Caratacus (fl.43-51)
Son of Cunobelinus (Shakespeare's "Cymbeline"), king of the Catuvellauni tribe of central-southern Britain, who died c.43 AD. Caratacus and his brother Togodumnus fought against the Romans during the Claudian invasion of 43, although both met with defeat and Togodumnus was killed at some time during the resistance. After the decisive battle of the Medway, when the Romans overcame the main British resistance, Caratacus and his followers fled west. He next appears in 51 AD - it is not known what became of him during the intervening eight years, but his name has been speculatively linked with the earthworks known as The Bulwarks in Gloucestershire and it is conjectured that he and his followers established a base there for a time. However, he made his way to the Silures, a British tribe in south Wales, and by c.50 he was raiding the Roman frontier along the Fosse. The Roman governor, P. Ostorius Scapula, who had taken over in 47, responded by increasing the force in the Severn valley, and possibly located the 2nd Legion at Gloucester. Caratacus now moved to join the Ordovices tribe of central Wales (this shows the extent of his "supra-national" authority; perhaps it shows the influence of a son of Cunobelinus) and, joined by "all the enemies of Rome" took up a defensive position in their territory. The site is not known, but claims have been maid for Cefncarnedd, Dolforwyn and Llanymynech and at least two sites in Shropshire. There the decisive battle was fought, and again the Romans carried the British position. Caratacus's wife and daughter were captured, and his brother surrendered. Caratacus fled again, this time to the Brigantes of northern Britain. Unfortunately for him, their queen, Cartimandua, was sympathetic to the Romans and promptly handed him over in chains to Scapula. Caratacus was sent to Rome; the Emperor Claudius "pardoned" him and his family and he ended his days in honourable captivity there.
[P. Salway - Roman Britain]
[P. Salway - Roman Britain]
Cardwell, Richard (d.1774)
Born near Preston in Lancashire he was a "geographer and land-surveyor" and is said to have come to Crickadarn in Breconshire after seeing his future wife Joan and her residence in a vision. He died at the age of 31 and was buried in Crickadarn church.
[B 28]
[B 28]
Carnhuanawc
See PRICE, Thomas
Catwg, Saint (c.500-570)
According to the hagiographies he was abbot, bishop and martyr. It is very difficult to determine a historical Catwg but it is claimed he was possibly the son of King Gwynllyw of Gwynllywg and thus yet another descendent of Brychan. He founded the monastery at Llancarfan Fawr in the Vale of Glamorgan and churches all over South Wales. An ancient manuscript refers to him as Catwg the Wise and has him asking philosophical questions of the Seven Wise Men of the College of Llanvuthan. Like other saints of the time he is thought to have travelled to Cornwall, Brittany and Scotland where churches bear his name. (see Llangatwg: St Catwg's church)
Cawrse (Caus, Cause Caursland)
A marcher lordship straddling the later Shropshire/Montgomeryshire borders. It's name is thought to derive from a district of Normandy called Pays de Caux, the ancestral lands of the Fitz Corbets. In the 13th century cause appears as a manor held by Roger Fitz Corbet from earl Roger of Montgomery.
At the union of England and Wales, the western part of Cawrse (the commote of Gorddwr) became part of Mongomeryshire while the rest of the lordship went into Shropshire.
[Richards; MC 64, 23]
At the union of England and Wales, the western part of Cawrse (the commote of Gorddwr) became part of Mongomeryshire while the rest of the lordship went into Shropshire.
[Richards; MC 64, 23]
Cedewain
Commote in medieval Powys Wenwynwyn divided into the manors of Iscoed and Uwchcoed. Its borders were largely determined by the rivers Severn and Rhiw. During the 13th century there was a dispute between Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn as a consequence of which 13 townships between the Rhiw and the Luggy (Helygi) were taken from Llanerchydol and added to Cedewain.
It contained the parishes of:-
Aberhafesb, Berriw (part), Betws, Llandysul, Llanllugan, Llanllwchaearn, Llanmerewig, Llanwyddelan, Manafon, Newtown (Llanfair), and Tregynon.
