Battle of Crug Mawr

Battle of Crug Mawr
	Part of the Norman invasion of Wales
	; The location of the battle, two miles from Aberteifi (Cardigan)
Date	10 October 1136
Location	Crug Mawr, Ceredigion 52°05′46″N4°37′16″W / 52.096°N 4.621°W
Result	Welsh victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Gwynedd ; Kingdom of Deheubarth	Norman and Flemish forces from all the south Wales lordships
Commanders and leaders
Owain Gwynedd ; Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd ; Gruffydd ap Rhys	Robert FitzMartin ; Robert FitzStephen; Maurice FitzGerald
Strength
4,000 infantrymen; 2,000 cavalrymen	Described as "substantial"
Casualties and losses
Said to be light	3,000 killed Many captured and wounded

Last updated November 10, 2024

The Battle of Crug Mawr (Welsh : Brwydr Crug Mawr), sometimes referred to as the Battle of Cardigan, took place in September or October 1136, as part of a struggle between the Welsh and Normans for control of Ceredigion, West Wales.^[2]

Background

A Welsh revolt against Norman rule had begun in South Wales, where on 1 January 1136 the Welsh won a victory over the local Norman forces at the Battle of Llwchwr between Loughor and Swansea, killing about 500 of their opponents. Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, the Norman lord of Ceredigion, had been away from his lordship in the early part of the year. Returning to the borders of Wales in April, he ignored warnings of the danger and pressed on towards Ceredigion with a small force. He had not gone far when he was ambushed and killed by the men of Iorwerth ab Owain, grandson of Caradog ap Gruffydd (the penultimate prince of Gwent).

The news of Richard's death led to an invasion by the forces of Gwynedd, led by Owain Gwynedd and Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd, sons of the king of Gwynedd, Gruffudd ap Cynan. They captured a number of castles in northern Ceredigion before returning home to dispose of the plunder. Around Michaelmas (11 October in the Julian Calendar used at the time) they again invaded Ceredigion and made an alliance with Gruffydd ap Rhys of Deheubarth.

The combined Welsh forces headed for the town of Cardigan. The Normans were said to have a substantial force.^[1]

Location

The exact location of the battlefield is not known. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales puts the site of the battle on the southeast slopes of Banc y Warren (or Banc-y-Warren), a prominent conical hill near Penparc, 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Cardigan. There is a farm on the southeast slope named Crugmore.^[3] A geophysical survey and archaeological appraisal were carried out at Crugmore Farm in 2014 in support of planning applications. No evidence indicative of a battle was found in the areas covered by the surveys. Some accounts place the site on the northeast of the hill, which may be more likely because the road from Cardigan bends round the northeast side of the hill before turning more northerly again. The southeast side of the hill does not coincide with a road.^[4]^[5]^[6] The hill was known as Crug Mawr at least as early as the 9th century.^[7]

Gerald of Wales, in his Itinerarium Cambriae of 1191, describes (56 years after the battle):

We proceeded on our journey from Cilgarran towards Pont-Stephen, leaving Cruc Mawr, i.e. the great hill, near Aberteivi, on our left hand. On this spot Gruffydh, son of Rhys ap Theodor, soon after the death of King Henry I, by a furious onset gained a signal victory against the English army...^[8]

Members of Gerald's family were participants in the battle.^[3]

Battle

Two miles outside Cardigan the Welsh army encountered a Norman force and battle was joined. The Normans were led by Robert fitz Martin, supported by Robert fitz Stephen, constable of Cardigan Castle, with the brothers William and Maurice FitzGerald, Lord of Lanstephan. After hard fighting, the Norman forces were put to flight and pursued as far as the River Teifi. Many of the fugitives tried to cross the bridge, which broke under the weight. Hundreds are said to have drowned, clogging the river with the bodies of men and horses. Foot soldiers were trampled by horses. Others fled to the town of Cardigan which, however, was taken and burned by the Welsh even though Robert fitz Martin managed to successfully defend the castle. Skulls with battle wounds have been found nearby.^[3]

The Breviate Chronicle of 1136 gives a contemporary account of the battle, which notes that the leaders included Owain and Cadwaladr (ap Gruffydd), Gruffydd ap Rhys, Rhys ap Hywel, Madog ab Idnerth and the sons of Hywel on the Welsh side, and Stephen the Constable and the sons of Gerald, supported by Flemish forces, on the Norman side, some travelling a considerable distance to the battle.^[9]

Edward Laws quotes Florence of Worcester (vol iii, p. 97):

...the slaughter was so great that besides the male prisoners there were 10,000 widows captured, whose husbands had either been slain in battle, burnt in the town, or drowned in the Teivi. Apparently the whole foreign population had collected at Cardigan for safety. The bridge indeed had been broken down, but the river was so choked with the carcasses of men and horses that folks passed over dry footed.^[10]

