Chepstow Castle and William fitzOsbern.

Invasion
   1066 is more than the most memorable military date in British history: it is the moment when life changed forever for the islanders. We all know about William the Conqueror but, behind the scene and thrusting forward, was a man without whom it might not have happened: William fitzOsbern.
   He was one of the first to urge Duke William to invade, kept to this firm opinion when there were doubts amongst other advisers, pledged 60 ships and, according to Wace, commanded the right wing at Hastings. Wace also states that he tricked sceptical subjects into offering additional service. At that time he was Lord of Breteuil in Normandy.
  The invasion was a risky and dangerous project for Duke William to "claim his inheritance through force of arms" (William of Poitiers) and he reinforced his pitch with a successful appeal to the Pope who sent back a banner that could be carried into battle. According to Wace there were two consultative assemblies and, at the wider second meeting, many felt that the enterprise was "too arduous and far beyond the resources of Normandy". It seems that the Channel crossing was fearful to them as was the superior naval force of the English and they saw little reason to undertake it. They claimed that their loyalty did not extend overseas.
   In these circumstances it is possible to see how a strong voice in favour could sway opinion: fitzOsbern was one of the Duke's most trusted officials.

Beforehand
    William fitzOsbern was the son of a steward (a very important position) of Duke Robert I, Osbern the Seneschal, who guarded the child, the future king of England, at night, sleeping in the same room at Vaudreuil Castle. He was murdered (as were previous guardians) by having his throat cut in the course of this duty, creating a bond between the 2 young Williams, accentuated by the fact they were cousins. They fled to safety together and all this formed a lasting alliance.
   What is strange is that, by the 1040's, fitzOsbern was connected in the witness-lists of Duke William's charters to Roger II of Montgomery, since his father has been the assassin. It seems that, despite this, they worked together and had, by 1051, been selected by the Duke for his special confidence. They were, according to Marc Morris, "men of a similar stamp to the duke himself - young, ambitious and warlike - and together they would serve him faithfully for the rest of their lives." The pledge of 60 ships compares with the 100 and 120 provided by Odo and Robert, the duke's half-brothers. As everyone knows, the advisers for attack were victorious and left us all struggling with the French subjunctive for centuries.

Afterwards
  William fitzOsbern soon started construction on Chepstow Castle, the oblong keep being built in stone from the start with bonding courses of Roman tiles taken from Caerwent. The Conqueror passed through on his return in 1081 from Wales, where he had freed slaves, and ordered a huge hall to be added. This seems to have been intended as an audience chamber as it has no domestic features such as kitchens or latrines and little defensive value.  It could have been planned as a meeting place for the Norman rulers and the newly subjugated leaders of Wales.

   FitzOsbern (now Earl of Hereford amongst other honours and massive gifts of lands in recognition of service rendered) helped the project to advance into Wales by crossing the Wye to establish towns and castles. He then seems to have slowed down, possibly because of huge responsibilities elsewhere, and found some accord with the local Welsh rulers, each side recognising the rights and powers of the other. (This policy was continued by his son, Roger of Breteuil, who formed an alliance with Caradog ap Gruffudd.) There was a background of rebellion with the aptly named Eadric the Wild in alliance with the Welsh. FitzOsbern also helped with the harsh suppression of the Northern revolt in 1069.
   The Earl of Hereford also established a priory in Chepstow as a daughter house to Cormeilles (to which Chepstow paid £3 13s 4d) but such an act was not necessarily a deed of piety as political influence could be gained by such means. He seems to have been the instigator in 1070 of a venture to rob the monasteries of their secular and sacred wealth and transfer it to the treasury to pay mercenaries who did not want to be rewarded with land so far from home but who accepted "lavish rewards" in goods. It was hardly a demonstration of religious fervour to promote the stealing of "a wealth of gold and silver, vestments, books, and vessels of diverse types". By now he was immensely powerful.
  The Domesday book shows that fitzOsbern even had some power to redistribute land and settle disputes alone and certainly he had been left in charge, along with Odo of Bayeux, whilst the king returned to Normandy in 1067 quite soon after his victory: reports differ but Orderic Vitalis complained that they were "swollen with pride" and allowed plunder and rape. He relied on paid troops rather than a feudal levy. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records that under Bishop Odo and fitzOsbern the "unhappy people" were oppressed and "things went ever from bad to worse."