[Richards]
It contained the parishes of:-
Aberhafesb, Berriw (part), Betws, Llandysul, Llanllugan, Llanllwchaearn, Llanmerewig, Llanwyddelan, Manafon, Newtown (Llanfair), and Tregynon.
[Richards]
Cefnllys: Medieval Borough
The earliest definite reference to a town at Cefnllys is in an inquisition post mortem of Edmund Mortimer in 1304: this mentions a castle and town, together with a toll called pontage (presumably relating to a predecessor of Shaky Bridge over the Ieithon). There were 25 tenants at that time and a mill. Another inquisition of 1332 refers to 20 burgesses; this is the first document to refer to the place specifically as a borough. It would probably have been situated in the meadows between Shaky Bridge and St. Michael's church.
The Black Death put an end to the development of the borough, however, and by 1383 there were just 10 decayed burgages. In 1831 the population of the area of the borough proper was only 28. [G.R.]
[R.R. Davies, Lloyd, Walker; Castles of Mid Wales; A.E. Brown, The Castle, Borough and Park of Cefnllys, RT 1972, pp11-22]
The Black Death put an end to the development of the borough, however, and by 1383 there were just 10 decayed burgages. In 1831 the population of the area of the borough proper was only 28. [G.R.]
[R.R. Davies, Lloyd, Walker; Castles of Mid Wales; A.E. Brown, The Castle, Borough and Park of Cefnllys, RT 1972, pp11-22]
Cefnllys: Castle
The earliest castle of Cefnllys was not on the hill of Castle Bank, but was instead a flat-topped motte in Old Castle Field near Old Castle Farm, a mile away to the north. This was probably built by Ralph Mortimer, who succeeded his father Roger Mortimer before 1086 and who last appears in a record of 1104. The main castle of the Mortimers in Maelienydd remained the one at Cymaron.
There is no record of the construction of the new castle at Cefnllys but it must have been before 1246, for in that year the castles of Cefnllys, Knucklas and Wigmore were in the hands of crown appointees, presumably because of the death of Ralph Mortimer in that year, leaving only a daughter. Welsh accounts of the strengthening in stone of an unnamed castle in Maelienydd in 1242 by Ralph's son Roger may refer to Cefnllys. This presumably would be the north-easternmost site on top of the hill, the one closest to the bend of the river Ieithon.
Cefnllys fell to the Welsh in 1262. The porters of the castle were killed and the constable seized. The castle was burnt and dismantled. Then Roger Mortimer and Hugh de Bohun came in force and camped among the ruins and began to repair them, when Llywelyn ap Gruffydd appeared with a large army and besieged them there. They were forcibly ejected from the district and Llywelyn went on to take Bleddfa and Knucklas.
Under the treaty of Montgomery of 1267 Llywelyn's rights to Maelienydd would be recognized if he could make good his claim to it. In the meantime Roger Mortimer was allowed to build a castle there. Llywelyn interpreted this to mean that Mortimer could repair the existing castle; but Mortimer took it as giving permission to build a new castle altogether. Llywelyn was to protest to the king in 1273-4 when Mortimer established this new castle with a deep ditch at the south end of the hill, away from the loop of the river.
On the death of Roger Mortimer in 1282 the Mortimer castles of Cefnllys, Dolforwyn, Tinboeth and Radnor were taken over by the royal sheriff. They were then handed on to Roger's son Edmund, who in the war of 1282-3 garrisoned them at his own expense (the garrison was at this time 8 cavalry and 20 infantry).
The castle remained in the possession of the Mortimer family until 1322 when it was forfeited to the Crown by Roger Mortimer after the battle of Boroughbridge. Cefnllys, Tinboeth and Maelienydd were granted to the earl of Kent. In 1327 Roger Mortimer regained his lands when he overthrew Edward II with the aid of Queen Isabella, only to lose them again when Edward III overthrew him in his turn and had him executed. Edward granted the Mortimer estates to Roger's son Edmund, and they remained with the family until 1425.
It was customary for the Crown to administer estates (and take the profits) when the heir was a minor, and this was the case with the Mortimer estates when Glyndwr's rebellion broke out at the turn of the C15. Edmund Mortimer was still a minor, so his possessions were placed in the hands of a royal agent in 1401: this was Hugh Burnell, who had been responsible for Glyndwr's initial defeat near Welshpool in 1400, and he took charge of the castles of Montgomery, Dolforwyn and Cefnllys. The garrison at Cefnllys was given as 12 spearmen and 30 archers. Although Glyndwr was active in Maelienydd in 1401-2, the castle seems to have remained intact.
