The History of Wigmore and the adjacent neighbourhood, being a connected account of the castle, abbey, church, and village of Wigmore, etc

Front matter

RAXDULPH. or RALPH DE MORTIMER. I Hugh = Arniora de Braose. Ralph. William, Lord of Chelniarsh. i i Roger de Mortimer. Hugh, Barou of Chelmarsh. Hugh de Mortimer. Ralph = Glwadvs Ddu, daughter of Llewellyn. Prince of Wales. Roger = Maude de Braose. QtftfM™- \JMaard. William. Geoftry . Roger, 1st Earl of March, = Joan de Geneville, Lady of Ludlow. Edmund = Catharine, Geoffry. I Joan=James Agnes = Lawrence Margaret=,Thos. j Maude=Jno. Blanche=Peter Beatrice=Sir ■daughter of Thomas Lord Audde Hastings, Earl Lord Berkclv. I Charlton le Grandison. Thoma- Beauchamp, Earl of ley. of Pembroke. I Lord Powis Braose Warwick. Roger de Mortimer (2nd Earl of March.) Edmund =Philippa Plantagenet, daughter of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, son of Edward III. Roger = Eleanor Holland, daughter of John Edmund=daughter of Owen Elizabeth = Henry Percy.

Thomas, Earl of Kent. Glendwvr I i i r Edmund died at Prim, in Roger, died young. Anne = Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cambridge, Ireland, 1424. 2nd son of Edmund Langley, 5th son of Edward III. Richard, Duke of York, killed at the Battle of Wakefield = Cecilia Neville, daughter of Ralph, Earl of Westmoreland. i ~ j j Edward, Earl of March, afterwards Edw. IV., Edmund, Earl of George, duke of Richard Duke of Gloucester born at Rouen, April 20th, 1441, . Rutland Clarence. (Richard III. | = Elizabeth Woodville. 1 ' I i i ' i i j 1 j ] j Edward V. Richard, George, Duke Elizabeth = Henry VII Catharine = Wm. Cicely= Anne= Marv= Bridget born 1470. Dukeoflork. of Bedford. Courtenay, Earl of John John | King of a nun. r . . Devon. Viscount Howard,! Den- | Smothered in Arthur Henfv Margaret | Wells.

Duke ; mark. the lower. , Prince of VIH. Queen of Marquis of Exeter. of Wales. Scotland. Norfolk Raxdulph or Ralph de Mortimer, the first English Baron of that name, was son of Roger de Mortimer, of Castle Mortimer, in the Pays du Caux, Normandy. This Roger was second cousin to Robert le Diavolo, or Robert the Devil, father of William I. Ralph came over with the Conqueror, in 1066, A.D. A GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE MORTIMERS, THE HISTORY OF AND THE Adjacent Neighbourhood, Being a connected account of the CASTLE, ABBEY, CHURCH, AND VILLAGE OF WIGMORE ; With a brief notice of thc various places of interest in the immediate neighbourhood. BY THOMAS MORGAN BOUND, M.R.C.P., Assistant Master, Edward VI. Commercial ScRoOl, Norwich. LEOMINSTER : ORPHANS' PRINTING PRESS, IO & 12, BROAD STREET. 1876.

Introduction

. In presenting this work to the public, the Author does so with a feeling of temerity and mistrust, coupled with a fervent hope that the love which he has for the very romantic district of Wigmore — its ruinated, but majestic old Castle ; the smouldering Abbey ; the venerable old Church, and the pretty Village — together with an impulsive ambition to place in the hands of the inhabitants what has long been desired, a connected account of the Castle, Abbey, Church and Village of Wigmore, and a brief sketch of other places of interest in the neighbourhood will be taken into consideration, as a palliation for attempting that for which he feels himself so unequal. He has long and anxiously wished to see this work undertaken by some one more worthy, and better able to fulfil it efficiently than himself.

But no one having done so, he has undertaken the task and the result is now placed before the reader. As regards historical associations, Wigmore stands second to none in Herefordshire: Few places have in so many respects figured as much in the pages of the English annals. The possession, paternal

INTRODUCTION.

. IV mansion, and heritage of the great Mortimers, their history s also the history ofthe Castle, and for centuries who possessed more power and influence over the actions of king and senate than that family? And after their reign of splendour passed away, Wigmore still retained all its grandeur under the auspicious rule of the Yorkists. And now at the present time, enough remains to speak for itself, the story of decayed magnificence. Who has ever gazed on those massive walls, rapidly falling to oblivion, without reflecting for a few moments in silence with thoughts which have thus been so truthfully depicted by one of our noblest and sublimest poets : — " How sad the grand old castle looks — O'er head the unmolested rooks Upon the turret's windy top Sit, talking of the farmer's crop. Here, in the courtyard, springs the grass ; So few are now the feet that pass.

