Humphrey Kynaston

Last updated

Humphrey Kynaston
Died1534
Unknown
Other names"Wild" Humphrey Kynaston
Parent(s)Roger and Elizabeth Kynaston
Conviction(s) Murder
Criminal chargeMurder, robbery

Humphrey Kynaston (died 1534), aka Wild Humphrey Kynaston, [1] was an English highwayman who operated in the Shropshire area. [2] The son of the High Sheriff of Shropshire, he was convicted of murder in 1491. After being outlawed, he moved into a cave in the area and lived a lifestyle compared to Robin Hood.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Kynaston was the youngest son of Sir Roger Kynaston (c. 1432/1433–1495), High Sheriff of Shropshire, [3] who was thought to have killed Lord Audley at the Battle of Blore Heath, and Roger's second wife, Lady Elizabeth Grey, daughter of Henry Grey, 2nd Earl of Tankerville and Antigone Plantagenet, the legitimised daughter of Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester (son of Henry IV and Mary de Bohun) and second wife Eleanor de Cobham. [4] He was raised in Myddle Castle, which Roger had inherited from his first wife Elizabeth Cobham. [5] He received his "wild" nickname from his outrageous lifestyle, which frequently got him into trouble with the law. [1] [6] Kynaston later inherited Myddle Castle from his father, but allowed the estate to fall into disrepair.

Marriages and children

He was married at least twice, firstly to Mariona ferch Williamus ap Griffith ap Robin.[ citation needed ] They had two children:

Kynaston later married Isabella ferch Maredudd ap Howell ap Morrice of Oswaldestre (Oswestry), daughter of Maredudd of Glascoed and Thomasina Ireland of Wrexham, Denbighshire. They had six children: [7]

It is further thought that he married Margred ferch William on 4 August 1497, with whom he had another two children: [8]

Life of a highwayman

On 20 December 1491, Kynaston was found guilty of the murder of John Hughes at Stretton, [9] and declared an outlaw by Henry VII. Some time after that, he moved from Myddle castle to a cave in Nesscliffe Rock. [1] [10] Some sources claim that the reason he moved was due to the criminal charges, [10] and others claim that he was outlawed due to debts. [6] [11]

From 1491 to 1518, Kynaston supposedly lived a life that would match the fictional character Robin Hood. [1] [2] [10] It seems he had a reputation for robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. In return, the locals protected him, and gave him and his horse ('Beelzebub') food. [2] One time, in an attempt to capture Kynaston, the local sheriff removed several planks from Montford Bridge, to keep him from crossing the River Severn, but his horse managed to leap and safely clear the distance. [1] [2] It is also said that he was a regular patron at the Old Three Pigeons tavern at Nesscliffe in Shropshire, [1] [2] and his original seat is still there. [2] He may have been pardoned by Henry VII in 1493, [6] [9] but some accounts state that in 1513, Humphrey provided 100 men to aid Henry VIII in France, and in return received a royal pardon 3 to 5 years later. [10] [11]

Death

Kynaston left a will dated 1 May 1534, which was proved 26 January 1535. [7] While the year of his death is well known, how he died and where are disputed. Some sources claim he lived comfortably in an estate near Welshpool until he died, [11] and others claim he died of illness in his cave. [2] [12]

Kynaston's Cave

Today, the cave is known as Kynaston's Cave, and is located at 52°46′1.78″N2°54′46.09″W / 52.7671611°N 2.9128028°W / 52.7671611; -2.9128028 . It has two rooms; Kynaston lived in one, and stabled Beelzebub in the other. [10] The cave also featured an iron door for an entrance. This iron door is said to later have become the door for Shrewsbury gaol. [10] There is also an engraving in the cave, which reads H.K. 1564. Although this engraving is concluded to be made by Humphrey, he was dead 30 years before 1564. However, he did have a grandson, Humfridus (b.1530) who may have left the inscription.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owain Gwynedd</span> King of Gwynedd from 1137 to 1170

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen Tudor</span> Welsh courtier and soldier (c.1400–1461)

Sir Owen Tudor was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellesmere, Shropshire</span> Town in Shropshire, England

Ellesmere is a town in the civil parish of Ellesmere Urban, in Shropshire, England; it is located near to the Welsh border, the towns of Oswestry and Whitchurch, and the Welsh city of Wrexham. It is notable for its proximity to a number of prominent meres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nesscliffe</span> Human settlement in England

Nesscliffe is a village in Shropshire, England, located north of the River Severn. The village comes under the Great Ness parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myddle</span> Human settlement in England

Myddle—also formerly known as Mydle, Middle, Midle, M'dle, Meadley and Medle—is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Myddle, Broughton and Harmer Hill, in the Shropshire Council district, in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about 10 miles north of Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire. In 1961 the parish had a population of 745.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet</span> Welsh noble, politician, antiquarian, landlord and author

Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet, was a Welsh baronet, Member of Parliament and antiquary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Ness</span> Human settlement in England

Great Ness and Little Ness are civil parishes in Shropshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whittington Castle</span> Castle in northern Shropshire, England

Whittington Castle is a castle in northern Shropshire, England, owned and managed by the Whittington Castle Preservation Fund. The castle was originally a motte-and-bailey castle, but this was replaced in the 13th century by one with buildings around a courtyard whose exterior wall was the curtain wall of the inner bailey. As a castle of the Welsh Marches, it was built on the border of Wales and England very close to the historic fort of Old Oswestry.

