The sacred relics of Wales stolen by longshanks.
Upon the death of Llywelyn, longshanks did all he could to get rid of any sign of Welsh independence.
Firstly he dismantled most of llywelyns halls and castles.
He then tried to kill off the lineage of Llywelyn by executing his brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd and ensuring Llywelyn's only child Gwenllian along with the daughters of her uncle Dafydd ap Gruffudd, were all confined for life in remote priories in Lincolnshire and never allowed freedom.
Edward also took from the welsh Llywelyn’s coronet, the matrix of his seal, the crown of Arthur and the most sacred of all, the most cherished relic in the whole history of Wales, the piece of the true Cross known as Y Groes Naid.
It is recorded that ''Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales and Lord of Aberffraw had deposited this crown (Welsh: Talaith) and other items (such as the Cross of Neith) with the monks at Cymer Abbey for safekeeping at the start of his final campaign in 1282''
After given to Edward it was taken to London and presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey by King Edward I of England himself as a token of the complete annihilation of the independent Welsh stat
It was then paraded through the streets at the head of a procession which included the king, queen, his children, magnates of the realm and fourteen bishops. and then added to the English Crown jewels. The coronet, alongside the English Crown Jewels, was kept in Westminster Abbey until 1303 before they were all re-housed in the Tower of London after it and the English Crown Jewels were all temporarily stolen. It is widely thought that Llywelyn's Coronet was destroyed alongside most of the original English crown jewels in 1649 by order of Oliver Cromwell; however, an inventory taken by the new republican administration prior to the destruction of the crown jewels makes no mention of this coronet..
***this last bit was taken from here https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/image_of_the_month/the-cross-gneth/****
" The cross was seen as the most important part of Edwards's new possessions.
It was lodged for safety in the Tower of London, where it remained until 1352, when it was given by Edward III to his newly founded College at Windsor. 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. According to an inscription still visible below a niche in the South Quire Aisle, those who prayed ‘knelying in the presence of this holy Crosse’ would receive forty days of pardon from the Church.
It remained at Windsor until 1552 when it was confiscated by Edward VI’s Commissioners.
Three images of the cross can be found in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor where the cross is believed to have been held after being given to the chapel by Edward III until its confiscation in 1552"
And that is the last we hear of the most treasured relic in the history of our ancient nation.
If you have a story relating to these relics, please share these.
Firstly he dismantled most of llywelyns halls and castles.
He then tried to kill off the lineage of Llywelyn by executing his brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd and ensuring Llywelyn's only child Gwenllian along with the daughters of her uncle Dafydd ap Gruffudd, were all confined for life in remote priories in Lincolnshire and never allowed freedom.
Edward also took from the welsh Llywelyn’s coronet, the matrix of his seal, the crown of Arthur and the most sacred of all, the most cherished relic in the whole history of Wales, the piece of the true Cross known as Y Groes Naid.
It is recorded that ''Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales and Lord of Aberffraw had deposited this crown (Welsh: Talaith) and other items (such as the Cross of Neith) with the monks at Cymer Abbey for safekeeping at the start of his final campaign in 1282''
After given to Edward it was taken to London and presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey by King Edward I of England himself as a token of the complete annihilation of the independent Welsh stat
It was then paraded through the streets at the head of a procession which included the king, queen, his children, magnates of the realm and fourteen bishops. and then added to the English Crown jewels.
***this last bit was taken from here https://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/image_of_the_month/the-cross-gneth/****
" The cross was seen as the most important part of Edwards's new possessions.
It was lodged for safety in the Tower of London, where it remained until 1352, when it was given by Edward III to his newly founded College at Windsor. 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. According to an inscription still visible below a niche in the South Quire Aisle, those who prayed ‘knelying in the presence of this holy Crosse’ would receive forty days of pardon from the Church.
It remained at Windsor until 1552 when it was confiscated by Edward VI’s Commissioners.
Three images of the cross can be found in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor where the cross is believed to have been held after being given to the chapel by Edward III until its confiscation in 1552"
And that is the last we hear of the most treasured relic in the history of our ancient nation.
If you have a story relating to these relics, please share these.
The coronet of Llywelyn is likely to have survived until 1649 when it’s presumed it and the rest of the Crown Jewels were melted down on the orders of Cromwell- but there is no mention of it in the inventories made by parliamentary inspectors at the time. An image of it may exist - a book called Heraldic Visitations of North Wales written during the time of the last Tudor monarch (Elizabeth I) has an image of an unusual crown above the royal arms of Wales.
ReplyDelete