Welsh Journals

FOURTH SERIES.—VOL. X, NO. x£. OCTOBER 1879. HENRY III IN MONTGOMERYSHIRE. A good and exhaustive account of Montgomery and its Castle remains yet to be written.1 The old Castle, built by Roger de Montgomery in the time of W illiam Rufus, had been destroyed by its Welsh neighbours. King John died October 19, 1216, and had been succeeded by his son Henry III, at that time barely ten years old. The relations between the young King and his powerful brother-in-law, Prince Llewelyn ab Iorwerth, were those of open hostility. In the year 1221, the Welshmen having besieged the Castle of Buellt, then held by Reginald de Bruse, the King came with an army to the Marches, and having raised the siege, came as far as Montgomery, and built a new castle there.2 This was the King's first visit to Montgomeryshire. He reached Montgomery on the 30th of September, and remained there about a week. He was there on the 7th of October, when Prince Llewelyn, who had been excommunicated, was absolved, and some kind of a peace was patched up between them. The building of the Castle was proceeded with vigorously nevertheless, the King remitting large sums of money, and supply¬ ing large quantities of materials for its construction, and weapons for its defence. It was completed in Sep- 1 See, however, two interesting papers by the Rev. Geo. Sandford, M.A., and G. T. Clark, Esq., in Mont. Coll., vol. x. 2 Powel's Hist, of Cambria, p. 280. 4th ser., vol. x. 16