Aberyswith (Aber-Ystwyth) - From 'A Topographical Dictionary of Wales' (1849)
ABERYSWITH (ABER-YSTWYTH), a sea-port, borough, markettown, and chapelry, and the head of a union, in the parish of LlanbadarnVawr, lower division of the hundred of Geneu'r Glyn, county of Cardigan, South Wales, 38 miles (N. E.) from Cardigan, and 208 (W. N. W.) from London; containing 4916 inhabitants. This place, from its having been fortified at a very early period, and also forming part of the ancient parish of Llanbadarn-Vawr, was originally called Llan-Badarn Gaerog; whilst the small ancient village of Aberystwith was situated to the west of it, on ground now covered by the sea, and on the bank of the Ystwith or Ystwyth, into which river the Rheidol or Rheidiol probably emptied itself, at some distance from the ocean. These rivers now unite at the town, and form at their mouth the modern harbour of Aberystwith. The courses of both have been changed, the Ystwith having flowed directly into the sea, prior to the diversion of its channel some years ago, which was done in order to strengthen the current of the Rheidol in clearing away the bar at the entrance to the harbour.
A castle was founded here in 1109, under the following circumstances. A Flemish nobleman of the name of William de Brabant, in journeying through South Wales, was waylaid by Owain, son of Cadwgan ab Bleddyn, and slain with all his retinue; which so incensed Henry I., that he granted permission to Gilbert de Strongbow to invade the territory of Cadwgan, in Cardiganshire, and win it by the sword. Strongbow was successful; and in order to defend the possessions thus acquired, he built at least two castles, one at Aberystwith, and the other at Dingerait, supposed to be Kîlgerran, near Cardigan. In 1114, Grufydd ab Rhŷs, a Welsh prince, who had for some time carried on with considerable success, in the county of Carmarthen, a desultory warfare with the Norman invaders of South Wales, being invited by the inhabitants of the province of Cardigan, to assist them in throwing off the Norman yoke, attacked the castle of Ystradpeithil, near Aberystwith. This he reduced; and then encamped at Glâs Crûg, about a mile east of Llanbadarn-Vawr church, intending to attack the castle of Aberystwith on the following morning. The governor, apprised of his design, had sent to the neighbouring castle of Ystrad-Meirig for a reinforcement, which arrived during the night; and in the morning Grufydd, ignorant of the circumstance, and confident of success, advanced to a place called Ystrad Antaron, opposite Aberystwith Castle, where he encamped, and held a council of war. Preserving no discipline among his troops, the Normans took advantage of their disorder, and sent out some archers, to tempt them into a skirmish, and to draw them by a feigned retreat towards the bridge over the Rheidol; at the same time placing a part of their best cavalry in ambuscade behind the Castle Hill. The Welsh eagerly pursued these archers to the bridge, over which they were allured by a fresh device of the enemy, and continued their pursuit almost to the gates of the castle, when the horse which had been posted behind the hill attacked them in the flank, while those whom they had pursued made a stand, and assaulted them in front. By this means all the Welsh that had crossed the bridge were cut to pieces, and Grufydd was compelled to retreat with the remainder of his forces, and to abandon his enterprise.
In 1135, Owain Gwynedd and Cadwalader, sons of Grufydd ab Cynan, with a large body of Welsh, made a more successful attempt on the castle, which they took and utterly demolished, putting to the sword all the Normans and Flemings who had settled in this part of the principality, with the exception only of a small number, who escaped by sea into England. Cadwalader, soon afterwards marrying Alice, daughter of Richard, Earl of Clare, and Lord of Cardigan, rebuilt the castle, and made it his chief place of residence; but Owain Gwynedd, after his accession to the sovereignty of North Wales, in revenge for his brother's contumacy, besieged it and burned it to the ground, in 1142. The place continued for many years to experience all the disasters arising from predatory and intestine warfare, and was frequently destroyed and rebuilt in the continued struggles for dominion which occurred, not only between the English and the Welsh, but also among the rival princes of the country. During this period, mention occurs of the castle of Aber Rheidol being destroyed, in 1164, by Rhŷs ab Grufydd, on his invasion of the territories of the Earl of Gloucester; which circumstance has led to a supposition that there was another castle on the seashore, near this place, though it is not at all improbable that the castle of Aberystwith was occasionally designated by that name. Notice of the town of Aberystwith first occurs about the close of the twelfth century.
After rising from some of its frequent demolitions, the castle was again destroyed, in 1207, by Maelgwyn, a chieftain of South Wales, who had previously restored and fortified it, in order to maintain his power in this part of the principality, but who felt himself unable to hold it against Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, who was advancing to attack him. Llewelyn, on his arrival at Aberystwith, rebuilt and garrisoned the castle, and seized the whole of the extensive territory lying between the rivers Aëron and Dyvi; the castle he retained in his own hands, but the territory he afterwards surrendered to Rhŷs and Owain, sons of Grufydd ab Rhŷs, and nephews of Maelgwyn. In 1212, King John, having with the aid of Maelgwyn and his brother Rhŷs Vychan compelled Llewelyn and other chieftains to do him homage, sent Foulke, Viscount Cardiff, warden of the marches, to force the sons of Grufydd also to acknowledge him as their sovereign, in which attempt Foulke was joined by Maelgwyn and Rhŷs Vychan. The two nephews, unable to withstand so powerful a force, made the required submission, and agreed to relinquish all right to the territories which had been ceded to them by Llewelyn; and Foulke, having repaired and strengthened the fortifications of the castle, placed in it a strong garrison, to defend it for the king. Maelgwyn and Rhŷs Vychan, disappointed in their hope of obtaining for themselves the territories of which Rhŷs and Owain had been dispossessed, now laid siege to the castle, which they succeeded in taking, after an obstinate defence; and razed it to the ground. It appears to have been almost immediately rebuilt; for in 1214, Rhŷs Vychan, being defeated by Foulke, in Carmarthenshire, took refuge in it with Maelgwyn, and brought with him also his wife and children. In the reign of Henry III., the castle was in the possession of Rhŷs ab Grufydd, who, about the year 1223, joined the party of the Earl of Pembroke, in consequence of which, Llewelyn ab Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales, seized it, with all its dependencies; Rhŷs, however, complaining to the king, and requesting his protection from this violence, Henry commanded Llewelyn to appear before him at Shrewsbury, and the prince obeying the summons, the quarrel was amicably adjusted.
In the reign of Edward I., Grufydd ab Meredydd and Rhŷs ab Maelgwyn besieged and took the castle, then held by Llewelyn ab Grufydd, Prince of North Wales. It soon after fell into the hands of the English; and Edward, in order to secure the fulfilment of the conditions of the peace which he had concluded with Llewelyn |
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