Welsh Castle Builders - The Savoyard Style

Welsh Castle Builders - The Savoyard Style written by John Marshall and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 344

The Edwardian castles of north Wales were built by a Savoyard master mason,

but also by many other artisans from Savoy. What is more extraordinary, is that

the constables of Flint, Rhuddlan, Conwy and Harlech were also Savoyards, the

Justiciar and Deputy Justiciar at Caernarfon were Savoyards and the head of the

English army leading the relief of the sieges of Flint and Rhuddlan was a future

Count of Savoy. The explanatory story is fundamentally of two men, the builder of

castles, Master James of St George and Justiciar Sir Othon de Grandson, and the

relationship of these two men with King Edward I. But it is also the story of many

others, a story that begins with the marriage of Alianor de Provence to Edward’s

father, Henry III, and the influx of her kinsmen to England, such as Pierre de Savoie.

It is impossible to understand the development of the castles in north Wales without an understanding of the Savoyards, where they came from and their impact on English and Welsh history. The defining work of Arnold Taylor in exploring the Savoyard history of Welsh castles is now many years past, and mostly out of print, it is time for the story to be revisited and expanded upon, in the light of new evidence.

I have to say that this book for me was a book of two halves, firstly it was a fascinating book and subject, with many interesting features and relationships and I really enjoyed it. The second part of the book was that I think you needed more of a knowledge of the subject to get the full impact of the book and what was happening. With the relationship between France, England and Wales throughout the book, it was a little complicated in parts, which is why a reader with a bit more in-depth knowledge would get more from the book. But I don’t want to deter people from this book but I found parts of the book revealing and it answered a couple of long standing questions. The book seems very well researched and the book contains many notes and sources, and I plan to do some further reading on the subject, it inspired me that much. An excellent book for those in the know, and certainly one I would recommend on this subject. 

The Welsh Gold King - The Life of William Pritchard Morgan

The Welsh Gold King - The Life of William Pritchard Morgan written by Norena Shopland

and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 240

In 1864, a poor Welsh boy, William Pritchard Morgan, emigrated to Australia to make his fortune. He returned a wealthy lawyer and aspiring politician, having used his riches to invest in gold mines and develop new techniques of recovering gold. His political aims were unsuccessful in Australia: the newspaper Morgan used to promote himself was involved a sensational trial against another editor; and a man was even shot whilst bringing in his votes - so Morgan claimed. He returned home, ready to tackle the mining of Welsh gold.

After ousting the key players of the 1860s Little Gold Rush, Morgan soon took over Gwynfynydd, one of the area's most lucrative mines, and stood as an independent MP for Merthyr. He boasted of a fantastic seam of gold, so great he would pay off the national debt… a hero overnight, the Welsh Gold King took the title of Merthyr's MP.

Despite the massive successes of his mines, the government taxed Morgan hard and almost crippled his business, so he refused to pay. When the government tried to shut him down, the public rose to his defence, and Morgan was sued in an avidly watched trial that could change mining in Britain forever.

The Welsh Gold King bestowed gifts on many well-known people, including royalty, and promoted the tradition that all royal brides wear wedding rings of Welsh gold. He gave golden prizes – some of which caused great controversy – and his liberal politics were a forerunner of Labour views that were hard for many of his contemporaries to agree with.

Yet another book I have looked forward to reading, but with slight embarrassment, because I have lived in West Wales for 20 years, yet I have never heard of William Pritchard Morgan. So it was a delight to dive in and read this book, which didn’t leave me disappointed at all. Morgan was a bit of rags to riches story from Monmouthshire, one of these men that moves abroad, makes his money, and who then wants come back to his country to improve things there. Morgan would make his fortune in gold from Australia and as a lawyer, he would then return back to Wales and would open up his own gold mine with some marked success. This was an interesting and revealing book and actually, one I think would interest a lot of people here in Wales, certainly a less celebrated character.

Castles of Wales

Castles of Wales written by John Paul Davis and published by Pen & Sword

Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 264

In 1277, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd, met with Edward I of England in

Aberconwy to finalise a treaty that would change the fate of both nations. His hand

forced by Edward’s invasion earlier that year, Llywelyn’s acceptance of the terms

confirmed not only short-term peace but also that the rule of Wales would pass to

Edward on his death. To augment his rising dominance, the English king embarked

on a building project that saw the rise of some of the most recognisable fortresses

in Europe. Quite literally, an ‘Iron Ring’ of castles.

Even before the construction of Edward’s infamous ‘Iron Ring’, castles were by no means rare in Wales.Both before and simultaneous to William the Conqueror’s establishment of timber and stone fortresses in the south and borderlands, a process continued by many of his descendants, native structures also existed. Though often more palatial than protective, such constructions proved decisive to the ongoing wars and were often chosen as sites for future castles. Just as had been the case in England, the story of the castle crosses many centuries. Many began as Roman forts, whereas others date from more modern times. While many are now romantic ruins, others remain cherished family homes, if not hotels or museums.

By adopting an identical approach to that seen in Castles of England, the purpose of this book is to throw light on the stories behind them. For as long as there have been castles in Wales, there have been mysteries within their walls. Murders that remain unsolved, treasures unfound, prisoners left to rot in the darkest pits and valiant warriors whose heroic deeds have become a cherished part of the Welsh identity.

