric stone towers guarding its corners. Due to their strong foundations, it is these towers that have best survived the weathering of the past half millennium. Entry to the castle is through a large, well defended gate house, the only entrance in ancient times. Another exit might have been through a small, hidden doorway allowing the garrison to sally out of the castle. Around the inside of the curtain wall, wooden buildings were built right up to the edge of the stonework. These would have included the stables, blacksmiths, fletchers and other such quarters. Evidence for these among other parts of the castle has been unearthed in archaeological digs.

From the castle it is possible to see the village of Wigmore, and the remains of Wigmore Abbey in the distance, where nearly all members of the medieval Mortimer family were buried. With the glistening towers of Wigmore Castle looking over both the abbey and village, this whole setting would have been quite a site indeed!

Here begins our tour of Wigmore.

Related articles

Read more about the medieval Mortimers and their exploits in the Welsh Marches.

Posted by David Mortimer in History, Medieval Mortimers, 0 comments
31
Jul
2020
The Mortimers of Coedmore

The Mortimers of Coedmore

Life on the frontier

While the Mortimers of Wigmore were tearing through Wales as part of King Edward’s invasion of the late 13th century, another branch of the Mortimers had taken up residence in the far West of Welsh lands. This was an area settled by many such Marcher families, so beginning the annexation of Pembrokeshire which is reflected in a language border that can still be observed. The Mortimers gained an estate called Coedmore near Cardigan, building their chief residence at the New House, Coedmore. This branch of the Mortimers have male line descendants who continue to live in Wales to this day, one of the few Mortimer families who can definitively trace their heritage back to the Middle Ages. Moving west from Herefordshire, the Anglo-Norman Mortimers of Coedmore eventually naturalised as Welsh, intermarrying with Welsh families, choosing Welsh names for their children, and adopting the Welsh language.

Coedmore is now an estate in the parish of Llangoedmor, Cardiganshire, and the place name originally means Great Wood in old Welsh, from “mawr” large and “coed” – a wood or forest. The Coedmore estate is overlooked by the magnificent ruins of Cilgerran castle, which was rebuilt in stone by William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, son of the famous knight Sir William Marshall (1147-1219). Ralph Mortimer served in the first Earl Marshall’s household, and was evidently granted land for his feudal service. The Coedmore Mortimers took an active role in local affairs, and were successive constables of Cardigan castle. The associated between the Mortimers and Earl Marshall is reflected in the close proximity of Coedmore and Cilgerran. Coedmore was rebuilt in the 1700s and is now a hotel, while Cilgerran castle is owned by the National Trust and indeed well worth a visit.

The ancestor of the Mortimers of West Wales was Henry Mortimer, whose life remains shadowy. In 1241/2, Henry Mortimer was owed a debt by the heirs of Amauri de St Amand for lands in Herefordshire and Wales. Later, the Wigmore cartulary recorded that the bishop of St David’s granted to Sir Roger son of Henry son of Henry de Mortemer lands in Lyspraust and Isheylyn, which were probably in Wales somewhere. Henry would have been a younger son, but was unrecorded in the family chronicle of Wigmore Abbey, Fundatorum Historia, written in the 13th century.

The connection between the Wigmore Mortimers and the Mortimers of Cardigan, Wales was later affirmed sometime around 1290, when Maud widow of Roger de Mortimer released a portion of her dower lands to Roger Mortimer of West Wales, presumably son of the above Henry. In 1330, this Roger’s grandson Roger Mortimer of Coedmore was named within a petition as a “kinsman” of the Earl of March.

The arms of the two families of Mortimers, those of Wigmore and Coedmore, differ remarkably. The Mortimer of Coedmore arms were variously described as two lions rampant armed and langued, with the colours of the field and charges differing by source. However, difference in heraldry during this time period should not be taken as supporting no connection between the families, as many such armigers changed their coats of arms in the 13th century, including the Mortimers of Bec, who were related to the Mortimers of Richard’s Castle.

