22 A TOUR ROUND NORTH WALES. 



and, in time, much lefs expenfive to 

 their maintainers, than if they were re- 

 tained in their own parifhes. 



Near Ofweftry, in 642, a celebrated 

 battle was fought, betwixt Penda, the 

 ferocious King of Mercia, and Ofwald, 

 King of Northumberland, in which the 

 latter was defeated and flain. Penda 

 was not contented with his conqueft, 

 but inhumanly caufed the breathlefs 

 body of Ofwald to be cut into pieces, 

 and ftuck on poles, as fo many trophies 

 of his victory ; and from this event the 

 place derived i'ts name of Ofwald's Tree, 

 and afterwards of Ofweftry *. 



Ofwald had been in his life-time a 

 great benefactor to different monafte- 

 ries; and his name was fo much revered 

 among ft the Monks that, very fhortly 

 after his death, he was raifed to the 



* Strutt's Chronicle x I. 138. It may have been called 

 Ofiuald't Trt, wind* in Wvlfh would fignify Oswald's 



-V 4. fc/*-//_j /_ *- Ll/L * t ' 



