Welsh Journals

to get to Shrewsbury in time, the allies would have won a crushing victory and dethroned the Lancastrian King. Unfortunately, acting on the Earl of Dunbar's advice, King Henry brought the battle forward. Owain and his troops marched through New Radnor and Knighton, and met the victorious royal army at Leominster, but retired without giving battle.27 Radnorshire and the surrounding border areas were obviously deeply affected by the Glyndwr rebellion partly because of their position as the gateway to both England and Wales and partly because of their position as the seat of the vast power of the Mortimers which Glyndwr must crush or harness to his cause. Radnorshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Monmouthshire all suffered economic distress during and after the revolt. Unemployment, poverty and outlawry were rife. Radnorshire had a reputation for instability and crime as late as 1534, when Bishop Roland Lee was sent to subdue the marches. Many Radnorshire civilians suffered property losses and destruction during the rebellion, and the King had to reimburse them. For instance, an entry in the Calendar of Patent Rolls for March 10th, 1403, reads "Grant to Thomas Coke of Radnore, whose houses and lands have been burnt and destroyed and goods to the value of twenty marks carried off by the Welsh rebels ’ ’28 There are several entries of this nature for Radnorshire in the Rolls for 1403, suggesting that the years 1402-1403 were a period of crisis for the area. The border was as important to Glyndwr in his failure as in his triumph. The battles of Grosmont and Pwll Melyn in 1405, which foreshadowed Owain's eventual defeat, were fought on the Monmouthshire border. After the fall of Harlech, Glyndwr, the wanted outlaw, disappeared mysteriously, as was his wont. But it is more than likely that he was in hiding with his daughter or daughters in Herefordshire. The evidence relating to Glyndwr's family is so confusing and contra- dictory that it is impossible to make any definite statements. But he seems to have had quite a large family: and of his daughters, one, probably Alice, married John Scudamore, of the famous Scudamore family of Herefordshire. Another one, perhaps Elizabeth, Catherine, Jane or Janet, married Edmund Mortimer. Another daughter probably married Sir John Hanmer of Herefordshire and it was strongly believed in the sixteenth century that one daughter had married Sir John Croft of Croft's Castle, Herefordshire. And yet another daughter is supposed to have married Adda ap Iorwerth Ddu of Radnorshire Sir J. E. Lloyd, in his biography, Owen Glendower, says that Owain died at Monington Straddel, in the Golden Valley, Herefordshire, at the home of his daughter, Alice Scudamore, and was buried in the adjacent churchyard. A good claim has been put forward for Kentchurch. Itris very-probable that Glyndwr visited both places and if he had several daughters living in Hereford- shire, he probably did the rounds.29 At any rate, he seems to have had strong links with the border lands during the last years of his life. Usk says that he had to be buried twice, because his enemies discovered his grave the first time. But, as regards his children, it is perhaps wiser to let Iolo'Goch have theTlast'word. In!his ipoem,r Sycharth,* he* says that: Glyndwr's children come, two by two, A fine nestful of princes."80