Rhys ap Thomas

Rhys ap Thomas and the tournament of April 1507….

Jan 18, 2025

battles, history, Uncategorized, Usurpers to throne

2nd Duke of Buckingham, A Historical Tour Through Pembrokeshire by Richard Fenton, Battle of Bosworth, Carew Castle, Field of Cloth of Gold, Henry VII, House of Tudor, John Morton, Margaret Beaufort, Order of the Garter, Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society, Rhys ap Thomas, Richard III, Sir William Stanley, Thomas Lord Stanley, tournaments

This morning the following link dropped into my inbox: https://tinyurl.com/3uwbet79. It seems there was a talk at the “….Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society….first meeting of 2025 on Saturday morning, January 11 in Pembroke Town Hall.…” Why have I picked up on this? Well, perhaps because of the subject of the talk “….will focus on…
The white lady should have disposed of Rhys ap Thomas and the Weasel when she had the chance….!

Aug 7, 2023

battles, buildings

Battle of Bosworth, Derwydd Mansion, French mercenaries, ghosts, Henry VII, property sales, render, Rhys ap Thomas, Richard III, Sir William Stanley, Thomas Stanley, Wales, Wales Online

Here we have another old manor house with a ghostie (a white lady). The house “….is said to have once been owned by Tudor knight Sir Rhys ap Thomas. It is thought that Sir Rhys and Derwydd Mansion provided accommodation for Henry Tudor, as well as 5,000 Welsh soldiers added to Henry’s growing army, as…
The Treacherous ‘King of Carew’

Mar 1, 2023

anniversaries, battles, buildings, law, travel

“Lambert Simnel”, “Perkin”, Brecon Castle, Carew Castle, Carmarthen Castle, castles, executions, Gerald of Windsor, Henry Rice, James Lord Audley, limestone, Lord Ferrers, Milford Haven, Nesta of Wales, Nottingham Castle, Pembrokeshire, rebellions, Rhys ap Thomas, The Cornish Rebellion, Wales

Recently I went on a little jaunt to visit some fine Welsh Castles. One of those happened to be Carew in Pembrokshire, an impressive limestone fortress overlooking Carew inlet, which is part of the Milford Haven Waterway. Built by the Norman Gerald of Windsor, the site stands on the lands of his wife, the…
Tudor’s path to Bosworth took him through Powis….

Apr 21, 2021

anniversaries, battles, buildings

“Tudor” invasion, Banwy Valley, Battle of Bosworth, Harlech Castle, Henry VII, John Tiptoft Earl of Worcester, Powis Castle, Rhys ap Thomas, Richard III, Sir John Grey, Sir Roger Kynaston, Sir William Stanley, treachery, Wales

Here’s a tale of treachery and the cowardly theft of a throne. Such a shame though, because Powis Castle today is extraordinarily beautiful. I lament that Tudor‘s invasion with his foreign army didn’t take him into a particularly gluey and bottomless Welsh bog, or over a cliff on to jagged rocks in the middle of…
More Mythology of Richard III

Apr 6, 2021

anniversaries, archaeology, battles, Book Reviews, genealogy, Science

“Beauforts”, “Tudors”, Battle of Bosworth, David Starkey, denialists, Edmund of Langley, Edward of Warwick, hair colour, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Isabel of Castile, Joan Hill, John Ashdown-Hill, John Holland, Lady Margaret Beaufort, Lord Strange, More, Rhys ap Thomas, sweating sickness, The Mythology of Richard III, Thomas Stanley, Turi King, Y-chromosome

The Mythology of Richard III was one of the late John Ashdown-Hill’s fine and well-researched books, which tried to dispel some of the ingrained tall tales about the much-maligned King. Unfortunately, ‘MORE Mythology’ seems to come up all too infrequently, and I am not necessarily talking about Thomas More, although his name often arises still…
Sir James Tyrrell – Sheriff of Glamorgan

May 6, 2019

anniversaries, battles, buildings

“Princes”, Anne Neville, Audrey Williamson, Barnet, Battle of Bosworth, Beaulieu Abbey, Captain of Guisnes, Constable of Cardiff Castle, executions, Gipping Hall, Isabel Neville, Jane Stradling, knights banneret, Middleham, Rhys ap Thomas, Scottish campaign 1482, Sheriff, Sir Edward Brampton, Sir Edward Stradling, Sir James Harrington, Sir James Tyrrell, Sir Matthew Craddock, Sir William Parr, St. Donat’s Castle, Thomas Rotherham, Thomas Stradling, Tyrrell “confession”, Vice Constable of England, Wales, Warwick Inheritance, Welsh Marches, William Lord Hastings