Roger Mortimer of West Wales was given land in the commote of Gene’r-Glyn, confirmed by royal charter in 1284. He lived at Is Coed Is Herwen, now known as Coedmore, in a residence known as the New House. He was said in some sources to have been a constable of Newcastle Emlyn Castle and fought against Rhys ap Maredudd as one of Tibetot’s officers. [This is worth researching further]

Roger married a Welsh lady called Nest, and had a son Llewelyn who succeeded him, the first Mortimer to be given a Welsh name. Llewelyn was perhaps a younger son, whose older brother predeceased his father. He was brought up with a mixed identity and presumably learnt Welsh from his mother. Llewelyn arguably inherited a joint Norman English and Welsh identity, common to many who were descended from the conquerors of Wales. English nobles settled Wales following defeat of the last Welsh Prince Llewelyn and subjugation of the Welsh by Edward I. Llewelyn sold the estate at Gene’r-Glyn to Geoffrey Clement. The family home would later become the New House at Coedmore

Coedmore was ultimately only acquired by the Mortimers through slight of hand, which details are recorded in a charter dated 1330. Originally leased to Roger Mortimer for life, after Roger’s death his heir Llewelyn Mortimer took possession of Coedmore and barred the original leasor’s heirs from entering. He sold half the moiety to Hugh de Cressingham, clerk of the king, and upon his death Coedmore reverted to the crown. The apparent original heir Eynon ap Gwilym sued and obtained writ of inquiry to the Justice of Wales in 1313, but Sir Roger Mortimer of Wigmore was Justiciar and apparently refused him justice, granting the estate instead to his “kinsman” Roger Mortimer.

A main source for assessing the ancestry of the Mortimers of Wales is the Heraldic Visitation of 1588, compiled by Lewis Dwynn. However, because it was made so long after the early individuals in the family tree had lived, and by that time many historical records had already been lost, several mistakes were made in the genealogy which now have proved very difficult to disentangle. These include missing generations, incorrect names, confusion between multiple individuals of the same name and confusion of spouses. References must be made to individuals who appear in the pedigree, whose floriat can be accurately determined. Only then will it be possible to pin down which generation married which partner.

The Mortimers of Coedmore had less wealth and power than the main line of Mortimers of Wigmore. It seems Roger Mortimer, aforementioned kinsman of the 1st Earl of March, was a missing link in the Visitation pedigree compiled in 1588. He had a son, Edmund Mortimer, who’s heir was Roger Mortimer.

The younger Roger Mortimer was probably born in 1350, and owned Coedmore in 1383, when he acquired letters of protection to serve in the Calais garrison. References to his life are sparing. In 1396 he witnessed a gift of land in Cardigan, and served as Mayor of Cardigan in 1418, assuming it was the same Roger after a gap of nearly twenty years. He died in 1424, at which point he held half a knight’s fee in Coedmore. Roger was succeeded by his son Owain Mortimer.

Owain was probably born in the 1380s, or slightly later. He served as a man at arms in the Agincourt campaign of 1415, in the company of John ap Rhys. Like his father, he went on to serve as mayor of Cardigan three times from 1421. Evidently enjoying success as mayor, he was made Constable of Cardigan in 1441. He received a pardon for all offences committed in 1446, and leased the lordship and manor in 1454 to William Rede, clerk.

After Owain Mortimer, the 1588 pedigree loses its way and becomes unintelligible. Owain likely died around the mid 15th century, after which point there was another thirty years before the next evidence emerges of Mortimers active in Cardiganshire. Richard Mortimer, alleged son of Owain according to the pedigree, was mayor of Cardigan in 1480, and his children were also born around this time. Richard himself was probably born around or after the time of Owain’s death when he was already old, meaning there is another gap in the generations. Richard was obviously related to Owain, but was more likely a grandson, whose father perhaps predeceased Owain Mortimer, which might explain why such an individual is missing from the pedigree.

Unfortunately, the following generation is also hard to determine. Richard married firstly to Margaret daughter of Owain ap Rhys and had two sons, James and John. John was mayor of Cardigan in 1525, and died before 1542, fathering two daughters.

Richard married secondly Elizabeth daughter of Griffith ap Owain. In 1503, he made a settlement on his second wife, perhaps to guarantee her property after the children from his first marriage inherited.

James Mortimer was lord of Coedmore in 1542. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Rydderch ap Rhys, lord of Towyn (fl. 1483-1515). James might have been son of John Mortimer, d. bef.1542, and his eldest son was John, which might support the suggestion. If James was the eldest son of Richard, he would have been very old when he died, perhaps 80 years old.