From blood-soaked heroes to long-lost legends, despotic pirates to wailing hags, Castles of Wales offers a fresh investigation into many of its fascinating fortresses. No country has more castles per square mile than Wales. Even today, there are more than 200 to be enjoyed. Inspired by such a rich tapestry of tales, this book provides an essential introduction to the nation many regard as ‘The Land of Castles’

I love books on castles for some reason, and I especially enjoyed the Castles of England, so I was really looking forward to this book Castles of Wales. As a good book on castles, it is full of vivid descriptions, histories and great long tales. Some of the tales I would be a little dubious of, but that’s what we love about old buildings and castles. But considering Wales has over 500 castles, it obviously couldn’t fit in everyone but certainly, it has all the popular and well-known ones. Living in my part of Wales, it certainly has all the popular castles but I must say I used to live near one castle and my boys used to spend all their time as kids playing in the castle but we’d never heard of the story attributed to that one. A really good book and an informative read.

Celtic Places & Placenames

Celtic Places & Placenames written by John Moss and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 304

‘Celtic Places’ are typified by some several hundred townships and villages whose

names still bear the imprint of their earliest Celtic roots, but the scope of the book is

not restricted to human settlements; it is also true of the many mountains and rivers

that they named, and to several thousand sites of standing stone monuments, Celtic

high crosses, henges, hill figures, funeral barrows and hillforts, which are all included

in the book.

What they all have in common is that they reflect the rich cultural heritage that was implicit in the names of places in the British Isles and Ireland as it existed before the Romans arrived.

This for me was always going to be a fascinating book, as someone who finds local history interesting this is an excellent book. I’m always one of those obsessive types who wherever he goes likes to learn about places, their origins and just what makes places be what they are. A lot of research and knowledge has gone into this book, just like the author’s previous book A History of English Placenames & Where they Came From. This book not only covers villages, towns and cities, it also seems to cover hills, areas and rivers to make it more than just about populated areas. I would say that if your into local history you would get a lot out of this book as I would highly recommend it.

Edward I and Wales 1254-1307

Edward I and Wales 1254-1307 written by David Pilling and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 256

The late 13th century witnessed the conquest of Wales after two hundred years of conflict

between Welsh princes and the English crown. In 1282 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the only

native Prince of Wales to be formally acknowledged by a King of England, was slain by

English forces. His brother Dafydd continued the fight, but was eventually captured and

executed. Further revolts followed under Rhys ap Maredudd, a former crown ally, and

Madog ap Llywelyn, a kinsman of the defeated lords of Gwynedd.

The Welsh wars were a massive undertaking for the crown and required the mobilisation

of all resources. Edward’s willingness to direct the combined power of the English state

and church against the Prince of Wales, to an unprecedented degree, resulted in a victory

that had eluded all of his predecessors.

This latest study of the Welsh wars of Edward I will draw upon previously untranslated

archive material, allowing a fresh insight into military and political events. Edward’s personal

relationship with Welsh leaders is also reconsidered. Traditionally, the conquest is dated to

the fall of Llywelyn in December 1282, but this book will argue that Edward was not truly

the master of Wales until 1294. In the years between those two dates he broke the power

of the great Marcher lords and crushed two further large-scale revolts against crown authority.

After 1294 he was able to exploit Welsh manpower on a massive scale. His successors

followed the same policy during the Scottish wars and the Hundred Years War. Edward

enjoyed considerable support among the ‘uchelwyr’ or Welsh gentry class, many of whom

served him as diplomats and spies as well as military captains. This aspect of the king’s

complex relationship with the Welsh will also feature.

This book looks at Edward I and his suppression of the Welsh kingdom in the 13th Century,

not only was he able to crush the will of the Welsh people, he was also able to control the

Welsh lords & leaders. One of the problems with Welsh history is that it can be underplayed

and less understood, which is why there is still animosity between the two still today. But this

book has been written very well in that it’s not stuffy and dry, but actually informative and easy

to read. Having read a couple of other books written by the same author David Pilling, he

seems to be able to sort out the complication and turn it into an easy-to-read passage, which

can help greatly on a subject like this when you have Welsh names and placenames

interspersed throughout. A good read and one I think many interested in this subject would

enjoy.

The Welsh Braveheart

The Welsh Braveheart - The Last Prince of Wales written by Phil Carradice and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 216

Like William Wallace in Scotland, Owain Glyndwr fought for his country and was only finally defeated by superior numbers and the military genius of Henry V. Yet Glyndwr was not just a freedom fighter. He was the last native-born Prince of Wales, a man who initiated the first Welsh Parliament at Machynlleth and proposed an entirely independent Welsh church.

Glyndwr also laid plans for two Welsh universities, proposed a return to the far sighted and revolutionary Laws of Hywel Dda and formed a Tripartite Agreement with Henry Percy and Edmund Mortimer. It led to an invasion of England and nearly brought the reign of Henry V to an end.

And yet, despite his success and popularity, Glyndwr's rebellion seriously damaged the Welsh economy with towns destroyed and much agricultural land laid to waste. Even so, he was never betrayed by his people, despite a huge reward being offered for his capture.

Glyndwr refused at least two offers of pardon from the English crown and remains the supreme champion of the underdog.

The only bad point I found about this book was the title, The Welsh Braveheart. While this isn’t really a negative about the book or for those that like to read history. It’s the association with William Wallace, there is nothing wrong with the man, strong, independent, a man who wanted the best for his country, just like Owain Glyndwr did. It's the modern day association with Mel Gibson, who starred in the morally corrupt and historically inaccurate film Braveheart, which I think stands as one of the most disparaged films in history when it comes to historical content. This is all from a book blogger who was born in Scotland and has spent the last 20 years living in Wales.

But on a lighter note and something Pen & Sword will want to concentrate more on. This was a really good read from start to finish, it is so good to read more books about Welsh figures, especially when the book can be written by Phil Carradice, who I know writes a lot about Welsh history. His books are always so clear and easy to read, when you are not Welsh the language and the names can feel a little intimidating but you don’t feel that with a Carradice book. Excellently explained story and facts, certainly a book I would champion to one and all, and I would love to see more books about Welsh leaders and heroes.