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stock on the 11th July, 1245, to the knights and free tenants of the county of Chester, as follows:

The King having heard that David son of Llywelyn has given siege to the castle of Dissard, to be with their horses, arms and whole power at Chester on Thursday the feast of St. Margaret the Virgin, to meet the Earls and Barons, whom the King is sending there, to rescue the said castle, and to be vigorous in the said castle.

A similar order was issued to The Mayor and Sheriffs of London, who were commanded to lend the King1 10 shields, etc., for the expedition into Wales, to be given back when the King returns.

The Constable' of the Tower of London to send 40 crossbows to Richard Mares, Chester, along with the King's tents.

The Sheriff of Salop to send wax to Chester.

There was also an order on July 1st, 1245, from Westminster2 to the Sheriffs of Staffordshire and Shropshire to deliver at Chester, by the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula (August 1st) or within the octave of the said feast, 50 oxen and fat cows, 1000 quarters of wheat, 500 of oats; and on July 4th, 1245, an additional order for 1000 bacons was given along with an undertaking that payment would be made for them."

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The King's army, which consisted of English and Gascons, relieved the garrison of Diserth and proceeded to Deganwy, but not without severe loss; they were intercepted by the Welsh in a narrow pass. great number of nobility and all the Gascons were slain, and the army was reduced to severe straits,5 watching, fasting, praying, and freezing." The half

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1 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 29 Hen. III.

2 Claus. 29 Hen. III, m. 7. Dodsworth's Collections, Vol. 108. 3 lb. in coll. W. Mytton. Parry's Royal Visits, 120.

4 Powell 265.

6 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 29 Hen. III.

6TH SER. VOL. XII.

Matthew Paris.

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penny loaf had risen to fivepence, a bushel of corn to 20s., and varied1 was the success of the ships which carried victuals from Chester and Ireland.

King Henry issued the following order from Gannoc (Deganwy) on October 13th, 1245: "Robt. de Mucegros and others are commanded to send ships laden. with wheat, bacon, etc., from Chester for the munition of Dissard Castle."

Wearied out with miseries, the English, after munitioning the castles, returned ingloriously to England.

David and Gruffydd's supporters and friends became reconciled, but David did not long survive this amity and agreement for, falling sick towards the end of the year, he died in the following March (1246) in his palace at Aber, and was buried at Conway, leaving no issue to succeed.

His widow, Isabella, was at Dissard Castle, and King Henry having a care for his obstinate nephew's bereaved one, commanded from Windsor on April 21st, 1246, "The Abbot of Basingwerk to receive the said Isabella (widow of David, son of Llewellin, Prince of Wales) from Philip le Bret, Constable of Dissard Castle, and conduct her to Godestowe to stay with the Abbess of that house. The said Isabella is commanded to go with the Abbot as abovesaid. Philip le Bret is commanded to deliver her to the Abbot. The Abbess of Godestowe is requested to receive her and treat her honourably."

In this season of calamity' the Welsh nobility elected

1 Powell and Wynne, 265-7.

2 Close Rolls, 29 Hen. III. 3 Powell and Wynne, 268.

4 Close Rolls, 29 Hen. III.

5 It will be noticed that on this occasion the King's command recognises David as the Prince of Wales; whereas in 1241, when it better suited his purpose, David's half-brother Griffin was so styled.

6 He succeeded John L'Estrange as Constable on Oct. 27th, 1245. 7 Parry's Royal Visits, 120.

Llywelyn, the son of Gruffydd (David's half-brother, who was killed in the Tower of London), to succeed his uncle, in defiance of the agreement of 1241, by which the Principality was to pass to the English Crown. Llywelyn, however, had two brothers, Owain Goch (who shared his father's captivity for a time, and was afterwards released, and received into favour by the King) and David, who was the last of the Welsh princes.

Llywelyn, who had been staying with the King in London for some months, on hearing of his elevation, stole privately away. He occupied parts of Pervedd wlad in defiance of his uncle David and the English authorities.3

With the consent of the barons, Owain and Llywelyn assumed the sovereignty, divided the possessions of their house, and made provision for their younger brother David. They were at once treated as rebels,2 and their lands in the south were seized by Nicholas de Myles, who promptly marched north as far as Deganwy.

