Elfael facts for kids
Elfael was an old Welsh region, like a small kingdom, located in what is now Wales. It was found between two important rivers, the River Wye and the river Severn. This area was known as Rhwng Gwy a Hafren.
Elfael was split into two main parts: Is Mynydd and Uwch Mynydd, which were separated by a line of hills. Later, during the Middle Ages, it became a special kind of territory called a marcher lordship. This meant it had its own rules, different from both English and Welsh law. In 1536, Elfael became part of a new county called Radnorshire, after new laws changed how Wales was governed.
Contents
The Land of Ferlix
Ancient Beginnings
Long ago, the whole area between the Wye and Severn rivers was seen as one big region. It was called Ferlix, though people spelled it in different ways like Fferllys or Fferleg. Some historians think the name might come from the Welsh word for ironworkers, Fferyll.
Old Welsh stories say that Ferlix was once part of the kingdom of a legendary ruler named King Caradoc. When he died, his land was divided. His son, Cawdraf, received Ferlix. Later, in the 700s, a ruler named Tangwydd ap Tegid governed Ferlix.
During the time of Tangwydd's father, Tegid, the Mercians (an English kingdom) took some parts of Ferlix. They built a famous earth wall called Offa's Dyke right through the land. Tangwydd also became the ruler of Brycheiniog, a nearby region. It's thought he might have gained Brycheiniog by marriage, as the previous ruler only had daughters.
Battles and New Rulers
Hwgan, Tangwydd's son, tried to attack Mercia when the English King Edward was busy fighting Vikings. But Hwgan didn't expect King Edward's sister, Æthelflæd, to lead an army against him! Æthelflæd defeated Hwgan, captured his castle, and took his wife prisoner. Hwgan then tried to team up with the Vikings but died soon after.
Hwgan's son, Dryffin, took over. But then, a powerful leader named Elystan Glodrydd conquered Ferlix. Elystan was the god-son of the English King Athelstan. After this, Dryffin and his family only ruled Brycheiniog. Elystan added Ferlix to his own lands in Buellt. His son, Cadwgan, and then his grandson, Idnerth, ruled after him. A younger son of Cadwgan started the famous Cadogan family, who became important much later.
Norman Arrival
When the Normans invaded England, some Welsh princes helped fight against them. So, in 1080, the Normans decided to take control of Wales to stop any more help for the English rebels. This led to a big Welsh uprising in 1094, but the Normans eventually put it down.
A Norman lord named Philip de Braose conquered the area between the Wye and Severn rivers. Most of Ferlix was given back to Idnerth, the Welsh ruler. But Braose kept Buellt and a small area around New Radnor for himself. He built castles there to make sure no more revolts happened. This is how a "Marcher Lordship" began. These special areas were outside the usual laws of England or Wales. Philip de Braose kept this lordship for his whole life, and his son inherited it.
Idnerth's remaining lands were passed to his son, Madog. In 1130, a castle was built in southern Ferlix by the Sheriff of Hereford, Pain fitzJohn. It became known as Pain's Castle. Madog gained control of Pain's Castle in 1135.
Elfael Becomes Independent
Madog died in 1140, and his lands were divided among his sons. In 1142, during a time of civil war in England, a Norman lord named Hugh de Mortimer invaded northern Ferlix. He killed two of Madog's sons, Hywel and Cadwgan. In 1146, he moved further south, captured Pain's Castle, and killed another of Madog's sons, Maredudd. But in 1155, when Henry became King of England, he forced Hugh to give up his Welsh castles.
The two remaining sons of Madog then split Ferlix between them. Einion Clud received the southern part, which became known as Elfael. His brother, Cadwallon, ruled the northern part, which became Maelienydd. However, the brothers were not friendly and wanted each other's lands. In 1160, Cadwallon attacked Elfael, captured Einion Clud, and sent him to King Henry as a prisoner. Einion Clud later escaped and got his lands back. But then, Hugh de Mortimer's son, Roger, arranged for Einion Clud to be killed in an ambush. In 1179, he also killed Cadwallon.
By this time, New Radnor was controlled by William de Braose, the grandson of Philip de Braose. William was known for a terrible act of revenge. He invited people he suspected of murdering his other grandfather to Abergavenny Castle and had them all killed. This led to attacks on Norman castles, including New Radnor, which was captured by Einion o'r Porth, the son of Einion Clud.
Einion o'r Porth married the daughter of Rhys ap Gruffydd, a powerful Welsh prince. In 1188, Gerald of Wales and the Archbishop of Canterbury visited Einion at Radnor Castle. They were looking for soldiers for the Third Crusade (a holy war). Einion agreed to join the crusade.
When Einion o'r Porth returned from the crusade, he was murdered by his own brother, Gwalter, who then took control of Elfael. William de Braose soon conquered Elfael, removed Gwalter from power, and took back New Radnor and Pain's Castle. In 1196, Prince Rhys tried to recapture Pain's Castle but failed.
After Prince Rhys died, another Welsh prince named Gwenwynwyn attacked Pain's Castle in 1198. William's wife, Maud, bravely defended the castle until help arrived. Sadly, Einion's son, Anarawd, was among the many Welsh soldiers killed in that battle.
Anarawd had a son, Llywelyn ab Anarawd, who gave some of his lands in Elfael to the Abbey of Cwm Hir, which his family had founded. Later, William de Braose's son, Reginald de Braose, allied with Llywelyn Fawr, a powerful Welsh prince. In 1215, Reginald returned Elfael to Iorwerth Clud, another of Gwalter's brothers. Iorwerth died soon after, and Gwalter took Elfael again. When Gwalter died around 1222, his nephew, Owain ap Maredudd, became the ruler.
Elfael as a Marcher Lordship
After a peace treaty was broken, Elfael became part of a conflict. Soon, parts of Elfael, especially Elfael Is Mynydd, were taken over by different Norman families. In 1231, Painscastle was captured by Ralph Tosny and rebuilt with strong stone. Even though a treaty tried to settle things, the English King Henry III was losing control over his own lords, so the agreement wasn't fully followed.
In 1264, Pain's Castle was captured by the forces of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, who was now the Prince of Gwynedd. In 1275, Llywelyn married the daughter of King Henry's biggest enemy. Because of this, King Henry's son, Edward, declared Llywelyn a rebel. In 1277, Edward attacked Gwynedd with a huge army. Llywelyn was forced to sign a treaty that limited his power to Gwynedd only.
The Marcher Lordship of Radnor was given to Llywelyn's cousin, William de Braose. The rest of Elfael, including Pain's Castle, was given to Ralph Tosny as a separate Marcher Lordship. This lordship stayed in the Tosny family until Alice de Tosny inherited it in 1309. Alice married Roger Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Bletso.
Eventually, through family lines, Elfael was inherited by King Henry VII. His wife, Elizabeth of York, had already inherited Maelienydd and Radnor. This meant that when their son, Henry VIII, inherited these lands, the old region of Ferlix was reunited! After Henry VIII passed the Laws in Wales Acts, Elfael became the main part of the new county of Radnorshire.
Castles in Elfael
The most important castles in Elfael were:
- Painscastle
- Aberedw Castle
