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William Marshall – First Earl of Pembroke

Effigy of William at the Tempal Church in London

1144 to 1219
It was a time of knights and kings.
It was a time of civil war.
It was also the time of William Marshal, a breed of knight that at that period seemed only dreamt of in Geoffery of Monmouth’s tales of King Arthur. Proclaimed by both friend and foe as the greatest knight who ever lived, William Marshal has become a forgotten historical character who was at the center of many actual events from this period. Standing at a towering six feet two inches, William would prove to be the envy of his peers. He served as an officer and Marshal for four kings, dilivering the colée (the knighting blow) to King Henry the Younger, son of Henry II, as well as being the young king’s mentor. William was also the only man to unhorse Richard The Lion Heart.At the age of 75 (when most men of that time died by 35) William lead the English army against invading forces from Normandy at Leeds Castle and killed the invader’s leader, an officer 35 years his junior, in personal battle. Before William’s death in 1219, he was made Regent of England over the child king, Henry III. He accepted the office of Regent only after the Pope promised to absolve William of his sins as a warrior. On his deathbed, William was enducted into the Templars.

William Marshall Timeline

1135 – Death of Henry I and the taking of the throne by his nephew Stephen.

1139 – The year that the daughter of Henry I, Matilda, invades England, declaring a challenge to Stephen’s crown. John is Stephen’s Marshal.

1144 – With no actual birth records, this is the estimated year of William’s birth and possibly the time around which John Marshal turns his allegiance from Stephen to Matilda.

1152 – The seige on Newbury Castle where Stephen holds William hostage and the battle that leads to a treaty between Stephen and his daughter. In a dramatic moment, Stephen prepares to hang young William because of John Marshal’s treachery. John told the King to do as he pleases, “I have the hammers and the anvils to forge still an even finer son”. Angered, Stephen allows his generals to take the boy out to the noose, but as they are about to hang the boy, Stephen personally carries the young William to safety, promising that young William will never come to harm while in Stephen’s care.

1153 – The year the treaty is signed.

1154 – Stephen dies and Henry II rules as King. William is returned to his parents when Stephen dies.

1156 – William is sent to Normandy to be educated as a knight by his politically powerful cousin William of Tancerville, Chamberlain to the Duke of Normandy. William wept at saying goodbye to his mother, brothers and sisters. No record of his father being present at his leaving is written of.

1164 – William is knighted finally. The ceremony took place during an episode in the war between Henry II of England and Louis VII of France, when Henry called upon William of Tancarville to assist his ally, Count John of Eu. Meeting Count John and William de Manderville, Earl of Essex, at Drincourt (now Neufchatel-en-Bray), northeast of Rouen, the Lord of Tancarville decided to knight William in anticipation of the battle. During the melee, William breaks his lance, loses his horse but fights to free the village. The villagers cheer him on as he, nearly alone, cuts his way through the French army that block the street. His cousin from Tancarville weeps the tears of pride as he sees his young cousin; he says, “Look! Look at William! He fights to deliver the town rather than to take prisoners!” Another argues, “He takes no ransom, my lord. He will have nothing.” The older William cuts the other off, “He is the only knight in battle this day.”

1165 thru 1166 – William travels and practices the art of battle in the tournament. He wins his first tourny, but when the heralds seek him out, they find him at the blacksmith’s shop, having to have his helmet removed. It had been hit so many times and beaten so tightly onto his head that it has threatened to kill him. After this, he remains undefeated in battle and shows other knights and nobles the true meaning of chivalry.

1167 – Young William returns to England where his father and stepbrothers Walter and Gilbert have all passed away. William’s only brother, John, holds the family office of Marshal for the King. William, not wanting to sojourn, meets up with his uncle Patrick, the Earl of Salisbury, to suppress a revolt in Poitou. In an ambush near Lusignan, William’s uncle is killed. Severely wounded himself, William is taken prisoner. Eleanor, Henry II’s Queen, pays the ransom for William. William, the battle was lost, is revered now and recognized as a gallant knight by even the King himself.

1170 – Henry II crowns his eldest son, also named Henry, as a king. Henry II also names William as head of the new young King’s household as well as being placed in charge of his military training. Astonishingly, the young King was much into being a knight, and receives the knighting blow, called the colée, from William himself.

1174 – The young King and William separate after rumors of William and young Henry’s Queen are maliciously spread by envious knights. William travels through Europe, beginning 12 years of knight-errantry and a successful participation with the tourny.

1177 – William partners up with the Roger de Gaugi and both are undefeated in the tourny.

1179 – After demanding the right to prove his innocence before both Henrys, William finds himself frustrated again when they state no contest. He leaves after giving a great speech on the injustice he feels. The young Henry releases his Queen back to her brother, Philip of France, and begs for William to return. William rejoins the young King’s household, continuing to fight in tournaments. Philip II is now King of France.

1183 – After a tourny, William receives word to rush to meet young Henry. While enroute to the young King, William happens upon a young man and woman, who are in fact a monk and a girl who have eloped. This disturbs William some. But he is enraged when he hears the young man say he plans to lend out his money for profit. He proclaims, “By the sword of God! I don’t care what you two do with one another. Your sin remains between you. But by God, a man of the cloth enacting the sin of usury?! This will not do!” and takes their money from them and divvies it up with the two other soldiers traveling with him. Upon his arrival to the household of the young King, he discovers young Henry has taken seriously ill. Now on his death bed, the young King, who has just taken his Crusader’s vow, requests William to take his Crusader’s cloak to Jerusalem and place it on the Holy Sepulchre. After the young King’s death, his father, Henry II, gives William two fine horses and money for the journey to the Holy Land.

