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which time had wrought, become exceedingly imperfect, and by no means sufficiently comprehensive to meet the contingencies of the State. A statute, therefore, was enacted, (12 Ed. I.,) by which a system of jurisprudence was established, more suitable to the condition of the Welsh, and better adapted to the purposes of the conqueror. This Statute (which is called the Statute of Rhuddlaw) is in the form of a Charter, and contains a very complete and concise code of laws, for the government of Wales, as well as many salutary regulations for carrying the laws themselves into effect. Instead of retaining the ancient divisions of cantreos (hundreds) and commwds (communes), Edward divided Wales into counties, with a Sheriff, Coroner, and other officers in each. County-Courts were also appointed to be holden monthly, and those of the Sheriff half-yearly. The forms of writs were likewise settled, with the method to be used in all law-proceedings, which were to be carried on and decided within the Principality; it being expressly provided, that the Welsh should not be sued for debts and trespasses in the English Courts.

These salutary enactments were, in themselves, well calculated to effect, eventually, that amelioration in the condition of the Welsh which the English Monarch had in view; for although it was not to be expected that the Cambro-British would immediately conform to the decrees of their conqueror, yet the advantages which they must have derived from these temperate proceedings would inevitably have cancelled the obstinacy of national prejudice. But, unfortunately for the Welsh, the execution of these laws was entrusted to English officers, who, to use the words of a contemporary writer,

"entertaining, in common with the rest of their countrymen, an unbounded animosity towards the Welsh, exercised their authority with unsparing and remorseless vigilance, and entirely subverted the judicious measures of their Monarch." Shamefully indeed were the Welsh treated by the despotic tyranny of the King's officers; and we select a few examples of their unjustifiable oppression, from a long "Memorial of the Greefes and Injuries offered by the King and his officers to the Men of Ros :"

"The Lord the King did promise the men of Ros that they should have justice in their sutes: after granting of the which articles, the said men did homage to the King. And then the King promised them, with his owne mouth, faithfullie to observe the said articles. This, notwithstanding, a certaine noble man, passing by the King's hie waie, with his wife, in the King's peace, met certaine English laborers and masons going to Ruthlan, where they did then worke, who attempted, by force, to take awaie his wife from him;

could, one of them killed the wife, and and while he defended hir, as weell as he he who killed hir, with his fallowes, was taken and when the kindred of hir which was slaine required lawe, at the Justice of Chester's hands, (for their kinswoman,) they were put in prison, and the mur therers were delivered."

"Item. A certain man killed a gentle. man, who had killed the son of Grono ap Heilyn, and was taken: but when certaine of the kindred required justice before the Justice of Chester, certaine of them were imprisoned, the offender set at libertie, and justice denied to the kindred." should cut our woodes without our leave: yet this, notwithstanding there was a pro

"Item. It is our right that no stranger

clamation at Ruthlan, that it should be lawful for all other men to cut downe our woodes, but to us it was forbidden."

"Item. When aine commeth to Ruthlan with merchandize, if he refuse whatsoever anie English man offereth, he is

homage to Edward, according to a treaty concluded between the two Sovereigns. The Welshmen, as their custom was, brought with them large retinues, which were quartered at Islington, and the neighbouring villages. These places did not afford milk sufficient for so many people, who liked neither the wine nor the ale of London; and, although plentifully entertained, they were much displeased with their new manner of living. Their pride, too, was offended by the perpetual curiosity and sarcasms of the Londoners, who followed them in crowds, to gaze and jeer at their uncommon garb."No," cried the indignant Welshmen; "we never again will visit Islington, except as conquerors !" And from that instant they resolved to take up arms.

Carte from a MS. in the Mostyn Collection.

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forthwith sent to the castell to prison, and the buier hath the things, and the King hath the price then the souldiers of the castell first spoile and beate the partie, and then cause him to pay the porter, and let him goe."

"Item. If anie Welsh man buie anie thing in Ruthlan, and anie English man do meete him, he will take it from him, and give him lesse than he paid for it." "Item. Certaine gentlemen of the cantrev of Ros, bought certaine offices, and paid their monie for the same: yet

the Justice of Chester tooke the said offices from them without cause."

