!B78 



ANNUAL REGISTER, IS05. 



It is not distinctly ascertained, 

 into what hands Caerphilly castle 

 passed, after the period of Lhewe- 

 lin's capture. There may probably 

 be some notices dispersed in genea- 

 logical manuscripts; but it is diffi- 

 cult to collect (hose short anecdotes, 

 faintly and imperfectly recorded 

 liere and there, in a mass of confused 

 materials. In the time of Edward I. 

 it was undoubtedly in the possession 

 of Gilbert de Clare, lord, or prince, 

 as he is sometimes termed, of Gla- 

 morgan, who purchased it, but from 

 "whom 1 know not. On his mani- 

 age with Joan of Acres, he settled 

 this castle, and the lands belonging 

 *o it, on her and her heirs for ever : 

 but the estates belonging to the lord- 

 ship of Glamorgan, with those be- 

 longing to his earldoms of Glocester 

 and Hereford, he settled on her only 

 for life. After his death she mar- 

 ried, unknown to the king, Ralph 

 de Mortimer, and settled Caerphilly 

 castle, with the estates belonging to 

 it, on him and his heirs for erer. 

 After her death, Gilbert, son of the 

 last earl de Clare, who was only five 

 years old at the time of his father's 

 decease, succeeded to the lordship 

 or principality of Glamorgan. Mor- 

 timer, however, remaaned possessed 

 ©f Caerphilly. This young lord, 

 Gilbert de Clare, was slain at the 

 battle of Bannockburn, in the year 

 1314, leaving no issue. His lord- 

 ships, of course, descended to his 

 three sisters, co-hciresses. One 

 ©f them, named Eleanor, was married 

 to Hugh Spencer, the younger ; 

 another, Margaret, to Piers Gavas- 

 tone ; and the third, Elizabeth, to 

 John de Bugh. 



Hugh Spencer, the younger, came 

 to possess the lordship ot Glamor- 

 gan by this marriage, and by pur- 

 chase or compromise from the other 



co-heiress€S. Among other acts of 

 depredation, he seized on Caerphilly 

 castle, which is said to have been' 

 built in a stronger manner than hi- 

 therto, by Ralph de Mortimer. He 

 likewise usurped the lands belonging 

 to it, and added considerably to the 

 strength and magnitude of the castle. 

 He and his father were the favou- 

 rites of Edward II. and being coun- 

 tenanced by him in all their licen- 

 tious proceedings, both the father 

 and son acted so directly in viola- 

 tion of all laws and justice, as to ex- 

 cite the indignation and resentment 

 of the English barons, as well as 

 the hatred of the nation in general. 

 Their Welsh subjects, who made up 

 the petty sovereignty of Glamorgan, 

 were not backward in expressing 

 their detestation : and Roger Mor- 

 timer, who was heir at law to Caer- 

 philly castle and its estates, drew up 

 a regular statement of his case, and 

 acconipanied it with a petition, com- 

 plaining of the unjust seizure, by 

 which his property was converted 

 to the use of young Hugh Spencer. 

 He presented this memorial to the 

 barons, at a meeting held by them, 

 fur the purpose of taking into con- 

 sideration the iniquitous conduct of 

 Hugh Spencer. The barons agreed 

 to furnish him with an army of ten 

 thousand men : they placed him at 

 the head of it, and encouraged him 

 to enter Glamorgan, and take pos- 

 session of his estates. But the Spen- 

 cers had so strongly fortified and 

 garrisoned the castle ; and had sup- 

 jjlied it with such an immense storoof 

 provisions, that they held out for a 

 long time. The queen, siding with 

 the barons, found means to raise a 

 powerful army. King Edward, her 

 husband, on the other hand, was 

 enabled to get into Caerphilly castle. 

 But after a long si^ge, the castle 



was 



il 