John Mortimer of Coedmore (c.1525-1596)

James Mortimer’s son and heir John was probably born around 1525, and became Sheriff of Cardiganshire in 1576. He married Eva Lewis, daughter of Lewis ap David Maredydd, and they had at least eleven children:

1. Ellen c.1552

2. Richard Mortimer c.1554-1609

3. Elizabeth c.1556

4. David Mortimer c.1558-c.1605, who in 1584 held a lease of land in Castle Maelgwyn. He married Ann Thomas, daughter of William ap Thomas and they had seven sons:

i. John c.1580

ii. Roger Mortimer of Llechryd, gent., c.1581-aft.1609

iii. Richard c.1582

iv. Thomas Mortimer, of St. David’s c.1584- , who had two sons:

1. Edmund Mortimer of St. David’s, gent., c.1608-1666, who had the following children:

i. Thomas Mortimer c.1645, named after his grandfather.

ii. Lettice c.1650

iii. James Mortimer c.1655, named after his uncle

iv. Mary c.1656

v. Benjamin c.1659

2. James Mortimer c.1610-aft.1666

v. William c.1586, who probably married Lleukie Harvey and had issue Ann and James.

vi. George c.1590

vii. Rowland c.1592

5. Thomas Mortimer c.1559-c.1602

6. Joan c.1560

7. Pernel c.1561

8. Philip Mortimer c.1562

9. Mary c.1564

10. Owen Mortimer c.1566-1638

11. Ann c.1567

Richard Mortimer (c.1554-1609)

Richard was mayor of Cardigan in 1602. He married Catherine daughter of Rowland Meyrick, Bishop of Bangor. They had children James, Rowland, John and Lettice. Both James and John appear to have died before 1613, and Rowland inherited Coedmore.

Later generations

Rowland Mortimer married Cecil daughter of James Lewis of Abernant, 20 Mar 1617, and in that year sold Coedmore to his brother in law John Lewis. Rowland and Cecil has a son John Mortimer, of Laugharne, who married Catherine Pugh. Their son was Rowland Mortimer (c.1646-1691). He married Rachel and had sons Roger and John. Roger married another Rachel and their only child and heir was Jane Mortimer, c.1697. Many descendants of the Mortimers are living today, including through the younger sons of John Mortimer d.1596).

Posted by David Mortimer in Medieval Mortimers, Mortimer family tree, 0 comments
06
Aug
2019
Chapter 4. Pride before a Fall

Chapter 4. Pride before a Fall

Born under a bad sign

Roger was born the 25th April 1287 to Edmund Baron of Wigmore and Margaret his wife, formerly Fiennes, at the family seat of Wigmore Castle. His birthday fell on the Feast of St Mark, a sinister omen, for on this day everyone dressed in only dark clothing to desperately pray for the year ahead to be a prosperous.

As a child, Roger developed a formidable interest in all martial pursuits, learning from his uncle Roger Mortimer Lord of Chirk, a skilled soldier and leader. As a squire of 14 years age, he was betrothed to the extremely wealthy heiress Joan de Geneville, who brought with her dowry vast estates in the Welsh Marches, including Ludlow Castle. She also inherited Irish estates, including the Lordship of Meath, which centred on Trim Castle.

Roger’s father Edmund died when Roger was 17, killed in a skirmish near Builth. As a result, Roger was placed under the guardianship of Piers Gaveston Earl of Cornwall. In 1306 he was granted livery of his inheritance by King Edward. He was also knighted alongside hundreds of others in a lavish ceremony.

At the age of 21, Roger participated as a young knight in the royal procession for the Coronation of Edward II, who was only a few years older than him. As fortune would have it, he shared his strange birthday with King Edward II, whose fate would also be irreversibly entwined with that of Mortimer’s.

Roger wanted to enforce authority on his Irish estates, and soon left to Ireland. This visit brought him into conflict with the de Lacy’s, Anglo English, who were already well settled in the area. They were supported by Edward Bruce, the brother of the Scottish King Robert. The conflict simmered for nearly a decade. In 1316, Edward II appointed Roger Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, giving him the backing of royal troops. He commanded a large army against Edward Bruce and the de Lacys, defeating them and driving Bruce back to Carrickfergus. After the conflict was resolved and law and order suitably settled, Roger returned to the Marches in 1318.

