On 14 November 1281 Reynold de Grey was appointed justice of Chester, with custody of the men of Chester and the two cantreds of Rhos and Englefield in northeast Wales. Grey’s appointment, more than any other, has been identified as the greatest single contributor to the war of 1282-3 in Wales. As a direct result of his actions, the men of North Wales regarded themselves as absolved from the oaths they had sworn to the English crown:
“Reynold de Grey, on an objective appraisal of the evidence which is available to us, must bear a grave responsibility for the resort to armed resistance in the spring of 1282.”
- J Beverley-Smith, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales
Yet, despite the importance of the evidence against Grey, nobody has ever translated it from the printed material in the register of Archbishop John Peckham. So it falls to yours truly and my friends, for which we will no doubt receive knighthoods.
One of those who protested against Grey was Goronwy ap Heilyn. He presented his own complaints before the king, while another set of complaints was presented on his behalf by the men of Rhos and Englefield. I’ve only just started looking at this material and will provide translations in future posts.
Grey’s first action was to remove Goronwy from his office as bailiff of Rhos, and his kinsman Cynfrig ap Goronwy as bailiff of Englefield. They were replaced by Grey’s officers, Welsh and English, each of whom was identified as agents of ‘ruthless justice’. The likes of Cynfrig Sais and Cynfrig Fychan would incur the wrath of Welsh communities no less than Hick Lemayn and Robert Crevequer.
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