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Owain Glyn Dwr
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According to his contemporary, the poet Iolo Goch, Owain Glyn Dwr was ‘the best of Britons’; history would suggest that Iolo did not overstate his case. In 1999 a distinguished panel of internationalists placed Owain Glyn Dwr seventh in The Sunday Times millennium poll, above the likes of Sir Isaac Newton and Abraham Lincoln while in a BBC Wales poll Owain Glyn Dwr was voted Welsh Person of the Millennium, exceeding the achievements of the great Aneurin Bevan and the brilliant David Lloyd George.
Owain Glyn Dwr was born, c1354, in Glyndyfrdwy in the Dee Valley, north Wales. His principle home was twenty miles south of Glyndyfrdwy, in Sycharth; furthermore, he held estates, through his mother, in Iscoed, west Wales. According to Iolo Goch Sycharth contained ‘nine plated buildings on the scale of eighteen mansions, fair wooden buildings on top of a green hill’ and ‘a tiled roof on every house with frowning forehead, and a chimney from which the smoke would grow; nine symmetrical, identical halls, and nine wardrobes by each one’. And he concluded: ‘the best Welshman owns the country...owns the court, splendid is the place’.
Owain Glyn Dwr’s father was Gruffudd Fychan, a descendant of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and the dynasty of Powys while his mother was Elen, a descendant of The Lord Rhys and the dynasty of Deheubarth. This placed Owain at the head of two great houses and when his namesake, Owain Lawgoch, was murdered by an English assassin in France in 1378 Owain Glyn Dwr could lay claim to the great house of Gwynedd as well and thus the title ‘Prince of Wales’. | |
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The Seal of Owain Glyn Dwr |
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The title ‘Prince of Wales’ was a provocative one. The last Welshman to hold the title was Llywelyn ap Gruffudd who had died in 1282. Llywelyn had been a victim of Edward I’s campaign to subdue Wales and then colonise the country. Naturally, this brought resentment from the indigenous population compelling Edward to build a series of castles at great expense to the English Crown. Towns were ‘planted’ in the shadow of these castles and the Anglo-Norman settlers were awarded rights and privileges far in excess of the native population creating a society divided along racial lines.
Hostility towards Edward’s towns and castles flared into sporadic revolt and the bards were moved to predict that there would be a saviour; they predicted that a man would step forward to don Arthur’s mantle and, like Arthur, this man would quell the invaders and hold back their advance. Many bards predicted that this saviour would be called Owain.
Meanwhile, Glyn Dwr got on with his noble life. Tragedy struck, however, when his father died, c1369. Owain was fortunate to gain the support of an English knight, Sir David Hanmer. Sir David acted as a guardian to Owain and he sent the young man to the Inns of Court in London where Owain trained for seven years to be a lawyer. When Owain returned to Wales he married Sir David’s daughter, Margaret, in 1383 and the couple went on to have at least six sons and three daughters.
While there is no evidence to suggest that Owain Glyn Dwr practiced as a lawyer his time in London was, nevertheless, well spent. After the Inns of Court, Owain moved in English courtly circles. He served Richard II in Scotland, in 1384-5, including a spell of garrison duty at Berwick. A year later Owain was a witness at a court of chivalry convened to adjudicate on a dispute between Lord Scrope and Robert Grosvenor. Furthermore, Owain served in the earl of Arundel’s retinue, distinguishing himself on the battlefield and earning further praise from the poets who saw Owain’s enemies disperse like ‘a flock of goats’.
Through his exploits, Owain won praise from soldiers and poets alike. Many considered that he deserved a knighthood, but King Richard reserved that honour. The century was drawing to a close and Owain was settling into comfortable middle age; his horizons should have been bounded by his grandchildren and the pleasures of Sycharth. However, when Henry Bolingbroke returned from exile and deposed Richard II the country was thrown into turmoil and every man of lordly status started to act for himself.