Following the defeat of the Welsh, the Marcher Barons began to become disaffected with King Edward and his preferential treatment of his royal favourites the Despencers, who gained the vast estates of the Late Earl of Gloucester Gilbert de Clare, including the important Lordship of Glamorgan.

 

Continue to Chapter 4. Treason and the Law – The unfortunate fate of Sir John Mortimer

06
Aug
2019
Chapter 3. Marcher Dynasties

Chapter 3. Marcher Dynasties

The fight to survive 

The Middle Ages were a dangerous time. Even if unharmed by war, plague, corruption and famine, people still faced the daily hardships of medieval life. For the ruling class, survival was not much easier. Nobles faced the perils of battle as an occupational hazard, while aspiring knights competed in dangerous medieval tournaments. With lethal weapons and few precautions, mortal injury in tournament was a frequent danger, with many knights dying of accidental falls and wounds. 

Such was the fate of young Hugh de Mortimer, son and heir of Hugh, Lord of Wigmore, who was killed in a tournament at Worcester shortly after 1175. Hugh’s older brother, Ralph had also predeceased their father, perhaps also falling victim in a tournament. Though Hugh was married to Felicia de St Sidon, he left no children. It was up to his younger brother Roger to assume the lordship, and step up to the challenge of running a medieval estate while navigating the dangerous politics of medieval England. This Roger would have to learn the hard way.

Battles in Wales

Roger first gained military experience by serving King Henry in the conflict with his son Henry the Young King in 1174. Inspired by his father’s victories in Wales, he invaded Maelienydd without royal consent in 1179, violating a treaty. Roger killed the Welsh ruler of Maelienydd Cadwallon ap Madog in battle, which unsanctioned attack infuriated King Henry. Roger was imprisoned at Winchester, and held there for nearly three years.

To Roger’s fortune, he was well looked after in his confinement, and upon his release returned to Wigmore and succeeded his father before 1185. He married Isabel daughter of Walkelin de Ferrers and they had three sons Hugh, Ralph and Philip. The warlike King Richard followed an aggressive policy against the Welsh, so in 1195 following a Welsh attack, Roger joined forces with Hugh de Say to lead a royal army into Maelienydd. The marcher lords perhaps underestimated the strength of the Welsh, who surprised the invaders at New Radnor. Here in 1196, the Lord Rhys attacked and burned Radnor castle which was owned by William de Braose, and then set forth to confront the Normans. Roger Mortimer and Hugh de Say assembled a large army in the valley “with the greatest splendour” but they were promptly ambushed by the Welsh who were presumably concealed in Radnor forest. The lord Rhys “burst upon them” “in the manner of a lion” and “immediately turned them about in flight”. So it was the Welsh won a great victory, killing forty knights and many soldiers. Roger’s compatriot Hugh de Say was also killed in the fighting. This was a terrible set back for Roger, but he was able to regroup and recover his position, eventually subduing the province by 1200. Radnor would continue to be a constant point of contention between the Welsh and Anglo Norman marcher lords. Over the next century it changed hands numerous times. 

Like his forebears, Roger retired from battle in later life to focus on his religious obligations, issuing a charter of rights to Cwmhir Abbey, a Cistercian monastery which supported 60 monks at its height. Wigmore Abbey also continued to grow since its foundation stone in 1172. In 1183 he made a charter to an abbey in Normandy, describing his grandfather Ralph de Mortimer and many other relations. 

The Mortimer power base

From their home at Wigmore Castle, the Mortimers used the art of diplomacy to further their own political agenda. The marriage alliances pursued by the family reflected their political ambitions and enhanced their influence in the Marches. In the late 12th century, Roger Mortimer negotiated a marriage between his son Hugh and Eleanor, daughter of the infamous Baron William de Braose.

As Lord of Bramber, Braose was arguably the most powerful Marcher Baron and a favourite of King John. Out of all the Marcher Lords, Braose held a particularly brutal reputation. In the Christmas of 1175 he invited three Welsh princes to feast at Abergavenny Castle, but then murdered them in the Great Hall, apparently in vengeance for the death of his uncle. The event became infamously known as the Abergavenny Massacre. This grievous action drove an irreparable wedge in Anglo-Welsh generations, as the Braose name became a byword for dishonourable dealing and Braose descendants faced universal hatred. Lord Braose fell spectacularly following a quarrel with King John in 1209, who captured his wife and son and starved them to death. Braose a pauper in exile, perhaps just vengeance for an unpunished tyrant. His family’s mistreatment was though remembered by the barons who drafted Magna Carta in 1215, which brought forward the law that no man should be unlawfully imprisoned or condemned without trial.