As we said in an earlier article,“ Richard III appointed James Tyrrell Sherriff of Glamorgan and Constable of Cardiff in 1477. The importance of Glamorgan is little understood or recognised in Ricardian Studies, but this was certainly a key job and one of the most important at Richard’s disposal. The practical effect, given that Richard…
Another myth about men “not breaking oaths to Richard”. . . .

Aug 18, 2018

anniversaries, battles, travel

“Tudors”, Battle of Bosworth, bridges, Carmarthen, Forton Bridge, Forton Heath, Gloucester, Henry of Buckingham, Henry VII, loyalty oath, Mill Bay, Montford Bridge, Rhys ap Thomas, River Severn, Shrewsbury, Sir William Stanley, Thomas Mitton

Well, I’ve heard the tale of Sir Rhys ap Thomas hiding under a bridge for Henry to march over him on the way to Bosworth, thus not breaking Sir Rhys’s oath of loyalty to Richard, but this is a new one on me! Now we have this new variation, from http://tudortimes.co.uk/military-warfare/1485-battle-of-bosworth/henrys-march :- “. . .when…
SIR MATTHEW CRADDOCK 1468 – 1531

Aug 16, 2017

anniversaries, battles, buildings, genealogy

“Perkin”, Anne Neville, Battle of Bosworth, Berkshire, Bridgend, Caerphilly Castle, Calendar of Patent Rolls, Candelston Castle, Candleston Castle, castles, Coity Castle, Dictionary of Welsh Biography, Elizabeth of York, Fitzalan, George Duke of Clarence, Glamorgan, Gower Peninsula, Henry Cardinal Beaufort, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Herberts, Inventory of Ancient Monuments of Glamorgan, Jane Mansell, Jane Stradling, Jasper “Tudor”, Katherine Plantagenet, Kenfig Castle, Lady Catherine Gordon, Llynfi Valley, Lordship of Glamorgan, Mansels, Mary I, Matthew Craddock, Newcastle Castle, Newtons, Norman conquest, Ogmore Castle, Ogmore Triangle, Oxwich Castle, Perkins family, Reynoldston, Rhys ap Thomas, Richard III, Richard of Warwick, Robert Stillington, Sir Richard Herbert, Sir Roger Berkerolles, Somerset, St. Donat’s Castle, Stradlings, Strattigan, Swansea, Switzerland, Talbots, Turbevilles, Wales, William de Londres, William Herbert Earl of Huntingdon

Matthew Craddock was the son of Richard ap Gwilliam ap Evan ap Craddock Vreichfras and Jennet Horton of Candleston Castle in Glamorgan. His great grandfather, William Horton of Tregwynt in Pembrokeshire, married Joan de Canteloupe the heiress of Candleston. Jennet Horton was their granddaughter. I first came across Matthew Craddock while looking at anything that…
The treacherous Welshman who supposedly killed Richard III….!

Aug 1, 2017

anniversaries, genealogy, television reviews

Battle of Bosworth, bridges, Carew Castle, Channel Four, Earl of Oxford, executions, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Howards, ingratitude, Jane Parker Viscountess Rochford, Katherine Howard, Lucy Walter, Pembrokeshire, Rhys ap Thomas, Rhys FitzUryan, Richard III, Sir William Parker, Wales, yesterday

A few days ago I watched a TV documentary about Rhys ap Thomas, The Man Who Killed Richard III. It made my Welsh blood boil! The man was a bullying, thieving snake, not a hero! Anyway, here is the TV company’s blurb:- “Who killed Richard III? http://www.historychannel.com.au/shows/man-killed-richard-iii/ “This is a story of conspiracy and…
Mixed feelings for a Welsh Ricardian….

Nov 8, 2015

battles, television reviews

“Tudors”, England, history, Iestyn Jones, Rhys ap Thomas, Richard III, S4C, Wales

Being half Welsh (and proud of it!) but also a Ricardian through and through, I don’t know whether to watch this with huge interest…or bare my teeth. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-history-suffers-teaching-being-10400295 The programme should have English subtitles.