1184 thru 1186 – William remained in Syria where he fought alongside the revered Knights Templar. They found him a man of true chivalry and courage. Being one of the few outsiders accepted into the ranks of the Templars, this relationship in Middle East would serve later in his relationship with the Templars.

1187 – Returning to England, Henry II request the service of William. But the household is full if treachery. Henry’s sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John are constantly at odds with their father. In one attempt to take his father hostage, Richard hears that his ill father is traveling from Chinon. Not using his wits, Richard launches off to take his father, but forgetting his weapons. William sees Richard and is enraged at the youth. Richard, realizing his mistake all but too late, cries out, “By God’s legs, Marshal! Kill me not, that would be wrong for I am unarmed!” William, whose sense of honor as a knight is equaled only by his sense of justice, runs his lance through the neck of Richard’s horse, sending Richard head over heels onto his ass, calling out to the young Prince, “No. Let the devil kill you this day, for I shall not!” So impressed by William, Henry II promises to William the hand of Isabel de Clare, the 18-year-old daughter of the Earl of Pembroke. Owning this property in Wales and Ireland could finally offer William, for the first time in his life, a position of wealth. He also discovers love with Isabel. John d’Erley becomes William’s squire.

1189 – Henry II dies. Richard attends the royal funeral. Now King, of all those whom sided with his father against him, he calls upon William to meet with him and his royal counsel privately. His first words were to William, “Marshal, the other day you sought to kill me, and dead I would surely be if I had not turned your lance aside with my arm. That would have been an evil day for you.” William returned, “Sire, I had no intention of killing you, nor did I ever try to do so. I am still strong enough to direct my lance. If I had wished, I should have struck your body, as I did not do so by mistake, nor do I repent doing so.” Richard studied his remarks and replied, “Marshal, I pardon you. Never shall I bear you rancor for it.” This was to William’s relief. Then one of the other generals says of the Lady Isabel, “Might I remind you sire, that your father gave her to Marshal.” Richard, knowing that the gift was over William’s defense of Henry from Richard, answered sharply, “By God’s legs he did no such thing. He but only promised to do so,” Then he calmly added, “But I will give her to Marshal freely, both Lady and lands.” Richard then oversaw the marriage of William and the young Isabel. William was now a general for Richard as well as the earl of Pembroke.

1193 – With help from Philip of France, Prince John seizes Windsor Castle in an attempted coup for the throne while Richard is being held captive for ransom by Germans. William lays siege on the castle and holds John and his troops at bay until Richard’s release. John takes flight to France.

1194 – While Richard went off to battle in Syria and Europe, spending little to no time at all in England. William’s relationship with his new bride flourishes. Then William’s brother John dies. William is now appointed to the office of Marshal.

1197 – Leads an army for Richard and captures the castle at Beauvais.

1199 – In January Richard is mortally wounded in a battle at Chalus-Chabrol by a crossbow bolt. His last official command before dying is to have William made Custodian of the Royal Treasure.

1210 – In a common tantrum, John makes a claim that William has acted in some treasonous manner. William, who counts only one thing above his duty, and that is his honor, throws his gauntlet down before the King. When the King doesn’t respond, he challenges any knight to pick the gauntlet up in the name of the King. None do so. His honor restored.

1215 – With sympathies with the barons but loyalties lay with John, William rode with the King to Runnymeade for the signing of Magna Carta. While William signs on behalf of the royal court, his eldest son signs on behalf of the barons.

1216 – In the Fall, John dies and makes William Regent of England until his son Henry is old enough to reign. It is only after the Pope promises that William will be forgiven for the many that have died at his hands, that William will accept.

1217 – Philip orders the Count of Persche to lay siege on Lincoln Castle near Dover. They successfully take the region, but William, defending the crown of the new young king, leads the army into battle at the age of 75. He spots Persche during the battle and, while he really wants to capture the Frenchman, the younger French officer makes a fatal mistake in trying to trade blows with William. William ends up killing Persche when a splinter from his lance pierces Perche’s skull through his helmet.

1219 – on Tuesday, May 14, William Marshal, once Earl of Pembroke, Marshal to four kings, Protector of the Royal Treasury, and finally Regent of England – succumbs to death after a long illness. When word reaches the palace of Philip of France, he openly weeps, declaring that the Marshal was the true flower of chivalry.

1241 – All sons and direct male descendents of William Marshal whom could carry on the Marshal name are dead.

 

William Marshall Childhood Years

Donnington Castle in Newbury, England

The Childhood Years

Though archeologists have debated over the “Newbury Castle” referred to in the biographical poem about William Marshal, Donnington Castle (shown here on the left) in Newbury, England may well be the location of the battle between King Stephen and John Marshal.

It was a time of civil war.

King Henry I has been dead since 1135.
Stephen, Henry’s nephew, quickly claims the throne over the direct heir, Matilda, daughter of the dead King. Stephen’s favor with the subjects solidifies his usurping of the throne. But after a few years, Matilda invades England and finally contests Stephen’s throne stating she was the legitimate heir.

But she finds her claim is not popular with the subjects. This doesn’t end the conflict. A civil war was now underway.

A rub for Stephen now also lay in the tear between the barons over him and Matilda. A tear that ripped into his royal counsel, when his marshal, John Marshal, turned to Matilda’s side.

