Welsh Journals

The Lordship of Wentllwg and Newport The lordship of Wentllwg comprised lands in adjoining parishes, in addition to the manors held in those parishes by lesser lords, particulars of which will be given under the several parishes. The district around Newport formed part of the large territory conquered by Robert fitzHamon the Norman, belonging to Jestyn ap Gwrgan, prince of Glamorgan. It was some of that retained by Robert for his own use and not granted out, as was a large part of Glamorgan, to the twelve knights who accompanied him in his expeditions. Mabel. the eldest daughter of Robert fitzHamon married Robert created earl of Gloucester who took his title from his wife's possessions. The earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of king Henry I by Nest, daughter to Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of South Wales, and is said to have had a gift of £ 60.000 from the king on his deathbed. On the death of king Henry in December 1135 he did homage to king Stephen and then having settled a plan of insurrection went to Normandy and brought back to England the empress Maud. To the battle of Lincoln in 1141 he took a number of Welshmen from his estates in Gwent and there made king Stephen a prisoner. He himself was afterwards made prisoner at the battle of Wherwell but obtained his liberty in exchange for the king. He died in 1 147 and was succeeded as earl of Gloucester and lord of Wentllwg by his son William. To Robert fitzHamon is attributed the first building of the castles of Newport, Cardiff and Bristol. William, second earl of Gloucester, was much harrassed by a Welsh chieftain named Ifor bach ap Ivor. the native lord of Senghenydd.2 On one occasion he attacked Cardiff castle and took away the earl and his countess and kept them as hostages until the earl had made restitution of lands taken by the earl from Ivor. William the second earl died in 1170 and, as his son Robert had died in the lifetime of the father, his daughters were his heirs. Of these Mabel, the eldest, wife of Almaric earl of Evreux in Normandy, had the lordship of Gloucester. Her only son Almaric dying without issue. the earldom went to Amice, sister of Mabel, wife of Richard de Clare earl of Hertford. This Richard was of a branch of the powerful family that had been lords of Striguil or Chepstow, and his son Gilbert in right of his mother had the lordship of Gloucester and Wentllwg, Newport and Usk and was styled earl of Hertford and Gloucester. He was one of the leading barons against king John and at the battle of Lincoln was taken prisoner by William Marshall earl of Pembroke, whose daughter he afterwards married. He died in 1229 and was succeeded by his eldest son Richard, who died in 1262, whose son Gilbert (known as Gilbert the Red) was one of Simon de Montfort's mutinous barons. He was afterwards on the king's side and at the battle of Evesham commanded a brigade of the royal army. He died in 1295 and was succeeded by his son Gilbert, then aged 4, who was killed at Bannockburn in 1314, his sisters being his heirs. The Inquisitio post mortem of Gilbert de Clare, made in 1315, enumerates the following property: County of Wenlock Newport castle and town with the manors of Stowe. Dyveleis [Dowlais in Marshfield] and Rempney [Rhymny] and the county of Maughan [Machen]. a member of the county of Wenlock which has a royal liberty. held of the king in chief by ancient conquest, service unknown. Wenlock. the county including 1 acre of pasture near the chapel of St Istan and 3 acres at Brenlowys Knights fees Bassalek. one. held by William de Bergeroles Ebboth. one. by Henry de Lancaster and Maud his wife Coytkemeu. a half. by Iorwerd ap Rees St Brides, a half, by John de Mora St Mellons, a half, by Hugh de Bereford Cogansmoor, a half for life by Morgan ap Mereudith of the said earl's gift Pencam. a tenement sometime of the templars, for life by William de Roseles Bcganesleye, a quarter. by Meuric ap Iorwerd of Kemmeys Stowe. including a messuage in the borough of Newport and a tenement in St Brides Rempney [Rhymny]. manor including a pasture called Warth Dyveleis. manor Maghay [Machen], castle and country including woods called Glynserwy, Glynrempny and Glynebboth. a toll called Weygavel and lands in Dcffrcnebboth Maghai and Llanyhangel, advowson of Malpas, advowson of the priory On the 1 September 1316 a writ was issued to