Some little known facts about
Worcester pertinent to the Welsh Marches
Shortly before the death of King
Alfred in 899 Bishop Werferth of Worcester asked Aethelred and Aethelflaed of
Mercia to fortify the town for the defence of the people and the security of the
cathedral. When this had been finished Aethelred and Aethelflaed granted the
bishop half their rights 'in the market-place or in the streets' reserving to
the king the toll of goods brought to Worcester in wagons or on horses, and to
the bishop all the rights which had belonged to his predecessors within the
property belonging to his church. These included a tax levied for the repair of
the borough wall, a payment called landfeoh, which was presumably the
rent yielded by tenements within or close to the fortifications, fines for
fighting, theft and dishonest trading. This document suggests that not only the
market but also the fortifications were new and that the rents and judicial
profits were regarded as a compensation for the cost of making the town
defensible.
In 1049 Bishop Ealdred of
Worcester's military levy was part Welsh.
- Earl Roger of Hereford and Earl William of
East Anglia repaired to their castles and began with their supporters to
use all possible endeavours in encouraging rebellion. Bishop Wulfstan of
Worcester, however, held the Severn with a great body of soldiers,
preventing Earl Roger from moving into the Midlands.
- Earl Roger of Hereford was called to go to
the king's court for an inquest to be made showing to all the world his
high treason which it was not possible to deny. Therefore the second law
Norman law of justice was used; he surrendered all his hereditary lands and was
damned to the king's prison for ever.
-
- In 1088 the chief men of Herefordshire,
Shropshire and Wales rebelled at Easter, but some 500 of them were
captured at Worcester.
- Whilst so much destruction was wrought
throughout the kingdom Bernard Neufmarché, Roger
Lacy, who had lately
wrested Hereford from the king, and Ralph
Mortimer, accomplices in the
conspiracy, with the vassals of Earl Roger of Shrewsbury, having assembled
a numerous army of English, Normans and Welsh, burst into the province of
Worcester declaring that they would burn the city, sack the Church and
take vengeance on those in the city who were loyal to the king. The
Marchers burnt and pillaged as they advanced so the troops were broken up
into unorganized raiding parties, who were choked and confused by their
own fires and smoke. They did not realize the threat of the well ordered
Worcester garrison and levies until too late. And so the scattered Marcher
raiding bands were utterly defeated.
- Earl Roger of Shrewsbury was one of the
great men who 'provided their castles with fortifications and provisions'
in opposing King William
Rufus.
In 1095 many of the ecclesiastics
of Worcester still spoke and made their records in Anglo-Saxon rather than Latin
or French. No doubt this was due to Bishop Wulfstan who supported King
William the
Conqueror and survived as bishop until his death in 1095.
In July 1113 Worcester city and
castle were destroyed by fire.
On 28 November 1137 King Stephen
was at Worcester.
During 1138 Waleran Beaumont of
Meulan was made earl of Worcester. He lived until 1166.
- On 30 April 1139, King Stephen was at
Worcester ‘as a magnificent king who settled all things in the district
peacefully’. Then he moved to Ludlow castle and besieged the rebels by
erecting a double fortification for the storming of the castle. He then
returned through Worcester to London. However a dispute amongst the
besiegers caused him to return to make peace amongst them.
- King Stephen ineffectually besieged Ludlow
castle where he rescued Prince Henry of Scotland from a grapnel thrown
down from the walls of the fortress. During 1139 Stephen’s itinerary was
30 April Worcester, May Ludlow, Worcester, London, Worcester, Ludlow, 24
June Oxford, December 1139 Worcester for three or five days, Little
Hereford, Leominster, Worcester and 25 December Salisbury. A round trip of
at least 715 miles.