During this war, young William was born. Scholars guess his birth year around 1144 (There is no record of his birth and William was never sure himself).

When young William was about 8 years old, he found himself at the center of this civil war. Stephen, still holding a grudge against John Marshal, had cornered the man and his troops at the Newbury Castle. John had called for a truce with Stephen, promising to discuss giving the castle to Stephen, but he would instead attmpt to regarrison the castle. Stephen had taken in exchange for the first truce, young William Marshal. After being betrayed again by his former marshal, Stephen informed John that he would hang his youngest son at dawn if he didn’t surrender the castle. John’s response, as reported by Jean d’ Trouvier, was quite a shock. “Do as you will,” The elder Marshal said. “I have the hammer and anvil by which to forge still an even finer son.”

Stephen, who had become very fond of young William, playing out battles with the boy using sticks for swords and lances, was now preparing to execute the boy. By dawn, he allowed one of his knights to escort the boy to the makeshift gallows. But before he is killed, Stephen carries the young William away in his arms saying, “You shall never come to harm by my hand William, this I swear.” And though his officers planned to catapult the boy against the castle wall, Stephen intervened and protected the boy. Soon a treaty was signed between Matilda and Stephen that would have her son, aptly named Henry, be Stephen’s heir to the throne. Within a year, Stephen was dead… of natural causes.

William, by now a page, was ready to become a squire. Young boys, especially the youngest in a knight’s family, were somewhat in the way and not useful. So William found himself being shipped off to Normandy, to his cousin, William of Tancarville, to be trained in the ways of the knight. It has been said that William wept at his departure from his siblings and mother. It is also said that William’s father was not present at his going abroad.

Within a short time, William was among many other boys his age. His lord cousin was very fond of young William. In fact the boy used to get the choicest cuts of meat from the stews, even before the lord of the manner himself had been served. Many of the boys were jealous, and even complained of his long sleeping habits. But the food and sleep were all part of something young men really didn’t suffer from at the time. Growing pains. Most grew to about five feet six inches, the average height of a man at the time. William was now well up to over six feet by his mid teens. The food and sleep was all part of his growing. It is about this time he picked up his nickname “William Wastemeat”.

William, though still a boy, is a natural with weapons, and as a squire he excelled. With great dexterity, he mastered every weapon. But, in his late teens (or perhaps 20), on the eve of battle, it would be here that William’s squire years would come to an end.

The Knight Errant

It was the eve of battle and young William Marshal, all but 16 years old (scholars, due to the lack of an actual birthdate, speculate that William’s age range was between 16 to 20), was in a rushed ceremony for his knighthood. His cousin, William of Tancarville, delivered the colée (the knighting blow of the sword) and then gave as a gift to young William his finest horse.

Then, with his elder lord and cousin, William and fellow knights defended the village of Drincourt. When most knights fought for ransom or finance at the time, young William, to the cheers of the village, fought for it’s freedom. His lord cousin watched in awe, pride swelling in his chest, as he saw young William charge forward, his steed was cut out from under him, rising to the battle, with broken lance in one hand and his sword in the other. William took lead in the charge, and drove the attack against the enemy army. His cousin was moved to tears, stating that, William fought like a true knight; not for reward, but for the liberation of these people.

The Knighting Ceremony

Though quite heroic, later his acts would come to haunt him. While at a feast celebrating the victory, his cousin asked if William had a gift for him, as was custom at the time. William proclaimed, “Surely what?”
“A crupper, or a horse collar?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Marshal of England

Pembroke Castle as it looks today.
This part of William’s life is of the greatest transition. Now nearly fifty, William has earned the respect of the people, knights and kings as a great warrior knight. But as soon as he weds Isabel, the damsel of Striguil, only the second richest heiress in all of England, William left the world of Knight-errant and entered what would be today, the world of politics. But politics of William’s day had a bloodier outcome if it got ugly.12th century crest of the earl of PembrokeIt was 1189, Henry II was dead and Richard was King, though the coronation hadn’t officially taken place, and William was seen leaving Paris “riding off at a breakneck speed ” to take possession of his bride to be. Before leaving, as part of Richard’s royal counsel, William was instructed to go to England and guard Richard’s lands and rights. During his crossing of the channel, the deck broke under his feet and William broke his leg. Without hesitation, he finishes his trip, and crosses to England, stopping to pay a call on the newly married Queen Eleanor. Once in London, he meets with resistance from Isabel’s guardian, who at first is combative with William, but with threat to his life and limb, releases Isabel to William.With blood like fire, William “burns” for Isabel, wishing to deflower her immediately. But the wedding must take place on the land that she had inherited, knowing that her family was jealous of someone outside the bloodline taking the land. Showing affirmation, and great celebration to boot, the wedding took place. Then William, in a local inn, took his wife — having to borrow a bed from a friend, Sire Engerrand de Abernon to do so.The day had finally come; William Marshal was married, the owner of a vast estate and several fiefs in Ireland. He was no longer a knight-errant. He was now Earl of Pembroke. 

Out of great affection and possibly concern over losing his beautiful young wife to a younger suiter, William took Isabel with him wherever he went, whether to royal court or to battle.

During his reign as King, Richard spent very little time in England. So much of this period, William spent protecting Richard’s lands and assets as well as blossoming his relationship with his bride at the castle in Pembroke. But it was also during this period that John now plotted, with help from Philip of France, to steal the throne from Richard. Richard had been captured and taken hostage in Germany, being held in a pauper’s dungeon. Now, not unlike the tales of Robin Hood, John did try to take Windsor Castle. But it was NOT Robin and his Merry men that stopped greedy old prince John, but William Marshal, his knights and army that held John at bay until Richard’s safe return.