One such man was Reginald Grey, lord of Ruthin. Grey and Owain Glyn Dwr shared a common border which led to a series of disputes. Grey seized some of Owain’s land, provoking a response. At first, maybe because of his training at the Inns of Court, Owain sought justice through the law. He petitioned parliament at Westminster. John Trefor, the bishop of St Asaph spoke for Owain Glyn Dwr. He warned parliament not to dismiss Owain’s plea lightly, but he received this callous response: ‘What care we for these barefooted rascals’. The gauntlet hand been thrown down. |
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Genealogy |
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With the people and the poets no longer whispering in his ear, but now shouting, Owain Glyn Dwr resolved to take up arms against the English Crown. He was leading a ragged band of dispossessed people against one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, states in Europe. He had little chance of success and he faced the prospect of a traitor’s death, yet Owain Glyn Dwr picked up the gauntlet and he began his revolt. The date was the 16th of September 1400 and Owain Glyn Dwr was recognised by his people as the Prince of Wales.
Henry IV was returning from Scotland when, on the 18th of September 1400, Owain Glyn Dwr and his supporters attacked Reginald Grey’s town of Ruthin. On hearing of the uprising, Henry swiftly marched towards Wales. By the time Henry arrived in Wales, two weeks into the revolt, Owain had attacked seven other towns before melting into the mountains. Henry and his army sought Glyn Dwr, but the elements turned against the English and heavy rain drove them back across the border. Soon, word spread that Glyn Dwr was a sorcerer, that he had control over the weather. Meanwhile, Owain and his followers made their camp in the mountains, awaiting the spring.
On the 1st of April 1401, a Good Friday, Owain’s supporters captured Conway castle; it was a major coup. Later in the year, in June 1401, Owain and his supporters engaged in their first pitched battle, at Hyddgen in the Plynlimon hills. Some accounts state that the English army outnumbered their Welsh counterparts by ten to one. Whatever the true figure, the English were sure to be the superior force, and yet Owain won the day through the bravery of his men and his superior tactics. One version of the battle has the English, heavily armoured, marching up the steep hill, only to encounter mud, a blanket of cloud and a rain of arrows. After such a victory Welsh exiles, those attending English universities or living in France, flocked to join the revolt.
With Owain Glyn Dwr’s successes mounting, Henry IV ordered his sheriffs to apprehend the outlaw. In practice, this might have produced a greater reward for the king because the sheriffs had a better understanding of the local terrain and Glyn Dwr’s likely hideouts. However, this tactic failed to produce results and, to add insult to injury, many of the sheriffs deserted the king and gave their support to Glyn Dwr.
In October 1401 Henry IV returned to Wales. The king was unable to capture Owain Glyn Dwr and so he went on the rampage. He occupied the Cistercian abbey at Strata Florida, one of the holiest places in Wales, and he desecrated the building. Henry murdered many of the monks, believing that they lent their support to the outlaws. In numerous towns and villages the king executed Welshmen when they refused, or were unable, to offer information regarding Glyn Dwr’s whereabouts. In Carmarthenshire, a leading Welsh squire, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Fychan of Caio, was ordered to lead Henry to Owain Glyn Dwr. Instead, Llywelyn led the king’s army away from Owain and for several days the king wandered in the wilderness. When Henry discovered that he had been tricked, he personally supervised the murder of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Fychan who was hanged, drawn and quartered. Raping and pillaging followed before the king returned to England with a number of stolen cattle. And while Henry dined on Welsh beef, the revolt continued apace.
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The year 1402 brought more success for Owain Glyn Dwr. In April, Owain’s arch-enemy, Reginald Grey of Ruthin, was captured and held for ransom. Then, on the 22nd of June Owain clashed with the English army at Bryn Glas. After a fierce battle, the leader of the English army, Edmund Mortimer, was captured. Like Grey, Mortimer was held for ransom. In his wisdom, Henry decided to pay for Grey’s release, but he judged that Mortimer could remain a prisoner. Edmund Mortimer was no mean prize for he was the king’s cousin. However, as Henry clearly demonstrated, family loyalties counted for little within the king’s household. Edmund Mortimer was left to ponder his future and five months later he reached a decision: on the 30th of November he married Owain Glyn Dwr’s daughter, Catrin, thereby firmly aligning himself with the rebels’ cause.
Edmund Mortimer urged his supporters to back the rebellion lead by Owain Glyn Dwr. And, in 1403, the Percy family of Northumberland added their voices to the chorus when they allied with the rebels. A leading member of the Percy family was Henry Percy, ‘Hotspur’. A man noted for his courage, Hotspur led his army against the king’s forces at the battle of Shrewsbury. Ideally, Hotspur would have waited for reinforcements before joining in battle but, either through need or impetuosity, he decided to engage and he fell, along with thousands of men. The date was the 21st of July 1403, a fateful day for the rebellion.