Florence had died in 1118, so the account was probably penned by his successor, John of Worcester (who died about 1140).^[11]

Hypothesized use of longbows

A number of modern writers have speculated that the victory was won by longbows. No contemporary source on the battle mentions bows, but the victory at Crug Mawr took place at a time when the south-eastern Welsh were using longbows as a weapon of war; in 1188, Giraldus Cambrensis noted that the bowmen of Gwent used long powerful bows, attributing the defeat and death of Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare to Welsh bowmen earlier in 1136.^[12]^[13]

It has been argued that despite the Normans' superior numbers and elevated position they were surprised by the range of the Welsh archers, and failed to adapt their tactics or positions.^[14]^[15] In 2018, the leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price suggested that the longbow was a feature of the battle, arguing that the Norman threat led the Welsh to innovate a new solution.^[16]

Aftermath

The battle was a significant setback to Norman expansion in Wales. Ceredigion, which had been part of Deheubarth before the Normans had conquered it, was now annexed by Gwynedd, the more powerful member of the coalition. Owain Gwynedd became king of Gwynedd on the death of his father the following year and further expanded the borders of his kingdom. In Deheubarth, Gruffydd ap Rhys died in uncertain circumstances in 1137, and the resulting disruption allowed the Normans to partially recover their position in the south. Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth won it back for his kingdom during the war of 1165–1170.^[17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhys ap Gruffydd</span> Prince of Deheubarth

Rhys ap Gruffydd or ap Gruffudd was the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197. Today, he is commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh Yr Arglwydd Rhys, although this title may have not been used in his lifetime. He usually used the title "Proprietary Prince of Deheubarth" or "Prince of South Wales", but two documents have been discovered in which he uses the title "Prince of Wales" or "Prince of the Welsh". Rhys was one of the most successful and powerful Welsh princes, and, after the death of Owain Gwynedd of Gwynedd in 1170, the dominant power in Wales.

Owain ap Gruffudd was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales" and the "Prince of the Welsh". He is considered to be the most successful of all the North Welsh princes prior to his grandson, Llywelyn ab Iorwerth. He became known as Owain Gwynedd to distinguish him from the contemporary king of Powys Wenwynwyn, Owain ap Gruffydd ap Maredudd, who became known as Owain Cyfeiliog.

Gruffudd ap Cynan was King of Gwynedd from 1081 until his death in 1137. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule.

Deheubarth was a regional name for the realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to Gwynedd. It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under the House of Dinefwr, but that Deheubarth itself was not considered a proper kingdom on the model of Gwynedd, Powys, or Dyfed is shown by its rendering in Latin as dextralis pars or as Britonnes dexterales and not as a named land. In the oldest British writers, Deheubarth was used for all of modern Wales to distinguish it from Hen Ogledd, the northern lands whence Cunedda originated.

Nest ferch Rhys was the daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, last King of Deheubarth in Wales, by his wife, Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of Powys. Her family is of the House of Dinefwr. Nest was the wife of Gerald de Windsor, Constable of Pembroke Castle and son of the Constable of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, by whom she was the ancestress of the FitzGerald dynasty.

Rhys ap Tewdwr was a king of Deheubarth in Wales and member of the Dinefwr dynasty, a branch descended from Rhodri the Great. Following the Norman Conquest, he had to pay William the Conqueror to keep his kingdom, which lasted until the end of William's reign.

Gruffydd ap Rhys was Prince of Deheubarth, in Wales. His sister was the Princess Nest ferch Rhys. He was the father of Rhys ap Gruffydd, known as 'The Lord Rhys', who was one of the most successful rulers of Deheubarth during this period.

Richard fitz Gilbert de Clare 3rd feudal baron of Clare in Suffolk, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. A marcher lord in Wales, he was also the founder of Tonbridge Priory in Kent.

Cardigan Castle is a castle overlooking the River Teifi in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales. It is a Grade I listed building. The castle dates from the late 11th-century, though was rebuilt in 1244. Castle Green House was built inside the castle walls in the early 1800s. After falling into disrepair the castle was restored in the early 2000s and opened to the public in 2015. It is owned by Ceredigion County Council and now includes a heritage centre and open-air concert facilities. The castle's gardens are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd was a 12th century Welsh rebel and Princess consort of Deheubarth. The daughter of Prince of Gwynedd Gruffudd ap Cynan and member of the House of Aberffraw, she married Gruffydd ap Rhys, the Prince of Deheubarth, and would lead a "patriotic revolt" with him during the Great Revolt of 1136 until her death at the battle at Kidwelly Castle.

Anarawd ap Gruffydd was a Prince of Deheubarth in Southwest Wales.

Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd was the third son of Gruffudd ap Cynan, King of Gwynedd, and brother of Owain Gwynedd.