A royal connection

Roger Mortimer died in 1214, and was succeeded by his son Hugh. It was the terrible misfortune of Hugh to die in tournament in 1227, much like his uncle and namesake. He had no surviving children and Eleanor his widow withdrew to become a nun at Iffley. Hugh’s brother Ralph succeeded to the Lordship, after previously having served in the household of the great knight Sir William Marshal. Such a connection could only have benefited Ralph when it came to arranging marriage. Hugh Mortimer’s brother Reginald de Braose’s widow was the Welsh princess Gladys Ddu, or “the Dark Eyed” from the house of Gwynedd, whose step son William had also married Eva the daughter of William Marshal. Ralph Mortimer and Gladys were wed soon after Ralph assumed the lordship, presumably concluding an agreement between the marcher lords and Gwynedd. Famed for her beauty, Gladys was the daughter of Llewelyn Prince of Gwynedd “the Great” and his wife Joan, illegitimate daughter of King John, whom Llewelyn married in 1205 on the condition that only their lawful issue would inherit the Welsh throne. Llewelyn effectively disinherited his eldest son, which continued to have political ramifications in Wales. 

Marrying Gladys was quite the political achievement for Ralph, and also brought him closer to the young King Henry III, who was Gladys’ uncle. Being brought up in a royal family, Gladys would have learned both Welsh and French and been educated. She brought Welsh ancestry into the Mortimer family, connecting succeeding generations with the old Welsh princely houses. Together Ralph and Gladys had three sons; Roger, Hugh and Peter. 

Relationship with the Braose family

Gladys was born c.1207 and betrothed at a very young age to Reginald de Braose as his second wife. Young enough to be his daughter, the marriage was highly political and likely never consummated. Her step son William de Braose began an adulterous affair with her mother Lady Joan of Wales, wife of Llewelyn. During marriage negotiations between Prince Dafydd, and William de Braose’s daughter Isabel, William was caught in Lady Joan’s bedchamber. He was subsequently captured, brought back to Wales, and publicly executed, though the marriage between his daughter Isabella and Dafydd ap Llewelyn subsequently went ahead regardless. This certainly would have been a strange wedding ceremony, following as it did from the bride’s fathers death at the order of the groom’s father.

Fortifying the Marches

Above all, the Mortimers coveted Wales and devised to expand their Welsh territories. Ralph claimed Knighton from Llewelyn of Gwynedd, who died in 1240. Eager to retain control of the borders, Ralph Mortimer began a campaign of castle building in Maelienydd, erecting castles at Knucklas in the 1220s, and at Cefnllys in 1242. Both were motte and bailey castles atop natural hills, designed to defend existing villages in Maelienydd from border raids. Ralph was known as a warlike figure and vigorously defended Mortimer lands from invasions.

Succession

Ralph died in 1246 and was succeeded by his eldest son Roger, who was born c.1231. Through his maternal grandmother, Roger was descended from King John. At an early age, he was married to Maud, a daughter of William de Braose and Eva daughter of William le Marshal. As a squire in the Welsh Marches during the mid 13th century, Roger was exposed to battle from a young age, giving him vital experience in the field of combat. He also witnessed castle construction first hand. King Henry took Maelienydd into his possession in 1246, but Roger persuaded him to give it back. In 1247 he took full possession of his inheritance, despite being in his minority. 

Welsh incursion

In 1256, Roger’s cousin the Welsh prince Llewelyn ap Gruffydd invaded the Mortimer lands in Gwrtheyrion, sparking a long running conflict between the two houses that would continue for over 25 years. Skirmishes between the two lords became an ongoing feature of life in the Welsh Marches. For all the Mortimers’ castle building efforts, their castles did not prove particularly effective at stopping Welsh incursions. Llewelyn made significant gains against Roger, bypassing Knucklas to seize Knighton in 1260, and taking both Cefnllys and Knucklas after short sieges in 1262.  