"Item. Our causes ought to be decided after the custome of our lawes; but our men be compelled to sweare against their consciences, else they be not suffered to sweare: furthermore, we spent three hundreth markes in going to the King for justice in the foresaid articles. And when we beleeved to recover full justice, the King sent to our partes the Lord Reginald Gray, to whom the King hath set all the landes to farme, to handle the men of the said cantrevs as it pleaseth him: who compelled us to sweare in his name, whereas we should sweare in the King's name. And where the King's crosse ought to be erected, he caused his crosse to be erected, in token that he is the verie true lord: and the said Lord Reginald, at his first comming to those partes of Wales, sold to certaine servants of the King, offices for IX markes, which the said servants bought before, of the King, for xxiiij markes: which offices ought not to be sold at the choice of the

lord."

"Item. The King gave Meredyth ap Madoc a captaineship for his service; Reginald Gray took it from him: neither could he get anie remedie at the King's handes for the same +."

These will suffice to shew how assiduously the new laws were contemned and violated by those very individuals whose duty it was to carry them fairly into effect; and it re

quires no very great sagacity to foretel the consequences of these intemperate proceedings. Revolt after revolt sprang up, to the great injury of the Welsh, who suffered severely for the temerity and boldness with which they asserted their rights, and revenged their wrongs: and, for a long time after the subjugation of their country, they continued to emit, at intervals, sparks of that fiery valour, which all the oppressive efforts of their enemies could not entirely quench.

The affairs of the Welsh were in this situation,-and an interval of nearly a century and a half had elapsed since the conquest of their country, when a champion stood forth in the cause of freedom, whose valour had well nigh dissevered the chain which bound them so strongly, and whose name will never be breathed by his countrymen, except with sentiments of pride and admiration. We need scarcely add, that this heroic champion was OWAIN GLYNDWR.

Owain Vychan, or Vaughan, usually called Glyndwrt, was born on the 28th of May 1349," a year," we are informed," remarkable for the first appearance of the pestilence in Wales, and for the birth of Owain Glyndwr." Holinshed, who seems to have imbibed a most violent antipathy to the " Welsh rebel," as he calls him, relates a circumstance attending the birth of this chieftain, which is doubtless intended to bear some allusion to his sanguinary and turbulent career: "Strange wonders," he says, "happened at the birth of this man: for the same nighte that he was borne, all his father's horses, in the stable, were founde to stande in bloude up to their bellies!" He became allied to

This Reginald Gray seems to have been a perfect despot; for it is elsewhere said of him, that as soon as he returned to Wales, he determined to take "xxiiij men of every cantrev, and either behead them, or imprison them perpetuallie." Whether he actually performed the beneficent promise, we have not been able to ascertain. +From MS. in the Hêngwrt collection.

The family name of this hero was Vychan, or Vaughan; he is styled Glyndwr, from his patrimony of Glyndyvrdwy, or the Bank-side of the Dee. No name, perhaps, has been so variously contorted; he is called, indifferently, Glendour, Glendowr, Glendower, Glyndour, Glyndower, and Glyndwr ; the last, according to Welsh orthography, being the most correct, and that which we have consequently adopted. one statute, (4, Henry iv. ch. 34..) he is described as "Owen Ar Glyndourdy, traitour a nostre Sr. le Roy."

In

the Hanmers of Hanmer, in Flint-
shire, by marriage with Margaret,
daughter of Sir David Hanmer,
Chief-Justice of the King's-Bench,
in the reign of Richard the Second;
and he appears to have chosen, not
only an amiable and virtuous wife,
but a benevolent and prolific one;
for Iolococh, (or the red,) the hero's
chief bard, thus eulogizes her trans-
cendant virtues.

A Gwraig orau o'r gwragedd!
Gwyn fy myd, o'i gwin a'i medd:
Merch rglur, llin marchawglyw,
Urddol, hael, o reiob ryw.
Ai blant, a ddeuantbob yn ddau,
Nythod têg o benn-aethau !
His wife, the best of wives!
Happy am I in her wine and metheglin.
Eminent woman of a knightly family.
Honourable, beneficent, noble,
His children come in pairs,-
A beautiful nest of chieftains!

A large family was the result of this union; and the sons followed their father to the field, while the daughters were married to chieftains of considerable eminence in the country.

Glyndwr was a lineal descendant from the princes of Wales, and lord of considerable possessions near Corwen, in Merionethshire. He received his education in England, and appears to have been admitted a student in one of Inns of Court; for, says Holinshed," he was first set to study the lawes of the realme, and become an vtter barrester, or apprentice of the lawe, as they terme him." But he soon quitted the drudgery of this profession for avocations more congenial with his ardent and sanguine dispositions; and, during the tumults which agitated the country in the reign of Richard the Second, he did not remain an inactive spectator, but espoused the cause of the King, to whom he was sincerely and warmly attached. As a reward for his loyalty, he was created a knight, and appointed scutiger, or squire of the body, to that unfortunate monarch; and when Richard was deposed, Owain retired to his estates in Wales, deprecating and lamenting the downfall of his beloved master.