Rhys Gryg, real name Rhys ap Rhys, also known as Rhys Fychan, was a Welsh prince who ruled part of the Kingdom of Deheubarth.

Robert fitz Martin was a knight from Devon whose father, Martin de Turribus, was the first Norman Lord of Kemes, in what had previously been the Dyfed part of Deheubarth. Fitz Martin inherited the Lordship of Kemes from his father, and founded St Dogmaels Abbey c. 1118. He was the first of the FitzMartin line. His descendants continued to hold lands in England and Wales until the 14th century.

The Royal House of Dinefwr was a cadet branch of the Royal House of Gwynedd, founded by King Cadell ap Rhodri, son of Rhodri the Great. Their ancestor, Cunedda Wledig, born in late Roman Britain, was a Sub-Roman warlord who founded the Kingdom of Gwynedd during the 5th century, following the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. As Celtic Britons, the House of Dinefwr was ruling before the Norman conquest, having to fight with their neighbors such as the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, before struggling with the Normans afterwards. Many members of this family were influential in Welsh history, such as Hywel Dda, who codified Welsh law under his rule, and achieved the important title of King of the Britons, or Lord Rhys, Prince of Wales, who rebelled against Richard the Lionheart, and became one of the most powerful Welsh leaders of the Middle Ages.

This article is about the particular significance of the century 1101–1200 to Wales and its people.

Wales in the High Middle Ages covers the 11th to 13th centuries in Welsh history. Beginning shortly before the Norman invasion of the 1060s and ending with the Conquest of Wales by Edward I between 1278 and 1283, it was a period of significant political, cultural and social change for the country.

Wales in the Middle Ages covers the history of the country that is now called Wales, from the departure of the Romans in the early fifth century to the annexation of Wales into the Kingdom of England in the early sixteenth century. This period of about 1,000 years saw the development of regional Welsh kingdoms, Celtic conflict with the Anglo-Saxons, reducing Celtic territories, and conflict between the Welsh and the Anglo-Normans from the 11th century.

The history of Gwynedd in the High Middle Ages is a period in the history of Wales spanning the 11th to the 13th centuries. Gwynedd, located in the north of Wales, eventually became the most dominant of Welsh polities during this period. Contact with continental courts allowed for Gwynedd to transition from a petty kingdom into an increasingly sophisticated principality of seasoned courtiers capable of high-level diplomacy and representation, not only with the Angevin kings of England, but with the king of France and the Papacy. Distinctive achievements in Gwynedd include the further development of medieval Welsh literature, particularly the work of the princely court poets known as Beirdd y Tywysogion and the reformation of bardic schools; and the continued development of Cyfraith Hywel. All three of these further contributed to the development of a Welsh national identity in the face of Anglo-Norman encroachment on Wales.

References

1 2 3 John France (1999). Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades, 1000-1300. Psychology Press. p. 191. ISBN 9781857284676 . Retrieved 15 February 2019.
↑ "Dyfed Archaeological Trust: Cardigan" . Retrieved 13 May 2018.
1 2 3 "Crug Mawr, site of battle, near Cardigan (402323)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 1 January 2019.
↑ "Archaeology Wales: Crugmore Farm, Penparc". Archived from the original on 31 May 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
↑ "Archaeology Wales: Crugmore Farm, Penparc: Archaeological watching brief" (PDF). Retrieved 13 May 2018.
↑ "Archaeology Wales: Crugmore Farm: Archaeological Appraisal" (PDF). Retrieved 13 May 2018.
↑ The Mabinogi: Legend and landscape of Wales. Translated by John K. Bollard. Gomer Press. 2006. p. 24. ISBN 9781843233480.
↑ Giraldus de Barri (1806). The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales, AD 1188. Vol. 2. Translated by Hoare, Richard. William Miller, London. pp. 51, 60. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
↑ Gough-Cooper, Henry (ed.). The Breviate Chronicle: Annales Cambriae, B text. National Archives MSE164/1. pp. 2–26.
↑ Laws, Edward (1888). The History of Little England Beyond Wales. Bell, London. p. 113.
↑ Keynes, Simon (2001). "Florence". In Michael Lapidge; et al. (eds.). The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 188.
↑ Thorpe, Lewis G. M. (2004). The journey through Wales and the description of Wales (3. Auflage ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140443394.
↑ Ellen, Castelow (4 March 2016). "The Longbow". Historic UK. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
↑ James, Leonard (2014). The Battle of Crug Mawr (Cardigan), 1136. Bretwalda Books. ISBN 1909698911.
↑ "The Battle of Crug Mawr 1136 AD". YouTube. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
↑ Price, Adam (20 December 2018). Wales - the First and Final Colony. Y Lolfa. ISBN 1784616915.
↑ Lloyd, J. E. (1911). A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest. Longmans, Green & Co. p. 536.