KEMMER ABBEY AND THE WATERFALLS. 35 



attacked the caftle of Montgomery, one of the 

 monks of Kemmer happened to be near, and was 

 queftfoned as to the fituation and flrength of the 

 Wellh army. He confidered it a duty to befriend 

 his country, rather than afiift an enemy, and there- 

 fore deceived them fo much by his report of the 

 ftate of the oppofmg forces, that Henry determined 

 on an immediate attack. The Welfh, at the firfl 

 onfet, feigned a retreat to a neighbouring marfii. 

 The EngHfh foldiers, incumbered as they were with 

 their armour, without hefitation, plunged after them, 

 and, as foon as the enemy faw that the greater part 

 were in the marfh, and unable either to act offen- 

 fively or to retreat, they returned upon them with 

 fo much fury, as, after a fliort conflict, to come off 

 victorious. — This deception naturally enraged the 

 king, and, not long afterwards, as he'pafled the 

 abbey with his army, he ordered the monaftery to 

 be fet on fire and deftroyed. All the out-offices 

 were confumed, but the abbot faved the reft of the 

 building by his entreaties to the king, and paying 

 down a fine of three hundred marks *. 



At the diflblution of abbies, the revenues of 

 Kemmer were eftimated at betwixt fifty and fixty 

 pounds a yearf. The fite remained in the crown till 

 the reign of queen Elizabeth, who, about the year 

 1578, granted it to Robert, earl of Leicefter. In 



• Powel, 287. Matt. Paris, 311. 



f Tanner's Notitia ; and Dugdale's Monaftlcon. 



D a what 



