The Cross of Neith (Welsh Y Groes Naid or Y Groes Nawdd)

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The Cross of Neith (Welsh Y Groes Naid or Y Groes Nawdd) was a sacred relic believed to be a fragment of the True Cross which had been kept at Aberconwy by the kings and princes of Wales for hundreds of years
it is possible that it was brought back from Rome by King Hywel Dda following his pilgrimage in about 928. According to tradition, it was handed down from prince to prince until the time of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and his brother Dafydd
Following the complete defeat of Llywelyn and the subjugation of the Wales, this alongside the other spiritual and temporal artifacts like Llywelyn's coronet was taken by the English
The Alms Roll of 1283 records that a cleric named Huw ab Ithel presented this "part of the most holy wood of the True Cross" to King Edward I at Aberconwy. It then accompanied the king as he finished his campaign in north Wales before being brought to London and carried through the streets at the head of a procession in May 1285 which included the King, the Queen, their children, magnates of the realm and fourteen bishops.

The relic was first taken to Westminster Abbey. King Edward I regarded the relic as his own personal property, taking it with him on triumphal progresses through England, Wales and Scotland. During the reign of his son, King Edward II, it was lodged for safety in the Tower of London, where it remained until 1352, when it was given by King Edward III to his newly founded College at Windsor. This was soon after the foundation of the Order of the Garter in 1348. It was to prove an excellent source of income for the Dean and Canons, who benefited both from its prestige (it was accounted the ‘chief treasure’ of St George’s Chapel) and from offerings from the constant stream of pilgrims who came to Windsor to pray before the famous relic, and it remained the focus for pilgrimage and devotion for over two centuries.
..the images is of Llywelyn the Last's decapitated head being paraded around London . and Banner known as Y Groes Nawdd or "The Cross of Neith" said to have been the battle flag of Llywelyn the Last.

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