Still, relations between William and John were not all bad. Though William hated John, he knew he was a prince as well as King of Ireland. He would at times, while Richard was away, assist John in some of his needs.

This would later serve to help William gain some of his properties in Ireland he’d been promised.

In 1199, a message came to William that Richard was dead. Killed by infection from a crossbow bolt wound. Richard’s last official command was for William to be placed in control of the royal fortune, perhaps to keep John from immediately spending what was left. Richard, by funding his wars, had drained England into a financial depression. John would not have the fortunes to spend as was the usual for a king.

After he was crowned, England suffered many set backs. The barons, realizing the King’s financial woes, began to turn to Philip of France. John had been overtaxing them. England was on the verge of falling to the Norman crown.

John sends William and John d’Erley as emissaries to speak with Philip. He makes a deal with Philip for England, owing him a favor in return. John feels betrayed by this bargain, and claims William a traitor. William, who holds only one thing above his duty to the crown, his honor, answers the claim with a challenge, throwing down his gauntlet before King John. With an abundance of young knights eager for John’s favor, none take up the challenge to fight the old knight. The King retracts his claim and William’s honor is restored.

In 1214, with his loyalty to the crown, but his heart with the barons, William pushed for an agreement between the barons and John, knowing it would be the only way to hold England together. A location was agreed upon and John and his mesnie, including William, went to meet the barons at Runnymeade. There William signed along with John Magna Carta. William’s eldest son, also called William, signed for the barons.

1216 came, and King John took ill. Knowing that he is dying, he calls on the bishop to speak with William to take charge of John’s son, Henry, knowing that Henry is too young and inexperienced to be King. Honored to be asked, William declines. John d’Erley tells William this could help the country and all the knights and barons if he accepted, not to mention the almost St. Christopher-like duty he would have in bearing the young King on his shoulders. But William still was not convinced. Not until the bishop promised William that he would be absolved of all his sins, killing in combat, did William finally agree. For in this day, no God-fearing man would balk at absolution, especially one with the death toll that had fallen at William’s skilled warrior hands. John is relieved to hear William has accepted. On his deathbed, John makes his first act of contrition. In that he apologizes to all whom he has wronged in his life, William Marshall as the first and foremost of those whom he has wronged. With almost no one present, John dies quietly.

William is now Regent of England. With enemies all around, William leaves to protect the new young King. He travels to Malmesbury Plain, and finds the boy Henry in a sergeant’s care. When he arrives, the child greets William, weeping. He begs to be taken into God’s and William’s care. Everyone present weeps. Even William wept tenderly, holding him as if he were his own. William also realizes Henry may be a child but he was still King and had to have a sword. He dubs Henry, who was hastily fitted into a robe, and made “a knight small and fine” that day.

Soon, in Gloucester Cathedral, Henry had his coronation.

In the summer of 1217, Philip sent his son, Louis, to lead an invasion into England at Dover. With Count du Perche as his general, Louis attacked England. William, as Regent, decided to lead the battle against the invading forces.

The armies met in Lincoln.

There, outflanked due to his not trusting his Engish advisors, Louis and Perche are overrun. During the battle, William, now nearly 75 years of age, is seen charging at the head on his steed, without a helmet and looking like a knight half his age. So fast was his horse that he was quickly upon Perche, whom William wished to take hostage. But Perche decides to trade blows with William, a man nearly 35 years his elder. A splinter from William’s lance during the exchange slides over part of his helmet and pierces Perche’s left eye, killing him, making Perche’s death the only knightly death that day.

Honoring his relationship with Philip from years before, William escorts Prince Louis and his officers to a ship set for France rather than taking them hostage. This act by some was considered wrong, and later young King Henry III would refer to it as an act of betrayal. But, those who knew William also knew it was an act of honor and there was never any choice in it. The battle was won, England was safe from the invaders and William had been victorious in what would be his last battle.

He now returned to his duties as Regent as well as his duties as husband and father

Templar Knight returning from Crusade

The Final Days of William Marshal

After his return from the battle at Lincoln, William takes ill. It is a long and painful illness. It is now 1219.

He travels eventually to the Tower of London, where he has a favorite room, here he will now convalesce until his death.

His friends and family visit him here regulalry.

At his side until his death were his dearest and oldest friend John D’Erley, William’s wife, daughters and eldest son (William the younger).

The days leading up to William’s death are recorded in great detail. Conversations, times and events catalogued in British archives.

William would make an order for the poor to be fed with the money made from jewels and gifts that he alone had ownership of. He would leave nothing for his sons save the name and office. Though they stood to inherit much from their mother, William had actually owned little of his own and felt it a better honor that his sons have at life the way he had. And he deeply loved his sons, especially his eldest son William.

On his deathbed, William would also be given a great honor, being inducted into the Templar Knights. But to do this, he would have to release his wife and live out his remaining days as a monk. Loving her husband, Isabel released William from their bond. Though she stayed with him constantly for his long illness, William no longer “sought her out”.

It is now Spring.

William’s pain is worse. Cancer? Perhaps. His last day describes family, clergy, Templars all at his bed. Oh, and John D’Erley too.

At one point, William cries out, “By my soul, two men in white. They are beside me now. Never have I seen such fine men.”

John d’Erley is by his side and responds to him.”My lord, thus there comes to you a company that will lead you in the true way.”