Alas ! the merry guests no more Crowd through the hospitable door ; No eyes with youth and passion shine, No cheeks grow redder than the yvine. No song, no laugh, no jovial din, Of drinking wassail to the pin : But all is silent, sad, aud drear, And now the only sounds I hear, Are the hoarse rooks upon the walls." Who can look from the Castle ruins towards the North west and view the ruins of the Abbey without reflecting on the different aspect of religion at the present time, as con trasted with that of former days, when monkish rule and

INTRODUCTION.

. V superstition held the sway. And as regards the scenery around Wigmore, none can be more beautiful. Hills, valleys, rivers, moors, woods, orchards, gardens, and villages with their neat churches, all combine to make the prospect grand. The Downton walks, and other places of like note, which come within the scope of this book, abound to over flowing with natural beauties. In concluding these few introductory remarks, the Author begs leave to state that much good and useful information has been obtained by him from the following works : — Wright's History of Ludlow ; Cassey's History of Herefordshire ; Townshend's History of Leominster ; Anderson's History of Shropshire ; Williams' History of Radnor, and Lady Brilliana Harley's Letters, edited by the late Rev. T. F. Lewis ; also from H. T. Evans, Esq., Leintwardine.

Hoping that the public will take the work upon its merits, and not prejudge its value before a careful perusal, the Author now leaves it in their hands, with his many and sincere wishes for the welfare of Wigmore and its neighbourhood. Thomas M. Bound. Norwich, Dec. 1876. INDEX. Frontispiece — Chronological Table of the Family of Mortimer. Page Introduction - - - - - iii Chap, I. The Village of Wigmore - - i II. History of Wigmore Castle and its Lords - 6 III. The History of the Foundation of Wigmore Abbey - - - 35 IV. The subsequent History of the Abbey from the Foundation to the Dissolution, with modern remarks - - - - - 50 V. Wigmore Parish Church, with a notice of its Vicars ------- 66 VI. Battle of Mortimer's Cross ; Account of Aymestrey; the Lugg; Kingsland & Shobdon 72 VII. Croft Castle, Orleton, Richard's Castle, Adam de Orleton ------ 80 VIII.

Lingen, Limebrooke, Deerfold, Haven and Chapel Farms ----- 90 IX. Coxall Knoll, Brandon Camp, Caractacus - 99 X. An Account of the Family of Harley - 105 XI. Leintwardine, Bravinium, Watling Street - 117 XII. Brampton Bryan Castle, Stanage Castle - 1 24 XIII. An Account of other Parishes and Villages in the vicinity of Wigmore - - - - 1 30 XIV. Life of Owen Glendwyr, or Glendower - 139 XV. The Manors in Shropshire, belonging to the Mortimers - - - - - INDEX. VIII Page An explanation of Doomsday Terms used in this book - .... 165 THE

Appendix

. No. I. Copy of a Tablet erected in the Vestry of Wigmore Church - - - - -167 II. Copy of a Tablet erected in the Vestry of Leintwardine Church - - - - 167 III. Extract from the Funeral Sermon on Sir Robert Harley - - - - - 168 IV. Copy of a Letter of Lady Brilliana Harley 168 V. Copy of a Letter of Lady Brilliana Harley 169 VI. Particulars of Losses sustained by Sir Robert Harley in the War . - - - 169 VII. Memorandum and Sum of Rents received from and paid by Sir Robert Harley, 1639 170 VIII. Abstract of the Will of Lady Langdale - 170 IX. ChronologicalTable, from 921 A.D.toi873A.D. 174 X. The Derivation and Meaning of the Names and Places around Wigmore - - - 176 XL List of the principal Inhabitants of Wigmore 177 XII. Public Officers for Wjgmpre Division -

Chapter I

The Village of Wigmore. WIGMORE is a parish and village delightfully situated 9^ miles N.W. from Leominster, 8 miles W. from Ludlow, 10 miles S.E. from Knighton, 8 miles E. from Presteigne, and 22 miles N. from Here ford, lying on the turnpike road, leading from Knighton to Hereford, and on a branch road leading out of the village to Ludlow. It is in the Bishopric, Deanery and Archdeaconry of Hereford, and forms one of the parishes of the Ludlow Union ; gives its name to a Hundred and Petty Sessional Division, and is also a polling place for the election of Knights of the Shire. The Hundred was formerly regarded as one of the most ancient honors of the County of Hereford. A Court Leet was formerly held every six weeks at the Hundred house. It held particular privileges from the Crown, and even had the power of life and death vested in its Magistrates.

