Catrin ferch Owain Glyndŵr (died 1413) was one of the daughters (probably the eldest) of
Margaret Hanmer and
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...
, and her marriage to a claimant on the English throne was used by her father to gain support.
Biography
Catrin is one of the children of Owain Glyndŵr about whom most is known. In November 1402, she married
Edmund Mortimer, an unransomed hostage who entered into an alliance with her father.
Edmund Mortimer died during the siege of
Harlech Castle in 1409, of unknown causes. Catrin was subsequently captured alongside her three daughters. They, as well as her mother and one of her sisters, were taken to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
. The deaths of Catrin and her daughters are recorded, and their burial at
St Swithin's Church in London, but the cause of their deaths is not known.
[''Issues of the Exchequer, Hen. III – Hen. VI'', ed. F Devon (Record Commission, 1837), p. 327]
Legacy
A memorial to Catrin stands in
St Swithin's Church Garden, where the church formerly stood; the statue was designed by Nic Stradlyn-John and sculpted by Richard Renshaw, and was unveiled in 2001 by
Siân Phillips
Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Wales. Her early career consisted primarily of stage roles, including the title roles in Ibsen's '' ...
.
Her mother's fate is not known; it is known only that Margaret Hanmer outlived Catrin. In 2003 an exhibition was held at the
National Library of Wales
The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...
to celebrate Catrin's legacy, and a short poem was composed in her memory by
Menna Elfyn. A play, ''Catrin Glyndwr'' by
Heledd Bianchi, was premièred in 2004.
Family connections
References
Further reading
*
R. R. Davies – ''The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dŵr'' (OUP, 1995)
*Deborah Fisher – ''Princesses of Wales'' (Univ of Wales Press, 2005)
*
Sir J. E. Lloyd – ''Owen Glendower'' (1931)
* Charles Parry – ''The Last Mab Darogan'' (Novasys, 2010)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Catrin Ferch Owain Glyndwr
Year of birth missing
1413 deaths
Welsh princesses
Mortimer family (English nobility)
Prisoners in the Tower of London
Welsh people imprisoned abroad
House of Mathrafal
14th-century Welsh people
15th-century Welsh people
14th-century Welsh women
15th-century Welsh women