“Blessed be the Lord our God, Who hitherto has granted me His grace. (With pain) John!”

“I am here for you.”

William now tells John, “John, make haste! Open the windows and doors. Call my son and the knights. I am dying. I cannot wait any longer. I must take my leave of them now.” William turns in the bed, and with great pain passes out.

William awakes to find all are in the room now, including Aimery de Sainte-Maure and Geoffrey of the Templar Knight order. Geoffrey has brought William’s crusader cloak.

“John, did I faint?”

“Yes sire.”

“I’ve never seen you look so helpless. Why haven’t you rinsed my face with rose water, so that I may speak properly to these good people? I have not much longer to do so.”

John gets the water and as William washes his face, for a moment he seems revitalized.

Now the man who has defeated every foe who has crossed his path says his last and final words: “I am dying. I commend you to God. I can no longer remain with you. I cannot defend myself from death.”

The clergy pray, and William makes the sign of the cross.
Then it is over, and William Marshal, a knight who served four kings as military advisor, Marshal and as Regent of England, is now dead. His eldest son, who has instantly become Marshal of England, weeps and wraps his arms about his dead father one final time. Though William never shared any love for or with his own father, this was far from the truth with William and his sons.
Geoffrey the Templar now lays the cloak over William’s still body.

The funeral is held over several days because there are so many who wish to mourn the knight. William’s body is moved from church to church during the services until its final resting place at the Temple church in London.

It was said that the poor were fed better by William the Marshal during his funeral than had been fed by any king.

And they wept for him.

When word reached France, Philip wept. He would go around to others in his court saying, “Have you heard? The Marshal is dead.”

The knight who was known throughout two kingdons as the flower of chivalry was dead.

But, not forgotten.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: William the Younger would hold the office of Marshal for several years until his early death in 1231. Then each brother, one by one, would take the office and would sadly die shortly afterward. First Richard, then three years later; Gilbert, who was a cleric, removed his cloak as a priest, put on a sword and took the office as Marshal in honor of his father. But he died from a fall from his horse in 1241. There remained only Anselm, whom the elder William had abandoned to his fate, judging that Anslem would, like himself as the youngest, have no chance of inheriting the office. Anslem’s fortune was brief: By 1245 he was dead. All brothers died leaving no male heirs, so there were no men left to bear the name Marshal or preserve the memory.

But, William the Younger, before his owen death, had hired a poet calling himself Jean d’Trouvier (John the Troubadour), who would pen an historically accurate and detailed one-thousand-nine-hundred and seventy-four line long poem that recorded William Marshal’s chivalric life. Though the mystery over whom the poet was, some believe, like myself, that it was none other than William’s ex-squire and knightly best friend for some four decades, John d’Erley. Either way, thanks to his prose, William Marshal, the flower of chivalry, lives on.

Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • Frances Gies – “The Knight In History” Harper Row (1984)

 

  • Anonymous – “L’Histoire de Guillaume le Marechal” Penned by “Jean de trouver”, poem transalted by Paul Meyer. Paris: Societe de L’Histoire de France (1901)>
  • David Crouch – “William Marshal: Court, Career and Chivalry in the Angevin Empire,1147-1219” New York: Longman (1993)

 

  • Georges Duby – “William Marshal The Flower of Chivalry” Pantheon Books (1985)

 

  • George Holmes – “The Oxford History of Midieval Europe” Oxford University Press (1988)

 

  • David T. Zabecki – “A Knight Most Loyal” from Military History magazine (August 1987)

 

  • Thomas Woodcock & John Martin Robinson – “The Oxford Guide to Heraldry” Oxford University Press (1988)

 

  • Geoffrey of Monmouth – “The Kings of Britain” translated by Lewis Thorpe, Harmondsworth, Eng. (1966)

 

 

This article is saved from archive.org and republished here as the original website has since gone offline.
Article by  Gerry Kissell.

Dan Morgan – campaigning to allow glorifying racists and oppressors in Swansea and Wales

Meet Dan Morgan. Dan is running a far right group in different social medias. At the moment, Dan is actively campaigning for street names and statues which glorify oppression and slave trading to remain.

Within his group, another admin is Stan Theman, aka Stan Robinson. Stan is currently running for election as a Swansea Councillor. Further information about Stan Robinson is provided in the link to WalesOnline below. In their article they show that Stan is campaigning against the removal of statues and place names which seek to glorify racists / oppressors and slave traders. This is done along with Dan Morgan. Also in the article its shown that Stan Robinson has made derogatory comments towards Pakistani people.

Dan Morgan has made multiple veiled threats to people who disagree with his opinions in facebook along with Stan Robinson who has declared someone to be a peadophile.
Let the above sink in, – a future prospoective Swansea official, namely Stan Robinson declares a member of the public to be a paedophile simply because the member of public disagreed with the views of Stan.

Stan Robinson is admin along with Dan Morgan of a far right Swansea group. Within his group, Dan posts pictures and derogatory comments from people who disagree with him. Two such people are Tom and Dean. Tom seems quite young, he sent a private message to Dan calling Dan a racist. The response is that Dan made an image of Tom and posted to his group along with derogatory comments.
In the case of Dean, Dan again posted images of Dean, members of his group also make derogatory comments.

Regardless of the derogatory comments made, none can be as alarming as Stan Robinsons comments declaring a member of the public to be a paedophile all because there was a disagreement in opinions.

