In May 1403, Prince Henry (the future Henry V) destroyed Sycharth by burning it to the ground.  This was the birthplace and home of Owain Glyndwr and it was destroyed in reprisal for Glyndwr's rebellion against the English crown.   

Sycharth, located near Llansilan and Oswestry was a motte and bailey castle, with the motte summit serving as the manorial hall where Glyndwr, his wife Margaret Hanmer and family would have lived.  

Today is the feast day of Saint Collen, who was buried in his church in Llangollen.

Saint Collen, born c. 600 was descended from the Kings of Gwent and was educated at Orleans in France. Legend has it that he defeated Bras, a pagan warlord, in single combat, and also a man-eating giantess at Llangollen, washing his bloody sword in St. Collen's well.

Henry VI died (presumed to be murdered) this day 1471

Henry VI's Welsh connection led to the birth of the Tudor dynasty.

After the death of Henry VI's father Henry V, his mother Katherine of Valois married Owain ap Maredudd ap Tewdwr (Owen Tudor). They had two sons, Edmund and Jasper, who were half brothers of Henry VI, but were not recognised as members of the royal family,

1436   The Regent Gloucester imprisoned Owain in Newgate and took Edmund and Jasper into custody.

1447   After the death of the Regent Gloucester, they recovered favour under the  protection of the young Henry VI and he created Edmund and Jasper Earls of Richmond and Pembroke respectively.

1459   By this time the family name had been anglicised from Tewder to Tudor.

1456   Edmund died and Jasper looked after Edmund's son, the future Henry VII, at Pembroke Castle.

1471   After the death of Henry VI, his mother, Margaret Beaufort and Jasper nurtured Henry VII's rights as the Lancastrian claimant to the crown.   Wales was divided in its allegiances, the West in loyalty to Jasper were largely Lancastrian and the East was mostly Yorkist.   

FIFA was founded this day 1904

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is the international governing body of association football.

*  Wales's highest FIFA ranking is 8th in October 2015.

*  Wales's lowest FIFA ranking was 117th in August 2011

*  In the 1958 FIFA World Cup Wales reached the quarter-finals, losing to the eventual winners Brazil 1-0, the Brazilian goal was Pele's first international goal.

*  John Charles came 3rd in The Ballon d'Or ( FIFA's annual award to the world's best male player) in 1959.

On 21st May 1982, Swansea City completed their first ever season in the UK Football League First Division with a sixth place finish. Their year on year rise from Division Four to the top division is a record in UK football.

In May 1372, Owain Lawgoch announced in Paris his intention of claiming the throne of Wales.   

Owain Lawgoch (Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri), the grandson of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's brother Rhodri,  was directly descended from the Royal House of Gwynedd. 

In 1370 Owain declared himself Prince of Gwynedd and with the help of the French, assembled a fleet with the intention of sailing for Wales. The ships were split up in bad weather and the invasion was abandoned.  Two years later he tried again, but again the weather turned against him and the fleet reached no further than Guernsey.  At this point the English despatched a Scot by the name of Jon Lamb to assassinate Owain and having infiltrated Owain's band of men, he succeeded during the siege of Mortagne in 1378.  So ended the entire line of Wales’s most illustrious royal house.     

Born this day 1942 in Nantymoel, near Bridgend,

Lynn Davies CBE , 1964 Long Jump Olympic champion. Lynn was also the 1996 European Champion and flag bearer at the 1968 Olympics, being later elected President of the UK Athletics Members Council.  

Born this day 1364 at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland,

Sir Henry Percy (Harry Hotspur), ally of Owain Glyndwr.

Percy's military achievements brought him much favour with Richard ll, but he switched sides to support Henry Bolingbroke in his attempt to overthrow Richard, and when Henry became King Henry IV, Hotspur and his father were rewarded with extensive responsibility in both the east march and North Wales.

1401 The Glyndwr revolt began to spread throughout North and Central Wales, thwarting Hotspur's attempts to maintain control.