Second Barons War

Dissatisfaction with the leadership of King Henry III grew throughout the mid 13th century, as his exorbitant taxes combined with famine increased grievances among the barons, lead by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Previously a royal favourite, Montfort had powerful ambitions of his own, marrying the King’s sister Eleanor without his permission. Roger Mortimer also joined the reforming group of barons. In 1258, Montfort’s faction forced the king to abolish absolute monarchy in the Provisions of Oxford. The provisions established a government council of leading barons and a parliament every three years. However, Henry was released from these obligations by the pope in 1261.

However, Henry had no intention of keeping his promises. Montfort lead the barons into rebellion in 1263, and fighting broke out in the Welsh Marches. Leading an army to London, Montfort captured the king and assumed control, though later released him following arbitration by the King of France. Montfort called for the cancellation of all baronial debts, which were owed to Jewish money lenders. To destroy evidence of debts, Montfort seized Jewish property and massacred Jews in a series of pogroms. Both the king and de Montfort then built up their armies in preparation for civil war. 

Roger Mortimer, having rejoined the royal faction by 1259, became a loyal supporter of Henry, and played a leading role in the siege of Northampton in 1264. However, Henry III was defeated by Montfort at Lewes, where he was captured along with his son Prince Edward. Roger Mortimer was also captured but later restored to his position in the Welsh Marches. Despite his early victory, de Montfort suffered a series of reversals, as the Earl of Gloucester Gilbert de Clare deserted to the royalist faction. In 1265, Roger Mortimer helped Prince Edward escaped custody at Kenilworth Castle, who then proceeded to form a new army.

With the support of Roger Mortimer and the Marcher Lords, Edward attacked Montfort’s son Simon Montfort the younger, then besieging Kenilworth Castle. Simon de Montfort, having formed an alliance with Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales, crossed the River Severn aiming to relieve the siege and link up with his son Simon’s forces. 

The Battle of Evesham

Montfort was forced into fighting Edward’s army at Evesham in 1265, after being backed into a corner within a bend of the river Avon. At ten thousand strong, Edward’s royalist forces were twice the size of de Montfort’s, and took the high ground in preparation for the battle. Roger Mortimer seized the only bridge over the river to block Montfort’s escape route. A storm broke above them, as thunder punctuated the noise of the soldiers. Faced with an uphill struggle, de Montfort formed a wedge to try and drive through the opposing army, but was quickly surrounded and his Welsh allies fled. The battle then turned in to a massacre as de Montfort’s army was routed, and Montfort was killed in battle near the bridge. The royalists achieved an overwhelming victory, and Roger de Mortimer played a crucial role, by killing Simon de Montfort in single combat. The result was decisive and effectively ended resistance to royal authority.

Roger’s wife Maud wrote to him after the battle, asking for a gift in celebration of their victory. There were no flowers for Matilda, for she expected a present of a more grisly kind. As Mortimer killed Montfort, he was awarded the traitor’s severed head, and soon after, Maud received the gruesome package at Wigmore. The object took pride of decorative place at their banqueting hall, for Lady Maud had laid on a great feast for Roger Mortimer’s triumphant return. 

The Invasion of Wales

King Edward followed an aggressive foreign policy. In 1275 Prince Llewelyn married Eleanor daughter of Simon de Montfort, and was Llewelyn was declared a rebel by the king. Edward moved into Wales with a large army joined by Roger Mortimer. Llewelyn promised to limit his authority to Gwynedd alone in the Treaty of Aberconwy. As a grandson of Llewelyn Fawr, Roger Mortimer gained Maelienydd. When a second Welsh rebellion broke out in 1282, Edward responded with a full scale invasion. 

As one of the leading lords in the Welsh Marches, Roger Mortimer played an important role in the invasion, acting as one of Edward’s leading generals. Roger may even have been involved in the death of Llewelyn the Last in 1282. To subject Wales to English rule, Edward built a series of mighty castles to dominate the Welsh. 

So it was that the Mortimers had reached the highest ranks of the nobility. Roger Mortimer died at Kingsland in 1282 and was buried in Wigmore Abbey. His epitaph praised him as ‘Roger the Pure’ and celebrated his conquests in Wales, which he ‘subjected to torment’. King Edward I lamented Mortimer’s death, and in a letter to his widow praised “his valour and fidelity, his long and praiseworthy services to the late king and to him.”