At Glyndyvrdwy, then, four centuries ago, lived this Cambrian hero, dispensing numerous blessings

VOL. XIV.

amongst his happy and devoted tenantry; and probably with no loftier wishes than those of contributing to the contentment and happiness of his dependants. But he was roused from this peaceful inactivity by oppression unendurable by a Briton. Lord Reginald Gray of Ruthin, whose lordship was contiguous to Glyndyvrdwy, wishing to confine his neighbour within the bounds of the Dee, claimed the hills on his side of the river, and took possession of them, although they had long been the property of the Glyndwr family. This unjust seizure produced a suit in the courts of law, in which the Welshman obtained a restitution of his lands, and Lord Gray became, in consequence, his most inveterate and deadly enemy.

On the accession of Henry the Fourth to the crown, Gray, relying upon the favour and protection of his monarch, again seized those lands, which had been legally awarded to Owain; and when the latter laid his case before the Parliament, he obtained no redress, nor was his application even noticed. This contumely was aggravated by an insult of greater, and, eventually, of fatal consequence. When Henry went on his first expedition against the Scots, Owain was to have accompanied him, with a certain number of his retainers. A writ of summons, for this purpose, was entrusted to Gray, who designedly and rashly withheld it, till the time for Owain's appearance had elapsed, and it was impossible for him to obey the royal mandate. Lord Gray represented his absence as an act of wilful, and, therefore, of traitorous disobedience; by which wicked and treacherous transactions he procured from Henry a grant of all Owain's lands; the knight himself being, at the same time, declared a traitor. This was not to be patiently endured by the aggrieved and choleric Cambrian ; and a short time from this period saw Owain Glyndwr, with a trusty and gallant band of Britons, spreading fire and desolation through the territories of the presumptuous Gray. He soon recovered the lands of which he had been so unjustly deprived ; and, actuated by the spirit of retaliation, took possession of a large por

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tion of the domains of his enemy. Nor did the consequences rest here. Ambition now entered the mind of the infuriated chieftain; he called to his recollection his high and princely lineage, and, directing his arms to a noble cause-the freedom of his country-involved both nations in a war which lasted some years, sacrificed many thousand lives, and drenched both countries with blood.

Although the Welsh were at first despised as a barefooted rabble *, and their disaffection treated with contempt, they were soon found to be a formidable and dangerous enemy. The intelligence of Glyndwr's retaliation upon Lord Gray no sooner reached the Court, than the King immediately dispatched some troops, under the command of that nobleman and the Lord Talbot, to chastise him; and they arrived with such speed and diligence, that they nearly succeeded in surrounding his house before he gained any intimation of their approach. He contrived, however, to escape into the woods, where he did not long remain; but having raised a band of men, and caused himself to be proclaimed Prince of Wales, on the 20th of September 1400, he surprised, plundered, and burnt to the ground, the greater part of the town of Ruthin, (the property of Gray,) at a time when fair was held there. Having achieved this, he retired to the mountain-fastnesses, and directed his attention to the speedy augmentation of his forces.

The disturbance in the Principality had hitherto been chiefly considered as a private quarrel between Gray and Glyndwr, and the Government did not seem to be much concerned as to its issue. Now, however, it assumed a more serious and important aspect, and became altogether a national contest. The proclamation issued by Owain alarmed Henry, who determined to march in person into Wales, to curb the bold

ness of the rebel-chieftain, and to crush, if possible, a revolt daily becoming more extensive and momentous. For this purpose, he assembled his troops, and hastened into Wales; but Glyndwr, whose forces were not yet sufficiently powerful, retreated to the hills of Snowdon, and Henry was compelled to return to England, without obtaining any material advantage. In order, however, to weaken his opponent, he made a grant of all the estates of Glyndwr, in North and South Wales, to his own brother, John Earl of Somerset ; an act as ineffectual as it was irritating; for Owain was so far from any danger of being dispossessed of them, that at this very time he was daily growing more powerful, by the accession of new forces. It is remarkable that the chieftain's revenue, in money, at this period, did not exceed 300 marks, which shewed that his rents, in kind, must have been very considerable.