The King was more magnanimous, and came to an understanding with the princes, in which he pardoned their rebellion, and conferred on them the residue of the Principality, retaining for himself the land east of the Conway (which includes Dyserth) and the land occupied by De Myles, except an allotment given to Maelgwyn Fychan.

Notwithstanding the severe sufferings of the English in their expedition, Henry, on his arrival at Oxford, issued the following:

Oxon. 25th November, 1246. Justices for custody

1 Sebright MSS.

2 Welsh People, 325.

3 Warrington, 428. History of the Gwydir Family, 28.

Both princes paid homage to the King at Woodstock in 1247. (Welsh People, 325.)

5 Close Rolls, 30 Hen. III.

of the Jews are commanded to collect from them. 40 marks of gold for the King's happy return from the parts of Wales.1

Difficulties in obtaining ready money for the upkeep of the Welsh Castles are apparent. On June 1st, 1246, at Windsor, a bond to R. Earl of Cornwall, the King's brother, in 500 marks, payable at Michaelmas next, for 500 marks lent to the King for the munition of the Castles of Gannock and Dissard; and in 250 marks payable at the same term, out of the 500 marks which the Earl receives yearly at the Exchequer, until the King provide him with land, which he is bound to provide.

The like is written by Letters Close, to the Earl of Ferrars, Roger de Monte Alto, Warrin de Vernon, Hamo de Massey, Hugh de Venables, Henry de Aldethelegh, Thomas Corbet, John, son of Alan, Ralph Basset of Periton, Roger de Summery, and Walter de Dunstanvill.

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Request to the good men of Shrewsbury, if they have any horses, arms and harness of the King's sergeants dwelling in their town to pawn, to deliver the same to them, as the said sergeants will pay their debts, or if necessary the King will pay for them, and hereby binds himself to do so.

The like to the good men of Montgomery.

The Constableship of Diserth Castle was changed on August 28th, 1246, by "the appointment, during pleasure, of John de Grey," Justice of Chester, to the keeping of the Castle of Dissard :" with Mandate to Philip le Bret, Constable of that Castle, "to deliver

1 This is but one of many occasions in which money was borrowed from the Jews, paying back is not recorded.

2 Pat. Rolls, 30 Hen. III.

3 Pat. Rolls, 30 Hen. III.

4 Aldersey, near Tattenhall.
5 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 30 Hen. III.

it to him with its whole equipment" (warnestura), and on November 1st at Chester, Protection' with clause volumus (i.e., action cannot be taken against him) was granted to Philip le Bret so long as he is in charge of the Castle of Dissard.

A Grant was made on November 30th, at Clarendon,2 to John de Grey, of 200 marks a year at the Exchequer for the custody of the County of Chester and of the King's Castles of Gannoc and Dissard during the war with the Welsh.

This appointment had its sequel in 1248, when Walkelin Ardern and Philip le Bret, Sheriff of Salop, "is commanded to distrain them to come before the King to show why they have not paid wages to the King's servants in Gannoc and Dissard Castles."

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The ravages of war prevented the tilling of the soil, and efforts were made by the King to tenant the houses in the vicinity of Dyserth Castle by a command from Farendon on June 1st, 1248, to J. De Grey, Justice of Chester, "to deliver burgages to those who will receive and inhabit them near Dissard Castle." At the same time commands were issued to the same Justice "to deliver money out of the issues of the county and of the bailiwick of the Peak, to Adam de Bocking to buy corn, &c., for the munition of Gannoc and Dissard Castles." Also " permission for his men to buy wheat in Counties Nottingham, Derby, Salop and Stafford for the munition of the

1 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 30 Hen. III.

2 Cal. Pat. Rolls, 31 Hen. III.
3 Close Rolls, 32 Hen. III.
4 Close Rolls, 32 Hen. III.

5 Tenements.

Only two houses remain in a renovated state which bespeak the period in the manner of their construction. One, known as Dyserth Castle, is situated at the side of the ruined fortress, and inhabited by the owner, J. B. Price, Esq., who presented Coronation mementoes to the children of Dyserth in 1911.

7 Close Rolls, 32 Hen. III.

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