His death and character
   FitzOsbern had incurred "the king's severe displeasure" by the liberality with which he exhausted his wealth by over-paying his soldiers, according to William of Malmesbury. Possibly in order to regain favour, he accepted a mission to go into Flanders in 1071 to the aid of Richildis, the regent and widow of Baldwin, and her son, Arnulf, King William's nephew, although William of Malmesbury claims he was "desperately in love" with her. She had offered herself to him in marriage to help to deal with her rival claimant, Robert "le Frison." A contemporary observed that he went "as if in a game" with too few supporters, merely 10 knights, and was killed at Cassel.
   It is a tale of chivalry and foolhardiness in defence of a widow and orphan: in fact, his character is hard to summarise as he combined ruthlessness with extreme loyalty; material success with unscrupulous methods but was clearly charismatic with great personal distinction, of international fame for his fighting prowess and very much a man of his time. He was mainly responsible for establishing Norman rule on the Welsh border and for conquering Gwent although many were allowed to retain their lands on the favourable terms granted by Gruffudd ap Llewelyn and the Welsh reeves (meiri) were not displaced. The jury is still out but, in my more frivolous moments, I thank the Normans for forcing the English language into a temporary lowly position as oral only and thereby allowing it to shed grammatical nuisances such as the gender of inanimate objects. Our tables are no longer female.

Chepstow Castle makes a great outing by bus from Newport or Monmouth - for opening times click here. Details of bus transport are on my original post about Chepstow Castle. It is easy to combine this with a visit to Caldicot Castle on the no 74 or Caerwent Roman Town on the no 75. You can pop up to Tintern Abbey on the no 69 to Monmouth, birthplace of King Henry V. How William fitzOsbern fitted into the background of Marcher Lordships can be seen on my blog post about the Welsh Marches.

Ludlow Castle: from Conquest to Comus

Location and approach
   Ludlow is halfway along a line drawn from Bristol and Chester and on the course of the medieval road from Chester to Gloucester. The town and castle are situated on a ridge protected on 3 sides by rivers at the very centre of the Welsh March.
  As you approach the castle from the town - noting the absence of the usual chain stores as you go - you are looking over the fence to the Outer Bailey and a large lawn, at one time used as a tilt yard and later in WWII by American servicemen for baseball whilst the tower was a lookout post for the Allied forces.
  The original and more fascinating Norman castle lies beyond and comprises the Inner Bailey plus another innermost structure. Altogether it measures about 5 acres and has been described by English Heritage as "one of England's finest castle sites" and a "remarkably complete multi-phase complex."

Ownership
   Because of the long history of the castle and its involvement in many strifes and hostilities, it has changed ownership so many time that its vicissitudes would fill up this article. I will therefore summarise.
   Not mentioned as such in the Domesday Book, Ludlow Castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy after the Conquest, circa 1075, as one of the first stone castles in England. During the 12th century war between Stephen and Matilda it became a pawn in the political game. The next most important owner was Roger Mortimer who acquired it in 1301 and whose family held it for over 100 years. Henry IV was the possessor when the war with Owain Glyndwr broke out.
   In 1425 Richard, Duke of York, inherited it and it became an important symbol of Yorkist authority during the Wars of the Roses, although it was more of a safe retreat than a central player. On his death it passed into crown ownership with Edward IV, 1461. Hosting the Council of the Marches of Wales, it became virtually the capital of Wales and, by the seventeenth century, was luxuriously appointed. It never quite recovered from the effects of the Civil War and the degeneration of the Council, although partial restoration and landscaping were carried out in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Layout
  In the Outer Bailey are the Castle House, the Beacon Tower, the 16th century Porter's Lodge, prison, stable block and the 13th century Mortimer's Tower. The walls are linked to the medieval town walls and you will see different types of stone throughout ranging from Norman greenish-grey siltstone rubble to ashlar and quoin features carved from red sandstone.

The remains of the chapel

   The Inner Bailey has a gatehouse bearing the coats-of-arms of Elizabeth I and Sir Henry Sidney and 4 other towers. Passing through the gatehouse you will see the most striking feature: the 12th century chapel nave of St. Mary Magdalene, a circular Romanesque structure of sandstone inspired in design by the shrine at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is very unusual, there being only 3 other examples in the country - such round churches are usually connected to the Templars. Here you will find also: the Solar block, the Great Hall, the Great Chamber block (the latter built by Mortimer and forming the popular tripartite arrangement of the 14th century), the kitchen, gardrobe (loo) block and Tudor Lodgings. The carved corbel heads may be Edward II and Queen Isabella.

