Cynfrig ap Madog ( fl. 1283) was

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

Castell-y-Bere Castell y Bere is a Wales, Welsh castle near Llanfihangel-y-pennant, Abergynolwyn, Llanfihangel-y-pennant in Gwynedd, Wales. Constructed by Llywelyn the Great in the 1220s, the stone castle was intended to maintain his authority over the local ...

in the

kingdom of Gwynedd The Kingdom of Gwynedd (Medieval Latin: ; Middle Welsh: ) was a Welsh kingdom and a Roman Empire successor state that emerged in sub-Roman Britain in the 5th century during the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. Based in northwest Wales, th ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, during the Anglo-Welsh war of 1282-3 that culminated in the loss of Welsh independence. The castle was besieged by an English force under the command of William de Valance on 15 April; on 21 April his men were supplemented by those of Roger Lestrange. On the following day, the pair negotiated for the surrender of the castle by Cynfrig, offering £80 if the defenders yielded within a week. He seemingly agreed, for the castle was surrendered on 25 April and a payment of £53 made, but the

prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

Dafydd ap Gruffudd Dafydd ap Gruffydd (11 July 1238 – 3 October 1283) was Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 on the orders of King Edward I of England. He was the last native Prince of Wales before the conquest of Wa ...

, was not in it; he apparently escaped during the siege, and was not captured until 22 June. There are no further references to Cynfrig. The siege over which he presided was the longest of a native Welsh castle during the war.

References

* J. Beverley Smith, ''Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales'' (Cardiff, 1998). {{DEFAULTSORT:Cynfrig Ap Madog History of Gwynedd Welsh soldiers 13th-century Welsh people 13th-century soldiers

See also

References