Continue to Chapter 4. Pride before a Fall – The career of the infamous Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March 

06
Aug
2019
Chapter 2. The Welsh Marches

Chapter 2. The Welsh Marches

Origin of the March

The ancient word for boundary, the March marked a borderland between two competing centres of power. In modern English, original meaning of March is reflected in the word margin. The Welsh Marches were the loosely defined lands on the margins of England and Wales, which throughout the Middle Ages were dominated by the power of the Marcher barons. The Marcher lordships had a unique status. The lords who controlled the March had great wealth and power, and exercised considerable independent authority, away from the prying eyes of the King. Whilst England existed as a united realm, Wales remained a collection of separate principalities, sometimes in conflict but united by shared ties of language and culture.

Immediately after the conquest, king William I looked towards England’s borders. Eager to counteract the threat of the Welsh across the border, he installed three of his most trusted followers as Earls in the Welsh Marches. William FitzOsbern, Hugh de Montgomery and Hugh d’Avranches were appointed the Earls of Hereford, Shropshire and Chester respectively. They were invested with significant power and tasked with pacifying the turbulent Welsh, by any means necessary.

Fortification of the Marches

The Normans brought their own advanced skills in castle building to England and the Welsh Marches. Castles would prove increasingly important in the centuries ahead, providing the key to securing an effective hold on a region. The first castles to be built in the Welsh Marches were small motte and bailey castles, much like Mortemer castle in Normandy. Over time, fortifications improved as castles were rebuilt in stone, with extended battlements, towers and curtain walls. 

In reality, the Marcher lords ruled their estates like kings in their own right, raising taxes, levying armies, and every so often, invading their neighbours. Constantly restless, they were always looking for ways to gain more wealth and expand their territory. This made Wales a target, and Welsh lands became a battleground for aspiring Norman knights.

The Conquest of Maelienydd

One such knight was young Ralph Mortimer, who arrived in the Welsh Marches not long after the conquest. Imbued with a youthful vigour and determination, Ralph led the conquest of the Welsh region between the Wye and Severn rivers, known as Maelienydd or Ferlix. From the 1070s, Ralph consolidated his power by building castles at Dinieithon and Cymaron, using the latest Norman building methods.

For his achievements, Ralph was rewarded with extensive lands by the King, but this was not the limit of his ambition. When FitzOsbern’s son Roger Earl of Hereford rebelled, Ralph seized an opportunity. He assisted the king by attacking the Earl’s castles, helping to bring an end to the rebellion. Ralph acquired FitzOsbern’s castle of Wigmore, which would become the family’s principal seat of power for generations.

Inheritance 

Around 1080, Ralph’s father Roger died and Ralph inherited all his estates in both Normandy and England. He married first Millicent (d. before 1088), by whom he had a daughter Hawise, and secondly Mabel, in about 1090. Mabel bore him four sons, Roger, Hugh, William and Robert. Ralph’s daughter Hawise married Stephen Count of Aumale, son of William the Conqueror’s sister Adelaide. Ralph continued to faithfully serve King William, and gained over 200 manors for his loyalty. Though he did not have time to visit them all, the income from these estates would prove especially useful in funding Ralph’s military exploits.

Leadership Crisis

When William the Conqueror died in 1087, his third son William Rufus was crowned while his eldest son Robert Curthose became Duke of Normandy. Loyalties were divided between the two rulers, creating a dilemma for barons with land both sides of the channel. For aggrieved lords, the solution was simple, to unite the Norman realms under a single ruler. The barons preferred Curthose for his weaker authority, so in 1088 rebelled against Rufus with the aim of replacing him with Curthose. The rebels were lead by King William’s uncles, the Conqueror’s half brothers Odo bishop of Bayeux and Robert Count of Mortain, two of the most powerful figures in Norman politics.  

Ralph Mortimer participated in the rebellion of 1088, joining with other rebels in laying waste to the King’s manors or those of his loyalists. William II defeated the rebellion through a combination of direct action and appeasement. Offering land and money to pacify the barons, he laid siege to the stubborn rebels’ castles, capturing their leaders. For his involvement, Ralph Mortimer was banished, and Wigmore confiscated. Returning to Normandy, Mortimer continued to undermine the King by supporting Curthose, acting as witness to his various religious charters.

Continuing grievances among the barons saw them once again rise in rebellion in the 1090s. Stephen Count of Aumale emerged as a popular figure among the rebels, and a conspiracy was formed to replace Rufus with Stephen. Ralph Mortimer conspired to assist his son in law in his quest for the throne, but William Rufus again defeated the rebellion through a combination of military action and diplomacy. 

