Everything about Mathrafal totally explained
Mathrafal near
Welshpool, in
Powys, central
Wales, was the seat of the Kings and Princes of
Powys probably from the 9th Century until its destruction in
1212 by
Llywelyn ap Iorwerth of
Gwynedd.
Mathrafal is located about six miles WNW of Welshpool at the junction of the
A495 and B4389 on the banks of the
River Banwy.
The site known today as "Mathrafal Castle" is a roughly 100 m square rectangular compound defended by ditches. Little remains of the original walls. Little is known about what the original structure looked like, however the reports of the excavations of
University of York in
1991 provide a little insight;
"The twelfth season of excavation showed that the castle can still produce new features and artefacts of interest: namely the vaulted cellar and its forecourt, the curving inner face of the North Tower, and, most spectacularly, the figurine of St Gwynllym.
The North Tower and the area between it and the north ditch provided the greatest interest. The back (south) wall of the Tower was exposed and was still standing to at least 2m high. There was a splayed window opening, centrally placed in this wall, and it was in a cavity in the window base that the figurine was excavated by Richard Thomas. The artefact, in iron and bronze, was a discovery of the first significance."(External Link
)
The remaining structures probably date from their construction around the 11th Century and probably replaced an earlier hill fort, about 1 km away, which may date from around the time of the fall of the neighbouring Kingdom of
Pengwern in the 7th Century, or perhaps as early as
520 when the capital of Powys was moved from the old
Roman town of
Viroconium Cornoviorum (
Wroxeter). Prince
Gwenwynwyn ab Owain of Powys moved his capital from Mathrafal to Welshpool (Y Trallwng) after it was destroyed during warfare between Powys and Gwynedd in 1212.
House of Mathrafal
The Mathrafal dynasty began as a cadet branch of of the
Dinefwr dynasty, taking their name from Mathrafal Castle which was their principal
seat and served as the capital of
Powys. Members of this family trace their lineage to
Rhodri the Great who had replaced King
Cyngen ap Cadell of Powys when he died on
pilgramage to Rome (claiming the throne through his marriage to Cyngen's sister). The former ruling family were either exiled or reduced to the level of minor land owners (see
Sir Gruffudd Vychan.
Rhodri's grandson
Hywel Dda took possession of Powys in 916. His grandson Maredudd ab Owain ruled as king of
Deheubarth and Powys until his death in 999, when it passed to his own grandson
Llywelyn ap Seisyll, through his daughter Angharad (with her first husband Seisyll ab Owain). By 1063 however, it was their son
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn that would found the line known as the House of Mathrafal that would continue to rule in Powys until the early 14th century (see
Powys Wenwynwyn), when they were finely displaced by the Marcher lordship of
Mortimer.
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn was able to take possession of Gwynedd when
Gruffudd ap Llywelyn died in 1063. From this point forward the family jockeyed with the Dinefwr and
Aberffraw dynasties for control of Wales. Their influence was greatest between 1063 to 1081, but lost control of Gwynedd to the resurgent Aberffraw family in the battle of
Mynydd Carn. By 1191 Powys was divided between a northerly
Powys Fadog, which became a loyal vassal of Gwynedd, and a southerly
Powys Wenwynwyn (roughly modern
Montgomeryshire), which remained frequently at logger heads with Gwynedd. Historian John Davies points out that with the division of Powys, the dynasty from 1191 couldn't be considered as "equal" to that of Aberffraw or Dinefwr. Indeed, Mathrafal Castle was utterly destroyed by Gwynedd in
1212 reducing the realm to one entirely dependant on England for its survival. However, the Mathrafal dynasty would continue to exert some influence, undermining and eventually betraying
Llywelyn the Last during the Edwardian Conquest of 1282-3. They exchanged their royal pretences for an English
lordship at the Parliament of Shrewsbury in
1283.
Members of the Mathrafal Dynasty include
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn,
Maredudd ap Bleddyn,
Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon,
Trahaearn ap Caradog,
Gwenwynwyn ab Owain Cyfeiliog,
Griffith and
Owen de la Pole.
The other principal royal sites in Wales are
Aberffraw for Gwynedd and
Dinefwr for
Deheubarth.
Sources
- John Davies, History of Wales, Penguin Books, 1990, 1993.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mathrafal'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://mathrafal.totallyexplained.com">Mathrafal Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
