Cardiff Castle: central and fascinating

First impressions
   As you enter Cardiff Castle you will be struck by a huge 40 feet high Norman motte (the largest in Wales) topped by a keep ahead of you and an impressive Victorian Gothic Revival mansion to your left. There are hidden Roman remains to be visited later and this large open area was once split in two -so all is not as it first seems. Part of the original dividing wall can be seen in this grassy space.
   The castle is conveniently situated for modern visitors near the city centre and the site must have appealed to invaders with very different motives during the last 2000 or so years.
   Local materials were used to build the walls: blocks of blue lias limestone and large boulders, the latter probably taken from the bed of the River Taff.

Roman occupation
   It would have been the easy access to the sea for transport of supplies that attracted the Romans at the end of the 50's, intent on holding down the warlike Silures and accustoming them to Roman supremacy. In time the troublesome tribesmen found advantages in adapting: improved trade and communication; efficient administration including justice - and the possibility of Roman citizenship. Pirates were also a perceived threat, the snag in being close to the sea.
   Excavations in the 1970's found evidence of 4 forts, three earlier wooden versions and a fourth stone structure which later fell into disuse. It had been the 3rd Marquess of Bute who, deciding to build a new tower on the east, started the digging process in 1888 during which remains of Roman stonework were discovered that had hitherto been unknown. He had these remains exposed and then reconstructed in a manner thought to be authentic at that time with the addition of a gallery for exercise in bad weather. (During World War II, these wall galleries were used as air-raid shelters for up to 2000 people caught out by the siren whilst shopping.)

The Normans
   William the Conqueror founded this castle in 1081 to establish his rule over the stroppy inhabitants of south-east Wales. Robert Fitzhamon became Earl of Gloucester and Lord of Glamorgan and erected many early defences including the motte and a wooden keep on top. During the 12th century these were replaced by stone and the castle changed hands many times: owners included the de Clares, the infamous Despensers and the Beauchamps.

The remains of the Norman dividing wall

   The 12-sided keep, originally surrounded by a moat, is of a structure known as a shell as it once contained other buildings. Despite its height and strength, it was raided in 1158 by the Welsh leader Ifor Bach who abducted the Earl, his wife and son, holding them to ransom until he received back his rightful land. Other threats were posed by Llewelyn ap Gruffudd and Llewelyn Bren. The castle was stormed and damaged in 1404 by Owain Glyndwr during the uprising which unsettled the whole of this area.
    Fascinatingly, Robert Curthose ('short-arse') eldest son of the Conqueror was held prisoner (after a failed rebellion to seize the crown) by his younger brother Henry I  and languished here for many years until his death in 1134. You can spot a small painting of him in the Banqueting Hall. Three executions were those of Sir William Fleminge, made a scapegoat by Hugh Despenser the younger; Llewelyn Bren who was condemned to be hanged, drawn and quartered by Hugh, and the heretic Thomas Capper, burnt on the orders of Henry VIII. The Black Tower was used a a prison during the 16th century.
    Castles as fortifications only were becoming less popular by the 14th and 15th centuries and the  owner of Cardiff Castle, Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, built a convenient and comfortable mansion for himself, starting in 1423, on the west side: this contained a Great Hall and family accommodation. Later, the 2nd Earl of Pembroke repaired and modernised the rooms, the keep and the Black Tower as well as adding a tower, a private garden called the Lord's Plaisance and a rather sedate-looking Ladies' Walk.

The Butes
   They were an ancient family who traced their roots back to Scottish kings and, in the period that concerns us, made a vast fortune from coal mined on their estates. They spent huge sums on the castle, completely transforming it by redoing the mansion, adding new Gothic-style wings and employing Henry Holland with 'Capability' Brown to landscape the gardens. He knocked down ancient walls, the medieval chapel and the Shire Hall. Judge for yourself.

The 3rd Marquess of Bute and William Burges.
   An unusual friendship was struck between the young 3rd Marquess, who had been dubbed 'the richest baby in Britain' and the older architect: devoted to the Middle Ages, they created together a unique mansion, elaborately and sometimes humorously decorated with an animal theme throughout. "Billy" Burges (1827-81) was short, stout, vibrant and gifted. He started with the Clock Tower and proceeded to redesign the entire building, paying minute attention to every detail of ornamentation and employing local craftsmen. The result has been termed: "the most magnificent that the gothic revival ever achieved." You can see bedrooms, the library, the Winter Smoking Room, the Banqueting Hall, the Arab Room, the Day Nursery and so on. Animals include bronze beavers, parrots, rabbits, a crocodile, the faithful dog Gelert, and imagined creatures as well as a bestiary on the wall outside. Of all the many wonders within, I find the stained glass on a sunny day the most alluring.

