Borders. The Welsh part of England adjoining Wales. In addition to Offa's Dyke, the Welsh March was lined by a series of camps, forts, and ditches. The protection they afforded was but a feeble one; yet it tended somewhat to raise the confidence of the English and to intimidate the Welsh. Moreover, beacon fires were sometimes kept prepared upon the topmost heights of the chain of hills or isolated summits which run along the Borders from Cheshire, through Salop, into Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Whenever a rupture into England was expected, the beacon on the nearest hill was lit, and in a short space of time the whole March was thrown into consternation by the huge fires which seemed to leap from hill top to hill top, spreading alarm and dismay into the hearts of those who were in sight of their lurid glare, for well they knew, if not from sad experience, at least from hearsay, that that fire was but the prelude to the firing of huts, hamlets, villages, and towns, as the Welsh seldom returned without devastating the border counties with fire and the sword, nor did they return to their mountain fastnesses without herds of kine, and the crops and goods of their hated neighbours. The most conspicuous of the isolated peaks which skirt the counties of Montgomery and Salop is that of Corndon. From its summit, now, a most fair and pleasing sight meets the eye of the spectator. In the far distance can be seen glimpses of misty Plinlimmon, cloud-topped Cader Idris, and the lowering summits of the Berwyn Range; while at its base, facing the Severn, and stretching as far as that river, lies an undulating tract of land, through which the waters of the Camlad slowly flow in a zig-zag course. Turning slightly to the left, the town of Montgomery forces itself upon Borders. one's view, with its ruined castle frowning down upon The Welsh it from a rocky eminence at its back; a memento of the conquest, of feudalism, and of Roger de Montgomery, who advised William to invade England, and afterwards led the Norman right wing1 at Senlac. Still turning towards the left, we perceive an offshoot of the vale of the Camlad running up between the hills of Montgomery and of Kerry. Following the Camlad towards its source, we enter another vale, which is hemmed in on one side by the Long Mynd. This vale leads us into Herefordshire, by way of Stokesay Castle and Ludlow. Turning to the right, we perceive Forden Hill, between which and Corndon lie the villages of Churchstoke and Chirbury. From the last village the country is comparatively level to Shrewsbury. To the east of Corndon the country is even now both rugged and wild. But eight hundred and fifty years ago the aspect of the surrounding country from this hill was of a totally different nature. A huge forest extended almost to the mountain top, and clothed the vale beneath and the opposite hills, on one of which a large fort, defended by four great ditches, had been erected by the Welsh. In winter the Camlad, swollen by rain and the rivulets from the neighbouring hills, spread its sluggish waters far and wide, which gave birth to the reed, the sedge, and the bulrush; which, in their turn, sheltered the heron, wild duck, the otter, and the solitary beaver; while in the surrounding thickets abode the badger, stoat, fox, and wild cat. But if the objects beneath the feet of the spectator were then of so wild a nature, much more so were those across the banks of the Severn. It was with a feeling 1 Wace's Roman de Rou Borders. The Welsh of dread and of mystery that he looked beyond that river, and lifted up his eyes to the dark hills which rose, ridge upon ridge, as far as the eye could see, and then ended in a dark mass against the sky, shrouded by mists and clouds, the home of the gaunt wolf, and of men not less active or ferocious, and imbued with an equal spirit of dash, temerity, and of freedom.1 Rhyd y This portion of the Marchland has been particularised because there was fought one of the most decisive and eventful of the many battles which took place between the Saxons and the Welsh. The scene of this battle was Rhyd y Groes, in the Vale of the Camlad. This vale may be aptly termed the war path of the Welsh, as through it Griffith and others of his kin frequently led their wild followers to meet, defeat, and spoil the enemy. It afforded a safe ingress into the March country in two directions—the one opening towards Shrewsbury; the other towards Hereford and Worcester. The latter was probably the more frequented route. Griffith had not been long upon the throne before he began his warlike preparations against Saxondom. Over hill and through vale, over mountain and through forest, across rivers, morass, and fenny lake, spread the welcome news that a foray, under the leadership of their young king, was about to be made into the rich border land. Swiftly each warrior sped to the place of meeting, and motley was the throng when the whole force had arrived. The time chosen was most favourable for the designs of the Welsh king, as the Saxon monarch, Hardicanute, This description of this particular locality is typical of that of the rest of the country. allowed his foreign freebooters to harry the country state of from end to end. In order to satisfy these ferocious England. pests, he imposed, as we have read, an exorbitant tax upon his subjects. Worcester resisted the impost, and in consequence was besieged by earls Godwin, Siward, and Leofric, and after a stubborn resistance, sacked and burnt. This was a terrible example of the unsettled state of the country, and enacted, too, before the very eyes of the Welsh. To add to the confusion, Hardicanute died in a sudden manner. Moreover, the great earls Godwin, Leofric, and Siward were jealous of one another, and divided the country into rival factions. A foreigner, in the person of the Confessor, was raised to the throne, chiefly through the influence of Godwin. A large force was collected by the Mercians to oppose and punish the Welsh king. At its head was Edwin, brother of Leofric. Next in command were Thurkill and Elfgeat, two noble king's thanes.1 Edwin and his force advanced towards the Burgh which had been erected by the Lady of the Mercians at Chirbury. We are not informed whether this Burgh continued to be held by Saxons; most probably it had been destroyed, and its inhabitants slain, by the Welsh long before the year 1039. brother. Edwin and his followers evidently expected to secure Edwin, an easy victory over the ill-clad and light armed Leofric's mountaineers. But the latter were acquainted with the country, and well knew the nature of its deceitful marshes. They took the further precaution of laying an ambuscade, into which Edwin fell. All at once his army was assailed on all sides by Griffith and the Florence of Worcester's Chronicon ex Chronicis, under the years 1039 and 1052. Battle of choicest of the Britons, who hurled a perfect shower of Groes, 1039 darts and arrows upon the astounded Mercians, and Rnyd y Hywel, 1044. then rushed upon them. The thanes endeavoured, but in vain, to stem such a current of human beings. Their followers were soon beyond their control, and scattered in every direction. The enthusiastic valour and the extraordinary activity of the Welsh won the day. They pursued the flying enemy, shouting and pouring in flights of arrows. Many "very good men were left dead upon the marshy level of Rhyd y Groes. Among the number were Edwin, Thurkill, and Elfgeat. Many, too, were drowned in the Camlad, or swallowed up in the bogs which lay between them and their homes. Griffith was fully aware of the importance of his victory, and this battle may be considered the turning point in his life, as was that at the bridge of Lodi in the life of Napoleon I. He now began to occupy himself in settling the internal affairs of his kingdom, and in consolidating his power in the north. For three years he remained comparatively quiet, and refrained from carrying out his ambitious designs. Griffith was forced to fight several battles before his sway was acknowledged throughout Wales. He expelled his father's murderer, Hywel ap Edwyn, from South Wales. Hywel, with the help of the Danes3 of Ireland, returned in 1044, but he was defeated and slain by Griffith and his men of Gwynedd. This Hywel had married Griffith's daughter, Nesta, and had killed his father. Griffith also expelled Cynan ap Iago from 'Saxon Chronicle, 1039. 2 The ford of the cross. The Danes had established themselves in Dublin; thence they made occasional expeditions against England and Wales. |