Main events in order of importance - in my opinion
   Edward IV abolished the ancient office of Warden of the Marches and established instead, in 1472, the Court of the Lord President and Council of the Marches of Wales which became much more efficient in enforcing authority than the previous system. This dominated the district in which Mortimer had held power and Edward reinforced this by sending his eldest son, now termed Prince of Wales, to the castle in order to win the affections of the locals. The Council existed in some splendour until 1688 and had a number of dignitaries with imposing titles such as a Clerk of the Signet. After the Restoration it became corrupt and scandalous and was closed down by William III on 25th July 1689.
   Other residents were Edward, Prince of Wales, heir to Edward IV, and his mother in 1483 before Edward and his brother Richard were imprisoned in the Tower of London and vanished from the record. It was in Ludlow Castle that the young prince received the news on 14th April 1483 of his father's sudden death five days earlier.
   Prince Arthur (so named after King Arthur by his father) elder brother of Henry VIII was married at 15 to Catherine of Aragon first and went to Ludlow in 1501 for his honeymoon and to live in state before his death there.
   Walter de Lacy I original owner and builder was rewarded by William fitzOsbern, the Conqueror's right hand man, with 163 manors, 91 in Herefordshire alone but died by falling from scaffolding while superintending the building of St Guthlac's church in Hereford in 1085. This goes to show it does not pay to take too close an interest in construction projects.
   In the seige of  1139, the Beacon Tower was in legend the scene of an act of bravery and promptitude by King Stephen: a grappling hook had caught on the coat of the son of the King of Scotland, Henry, and would have hauled him off his horse into captivity but Stephen leaped to the rescue.
   Mary Tudor lived here for 19 months between 1525 and 1528 overseeing the Council of the Marches and a small sum of £5 was spend in restoration to prepare for her.

An exciting tale
   Son of another Hugh de Lacy, Walter, set off to reclaim Ludlow Castle but Joce de Dinan with 500 knights and archers plus loyal townsfolk fell upon them and drove them back. Joce himself pursued but was accosted by 3 knights and was in deadly peril. Enter his ward, Fulk le fitzWarin, who had been left behind in the castle, teased by Hawise, de Dinan's daughter, as a coward: protected by a rusty helmet and armed with a huge Danish axe, he rode to the rescue on a clumsy cart-horse. He cut through the skull of one knight and the backbone of the other. Joce sprang up and together they seized Walter de Lacy and the surviving knight Arnold de Lisle and imprisoned them in a castle tower.

   Joce was an unduly lenient jailor and allowed them to receive visits from the ladies of the household: Marion de la Bruere fell in love with the handsome de Lisle and helped them escape using a rope made of towels and napkins. Hawise married her hero but Marion, feigning illness, did not go with the bridal party to Hereford. She let her lover in through the same window of previous escape but de Lisle, with a friend, climbed a leather ladder to the trysting place with a different motive. Beneath were horsemen and foot-soldiers - and 100 men mounted up the ladder and threw the sentinel into the ditch. Marion learned of this at dawn and, overcome with remorse, killed her lover and jumped from the window, breaking her neck in the fall. The town was burned by the invaders and many inhabitants were massacred.
  This tale is unencumbered by too many dates (or facts?) and comes from only one source that I have found but it is a juicy one and I suspend any disbelief in excitement.

Less thrilling but important
   In 1634 at Michaelmas, Milton's masque Comus, was performed in the Great Hall for John Egerton, Earl of Bridgewater. It celebrates chastity, a virtue embodied in the Lady who debates it with her wicked captor, Comus. He would seduce her by any devious means if he possibly could. Yet, as Milton has said of chastity: "She that has that is clad in complete steel," and nothing untoward happens - unfortunately. Astute readers will have noticed that this statement is both untrue and sexist - though beautifully expressed.

Your visit
   Those same canny readers will also have perceived that you cannot get to Ludlow on a Monmouthshire bus but we are extending our microadventures by the train which goes regularly from Newport station through attractive countryside to Ludlow. For opening hours click here. There is an audio guide available and Ludlow is famous as a gastronomic centre with plenty of CAKE and other calorific opportunities.
   Another monument with many links to English history is Goodrich Castle.  Chepstow Castle and nearby Raglan Castle are both stunning and on Monmouthshire bus routes.
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Abergavenny Castle: the villainous William de Braoze versus the Welsh