- On 7 November the royal town of Worcester
was sacked by the men of Gloucester. On hearing of Gloucester's advance the
men of Worcester carried their gods and chattels into the cathedral which
then looked like a furniture store which became the resort and place of
gossip for the citizens in which there was hardly room for the servants of
God, so many were the sacks and chests. While the clerk intoned within,
the child screamed without; mingled with the sound of the psalms was the
noise of mothers nursing or weeping over their children At daybreak on 7
November the men of the city of Gloucester in battle array, supported with
horse and foot beyond number, advanced against he city of Worcester with
intent to attack, plunder and burn it to the ground. Their first onslaught
was beaten off manfully, but an entrance was made on the north side of the
city where there was no fortification to block their path; then a vast mob
of the enemy, infuriated and unrestrained, poured in and set alight to
buildings in different parts of the city. The greater part of the town,
however, escaped the flames; but there was much plundering both within the
wall and in the neighbouring country and many were taken prisoner in the
streets who, lashed together like so many dogs, were dragged miserably
away; whatever their cruel victors demanded in ransom, whether they had
the means or no, they were compelled to promise and forced to pay.
In February 1140 Miles Gloucester
burnt Winchcombe and unsuccessfully attacked Sudeley castle. The king and Earl
Waleran of Worcester moved from Worcester to Little Hereford, then the earl of
Worcester invaded Tewkesbury and burnt the magnificent house of the earl of
Gloucester there.
In 1150 Worcester was besieged
and sacked.
After 18 March 1151 King Stephen
joined the siege of Worcester.
By 1154 whatever damage that had
been done to Worcester in the sieges had been repaired for this year the town
paid its tax in full, whereas other places had their taxes remitted by up to a
third due to war damage.
- In July 1184 Prince Rhys ap Gruffydd met
King Henry II at Worcester after Henry had come to the border with an
army. Rhys swore fealty and that he would return those lands which had
taken, but he did not.
- Rhys ap Gruffydd submitted to Henry II at
Worcester and swore fealty promising hostages. Rhys and his accomplices
who had laid waste the king’s lands for two years and slain promised to
return the castles and lands he has taken over the past two years. But his
relations, who stood out amongst his accomplices, he admitted to the king
he was wretchedly unable to bring them to the king.
- Rhys later came to King Henry at Gloucester
and did not sent the hostages he had promised, or return those
lands.
In 1189 Prince Rhys ap Gruffydd
attacked Dyfed. King Richard sent Prince John and an army to deal with him.
However John quickly made peace with the lesser princes at Worcester and
returned to England.
During 1202 Hugh Mortimer of
Chelmarsh died in a tournament at Worcester and was buried at Wigmore.
During the reign of King John
(1199-1216) and important cloth fairs were held in Worcester.
On 19 October 1216 King John died
and was buried at Worcester. When the king’s tomb was opened in 1797 the king
was found still wearing his robe. The remains of the king were intact, his robe
of crimson damask and a monk's cowl undecayed though now largely colourless; on
one side of him lay a sword, the bones of his left arm lying on his breast, his
teeth quite perfect, his feet stood erect, the coffin which is of stone, lay
even to the surface of the stone floor; his remains measured 5' 5".
On 13 September 1217 those
present at the dedication of the newly built Worcester cathedral included Walter
Lacy, Walter Clifford, Hugh Mortimer and Walter Beauchamp.
- On 15 March 1218 Hugh
Mortimer, Henry Audley
and John Lestrange were ordered to ensure the safety of the magnates of
North Wales who were coming to the king at Worcester to pay homage at the
close of Easter and thence to return.
- On 7 June 1218 the earls of Essex and
Hereford, Walter Lacy, Walter Clifford, Hugh
Mortimer, Walter Beauchamp,
William Brewer, John Marshal, Robert Corbet, John Lestrange, and 'an
infinite multitude of other nobles' were present at dedication ceremony of
Worcester cathedral.
On 22 May 1232 Worcester castle
was ordered to be dismembered. The king's fee of it on the north side where the
king's houses were, running up to the fee of Walter Beauchamp was to go to the
prior and monks of Worcester as agreed on the day King John was buried in the
presence of Silvester late bishop of Worcester, Earl Ranulf of Chester and
Lincoln, Earl William Ferrers of Derby, Walter Lacy, John Monmouth,
Hugh
Mortimer, Walter and Roger Clifford.
