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Hywel y Fwyall Back |
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HYWEL y FWYALL (1300?- 1381?) William Rowland MA
During the 13th/14th century, the manor and the castle played a very important in the life of the Eifionydd district. It was, most probably, the golden age of the manor and the castle. The castle in question was Criccieth and the manors were, Bron-y-Foel, Ystumllyn, Cesail Gyfarch, Clenennau, Ystumcegid, Gwynfryn and Glasfryn. Wales followed an existence of continuous war during the middle ages. Often it stemmed from quarrels between the families of the various manors in the district. Indeed, Eifionydd was renowned for such quarrels!
One of the most distinguished manors in Eifionydd during this period was Bron-y-Foel. It was at one time one of the most famous manors in North Wales, if not the whole of Wales. It was here that Hywell ap Gryffydd or Hywel Y Fwyall lived during the 14th century. Hywel ap Rhys another warrior,who fought in the Wars of the roses, also lived here toward the end of the 15th century.
Bron-y-Foel is situated on the west shoulder of Moel-y-gest, between the village of Pentrefelin and the town of Porthmadog. Today it is a common farmhouse, but like many other manors of the time it was left empty and derelict for many years. It could be described in a similar way to Ieuan Brydydd Hir’s description if Ifor Hael: “Like hoof prints in a swamp it lieth; Overpowered by thorn and thistle, Brier where there was once majesty.” Relatively little of the old glory days can be found at Bron-y-Foel today, but it is quite easy to imagine the greatness of the place in it’s heydey, when battles and tournaments took place in the wooded plain below the farm.
Much reference is made during the 13th century to a Hywel at Bron-y-Foel, and no doubt some of the stories have become rather Sir Hywel Y Fmixed up and confused in time, but the most famous of them all was Sir Hywel y Fwyall. Not much is really known about him except that he was an excellent and brave warrior and his exploits are often mentioned by the bards of the 14th century.
The most famous of these bards was Iolo Goch, who also sang the praises Owain Glyndwyr and other noblemen of the time. Iolo wrote his poem at about 1380 when Sir Hywel lived at Criccieth Castle. The poem was written in a special strict metre and bore the lengthy title: “ A cywydd to Sir Hywel y Fwyall when he was made a knight in France by Prince Edward, the son of Edward III, when the King of France was captured. It was a popular belief among the Welsh that the King was indeed captured by Sir Hywel, resulting in a gift of a joint of meat by the King for himself and another for his famous axe, plus the revenues from the Caerleon mils and Criccieth Caslte and it’s associates.” Iolo described him fighting in France “like a wild boar”.
What made him an outstanding warrior on the field of battle or in a tournament was his ability to master the weapons of war. During the tme of Hywel Dda, the Welsh warriors had three main weapons - the sword, the lance or spear, and the bow (with twelve arrows in a quiver). Both the axe and the dagger are also mentioned. It was quite likely that the lance was the most important weapon in the first part of the middle ages in Wales, but Sir Hywel ap Gryffydd made a name for himself with the axe.
Toward the middle of the 14th century an war began between England and France which lasted for a hundred years. Regiments of Welsh soldiers were sent regularly to the continent to help the English armies.
One of the most famous battles was the one at Crecy in 1346. 5,000 welsh soldiers joined Edward III at this battle when his son Edward, the Prince of Wales,gained supremacy over the French. The next major battle was at Poitiers in 1356, and it was at this battle that Sir Hywel ap Gryffydd, made a name for himself. One of the heroes of this battle was Edward the Black Prince, and Hywel ap Gryffydd fought in his army. Some have cast doubt on the traditional story that Hywel captured the French King at this battle. The story states that Hywel severed the head of the King’s horse with one mighty blow of his axe and that he took the King prisoner. He was certainly skilful enough in handling an axe as a weapon and it was for his bravery in this particular he gained a knighthood.
After his return from the French wars, Sir Hywel received many favours from the King. Apart from the knighthood he was also given the rents of the King’s mills on th Dyfrdwy river. He was also granted permission by the Black Prince to buid a mill at Aberdowarch, the old mill of the Gest, near the old Ynyscynhaearr church at Pentrefelin. At about 1376 he was made Constable of Criccieth Castle, and towards the end of his life he received a pension from King Richard II.
According to tradition the Black Prince also insisted that a joint of meat be placed on Hywel’s axe daily. This ceremony was carried out at Criccieth Castle when Hywel was Constable there. A team of eight guards conducted the ceremony and they were paid eight pence a day by the King! After Sir Hywel’s death this meat was shared between the poor of Criccieth in respect for his sooul and this custom was respected up to the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Iolo Goch in his poem describes quite accurately the way of life at Criccieth Castle between 1376 and 1380, when Sir Hywel was Constable there. Obviously Sir Hywel was quite old then because Iolo describes him as a “greying gentleman” , sharing his wine liberally from “a gold goblet”. In the castle were “several maidens weaving the pure, bright silk” and “proud men playing backgammon and draughts”. On the castle tower was “a beautiful long standard with three white flowers with silver leaves”. Sir Hywel’s coat-of- arms was black bearing three white “fleur-de-lis”. Criccieth Castle was at it’s prime then and Iolo refers to it as “a splendid and masterly castle”. He also mentions Sir Hywel’s wife “accompanied by twelve fine handmaids”.
The post of Constable of the Castle was a very important and dignified one because it meant that the occupier of this post was also the mayor of the town. It is believed that the Black Prince kept five soldiers at the castle paying them four pence a day from his own resources.
Iolo Goch toasted Sir Hywel iin his poem and refered to him as “the lord and mayor of Eifionydd”, and that he “entertained many bards” and “kept the land and it’s people”. Some claim that Sir Hywel is buried in the old Criccieth church cemetery; but it is more probable, from the elegies written at the time, that he was buried at Beuno Church in Clynnog. One elegy was written to Hywel ap Gryffydd by Risierdyn and it is almost a certainty that the person in question was Hywely Fywall because there is a reference there to his military feats and to his bravery in France. He was also referred to as “the head of Chwilog” and that he was buried “in the grounds of Celynnog fawr”. Sir Hywel possibly left Criccieth in 1381 and settled in the old family inheritance at Chwilog. He probably died there and consequently was buried at the famous Clynnog church.
Sir Hywel’s brother, Einion ap Gryffydd, lived at Chwilog. He was the Sheriff of Caernarfon (1352-1356) and he , like his famous brother, entertained bards at his court. They, in turn, sang their praises to him. The old mansions of Bron-y-Foel, Ystumllyn, and Glasfryn all belonged to the family and their welcome and generosity is often mentioned by the bards. Iolo Goch again sang the praises of Ieuan ap Einion, the son of Einion ap Gryffydd and nephew of Sir Hywel, and he like his father kept an open court at Chwilog for the bards.
Another member of the family was Rhys of Bron-y-Foel who fought in the War of the Roses. He was a quarrelsome, pugnacious and fearsome fellow. It is said that he was so strong that he could straighten out a horseshoe using both hands and, because of this remarkable feat, he was known locally as ’Hywel the Horseshoe’ During the middle ages many stories are linked with a Hywel from Bron-y-Foel, but none are as famous as the one about our Hywel - Sir Hywel y Fwyall. |