Editors more: Some parts of this article have been removed. Author has been advised it can be published only with verifiable evidence of the accusations.
Additional note: Whilst the future prospective Swansea candidate Stan Robinson is shown to be a racist (from Walesonline article) as well as arguably from his own posts, this is not a reflection on Swansea City Council. Any person can stand for election. In this case, I am personally horrified and shocked that someone standing for election (Stan Robinson) can declare a member of the public a paedophile for no reason other than they disagree with the public viewpoint. Quite simply, this person does not show the qualities of being a Councillor as clearly has no integrity nor credibility, this can be seen from their actions and behaviour to those they disagree with.

THIS IS A STUB ARTICLE, IT WILL BE EDITED AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ADDED IN THE FUTURE

Man arrested for suspicion of fraud and impersonating a police officer

A 56-year-old man has been arrested today (Monday 26 October 2020) in Brecon on suspicion of fraud by false representation in addition to impersonating a police officer. This arose from a complaint of courier fraud on October 23rd.

Police will be actively present in the areas concerned to offer advice to those concerned with issues of fraud. They are also seeking further information to find the identity of another man who has purportedly been involved in the fraud incident.

If you have information, please contact the police. The reference number is: DPP/1726/23/10/2020/02/C.

File:CN62CLO-2 020413 CPS (8646302302).jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Fay Jones MP – Refuses to answer reasons for voting, then bans person from asking!

The following article was formed through a quick chat interview with someone who claimed Fay Jones blocked their questions on her facebook page.

I was concerned why Fay Jones, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire voted against the implementation of the Grenfell recommendations. Given the tragic loss of life from the inferno, I thought that nobody would actually vote to not implement safety recommendations. It turns out that Fay Jones MP voted against the Grenfell recommendations, therefore in light of this I asked on her public facebook page the reasons as to why she voted against implementing safety through the Grenfell recommendations.

Shortly after, Fay Jones then voted to break international law. Breaking international law could cause detrimental problems to the UK, there is an issue of trust. Breaking international law puts the UK on the same par as other countries who disregard it, Russia and China being examples.

My questions on the facebook page for Fay Jones were valid questions. However, despite this, I was labeled a “vile troll” from someone who claimed to know Fay and her family for around 50 years!

WOAH! I am a vile troll simply for asking why Fay voted against breaking international law and voted against implementing the Grenfell recommendations?

Seemingly, Fay Jones only allows supporters to interact on her page since she then banned me from posting there. She has muted me and stopped my rights of freedom of speech and expression, all for asking reasonable and valid questions.

It should be noted that none of her supporters on the page could provide reasons as to the voting actions of Fay Jones.

For an MP to stop someone asking valid and reasonable questions as to voting is extremely derisory. It simply shows a lack of both integrity and credibility as they fail to provide any answers of substance as to their actions, they simply block and ban those people who are in disagreement and ask for explanations.

At the time of writing, Fay Jones has on her facebook page the following post:

“Join me for a live Q&A”
My next facebook live event will be Friday 9th October at 4pm.
Unfortunately I cannot answer enquiries via social media. If you are a constituent please call 029 2233 8545 / 07515 034124 or email the office [email protected] Fay jo
Exactly how Fay Jones can host a live Q&A on facebook whilst stating she cannot answer enquiries via social media remains to be seen. Perhaps she follows bumbling Boris with his contradictions? Either way, I will be using my friends facebook account to ask her some pertinent questions, namely:
  1. What are her reasons for voting against the Grenfell safety recommendations?
  2. What are her reasons for voting to break international law?
  3. Why friends of her family call me a vile troll for asking the above and why she decided to block me from commenting on her page?

 

Related reading:

 

SHAR

Prospective Swansea official accused member of public of being a peadophile

Stan Robinson is a prospective swansea candidate as a local councillor actively campaigning for street names and statues glorifying oppression and slave trading to remain.

An article from WalesOnline shows that Stan is campaigning against the removal of statues and place names which seek to glorify racists / oppressors and slave traders. Also in the article its shown that Stan Robinson has made vile racist and derogatory comments towards Pakistani people. He has also said that a sky news presenter should be castrated in relation to their news report. Also reported is that Stan Robinson shared an inaccurate claim that a Muslim terrorist was responsible for stabbing 2 people in London.

An online debate saw Stan Robinson declare a member of the public to be a pedophile because Stan Robinson was accused of being a racist. It was seen that in one particular Facebook group where several people were calling him racist that he declared one of the people to be a pedophile, this was in an open public online debate.

Let the enormity of this sink in for a moment! Here we have a prospective future Swansea official wishing to be elected – who is not only guilty of the above but is also guilty of calling a member of the public a paedophile simply because many members of the public calling out Stan on regards to what they believe to be racist posts and views.

Stan Robinson runs a far right Facebook group along with Dan Morgan. This Facebook group is at the moment actively trying to oppose the renaming of picton arcade in Swansea.

It is crystal clear that Stan Robinson has no place as a Swansea official and should not be elected as such. People should not declare others to be a paedophile simply because they disagree with an opposing view. For a prospective Swansea candidate to do so is disgusting. Stan Robinson has shown himself to be lacking in both integrity and credibility in this instance.

Unfortunately, both Dan and Stan make wild claims which are arguably false, based upon their claims some people generally believe them and naturally follow and lend support to them. You only have to look at their youtube channel to see further examples of spurious claims. In one video, Stan Robinson can be seen pouring a glass of water over a wall and then daring to complain to Rob Stewart (Swansea Council leader) that there is no drainage at the bottom of the wall for the water to drain away. This would be comedy if it were not a genuine belief of Stan.