Despite the setback at Shrewsbury, the rebels moved on to win support in south Wales and in the summer of 1404 Owain Glyn Dwr held his first parliament. The parliament was held at Machynlleth in the presence of emissaries from France, Scotland and Castile. Also in attendance were leading noblemen and prominent churchmen and four representatives from each cantref, from each district of 100 townships, who represented the common people. At the parliament a treaty with France was ratified and Owain Glyn Dwr was officially declared Prince of Wales, although in reality he was taking on the role of king; King Owain of Wales.
On the 24th of February 1405 Owain Glyn Dwr, Edmund Mortimer and Henry Percy senior, the earl of Northumberland, agreed a formal alliance and a plan for the future of Wales and England. They signed a treaty, the Tripartite Indenture. Under the treaty the borders of Wales would move to the east while the north of England would be governed by Henry Percy and the south by Edmund Mortimer. It was an ambitious plan and, given that there is still talk in England of a north-south divide, one that might have served the country well.
With the strength of parliament behind him, Owain Glyn Dwr went on to capture Aberystwyth and Harlech castles. He made Harlech his capital and so it remained for the next three years. During that time Henry struck back and in 1405, on the 11th of March, 800 Welshmen were killed at Grosmont while 1,500 of Owain’s supporters were later killed at Usk. Remarkably, five years into the campaign, support for the rebellion remained strong and the rebels were joined by French troops who marched to Woodbury Hill in Worcestershire. There, they met Henry’s forces and a stalemate ensued. Why the two armies did not give battle is not clear, but according to French sources Henry retreated to Worcester. After eight days the French withdrew and later in the year, 1405, they returned home.
In 1406 Owain Glyn Dwr revealed his vision for an independent Wales. In a letter to Charles VI of France, the Pennal Letter, he envisages an independent Church in Wales and two universities. Such a structure would offer a training ground for the clergy, for civil servants and for diplomats. Furthermore, the oppressive laws of the English government would be discarded and Welsh laws, probably based on the Laws of Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good, d 949) would be adopted. A nation would be reborn and its people would be liberated. The Ancient Britons would have a voice in their own country again.
In 1407 the island of Anglesey was blockaded and its inhabitants were forced to submit to the English Crown. The rebellion continued with victories for Owain Glyn Dwr and for Henry until, in September 1408, Aberystwyth fell to the English. This was followed in February 1409 by the fall of Harlech. During the siege of Harlech Edmund Mortimer was killed and his family captured. This marked a turning point in the rebellion. In reality, the revolt should have ended there, but the rebels continued the fight; they remained active from their mountain hideouts, striking when opportunity presented itself. Disturbed by the rebels, local sheriffs agreed a truce, much to Henry IV’s disgust.
In 1413 Henry IV died and his son was crowned Henry V. By this time Owain Glyn Dwr had disappeared from the public record. It is possible that he spent his final days in the Skidmore household in Herefordshire because Sir John Skidmore had married Glyn Dwr’s daughter, Alice.
During the revolt Owain Glyn Dwr lost many members of his family; some were killed, while others were imprisoned. He lost his homes and estates, which were burnt to the ground. However, he did not lose the support of his people; a great reward was offered for his capture, but he was never betrayed.
Owain Glyn Dwr had a dream for his country, a dream that captured the imagination of the poets and of the people. That dream was not fully realised during Owain Glyn Dwr’s days, but it lived on in the hearts and the minds of the poets and the people. It is said that, like another great Welsh hero, Arthur, Owain Glyn Dwr will return and serve his people. That may be so but, in the meantime, his people should remember his achievements and his vision and offer thanks to him.
Owain Glyn Dwr fought against overwhelming odds and yet he managed to forge his people into a nation and for that Owain Glyn Dwr should be regarded as the Father of modern Wales. When the day dawns and Wales obtains full independence the country will have Owain Glyn Dwr, and the generation who stood beside him, to thank, for they created a vision of freedom, a vision of fairness and justice, a vision that resonates down the centuries. Owain Glyn Dwr had the respect of his contemporaries; 600 years on, he is held in the same respect. During the rebellion, Owain Glyn Dwr shared his dream with his people; moreover he relied on his people to make real that dream. Six hundred years on, Owain Glyn Dwr shares his dream with his people; now, as then, it rests with the people of Wales to make real that dream.
Copyright © 2010 Mansel Jones
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