Finally
   After the death of the 4th Marquess and the payment of enormous death duties earlier, the Bute family made the generous decision to gift this colourful and extraordinary castle with most of its park to the City of Cardiff in 1947.  There is also the Firing Line Regimental Museum to complete your stay. In all, the Castle is a fascinating place to visit although one may be critical of previous demolitions - console yourself with the thought that you can see historical development caught and preserved in front of you.  Console yourself also with the marvellous CAKES in the café, all locally made and particularly splendid on Tuesdays. They are proud that the delicacies range from Welsh cakes to Danish pastries thus showing a cosmopolitan range. The shop sells lovely recycled wool throws: the calories I had consumed in lemon drizzle gave me the inspiration to buy one and I am wrapped in it right now!

Cardiff is easy to reach by bus and is a lively, safe-feeling city with many other attractions. You are not far from Caerphilly Castle which is magnificently imposing and a little further away are Chepstow Castle and Raglan Castle as well as the Roman remains at Caerleon.
 For opening times at Cardiff Castle click here.

Matilda of Flanders - wife of William the Conqueror

Who was she?
   Matilda was high-born compared to William the Bastard and initially refused to marry him for that reason. The niece and granddaughter of Kings of France and descended from the Anglo-Saxon royal House of Wessex, she probably considered herself much superior to the illegitimate son of a lowly woman, Herleva, even though his father was a duke. The marriage also breached the rules of consanguinity, which were quite strict at the time, and required a dispensation from the Pope, Leo IX. She may also have previously been in love with Brictric, a great and charming thegn from England, who snubbed her offer of marriage.

   Stories of how William overcame her resistance vary and may be fictitious. Yet a common element is that he rode to where she was, (possibly to Bruges or to her father's house in Lille) pulled her about by her braids and battered her. Her father, Count Baldwin V, wanted to fight for her honour but she declared she would marry no-one but this ardent and violent pursuer. He was about 23 and she 20ish at the most.
  Much has been made of her short stature (because he was tall by contrast) as certain estimates put her height at about 4ft 2" but others at nearer 5ft. These measurement were taken when her skeleton was examined on different occasions and it may not have been complete. Certainly she was seen as diminutive, beautiful - and funky!

Her successes
   She bore William 9 or 10 children of whom 2 became kings: William II and Henry I. There is no record of illegitimate offspring born to William and amateur psychology suggests that the stain of bastardy and love for her kept him faithful. Certainly he had delivered terrible revenge on the town of Alencon for a jibe at his unmarried mother's family trade as skinners and tanners: he cut off the hands and feet of 32 men in public.
   Matilda contributed to the success of the Norman invasion by kitting out a ship, the Mora, mentioned at the end of the Ship List, and embellishing the prow with a figure of a small gilded boy holding a horn to his lips with one hand and pointing with the other towards England. (A similar image appears on the Bayeux Tapestry, once believed to be her project but now thought to be that of Bishop Odo of Bayeux.) This speedy vessel raced ahead of the others and caused panic on board but William calmly sat down to a huge breakfast washed down with spiced wine whilst waiting for the rest of his navy to come into view.
   They spent much of their marriage apart (but the number of children suggests they made good use of their time together!) and he showed his faith in her acumen and judgement by appointing her regent in Normandy, assisted by Roger of Montgomery, when he had to be absent in England to conquer us (and impose the French subjunctive) and to keep order once he had won at Hastings. This was a a role of considerable legal significance and she carried it out with aplomb: all ran smoothly under her control of what her husband had termed "a turbulent people, always ready to cause disturbances."

