New Radnor - Welsh Attacks

Welsh Attacks

In the aftermath of the battle of Dingestow New Radnor Castle was seized by the sons of Einion Clud of Elfael. Einion o'r Porth and Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth entertained Baldwin of Exeter, Archbishop of Canterbury and Giraldus Cambrensis here in 1188 during their famous tour of Wales recruiting for The Crusades. Einion was killed by his brother in 1191 and in 1195 the Amazonian Matilda de St Valery was probably responsible for retaking the castle for her husband William de Braose. As a result the previous overlord Rhys ap Gruffydd returned and sacked the castle before winning the battle of Radnor against Roger Mortimer and Hugh de Say.

Rhys died in 1197 and by 1200 William de Braose was back at Radnor Castle. In 1208 King John took the castle from the rebellious de Braose, only to lose it in 1215 to Giles de Braose, Bishop of Hereford. In August 1216 King John and Gwallter Clud the brother of Einion o'r Porth burned the castle in revenge.

After the death of the last Braose of Radnor the castle was taken into royal or crown custody but was destroyed by Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth in 1231. In 1233 it was illegally rebuilt by Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall and then passed to the young Roger Mortimer of Wigmore Castle. In 1264 Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd allied with Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester took and again destroyed the castle. In all the castle had changed hands twelve times in only eighty years. On four of these occasions the castle was said to have been 'destroyed'. New Radnor is obviously the most unlucky castle in Wales. In maturity the castle proved much more sedate.