All the Manors (21 in number) were known under the general name of " VVigmore Land." The area of the hundred is 47,073 acres. The Church is a very old stone building, an account of which is given in a succeeding chapter. There is a National School capable of containing 160 children according to the requirements of the Education Act of 1870. It was erected in 1860 by Lady Langdale, whose death in 1872 caused great and profound sorrow in the neighbourhood. It is now supported by Volun tary Subscription, aided by grants from the Committee of Council on Education, and has been lately en- B riched by a legacy of £250, bequeathed by the late Lady Frances Vernon Harcourt, sister to Lady Langdale. Sunday School is held in the National Schoolroom under the superintendence of the Vicar and a staff of teachers.

Wigmore Hall is a spacious family mansion in the modern style of architecture, belonging to the Rev. W. T. Kevill Davies, of Croft Castle, who formerly resided there. It is now occupied by Col. Chas. Trigance Franklin. The Vicarage is a neat homely looking residence, built of brick, and recently augmented by the addition of a new wing. The Primitive Methodists have a very neat chapel, built of brick, faced with white bath stone. It was erected in lieu of a smaller edifice now converted into a dwelling-house, in 1863, and is well supported by the Connexion. The Police Station, situated near the southern ex tremity of the village, is a compact and pretty stone building comprising dwelling-house, lock-up, magistrates' room and offices. Petty Sessions are held on the first Tuesday in every month.

The officer in charge is P.S. Philpotts. The father of the Author was in charge from 1862 to 1873, when he was ap pointed Sanitary Inspector of the Leominster Rural District. It was during his residence here that the Author collated a great deal of the matter contained in these pages. The Castle Hotel which still retains the name of Hundred house, is situated near the Police Station, and has a pleasant aspect. A great inconvenience which formerly existed in the village has been removed by the kindness of the late Lady Langdale, namely, the want of good water. On hearing of the great scarcity of water, the deceased Lady, promptly took measures to supply the want. The adjacent fields and meadows were surveyed and a suitable spot for a reservoir having been discovered, an efficient staff of men were employed, and a tank THE COURT HOUSE — ACREAGE. 3 was constructed in the fields near the ruins of Wig more Castle.

Pipes were laid by which the water was conveyed to the village, a distance of three quarters of a mile. Five public taps were erected, as well as several private ones for the use of houses on her Lady ship's estate. The whole of the undertaking was carried out in a workmanlike manner, the expense being entirely defrayed by Lady Langdale, to whose memory the inhabitants owe a debt of gratitude. Among the places of importance and interest in the village is the Court house, in the occupation of its owner, Mr. R. Mytton. It is so named from its being built near the site of an old edifice which formerly stood here, and served the purpose of lock-up, market, and public resort for the inhabitants. The old stocks and whipping-post formerly stood here. The open square in front of the present house is called the Pauement.

The origin of this name is doubtful, but I presume that the following accounts for the name. The letters it and v were formerly designated by the one letter it, so that the word Pavement would be written Pauement, and the country people mistaking the sound pronounced it instead of it. Pavement was the name given to any place where public business was carried on. Fairs are held in the village on May 6th and August 5th, and are well attended. The soil is very various, the subsoil is also various, bounded by a curious fosil limestone. The chief crops are wheat, barley, oats, beans, peas, potatoes, apples, pears ; and vetches and turnips for cattle. The chief farms are Wigmore Bury, Town Farm, Brinshope, Green Hill, and Gatherment. There is a small charity distributed in bread quarterly. The trustees of the late Lady Langdale are Lords of the Manor, and with the Rev. W. T. K. Davies, are chief landowners.

The population in 187 1 was 487, and the acreage 3,350. James I. granted at the request of Robert Harley, its Manorial Lord, a charter for a weekly market and annual fair to be held at Wigmore. The market has decayed. The fair was very largely and extensively patronised, and was formerly of much more importance than at the present time. Sir Robert Harley was very wishful to procure the privileges of a borough for Wigmore as the following letter of Lady Brilliana Harley, his wife, shews : — " For my deare sonne Mr. Edward Harley. " Deare Ned, — I thank you for your letter this weake by the carrier, it is my greate joy to heare from you, and I pray God I may still heare well of you. I should be exceeding glad if your father could procure Wigmore to be a burgess towne, and that you might be of the Parlement " Your affectionat Mother, " Desem. n, 1640, " Brilliana Harley.

