Battle of Stalling Down
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Stalling Down is a battle
reputed to have taken place in the late autumn or early winter of 1403, between the supporters of the Welsh
leader Owain Glyndŵr
and those of King Henry IV of England. It was part of the Glyndŵr Rising or Welsh Revolt of 1400-1415.
. The exact site of the battle and the precise details of the action are not known. The general site is known locally as Bryn Owain, meaning Owain's Hill.
The site was known as Stallington, evolving to Stalling Down. A Roman road
runs over the hill as it traverses the area and would have been a convenient route for moving a very large army along for the English
.
army also included a French
contingent assimilated into forces from Morgannwg led by Rhys Gethin
('swarthy Rhys') and Cadwgan, Lord of Glyn Rhondda commanding the contingent from the Rhondda Valleys
region. Cadwgan had a home at Aberochwy, near what is today Treorchy
. He fought using a battleaxe as his weapon of choice and was later known as Cadwgan of the Bloody Axe. Owain Glyndwr
is also reported to have been present in the battle in person.
The English army retreated through Cardiff
pursued by the Welsh, in a thunderstorm and terrible conditions including flooding.
church improvements revealed an oak plank in the floor, which when prised up, revealed a stone stairway descending to a crypt. Inside the crypt were piled three hundred male skeletons, without coffins. The crypt measured some seventeen feet by fifteen and stood seven feet high at its highest point, the apex of the arched and vaulted roof. Small wall openings to the exterior had been covered up on the outside by earth, effectively sealing the crypt to the outside world.
The bones were immediately buried in the churchyard. The clerk's pew contains an inscription that this church was the burial place of the Sweeting family 'before the war with Owen Glyndwr'.
The church is some three miles from the battle ground.
. In it, he places the battle in 1405, calling it the 'battle of Bryn Owen'. Such uncritical recountings of Morgannwg's version of events have had a considerable effect on popular perceptions of Glyndwr's revolt in the Glamorgan area.
Nevertheless, in spite of this uncertainty it is not safe to conclude that Stalling Down never occurred. There is much local tradition to be found in connection with it (see above), and the context of a battle in either the summer of 1403 or 1405 accords well with our understanding of the progress of Glyndwr's revolt. Glyndwr's presence at nearby Carmarthen in the summer of 1403 is well attested, and it may be that an incursion into nearby Glamorgan produced a confrontation of which the battle of Stalling Down, as remembered today, is a manifestation.
Medieval warfare
Medieval warfare is the warfare of the Middle Ages. In Europe, technological, cultural, and social developments had forced a dramatic transformation in the character of warfare from antiquity, changing military tactics and the role of cavalry and artillery...
reputed to have taken place in the late autumn or early winter of 1403, between the supporters of the Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
leader Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
and those of King Henry IV of England. It was part of the Glyndŵr Rising or Welsh Revolt of 1400-1415.
Location
Stalling Down is a rolling area of open land http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/272192 a few miles east of the town of Cowbridge in the Vale of GlamorganVale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
. The exact site of the battle and the precise details of the action are not known. The general site is known locally as Bryn Owain, meaning Owain's Hill.
The site was known as Stallington, evolving to Stalling Down. A Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
runs over the hill as it traverses the area and would have been a convenient route for moving a very large army along for the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The Opposing Forces
The WelshWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
army also included a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
contingent assimilated into forces from Morgannwg led by Rhys Gethin
Rhys Gethin
Rhys Gethin was a key figure in the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr. He was his standard bearer and a leading general. His name means "swarthy Rhys"....
('swarthy Rhys') and Cadwgan, Lord of Glyn Rhondda commanding the contingent from the Rhondda Valleys
Rhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
region. Cadwgan had a home at Aberochwy, near what is today Treorchy
Treorchy
Treorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
. He fought using a battleaxe as his weapon of choice and was later known as Cadwgan of the Bloody Axe. Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
is also reported to have been present in the battle in person.
Outcome
The battle is said to have lasted 18 hours and resulted in an appalling defeat for the King's army. The blood was fetlock deep on the horses that survived the bloody battle.The English army retreated through Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
pursued by the Welsh, in a thunderstorm and terrible conditions including flooding.
A Grisly Find
In nearby Llanblethian church http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/544575 in 1896 explorations prior to VictorianVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
church improvements revealed an oak plank in the floor, which when prised up, revealed a stone stairway descending to a crypt. Inside the crypt were piled three hundred male skeletons, without coffins. The crypt measured some seventeen feet by fifteen and stood seven feet high at its highest point, the apex of the arched and vaulted roof. Small wall openings to the exterior had been covered up on the outside by earth, effectively sealing the crypt to the outside world.
The bones were immediately buried in the churchyard. The clerk's pew contains an inscription that this church was the burial place of the Sweeting family 'before the war with Owen Glyndwr'.
The church is some three miles from the battle ground.
Re-examination of historical sources
More recently, historians have begun to question the veracity of the report of a battle at Stalling Down; for example, the foremost modern authority on Glyndwr, the late R. R. Davies, made no mention of it in his meticulous account of the revolt, published in 1995. The problem lies in the fact that the earliest recorded reference to the battle is late, and is found in the works of the eighteenth-century writer Iolo Morgannwg. Morgannwg was well known for taking liberties with Welsh history, and the 'ancient' manuscript on which he is supposed to have based his account of Stalling Down has never been traced. Morgannwg's account held considerable sway for some years, and was repeated by several later writers, including the Edwardian historian Arthur Bradley in his 1901 biography of Owain GlyndwrOwain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
. In it, he places the battle in 1405, calling it the 'battle of Bryn Owen'. Such uncritical recountings of Morgannwg's version of events have had a considerable effect on popular perceptions of Glyndwr's revolt in the Glamorgan area.
Nevertheless, in spite of this uncertainty it is not safe to conclude that Stalling Down never occurred. There is much local tradition to be found in connection with it (see above), and the context of a battle in either the summer of 1403 or 1405 accords well with our understanding of the progress of Glyndwr's revolt. Glyndwr's presence at nearby Carmarthen in the summer of 1403 is well attested, and it may be that an incursion into nearby Glamorgan produced a confrontation of which the battle of Stalling Down, as remembered today, is a manifestation.