Moved by pity

A petition dated c.1307-9:

IORWERTH AP LLYWELYN AND OTHERS TO THE KING AND COUNCIL:

Iorwerth ap Llywelyn and Gruffith ap Adam and Howel ap Adam, heirs of Adam ap David of the County of Meryonneth, that their fathers, in the time of Llywelyn, formerly Prince of Wales, and before the conquest, and in this time of war deceased; whence their lands were extended at the extent and true value; afterwards the King, moved by pity, with regard to the lands of any who were killed or died by any other death against the King in his wars of Wales, by his grace pardoned [gap in letter] granting their lands to men of this sort on better conditions than their fathers and ancestors held them before. Now, however, in spite of the King’s grace, the heirs are constrained by the King’s bailiffs and ministers further to pay that heavy extent, and also the usual extent to which their fathers in their time were wont to pay. Wherefore they pray the King to provide suitable remedy for this.

This relates to the war of Madog ap Llywelyn in 1294-5. According to the Record of Caernarvon, Edward I twice issued a general amnesty towards the heirs of those Welshmen who had died fighting against him: once in 1283, after the capture of Prince Dafydd, and once in 1295, after the defeat of Madog. Whether the king was ‘moved by pity’, or a practical desire to settle Wales as quickly as possible, is a moot point. There was certainly no large-scale expropriation of land from the gentry or uchelwyr class.

Interestingly, this petition and others state that the heirs were granted their lands on more favourable terms than their ancestors had held them under the native princes. This meant reducing the initial rate of payment initially assessed after the conquest. The ‘extent’ referred to is the rent money. However, the king’s ministers then ignored the royal mandate and started demanding the initial rent, and on top of that the rent paid while Prince Llywelyn was still alive. This was fairly typical of English royal government in Wales, in which the administration at local level tended to treat the king's instructions as interesting suggestions.

The petitioners were told to bring their complaints before the Chamberlain, but then the trail runs cold.