Preparations were now made by the King to commence a regular war with the Welsh; and that they might have no plea of undue severity to urge, a proclamation was issued on the 30th of November, in the same year, (1400,) offering to protect all Welshmen who would repair to Chester, and there make submission to Prince Henry; after which, they should be at full liberty to return to their respective homes. Few, however, availed themselves of the monarch's clemency. The martial spirit of the Welsh was once more kindled into action; and Glyndwr soon found his cause espoused by numbers of his countrymen. Multitudes, from all quarters, flocked to his standard, and contributed to make him a most formidable opponent,-so formidable, indeed, that Henry, notwithstanding some very urgent affairs which had detained him at the capital, resolved to march again into Wales; and entering the Principality about the beginning of June 1401, he ravaged the country

* John Trevor, Bishop of St. Asaph, foreseeing the danger of driving into desperate measures a person of Owain's interest, spirit, and abilities, advised more temperate proceedings, adding, that Owain was by no means a despicable enemy, and that the Welsh would certainly be provoked into a general insurrection: his advice was rejected, and he was answered, by an English nobleman, in the House of Lords, "Se de illis scurris nudipedibus non curare." Pennant's Tours, Vol. III., p. 319., Syo, edition, and Barrington's Observations on the Ancient Statutes.

in his progress; but was finally forced to retreat, his men having suffered severely from fatigue and famine.

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The misfortunes which befel the King greatly encouraged the rebels; and a comet, which ushered in the year 1402, infused new spirit into the minds of a superstitious people, and imparted additional vigour to their exertions. A victory, also, which Glyndwr obtained, about this time, over a powerful band commanded by Lord Gray, strengthened their hopes of success, and gained the Chieftain many friends and followers. By this event, Gray fell into the hands of the insurgents, and was secured in close confinement, till a ransom of six thousand marks, and a promise to marry one of Owain's daughters, released him from captivity *. So elated were the Welsh with these successes, that, if we may believe the prejudiced Holinshed, they were uplifted with high pride, and their wicked and presumptuous attempts were marvellously increased." At all events, the Welsh patriot now extended his designs, and plundered the domains of such as were inimical to him, spreading fire and sword through the lands of his opponents. He revenged, also, in some degree, the indignities inflicted upon the unfortunate Richard. John Trevor, Bishop of St. Asaph, who had voted for the deposition of that King, became a marked object of his resentment; and the cathedral, Episcopal palace, and Canons' houses belonging to the See, were completely destroyed. But none suffered so severely as the vassals of Edward Mortimer, Earl of March, a child of ten years old, and who, with his brother Roger, was at that time in the custody of the King. Henry was very sensible of the just claim which this child had to the crown, for his title to the Sovereignty had been formally acknowledged

by the Parliament, on account of his descent from Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of Edward the Third. Owain, therefore, aware of the importance of this youthful nobleman, directed his attention to the plundering of his domains, hoping, eventually, to become possessed of his person. But his designs were valiantly opposed by Sir Edward Mortimer, uncle to the Earl, who, unable any longer to endure the depredations of Glyndwr, collected a large body of his nephew's retainers, and marched boldly to stem the progress of the invader. A bloody engagement ensued on Bryn-glas, a mountain south-west of Kinghtor, in Radnorshire, and victory declared in favour of Owain. Stow asserts, that the archers of Mortimer's army bent their bows against their own party; but another old writer affirms that the Earl's Welsh tenants took to flight on the first onset, and this occasioned the defeat t. However this may be, Sir Edward Mortimer sustained a very severe loss, and was himself taken prisoner by the Welsh. It was after this engagement that those disgusting practices, alluded to by Shakespeare, and detailed by Walsingham and Holinshed, are said to have been performed on the lifeless bodies of the enemy. "Such shameful villany," says the latter, was executed upon the carcasses of the dead men, by the Welsh women, as the like (I do believe) hath never or seldom been practised * which is worthy to be recorded to the shame of a sexe, pretending to the title of weaker vessels, and yet rageing with such force of fierceness and barbarism." Owain's ravages became now so considerable, and were so fearlessly committed, that Henry was once more compelled to march into Wales; and, to insure success, it was determined that the English army should enter the Principality in three different quarters. The ren

66

His release, however, was not effected till Henry appointed a Commission, dated the 10th of October 1402, empowering Sir William de Ross, Sir Richard de Gray, Sir William de Willoughby, Sir William de la Zouch, and six other persons, to treat with Owain about the ransom, when the sum specified in the text was agreed upon, and his Worship liberated. Rymer, viii. 279.

+ Vita Ricardi Secundi, p. 178.

Holinshed's Historie, p. 527. See also Walsingham, apud Camdair Script. Angl.

p. 577.

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