This article is about the particular significance of the century 1201–1300 to Wales and its people.

Cadwallon ap Madog was the son of Madog ab Idnerth who had died in 1140, while Idnerth was a grandson of Elystan Glodrydd who had died in around 1010 and had founded a dynasty in the Middle Marches of Wales, in the area known as Rhwng Gwy a Hafren.

Roger Godberd was a medieval outlaw who has been suggested as a possible historical basis for the legend of Robin Hood. Some have suggested his life was the inspiration for the story of Robin Hood, though there is no solid evidence supporting this claim. Godberd’s criminal history is often compared with the Robin Hood legend since some minor details align with the famous story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kynaston baronets</span> Extinct baronetcy in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom

The Kynaston Baronetcy, of Hardwick and of Worthen in the County of Shropshire, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 3 October 1818 for John Kynaston Powell, of Hardwick, Shropshire, with remainder in failure of male issue of his own to his brother Edward Kynaston and the male issue of his body. He was born John Kynaston at Hordley, Shropshire, a descendant of the 12th century Barons of Powys, whose family settled in Shropshire in the 14th century. He was Member of Parliament for Shropshire 1784–1822. He changed his name in 1797 on inheriting an estate at Worthen from a maternal relative. He was succeeded according to the special remainder by his brother, the second Baronet.

Sir Roger Kynaston of Myddle and Hordley was a Knight of the Realm and Anglo-Welsh nobleman. He was a member of the Kynaston family, of North Shropshire and the Welsh Marches.

Rhys ap Tudur was a Welsh nobleman and a member of the Tudor family of Penmynydd. He held positions of power on behalf of King Richard II of England, including two periods as the Sheriff of Anglesey in the 1370s and 80s. Rhys accompanied the king on a military expedition to Ireland in 1398, but in 1400 began to support the revolt of his cousin Owain Glyndŵr against King Henry IV of England. In 1401, he and his brother Gwilym ap Tudur took Conwy Castle after infiltrating it, and liaised with Henry Percy prior to his own rebellion in 1403. After being outlawed by the king in 1406, Rhys was captured and executed at Chester in 1412, although later oral tradition claims he returned to Anglesey to die there.

Maredudd ap Tudur was a Welsh soldier and nobleman from the Tudor family of Penmynydd. He was the youngest of six sons of Tudur ap Goronwy and was the father of Owen Tudor. Maredudd supported his cousin the Welsh patriot Owain Glyndŵr in 1400, alongside his brothers Rhys ap Tudur and Gwilym ap Tudur.

Sir Gruffydd Fychan ap Iorwerth Goch was a medieval Welsh Knight and Marcher Lord.

The Lordship of Brecknock was an Anglo-Norman marcher lordship located in southern central Wales.

Gwilym ap Tudur was a Welsh nobleman and a member of the Tudor family of Penmynydd. In 1401, he and his brother Rhys ap Tudur took Conwy Castle after infiltrating it, in support of their cousin Owain Glyndŵr. Gwilym was subsequently pardoned in 1413, following the execution of his brother a year earlier.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 VirtualShropshire.com, Nesscliffe Country Park Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 BBC News, Sir Humphrey Kynaston: The elusive highwayman
  3. Bartrum, Peter C., Welsh Genealogies AD 1400–1500 , 1983, Pg. 131
  4. Douglas Richardson, Kimball G. Everingham, David Faris, Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Genealogical Publishing Com, 2004, Pg. 455
  5. Gaskell Family History Website, Sir Roger Kynaston
  6. 1 2 3 Trans. Shropshire Arch. & Nat. Hist. Soc. 2nd Ser. 6 (1894): 209–222 ("The quaint historian of Middle says that he 'for his dissolute and ryotous liveing was called the wild Humphrey. Hee has two wives, but both of soe meane birth that they could never claim to any Coat of Armes... being outlawed in debt, hee left Myddle Castle (which he had suffered to grow ruinous for want of repaire) and went and sheltered himself in a Cave near to Nescliffe, which to this day is called Kynaston's Cave, and of him the people tell almost as many romantick storyes as of the great outlawe Robin Whood." He was outlawed in 1491, and pardoned two years later).
  7. 1 2 Gaskell Family History Web Site, Humphrey Kynaston
  8. Visitation of Shropshire, 1623, Robert Treswell
  9. 1 2 The Flude Genealogy Website Roger Kynaston (c. 1450–1517)
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Subterranea of Great Britain, Kynaston's Cave Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  11. 1 2 3 Discovering Shropshire's History, From Castle to Cave: The Story of Wild Humphrey Kynaston, 2 October 2006
  12. Spence, Elizabeth Isabella, Old Stories, Longman & Co., 1822

Further reading