Many haven’t heard of Owain Lawgoch (Owain of the Red Hand), or Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri, the Surrey-born Welsh warrior who claimed the title Prince of Wales. But perhaps they should.
He led ruthless mercenary armies for France, plotted an invasion to seize control of Wales from the English, and became such a threat the English crown paid an assassin to kill him. To many in Wales, he was far more than a soldier: he was a messianic figure, prophesised to return and free Wales.
How did Owain Lawgoch become Prince of Wales?
Due to his direct descent from Prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, or Llywelyn the Great, Owain Lawgoch saw himself as the rightful Prince of Wales. He was also the grand-nephew of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the last native Prince of Wales to hold the title independently rather than through grant from England, who was killed in 1282, by English forces – at Cilmeri near Builth Wells, where his death is commemorated by an impressive stone memorial.
So why was he in Surrey then?
The Surrey connection lies in Tatsfield, Surrey, where Owain is thought to have been born on his father’s estate. The village features a Maes Maur (big field) Road, echoing the village’s Welsh roots. Owain held several estates in England, including Tatsfield in Surrey. Although many such English estates were granted to Welsh nobles in an attempt to control and pacify them, Tatsfield was simply purchased by Owain’s grandfather.
Ok, so what was he doing with the French?
Owain forfeited his lands in both England and Wales by becoming one of France’s most important mercenary captains fighting the English, during the Hundred Years’ War. Owain’s key motivation was to use France as a springboard to reclaim Wales, and secure his title as Prince of Wales; however, his military expedition to seize Wales, which embarked somewhere around 1372 from the port of Harfleur, only got as far as Guernsey in the Channel Islands before turning back; other planned expeditions to Wales were cancelled.
Nonetheless, he spent most of his adult life as an exile fighting for France, becoming something of a hero known as Yvain de Galles. He saw action against England in Brittany, and across other regions during the protracted conflict, including Poitou, Limousin and the Loire Valley, leading free companies of mercenaries for the French king, many of them Welsh.
Owain is also thought to have been active in other parts of Europe, including Spain, where he is said to have helped gather naval support against English interests, as well as Switzerland and Alsace, where it is claimed he fought as a mercenary for the French interest during the Gugler Wars, and he also served in Lombardy.
That he remained a serious military threat to England is evidenced by the bounties placed on Owain’s head, and his eventual death - English forces couldn’t defeat him on the battlefield, so resorted to paying an assassin to murder him in 1378, at a French siege of the English-held fortress of Mortagne-sur-Gironde; Owain was buried only a few miles from his place of death, at the Church of St. Leger (Église Saint-Léger).
Other key families in Wales were military allies of France, during the medieval period, including numerous Welsh princes, and noblemen such as Henry Dwn of Kidwelly, and Henry Gwyn of Llansteffan who died fighting Henry V’s forces at Agincourt; not forgetting Owain Glyndŵr, the powerful Welsh rebel leader, who facilitated a French military expedition that actually made it to Wales, landing at Milford Haven in 1405.
Places associated with Owain Lawgoch to visit
Mortagne-sur-Gironde
A modern commemorative monument stands on a hill in close to Owain’s place of death; his burial place, at Église Saint-Léger in the town, can also be visited, although there is no clear burial place or grave marker.
Llyn Llech Owain Country Park
Open to the public, this is the location of an ancient legend associated with Owain Lawgoch, and stories surrounding the prince also abound at nearby Carreg Cennen castle.
Cilmeri
Cilmeri, near Builth Wells, is home to a memorial dedicated to Owain’s cousin, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd - the last native Prince of Wales. Owain’s homeland lay in north-west Wales, as he was descended from the House of Aberffraw; the village of that name is interesting in itself, although no structure of his royal court, or llys, remains visible.
However, many strongholds belonging to this branch of Welsh royalty still stand, including the castles of Dolwyddelan, Castell y Bere, and Criccieth, together with remains of the royal court at Abergwyngregyn.
Words by: Luke Rowlands
Top image: The Siege of the Castle of Mortagne, near Bordeaux, in 1377 (aus Recueil des croniques d'Engleterre von Jean de Wavrin), ca. 1470-1480. Found in the collection of British Library (credit: Getty)