In 1096, Robert Curthose joined the First Crusade for Jerusalem, departing Normandy for the Holy Land with Stephen of Aumale and many other knights. Rufus subsequently died in a suspicious hunting accident in the New Forest, and his younger brother Henry had himself crowned before Rufus was even laid to rest. In Duke Robert’s absence, Ralph pledged allegiance to the new king Henry, who restored the Mortimer estates. Returning into royal favour, Ralph was appointed Lieutenant of Normandy and supported Henry’s invasion of Normandy in 1104. The fighting came to a conclusion at Tenchebrai in 1106, where Henry was victorious in a decisive engagement. Curthose was imprisoned, and spent the rest of his life in captivity. Since the duke had been a thorn in the side of the king for years, his defeat ushered in a period of stability under King Henry. 

Succession

After Tenchebrai he retired from martial duties to focus on his spiritual obligations, for though he lived by the sword he above all wanted to secure access to heaven. He firstly founded a college of priests at Wigmore in 1100, which laid the foundations for a religious house there. In old age, Ralph also made a gift to Worcester Cathedral Priory, with the assent of his sons. He died sometime after 1115, when the Lindsey Survey of Lincolnshire was compiled. Ralph’s legacy was assured in the succession of his sons, between whom he divided his lands.

Anarchy and disorder

After coming of age, Ralph’s eldest son Roger Mortimer was knighted, perhaps by Stephen Count of Boulogne, grandson of William the Conqueror. Roger supported Stephen in his claim to the English crown, and perhaps became one of Stephen’s personal retainers. Though Stephen was well liked by the barons for his temperate personality, his claim was contested by Henry’s daughter Matilda. Following the death of King Henry in 1135, Roger Mortimer joined Stephen in his invasion of England. During the resulting civil war, Roger became a trusted military adviser to Stephen and commanded a royal army against rebels near Bristol in 1137. However Roger died soon after, perhaps in battle. With no lawful issue, he was succeeded by his brother Hugh, who took possession of the vast Mortimer estates.

Hugh had grown up in Normandy, inheriting over thirteen knight’s fees. He supported King Stephen and may have been one of his retinue. Upon coming to England, he commemorated his brother Roger in a grant to Kington St Michael nunnery, which preserved the memory of both his brother Roger and father Ralph. Hugh continued the work of his father by founding Wigmore Abbey in 1142. Though already in his fourties, Hugh saw the need to take a wife and married the widow Maud de Belmeis, widow of Philip. They had four sons; Ralph, Hugh, Roger and William. 

Advance into Wales

Hugh made Wigmore Castle his home, refortifying the walls and enhancing the living quarters. Aiming to recover the lost Norman estates in Wales, Hugh invaded Maelienydd in 1142, advancing into Welsh land with considerable success. Madog ab Idnerth’s sons Hywel and Cadwgan were killed in battle, and Hugh captured Cymaron castle, repairing the outpost as a base for further invasions. In 1146, Hugh invaded southern Maelienydd, causing the death of Maredudd ap Madog. 

Resistance to Henry II

Hugh remained a loyal supporter of King Stephen throughout the lawless period of Anarchy, which lasted for nearly twenty years. Empress Matilda eventually abdicated her claim in favour of her son Henry, who succeeded to the throne in 1153. Soon after his succession, Henry built up his power base and demanded the return of royal castles. Hugh de Mortimer resisted, and seized control of Bridgnorth. When Henry besieged Wigmore, Hugh was forced to surrender, but his lands were eventually returned. Hugh remained stubbornly resistant to the new king’s authority, and in 1155 once again refused to submit. Henry responded by laying siege to Hugh’s castles, razing Cleobury to the ground. Upon Henry’s siege of Wigmore and Bridgnorth, Hugh finally submitted to royal authority. At the Council of Bridgnorth, he agreed to return Bridgnorth to the crown in return for holding Wigmore.

Hugh lived into old age and died in 1185, when he was succeeded by his third son Roger, born c.1153. Roger was perhaps the first Mortimer Lord of Wigmore to be born outside Normandy, and continued to press invasions in the Welsh Marches.

Continue to Chapter 3. The Struggle for Welsh Power – Dynastic conflict in the Welsh Marches and the struggle to control Wales.