Edmund Mortimer died in 1425 without issue, and in 1432 his lands passed to his nephew Richard Plantagenet, duke of York. Richard appointed Ieuan ap Philip as constable of Cefnllys. The constitutional crisis of the late 1450s which led to the Wars of the Roses, and which Duke Richard himself provoked, resulted in his attainder for treason in November 1459. His lands were forfeited to the Crown and one John Milewater was given custody of Cefnllys. However, his son's accession as Edward IV after winning the battle of Towton in 1461 meant that the inheritance of Mortimer and York, including Cefnllys, became Crown property thereafter. In 1493 the castle was included in a grant of Welsh properties made by Henry VII to his eldest son, Arthur. It had become ruined by the late C16 (Camden calls it a ruin in 1558) and the manor court had passed to the nearby farm of Neuadd. [G.R.]
[R.R. Davies, Lloyd, Walker; Castles of Mid Wales; A.E. Brown, The Castle, Borough and Park of Cefnllys, RT 1972, pp11-22]
There is no record of the construction of the new castle at Cefnllys but it must have been before 1246, for in that year the castles of Cefnllys, Knucklas and Wigmore were in the hands of crown appointees, presumably because of the death of Ralph Mortimer in that year, leaving only a daughter. Welsh accounts of the strengthening in stone of an unnamed castle in Maelienydd in 1242 by Ralph's son Roger may refer to Cefnllys. This presumably would be the north-easternmost site on top of the hill, the one closest to the bend of the river Ieithon.
Cefnllys fell to the Welsh in 1262. The porters of the castle were killed and the constable seized. The castle was burnt and dismantled. Then Roger Mortimer and Hugh de Bohun came in force and camped among the ruins and began to repair them, when Llywelyn ap Gruffydd appeared with a large army and besieged them there. They were forcibly ejected from the district and Llywelyn went on to take Bleddfa and Knucklas.
Under the treaty of Montgomery of 1267 Llywelyn's rights to Maelienydd would be recognized if he could make good his claim to it. In the meantime Roger Mortimer was allowed to build a castle there. Llywelyn interpreted this to mean that Mortimer could repair the existing castle; but Mortimer took it as giving permission to build a new castle altogether. Llywelyn was to protest to the king in 1273-4 when Mortimer established this new castle with a deep ditch at the south end of the hill, away from the loop of the river.
On the death of Roger Mortimer in 1282 the Mortimer castles of Cefnllys, Dolforwyn, Tinboeth and Radnor were taken over by the royal sheriff. They were then handed on to Roger's son Edmund, who in the war of 1282-3 garrisoned them at his own expense (the garrison was at this time 8 cavalry and 20 infantry).
The castle remained in the possession of the Mortimer family until 1322 when it was forfeited to the Crown by Roger Mortimer after the battle of Boroughbridge. Cefnllys, Tinboeth and Maelienydd were granted to the earl of Kent. In 1327 Roger Mortimer regained his lands when he overthrew Edward II with the aid of Queen Isabella, only to lose them again when Edward III overthrew him in his turn and had him executed. Edward granted the Mortimer estates to Roger's son Edmund, and they remained with the family until 1425.
It was customary for the Crown to administer estates (and take the profits) when the heir was a minor, and this was the case with the Mortimer estates when Glyndwr's rebellion broke out at the turn of the C15. Edmund Mortimer was still a minor, so his possessions were placed in the hands of a royal agent in 1401: this was Hugh Burnell, who had been responsible for Glyndwr's initial defeat near Welshpool in 1400, and he took charge of the castles of Montgomery, Dolforwyn and Cefnllys. The garrison at Cefnllys was given as 12 spearmen and 30 archers. Although Glyndwr was active in Maelienydd in 1401-2, the castle seems to have remained intact.