William de Braoze
   This sunny view of the castle belies the terrible massacre of 1175 when William invited Seisyll and followers for Christmas and then slaughtered them. This treacherous act does not stand alone: I have told its particular story in another post linked lower down. Here is some background.
   Modern historians seem to fight shy of discussing William's character and so one must look further back for enlightenment. The ancestral home of the de Braoze family was in Normandy but their chief English fief was Bramber in Sussex.
   The Marcher Lords were put in power after the Conquest to keep order in that part of Wales and William, 4th Lord of Bramber, acquired great estates. Some came by marriage around 1166 to the heiress, Moll Wallbee or Maud de St. Valérie, a "prudent and chaste woman" who, according to legend, built Abergavenny Castle in one night, carrying the stones in her apron. Through her he obtained Brecknock and Overwent. He also became Lord of Limerick, Gower, Hay, Radnor, Builth, Kington, Painscastle and of the Three Castles in 1203 and 1205 and so was hugely powerful. Maud defended Painscastle against a massive Welsh attack - she seems to have been quite a heroine! King John granted William the right to to conquer Welsh territories, a massive bonus for him.
   In 1208, William lost the friendship of King John, whose court favourite he had been, for a reason not fully understood but it is possible that Maud made comments about the murder of the king's nephew, Arthur of Brittany. William owed the king the large amount of 5000 marks and was asked to send his son, William, (one of 16 children reputedly) as hostage. It seems that Maud may have refused by stating within earshot of the officers that she would not "deliver her children to a king who had murdered his own nephew."  John led troops to the Welsh border and seized all the castles belonging to William de Braoze. He and his family fled to Ireland but his wife and eldest son were captured and starved to death at Corfe Castle (or possibly Windsor) whilst he escaped to France, dying on the 9th August 1211: he is buried at the Abbey of St. Victor, Paris.

From the Wallace Collection

   The man himself
   William was called "the Ogre of Abergavenny" by the Welsh although Geraldus Cambrensis in the last half of the 12th century is lenient on the subject of the massacre, absolving William from the responsibility of being its instigator. He claimed that William was tossed into the moat at its deepest point when the murder squads were running beserk and was rescued by divine intervention alive and completely unharmed. Geraldus blames Henry II for agreeing to the act of treachery and giving the order for it to be carried out.
   It was said by Geraldus of William that he would pause a conversation if he saw a cross or a church, pray and then resume the talk and that he tended to overload "or perhaps I should say honour" his letters with words referring to God so that they became "quite boring not only to his scribes but also to the recipients when they had the letters read aloud to them". A little touch of honesty! Perhaps one could say that William was a sanctimonious hypocrite but he was also a benefactor of the priories of Brecon and Abergavenny.
   Whilst in no way wishing to whitewash him, I feel that one must judge him against the violence of other periods where men were put on the rack, hanged, drawn and quartered or burned alive at the stake. I found one record of his torturing a man but, remember: 200 Catholics (123 priests) suffered death in the reign of Elizabeth I; 300 Protestant martyrs during Mary's and 308 were executed by Henry VIII as a result of the Treason Act of 1534. Many of these deaths were of unbelievable cruelty. Before that there was the Harrying of the North (of which the Conqueror might have repented) and the terrible death of Edward II.

Means of Warfare
   Again, Geraldus is eloquent on the means by which the Welsh made war, pointing out that the men of Gwent were more skilled with the bow and arrow than those from elsewhere.  In the capture of Abergavenny Castle later by Seisyll the son of Eudas, 2 men-at-arms were rushing across a bridge to take refuge in the tower on its mound of earth. The Welsh shot at them from behind and the arrows actually penetrated the oak doorway. This attack was in revenge for the massacre and the walls were scaled by ladders so that the castle could be occupied and burned down. It was then rebuilt of Old Red Sandstone.
   William de Braoze testified that one of his men-at-arms was struck by a Welsh arrow which went right through the top of his thigh where it was protected outside and inside by iron "cuishes", and then through the leather skirt of his tunic, into the saddle and finally lodged in his horse, killing it. Another man was swiftly hit on both sides as he turned his mount in a half-circle. These bows, says Geraldus, were carved from dwarf elm-trees in the forest and left rough and unpolished, not capable of long distance shooting but powerful enough to inflict serious wounds in a close fight. They were an early harbinger of victory at Agincourt.
   Geraldus summarises the issue: "The English are striving for power, the Welsh for freedom; the English are fighting for material gain, the Welsh to avoid a disaster; the English soldiers are hired mercenaries, the Welsh are defending their homeland." He was part Norman and part Welsh himself.

Giraldus in Manorbier castle, his brithplace.

   You can read my account of the infamous massacre by clicking here. Activating the Search button (top right of this post) will show more interesting sites in Abergavenny or you may want to visit other castles in the area such as Raglan, the smaller Usk Castle or the imposingly situated Chepstow Castle.