   A triumphal feasting was held at Fécamp's old monastery to celebrate William's victory at which the couple wore "splendid garments, interwoven and encrusted with gold" but the greatest ceremony for Matilda was her coronation as Queen of England on May 11th 1068. William's had been marred by a misunderstanding of the shouts from within Westminster Abbey and the consequent burning of nearby properties but hers was a success despite her lukewarm welcome in the kingdom. She was led into the Abbey, prostrated herself as a symbolic start of a new life, was anointed with holy oil, received a ring as emblem of her "marriage" to the state and was crowned. (Charters issued at the time reveal English and Norman names but, by 1086, a similar list is entirely French.) Three new phrases were incorporated to emphasise the importance of consorts. After that there were frequent grand occasions of "crown-wearings", propaganda for the new monarchy with Matilda styled as "regina."
  The education of her children, including the daughters, must be counted as one of her major successes. This task was undertaken thoroughly and with great seriousness. She and William ensured that the boys received the upbringing suitable for aristocratic males with riding, hunting, political theory and military training but both sexes were taught the "liberal arts" of reading and some Latin along with religious instruction: writing was sometimes neglected and Matilda herself signed with a flourished mark. Cecilia, who became a nun, was instructed by Arnulf of Chocques to extend her learning to understand rhetoric and logic. Adela also was a noted learned lady and contemporary references to the girls are few but all complimentary. The boys were tutored by Lanfranc who became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1070.

The downside
   Perhaps the most notable difficulty of her marriage was their difference of opinion over their eldest son, Robert Curthose (Short-Arse) which developed into deep trouble. According to Orderic Vitalis he was "talkative and extravagant, reckless, very courageous in battle, a powerful and sure archer with a clear, cheerful voice and a fluent tongue. Round-faced, short and stout, he was commonly nick-named 'fat-legs' and 'shorty-pants.'" Lovable to a mother! He may have formed part of the council to help Matilda as regent but he later became rivalrous: he led a rebellion and Matilda supplied him secretly with large sums of silver and gold to pursue this hostility. Her support for her son against her husband was shocking behaviour at that time and William was furious when he found out: she was never appointed regent again. A contemporary chronicler recorded her words of love and "tender affection" for her first-born which may have caused friction with William Rufus and Henry. Yet she refused William's instructions to stop sending him money and was not punished for her defiance: he must have loved her truly.
   As regent, she used her power to gain revenge over the man who had spurned her twenty years earlier. She ordered the seizure of Brictric's manor of Tewkesbury and deprived his town of Gloucester of its charter. Finally she had him imprisoned at Winchester where he died 2 years later.
  Although her endowments of religious institutions seem in her favour, some of her generosity towards them is somewhat suspect. She gave abundantly to La Trinité, which she had founded after the Pope had agreed to her marriage, but many of the foodstuffs came from England: in all her gifts were worth £650,000 in modern terms. Also she demanded treasure from Abingdon and then complained it was inadequate.
   There was a superstitious side to her character: there were rumours that she sent gifts to a hermit in Germany who then had a dream presaging ill fortune for Normandy. A happier forecast was that for the baby daughter of Queen Margaret of Scotland, who pulled Matilda's veil down over herself at her christening, an omen later interpreted as a royal future for the child.
 
Death and legacy

    Her health must have deteriorated after July 1083 as, after a life of travelling, she never left Caen where she had helped a superficial reconciliation between her husband and eldest son. She died on 2nd November 1083. Opinions differ as to the date and cause of her illness but she probably drew up her Will in 1082: it is a rather impersonal document with bequests to La Trinité but includes, oddly amongst the expected finery, all a horse's accoutrements. These may have helped the Abbess on her travels but may have symbolised Matilda's peripatetic life. William organised a "most splendid funeral" at the abbey (contrasted again with the grotesque happening at his own when his corpse burst) and a beautiful monument with epitaph was erected which can still be seen at Caen. Later the "marriage" ring was found on her finger.
    After her death William mourned but became more tyrannical which suggests that, overall, she had been a softening influence. She established a model for female rule which made it easier for women to be appointed regent and use their power generally. Her bloodline extends to the present day in our monarchical family tree.

Relevance
   Wherever you ride on buses in Monmouthshire, you see through the window territory that William controlled - with some difficulty, appointing Marcher lords to subdue the hostile inhabitants. Behind him was Matilda, supporting him throughout, apart from the quarrel with Robert. Perhaps Chepstow Castle is the most obvious site, built by William fitzOsbern and added to by the Conqueror. Cherchez la femme!

My post on Chepstow Castle has links to many other castles in the area and you can read the story of William fitzOsbern by clicking here. There are many excellent CAKE opportunities in Chepstow, including by the River Wye.

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.