" Bromton Castle." According to local tradition there was a large manufactory of hats carried on in the village, together with tan yards, traces of which still remain. The only trade of importance carried on in the village at the present time is that of spade tree making. The inhabitants of Wigmore were formerly, in the era of the Mortimers, a lawless, plundering community. In some old documents of the time we read that on one occasion the Foresters of Wigmore went to the mill on the Corve near Ludlow, and seizing the miller, carried him by bodily force to Bromfield, where they extorted from him his knife and girdle and sixpence in money. On another occasion they seized Elias Millar, of Ludlow, on the highway near Ludlow, and took from him his sword and bow. They then tied his hands behind him, and in that condition carried him to Steventon, where they extorted from him two shillings and then let him depart.

The Constable of Wigmore seized 40 head of cattle belonging to the Burgesses of Ludlow as they were passing through the LAWLESS HABITS OF INHABITANTS. 5 Barony of Clun from Montgomery fair, whence he drove them to Wigmore Castle, where they were re tained eight days on account of a piece of cloth belonging to a woman in Wigmore which had been cut and sold in Ludlow. The people of Wigmore at the present time, are, generally speaking, kind, hospitable and well-conducted.

CHAPTER II. History of Wigmore Castle and its Lords

Contents of Chapter. — The foundation of the Castle — Edric Sylvaticus, Earl of Shrewsbury — Ralph de Mortimer — Hugh — Bridgenorth Castle — Joce De Dinan — Inroad of Welsh — David, Prince of Wales, defeats the Marcher Barons — Llewellyn, Prince of Wales — Flight of the Welsh to Snowdon — Siege of Wigmore Castle by Montfort — Battle of Lewes — Escape of Prince Edward to Wigmore from Hereford — Battle of Evesham, and death of Montfort — Aggrandizement of the Mortimers — Tournament at Kenilworth — Queen of Navarre — Battle of Builth — Death of Llewellyn — Joan de Geneville — Mortimer made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland — Rebellion, capture, and escape of Mortimer — Return to England — Adam de Orelton or Orleton — Famous anagram — Flight of Edward II. — His dethronement — Haughty conduct of Mortimer — His capture and death — Copy of articles of impeachment against him — Reversal of his attainder — Phillippa Plantagenet — Anne Mortimer — Owen Glendwyr — Future descendants of Mortimers —Anne Mortimer's marriage with Richard Earl of Cambridge — Duke of York— Edmund Mortimer taken prisoner by Glendwyr — Confined in Leominster — Triple conspiracy of Mortimer, Glendwyr, and Percy — Battle of Shrewsbury — The Earl of March — Duke of York's army — Treaty with Royalists — Duke made Proctor — Battle of St. Albans — Battle of Ludford — Battle of Northampton — Henry II. prisoner — Battle of Wakefield Green — Disastrous death of York — Edward Earl of March raises an army — Battle of Mortimer's Cross — Junction of armies at Chipping Norton — Earl of March crowned King by the title of Edward IV. — Song to commemorate the occasion — Battle of Towton — Edward flies to Burgundy — His return, his death — The Duke of Gloucester — Battle of Bosworth — Decline of Wigmore — The Harley family — Letters of Dr. Lee — Castle used as a prison — Repaired by Sir Henry Sydney — Letters of Dr. Dee — Modern account of Castle — Present condition — Lady Langdale — Countess Teleki .

WIGMORE Castle was built in the reign of Edward the Elder, son and successor of Alfred the Great. The date very probably was 921 A.D. Several other castles owe their origin to the same monarch ; among others, those of Bridgenorth, Stafford, Warwick, Hertford, Tamworth and Runcorn. WIGMORE CASTLE UNDER NORMAN RULE. J In the year of its erection, and directly after its com pletion, a body of Danes landed in the South of England, and marching northwards, followed the course of the old Roman road, and established them selves in thesvalley of Aymestrey. From this retreat they commenced a series of inroads on the neighbour ing country. Wigmore, then called Wi Cinga Mere, which in Anglo-Saxon means " the moor of the pirates," was attacked and besieged closely for a day by the Danes. It was gallantly defended, and the assailants at length retired, taking with them all the cattle in the fields around the town.