During 1241 the Welsh Princes
were ordered to come to Worcester to pay homage to King Henry
III.
- On 20 February 1263 Earl Ferrers stormed
Worcester.
- By 10 May King Henry III, the Lord
Edward, Sir John Grey, Sir James Audley and Sir Peter Montfort were at
Worcester.
- On 25 May 1263 the king ordered an army to
form at Worcester on 1 August. It was to be led by the barons, Geoffrey
Geneville [Ludlow], Earl Humphrey Bohun of
Hereford, John Lestrange, Reginald
Fitz Peter [Talgarth], Roger Chandos [Snodhill], Thomas Corbet [Caus],
Robert Tattershall [Buckenham], John Muscegros, Walter
Clifford, William
Beauchamp of Elmley, William Braose [Gower], Reginald Clifford, John Fitz
John [Longtown], Robert Tregoz [Ewias], John Giffard [Brimpsfield], Guy
Brian [Llanstephan], Roger Mortimer [Wigmore], Fulk Fitz Warin
[Whittington], John Fitz Alan [Clun, Oswestry], Humphrey Bohun junior
[Brecon], Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn [Powys], William Valance [Pembroke] and
William Devereux [Lyonshall]. Soon afterwards Worcester fell to the rebels
and Earl Simon Montfort of Leicester led those of the barons who arrived
for the muster against the king and Lord Edward.
-
- Parliament was held at Oxford on 30 November
1264, but was then moved to Warwick. The Marchers barons refused to attend
and so were attacked by the barons and after a half-hearted resistance
were forced to surrender at Worcester after breaking down the bridges over
the River Severn. A parliament was then held at Worcester about 10
December where the Marchers agreed to be exiled.
- ‘Whereas Roger
Mortimer, Roger Clifford,
Roger Leybourne and their fellow Marchers have entered into a form of peace
with the king and have directed their steps to Kenilworth to speak with
the Lord Edward and confirm the peace, the king is amazed that they permit
their men in the parts where they now are to make plunderings, damages and
tolts which may prove to their great loss and the lesion of the said peace
and which they should in no wise tolerate. Wherefore he commands them to
cause their men to desist from such lest he should have to lay his hand
upon them otherwise’.
-
- Before 1 August 1265 John Giffard
[Brimpsfield] with a large force of foot and horse joined the Lord Edward
and together they took Worcester and broke down the bridge. On 1 August
Edward made a dramatic night march from Worcester to Kenilworth and
surprised the sleeping Montfort army.
- On 8 August 1265, four days after the battle
of Evesham, the victorious royalists were in Worcester dividing the spoils
of battle.
On 12 December 1276 the
parliament of Worcester after condemning Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd as a rebel
ordered the royal army to form at Worcester on 24 June 1277.
- On 1 June 1277 the king declared that Brian
Brampton was too old for military service, hence his son, Brian Brampton
Junior, was to be ready to serve Roger Mortimer in the muster at Worcester
on 24 June.
- About 29 August 1277 Rhys Fychan ap Rhys ap
Maelgwn of Ceredigion did homage to King Edward I at Worcester.
In 1278 Prince Llywelyn ap
Gruffydd married Eleanor the daughter of Earl Simon Montfort with King Edward
himself standing sponsor.
After Prince Llywelyn’s final
rebellion on 22 March 1282 the royal army was ordered to form at Worcester on 6
April.
On 8 April 1287 Robert Mortimer
[Richards Castle] was buried before the altar of Saints Simon and Jude in Worcester cathedral. His
widow Joyce was buried nearby before 13 March 1290.
Facts similar to these with full
sources can be found in
- A Political Chronology of Wales, 1066 to 1282
- (ISBN 1-899376-46-1) [2003]
- now available as a single volume at £24.95
-
Copyright©1994-2004
Paul Martin Remfry