A councillor of official should have integrity and credibility. Stan Robinson has failed in this instance by declaring that a member of the public is a paedophile, simply because various members of the public were discussing Stand perceptively racist agenda.

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/facebook-swansea-castration-adam-boulton-18564207

Editors note: The article written above by Jake is not a reflection on Swansea City Council, almost anyone can stand for election as a Councillor.

THIS IS A STUB ARTICLE, IT WILL BE EDITED AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ADDED IN THE FUTURE

Cambridge University – showing ghostly images from a Welsh manuscript

One of the UK’s most important medieval manuscripts is revealing ghosts from the past fter new research and imaging work discovered eerie faces and lines of verse which had previously been erased from history.

Dating from 1250, The Black Book of Carmarthen is the earliest surviving medieval manuscript written solely in Welsh, and contains some of the earliest references to Arthur and Merlin. The book is a collection of 9th-12th century poetry along both religious and secular lines, and draws on the traditions of the Welsh folk-heroes and legends of the Dark Ages.

However, despite its importance (the manuscript is designated ‘MS Peniarth 1’ in the National Library of Wales) and decades of scholarly research, the work of a PhD student from the University of Cambridge has illuminated tantalising new glimpses of verse from the 750-year-old book.

Myriah Williams and Professor Paul Russell from Cambridge’s Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic (ASNC), believe that a 16th century owner of the book, probably a man named Jaspar Gryffyth, summarily erased centuries’ worth of additional verse, doodles and marginalia which had been added to the manuscript as it changed hands throughout the years.

However, using a combination of ultraviolet light and photo editing software, the 16th century owner’s penchant for erasure has been partly reversed to reveal snatches of poetry which are previously unrecorded in the canon of Welsh verse. Currently, the texts are very fragmentary and in need of much more analysis, although they seem to be the continuation of a poem on the preceding page with a new poem added at the foot of the page.

Williams said: “It’s easy to think we know all we can know about a manuscript like the Black Book but to see these ghosts from the past brought back to life in front of our eyes has been incredibly exciting. The drawings and verse that we’re in the process of recovering demonstrate the value of giving these books another look.

“The margins of manuscripts often contain medieval and early modern reactions to the text, and these can cast light on what our ancestors thought about what they were reading. The Black Book was particularly heavily annotated before the end of the 16th century, and the recovery of erasure has much to tell us about what was already there and can change our understanding of it.”

Williams and Russell will present a lecture at The National Library of Wales today, part of a larger exhibition on the life and work of Sir John Price, one-time owner of the Black Book. There, they will detail some of their findings, stressing the importance of continued research on the manuscript.

“What we have discovered may only be the tip of the iceberg in terms of what can be discovered as imaging techniques are enhanced,” said Russell. “The manuscript is extremely valuable and incredibly important – yet there may still be so much we don’t know about it.”

The faces are visible under UV light, but not to the naked eye.
Despite its value today, the Black Book of Carmarthen (so called because of the colour of its binding) was not an elaborate production, but rather the work of a single scribe who was probably collecting and recording over a long period of his life.

This is readily visible on the manuscript pages themselves; the first pages feature a large textura script copied on alternating ruled lines, while in other parts of the manuscript – perhaps when vellum was scarce – the hand is very much smaller and the lines per page tight and many.

That the Black Book may have been something of a labour of love is also reflected in its content by the breadth of genres represented. These range from pieces of religious verse to praise poetry to story poetry.

An example of the latter is the earliest poem concerning the adventures of the legendary Arthur, which sees the famed hero seeking entrance to an unidentified court and expounding the virtues of his men in order to gain admittance.

Other heroes are praised and lamented in a lengthy text known as Englynion y Beddau, the Stanzas of the Graves, in which a narrator presents geographic lore by claiming to know the burial places of upwards of eighty warriors. Arthur makes an appearance here as well, but only insofar as to say that he cannot be found: anoeth bid bet y arthur, ‘the grave of Arthur is a wonder’.

Other famous figures also appear throughout, including Myrddin, perhaps more familiarly known by the English ‘Merlin’. There are two prophetic poems attributed to him during his ‘wild man’ phase located in the middle of the manuscript, but additionally the very first poem of the book is presented as a dialogue between him and the celebrated Welsh poet Taliesin.

Since the creation of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae in the 12th century there has been a connection between Carmarthen and Merlin, and it may be no accident that the Black Book opens with this text.

Measuring approximately only 17cm by 12.5 cm, the book is made up of 54 pages of vellum (animal hide) and came to the National Library of Wales in 1904 after being bought, alongside other manuscripts, by the Library’s founder, Sir John Williams.