The place then seems to have remained unmolested until the time of the Norman Conquest. The Barony then belonged to Edric Sylvaticus, Earl of Shrewsbury. The Castle at that time standing was a new structure, the old edifice having being destroyed. Doomsday Book describes it as having been built by William Fitz Osborne, the Norman Earl or Count of Hereford, on some waste ground which had received the name of " Merestun," or the " enclosure on the moor." The adjacent country was at that time, and a considerable portion is now, covered with woods. These woods were not the least profitable part of the country, for in them were bred immense herds of swine, which fattened on the acorns they found, and whose flesh formed one of the staple commodities of life. Nor was this the only use of the extensive woods.

The large trees furnished timber for building the wooden huts in which the people lived, and the lesser shrubs furnished fuel in lieu of coal, not then in use. A young nobleman named Osborne Fitz Ricardus, held the greater portion of the woods around Wigmore under a tenure from the King. After the death of the Saxon Monarch, Harold, at the Battle of Hastings, and the Conquest of England by Duke William of Normandy, the country was parcelled out between the Norman Barons. Edric, Earl of Shrewsbury was allowed to retain Wigmore and all its dependencies. Being irritated by an offence committed by the regal power, the Earl raised the standard of revolt, and having called in the aid of his neighbours the Welsh, he drove the Normans to Hereford. Three Norman chieftains were there upon sent against him by William I. One of them named Randulph de Mortuo Mari or Mortimer, a distant kinsman of the Conqueror, encompassed Wigmore Castle, where Edric had intrenched himself, and with great difficulty compelled the Earl to sur render.

For his services on this occasion, Mortimer received from the King a grant of all the lands be tween Shobdon and Downton. He also obtained Cleobury Mortimer and Caynham in Salop, Pilleth and Norton in Radnor. On the death of William I., he was succeeded by his son William II., who in the commencement of his reign paid a visit to Wigmore, and at the same time ordered the erection of Lingen Castle. His claim to the throne was illegal, his brother Robert being the rightful heir. Randulph, Lord of Wigmore, together with other Barons revolted in favour of Robert, and aided by the Welsh caused a great deal of trouble to William II. who, however, finally vanquished the Welsh and compelled the Barons to sue for peace, 1088 A.D. Randulph founded a canonry or college at Wigmore in 1 100 A.D. At his death, his vast domain, devolved to his son Hugh de Mortimer, who had married Armora de Braose, daughter of a Welsh border Baron.

He is noted for his battles with the Welsh, who could be powerful enemies as well as valuable allies. He defeated them in several engage ments, on one occasion taking Rhys Ap Howell, Prince of Wales, prisoner, and slaying two Welshmen of distinction, namely, Meredudd ab Madoc ab Idnerth, Prince of Powis, and Meyric ab Riryd ab Madoc, 1 1 54, A.D. Henry II. on his accession destroyed 1100 castles and reduced the Baronial power considerably. On HUGH DE MORTIMER — INROADS OF WELSH. 9 requiring allegiance from Hugh de Mortimer, that bold baron refused, and intrenching himself in Bridge north Castle he defied the King and his army who encompassed the castle. The King was on one occa sion nearly captured by approaching too near to the walls. After a length of time, Mortimer surrendered. The humiliated baron now wreaked his revenge on his adjacent neighbours, the chief of whom was Joce de Dinan, Lord of Ludlow Castle.

The latter was so closely beseiged by the rapacious Mortimer, that he could scarcely pass the walls of his castle, without being in danger of capture by Mortimer's adherents. Learning, however, that the Lord of Wigmore would ride on a certain day unattended, Joce sent some men to lay in wait for him, who made him prisoner and conveyed him to Ludlow, where he was for a length of time confined in a tower, which was called from this event " Mortimer's Tower." He regained his liberty by the payment of a heavy ransom of 3,000 marks of silver, besides his plate and jewels. In the year 1172 he founded Wigmore Abbey, a full account of which is found in a succeeding chapter. He is said to have died at Cleobury Mortimer, of wounds which he received in a tournament, 1185 A.D. His body was conveyed to Wigmore, and was interred with great pomp in the Abbey which he had sounded and so munificently endowed.

His brother Ralph succeeded to the estates. He was, at his brother's death, a prisoner in France, and was some time in regaining his liberty. During his absence, the Welsh invaded his territory, attacked the town, entered the Abbey on the first Sunday in Lent, and having plundered it of all its valuables and relics, burnt the offices to the ground, leaving nothing entire except the church. Ralph, at his death, was succeeded by his nephew Roger de Mortimer. This young noble man had in a fit of passion murdered a retainer, for which crime he was placed under the wardship of the King. On his release and return to Wigmore, he found that David, Prince of Wales had committed several outrages in the vicinity of his castle. He declared war with the Prince and compelled him to swear allegiance to the English Monarch.