Edmund Mortimer died in 1425 without issue, and in 1432 his lands passed to his nephew Richard Plantagenet, duke of York. Richard appointed Ieuan ap Philip as constable of Cefnllys. The constitutional crisis of the late 1450s which led to the Wars of the Roses, and which Duke Richard himself provoked, resulted in his attainder for treason in November 1459. His lands were forfeited to the Crown and one John Milewater was given custody of Cefnllys. However, his son's accession as Edward IV after winning the battle of Towton in 1461 meant that the inheritance of Mortimer and York, including Cefnllys, became Crown property thereafter. In 1493 the castle was included in a grant of Welsh properties made by Henry VII to his eldest son, Arthur. It had become ruined by the late C16 (Camden calls it a ruin in 1558) and the manor court had passed to the nearby farm of Neuadd. [G.R.]
[R.R. Davies, Lloyd, Walker; Castles of Mid Wales; A.E. Brown, The Castle, Borough and Park of Cefnllys, RT 1972, pp11-22]
Cefnllys: Church of St. Michael
Photo courtesy of Radnorshire Museum
The church is probably medieval in origin, constructed at the same time as the borough. There are few historical references to it until the 16th century. The outline plan of the current building and the foundations and lower courses probably date from this time.
Some reconstruction work was done in the 16th century and a gallery was added in the 18th century. By the late 19th century the local population had declined whereas a new and rapidly expanding town had been developed at nearby Llandrindod Wells. A new, much larger parish church had been built there. The rector of Llandrindod Wells, Archdeacon De Winton, whose living included both Cefnllys and the old Llandrindod parish church, was keen to rationalise the situation and in 1893 the roofs were removed from both Cefnllys and old Llandrindod churches. It has been alleged that this was to force parishioners to attend the new parish church in Llandrindod Wells, although both churches were dilapidated. In the face of strong local feeling both churches were restored by Nicolson & Sons of Hereford. The photograph (right) shows the church before the restoration of 1895.
[Haslam; Church leaflet; Historic Churches Survey]
Some reconstruction work was done in the 16th century and a gallery was added in the 18th century. By the late 19th century the local population had declined whereas a new and rapidly expanding town had been developed at nearby Llandrindod Wells. A new, much larger parish church had been built there. The rector of Llandrindod Wells, Archdeacon De Winton, whose living included both Cefnllys and the old Llandrindod parish church, was keen to rationalise the situation and in 1893 the roofs were removed from both Cefnllys and old Llandrindod churches. It has been alleged that this was to force parishioners to attend the new parish church in Llandrindod Wells, although both churches were dilapidated. In the face of strong local feeling both churches were restored by Nicolson & Sons of Hereford. The photograph (right) shows the church before the restoration of 1895.
[Haslam; Church leaflet; Historic Churches Survey]
Ceri
Commote in medieval Powys Wenwynwyn comprising the parishes of Ceri and Mochdre (see map above). It was originally included in the lands of the area known as Rhwng Gwy a Hafren (between the Severn and the Wye) but at the Act of Union it was included in the new county of Montgomeryshire. (For map see Cedewain above)
[Richards]
[Richards]
Cewydd, Saint
Six century saint about whom little is known. He is believed to have lived on Anglesey and may be yet another saintly son of Brychan. However he is also claimed to be the offspring of Pictich King Caw and thus the brother of Gildas. The parish churches of Aberedw and Disserth in Radnorshire are dedicated to him.
Challoner, William (d.1785)
Tried at the Montgomeryshire Great Sessions in 1785 for burglary and executed. See also Thomas Fardoe.
[Mossop]
[Mossop]
Chandler, Sarah (fl.1814)
Of The Dolly, Presteigne. Convict on the ship Friendship. She was tried at the Easter Great Sessions for Radnorshire in April 1814 on a charge of forgery, found guilty and sentenced to death. She had been granted bail in April 1813, a full year before her case was heard (the bail was very high indeed, £100, and no doubt the money was carefully examined); the granting of bail was a very rare occurrence, and suggests that Sarah was a woman of some means. Three years after her trial Sarah is to be found listed among prisoners in Radnor gaol. At some point after the verdict in 1814 her sentence to death was changed to transportation to New South Wales for life (she arrived there in 1818, four years after being apprehended).
[Beddoe]
[Beddoe]