Picture 1064

Creative Commons License
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Images credit: National library of Wales
Source: www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/ghosts-from-the-past-brought-back-to-life

Excess mortality in England and Wales during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

This article  has not been peer-reviewed 

Abstract

Background Deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic result directly from infection and exacerbation of other diseases and indirectly from deferment of care for other conditions, and are socially and geographically patterned. We quantified excess mortality in regions of England and Wales during the pandemic, for all causes and for non-COVID-19 associated deaths. Methods Weekly mortality data for 1 Jan 2010 to 1 May 2020 for England and Wales were obtained from the Office of National Statistics. Mean-dispersion negative binomial regressions were used to model death counts based on pre-pandemic trends and exponentiated linear predictions were subtracted from: i) all-cause deaths; and ii) all-cause deaths minus COVID-19 related deaths for the pandemic period (07-13 March to 25 April to 8 May). Findings Between 7 March and 8 May 2020, there were 47,243 (95%CI: 46,671 to 47,815) excess deaths in England and Wales, of which 9,948 (95%CI: 9,376 to 10,520) were not associated with COVID-19. Overall excess mortality rates varied from 49 per 100,000 (95%CI: 49 to 50) in the South West to 102 per 100,000 (95%CI: 102 to 103) in London. Non-COVID-19 associated excess mortality rates ranged from -1 per 100,000 (95%CI: -1 to 0) in Wales (i.e. mortality rates were no higher than expected) to 26 per 100,000 (95%CI: 25 to 26) in the West Midlands. Interpretation The COVID-19 pandemic has had markedly different impacts on the regions of England and Wales, both for deaths directly attributable to COVID-19 infection and for deaths resulting from the national public health response.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Clinical Trial

This is a study based on publicly available official government mortality data

Funding Statement

No external funding was received for this study

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

This study is based on publicly available official government mortality statistics and hence did not require specific ethics approval.

All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.

Yes

Evangelos Kontopantelis 
Mamas A Mamas
 
John Deanfield

Miqdad AsariaTim Doran

Swansea Castle

Swansea Castle was founded by Henry de Beaumont in 1106 as the caput of the lordship of Gower, in Swansea, Wales.

The original castle seems to have been a sub-rectangular/oval enclosure overlooking the River Tawe on the east, surrounded on the north, west and south sides by a larger sub-rectangular outer bailey. The inner bailey probably contained a motte but the other view is that it was a ring work. The new castle was attacked by the Welsh in 1116 but the inner castle held.

After various other unsuccessful attacks the castle fell in 1217 but was restored to the English in 1220 as part of the settlement between Llywelyn ap Iorwerth and Henry III of England. Immediately after this the inner castle was probably walled in stone with at least one tower.

Later in the 13th century the large outer bailey was also walled. The only visible remains are two sides of a rectangular “new castle” built in the South East corner of the outer bailey in the late 13th/early 14th century. The south face (which ends in a tall garderobe tower) is capped with an elegant series of arcades at the wall-head, which are similar to structures at the Bishop of Saint David’s palaces at Lamphey and St David’s.

By then the castle had lost its military importance. It is not known whether it fell to allies of Owain Glyndŵr early in the 15th century.

In the 18th and 19th centuries parts of the castle were variously used as a market, a town hall, a drill hall and a prison.

Now

Part of the interior of the new castle was demolished early in the 20th century in the construction of a newspaper office. The remains have now been consolidated and opened up to view from the street.

References

  • See generally B Morris, Swansea Castle; RCAHMW, Glamorgan, Vol III, part (1b), The Later Castles (2000).

 

Creative Commons License This article is licenced under:  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: www.1066.co.nz/

I’m a Celebrity 2020 – Images of “TV Studio” in North Wales

North Wales news and information

Drone images have been released showing Gwrych Castle and the preparations involved as it prepares for the ITV series of “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here”

A popup TV studio has been constructed along with other temporary structures which are believed to be for individual challenges.

Ant & Dec will be the usual hosts and will be broadcasting during the evenings of the series. This will be the first time that the series has moved away from the Australian outback jungle, the winner will be crowned King or Queen of the Welsh Castle.

The images can be seen below, click on the images to see larger versions.

 

Images republished from dronepics.wales/ under Creative Commons Licence

Fay Jones attempts to encourage people to cross borders and break Covid-19 lockdown

Fay Jones, MP for Brecon & Radnorshire requested Boris Johnson to “encourage” travel and to stop the Welsh Government creating artificial barriers between Wales and England.

Fay Jones said “Brecon and Radnorshire has around 50 miles border between Wales and England. My constituents who are in lockdown regularly travel across the border for work, healthcare and education. Can my Right Honourable Friend confirm that essential travel across the border is not only permitted but also encouraged and that the Welsh government should not be using this pandemic to create artificial barriers between Wales and England.”

Boris Johnson replied “Urr, Umm, Uhh, Mr. Speaker I’m, I, I understand the frustrations that err my honrouable friend has and I know err how deeply difficult it is for uhh people throughout this country to go through the restriction err on this normal way of life that we have and we are asking people to err to do again and I apologise to her and to the err house in what we are obliged to do but err we must ask people unless its absolutely necessary err to stay at home and err stop transmission of the virus and that err that applies throughout the UK”

On her Facebook page, people again showed their disgust towards Fays actions and made many comments. In an attempt to negate the negative comments towards her, Fay Jones replied “My question was misunderstood. I want to make sure that my constituents are still able to access work, health care and education. The statement from the First Minister today creates some impression that there is a solid border between the two countries. This is not the case and people need to know they can visit Hereford Hospital or Shrewsbury Hospital for treatment, particularly when appointments are at an all time low. Hospital appointments must not be missed, businesses should be encouraged to continue operating following Covid guidelines and education must continue.”

Fay Jones’s attempts to negate and deflect criticisms of why she requested that people from England should be encouraged to cross the border into Wales and vice versa were met with people pointing out that her claim that people need to know they can visit hospitals, education are allowed and have always been allowed.

Here we have a Conservative MP in Wales who has openly shown her disregard for the Welsh Government in requesting that Boris Johnson encourage travel across the border. Fay Jones has previously shown her disregard for laws in her vote to break international law which has been condemned here: www.janedodds.wales/internal-market-bill

 

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