War was thus averted, but the train was laid for a future ex plosion. About 1 195 A.D. Roger was signally de feated by Rees, Prince of South "Wales, under the walls of Radnor Castle. Besides acquisitions in Wales, this powerful baron held estates in thirteen English counties, and the vast paternal fief of St. Victor-en-Caux in Normandy. He lost his Norman dominions on account of his adherence to John of England against the King of France. In May 12 1 3 A.D., Mortimer was one of the twelve barons who acted as guarantees for the good faith of King John when he entreated of the Pope to allow Archbishop Langton to return. Hugh de Mortimer succeeded his father to the vast domain of Wigmore. At the time of his father's death, he was in Poitou, engaged in the foreign wars of John I. Hugh was a faithful adherent of the treacherous John, and in return, Henry III. gave Mortimer, by letters patent, dated January 27, 12 17, A.D., leave to seize and retain the estates of several obnoxious barons.

In the same year the King gave orders to sheriffs of seventeen counties to aid Mortimer in the collection of his rents, and the sheriffs of nine other counties receiving orders to aid the wife of Mortimer in collecting her rents, give us some idea of the unbounded wealth of the family. On May 31, 1223 A.D., the King gratuit ously strengthened Wigmore Castle at an expense of 20 marks. Sir Hugh died in 1227 A.D., and was succeeded by Ralph de Mortimer, his brother. At the time of his entering into possession the estates were under an obligation to the King, to the amount of ,£1015 2s. 4d. in sterling money alone, besides other charges. The payment of this debt did not trouble Mortimer, for it seems to have been a characteristic of the haughty family to be indifferent to their Mortimer's dominions ravaged. 11 pecuniary obligations to the crown.

Sir Hugh had not troubled himself, neither did his brother. Ralph married Glwadys Dhu, daughter of Llewellyn of Wales, and in her right he became the nominal Lord of Wales. On his death he was succeeded by Roger his son, who was at that time seventeen years of age. He espoused the eldest daughter and heiress of William Braose, Maude by name, and by this alliance Baron Mortimer acquired part of Brecon and estates in Ireland. At this time the Marches and districts around Wig more were in a very disturbed state. In 1256 A.D., Llewellyn, a Welsh chieftain, broke all bonds of re straint, and invading Herefordshire perpetrated several outrages. Mortimer, aided by several other English nobles, opposed him and compelled him to sue for peace. Signs of revolt soon showed themselves, how ever, among the Welsh, and Roger de Mortimer was deputed by the King to conclude a truce with the Welsh.

On June 24, 1259 a.d., Roger on the side of the English, and Llewellyn ap Griffyth on behalf of the Welsh, signed the peace treaty at Montgomery for one year. In 1260 A.D., while Mortimer was ab sent attending Parliament, the Welsh again became refractory, and under Llewellyn attacked and took Builth Castle. Mortimer hastily returned to the scene of strife, but was unable to stop the career of victory which the Welsh obtained. Llewellyn took and destroyed the castles of Knucklas and Cefnllys. The border of Wigmore was cruelly devastated, and so far did Llewellyn carry his success, that a hasty letter was written by the Bishop of Hereford to the King, asking for reinforcements, the city being in great danger. Edward Prince of Wales arrived at Shrewsbury, and the border barons assembling their retainers at Ludlow, drove the Welsh to their moun tain homes.

While the Prince was away, the Barons of England had revolted under Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. He therefore hastily marched to the aid of the King, his father. Roger Mortimer warmly espoused the cause of the crown, and fought by the side of Henry III. at Northampton. Mont fort, enraged, sent a large detachment to devastate Wigmore. The invaders surrounded the castle, and closely besieged it till February 1264 A.D., when it fell into their hands. A small garrison was placed in it, and Mortimer and Prince Edward who had ad vanced to relieve it, retreated, closely pursued to Gloucester. The town was invested, and the Prince promised at last to observe certain enactments of the barons. The battle of Lewes soon followed, where the King and Prince Edward were taken prisoners. Mortimer, who had recovered Wigmore Castle, still held out a flag of defiance against the Baronial army, and with Scotries, Lord of Croft, concocted plans to free the Prince who had been placed a prisoner in Hereford.