1402   Henry IV appointed Hotspur royal lieutenant in North Wales, but the Percy's were becoming discontented with Henry IV, and it was at this time that the Percys, Glyndwr and Edmund Mortimer starting discussing the "Tripartite Indenture" which divided England and Wales between the three of them.

1403  Hotspur accused the King of 'tyrannical government' and  marched to Shrewsbury to do battle against Henry IV's son the future Henry V.  However Percy was killed and his body was put on display. He was posthumously declared a traitor, with his lands being claimed by the Crown.  

On this day 2009, William Windsor (Billy), the goat of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Welsh infantry, retired due to old age. Soldiers from the battalion lined the route from his pen to the trailer as he left the camp for the last time.

*  Billy is not regarded as a mascot, but a serving lance corporal, meaning that soldiers of lower rank are required to stand to attention when Billy walks by. His duty was to march at the head of the battalion on ceremonial occasions.

*  The tradition of the goat originated in 1775, when a wild goat walked onto the battlefield during the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War. 

*  He was demoted to fusilier for a three-month period in 2006, after inappropriate behaviour during the Queen's Official Birthday Celebrations, when he failed to keep in step and tried to headbutt a drummer.

*  The royal goat herd was presented to the Queen by the Shah of Persia, and they are kept on Llandudno's Great Orme.

*  His replacement, also called William Windsor, began as a fusilier whilst being trained for military life, receiving a ration of two cigarettes per day, which he eats, but is not permitted Guinness until he is older.

On this day in 1935 T.E.Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was fatally injured in a motorbike crash in Dorset.

Thomas Edward Lawrence, born in Tremadog, Caernarfonshire, gained fame as a leader of an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War One. Lawrence embraced Arabic culture in an attempt to empathise with his Arab partners and it was this ability which made him such a successful military leader.

Winston Churchill said of Lawrence "I deem him one of the greatest beings alive in our time... We shall never see his like again. His name will live in history. It will live in the annals of war... It will live in the legends of Arabia."

Former British Prime Minister, William Gladstone died this day 1898 at Hawarden House, Flintshire.

Hawarden House and estate had previously belonged to the family of his wife, Catherine Glynne, and is still owned by the Gladstone family.In its grounds are the ruins of Hawarden medieval castle, whose earthwork embankments date back to the Iron Age. It was the site of a Norman motte and bailey castle, which played an important role during the Welsh struggle for independence in the 13th century.

On this day 2012 Monmouth became the World's first Wikipedia Town (Monmouthpedia)

Monmouthpedia is Wikipedia's first venture based on a town.  It allows the user to scan barcodes with their mobile phone, at over 1,000 landmarks and points of interest within the town and have information about the landmark sent to their phone in the language of their choice.

One of the main reasons that Monmouth was chosen was because of its varied history;

*   It is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086.

*   The Normans  built a motte and bailey castle in 1067.

*   The medieval stone gated bridge is the only one remaining in Britain.

*   The castle was the birthplace of King Henry V in 1387.

*   The town was the scene of a major battle in 1233, between the forces of Henry III and those of Richard Marshal, Earl of Pembroke.

*   King Edward II was briefly imprisoned at Monmouth Castle in 1326 after being overthrown by his wife Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.

*   In 1536, Henry VIII imposed the Laws in Wales Acts and Monmouth became the county town of Monmouthshire. 

*   The castle changed hands three times during the English Civil War.

*   By the end of the 18th century, the town was popular with travellers following the "Wye Tour", with poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Coleridge, as well as painter J.M.W.Turner being among its visitors.

*   The town was visited in 1802 by Admiral Horatio Nelson, who recognised the importance of the county's woodland in providing timber for the British Navy.

*    In 1840, Chartist leaders John Frost, Zephaniah Williams and William Jones became the last men in Britain to be sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered in the aftermath of the the Newport Riots. The sentences were later commuted to transportation to Van Diemen's Land

*   The town gained its first charter from Henry VI in 1447.

*   The wool industry was important in its early growth, and the knitted Monmouth Cap, was popular from the 15th century onwards.

*   Monmouth had iron and tinplate works, together with paper and corn mills. The town was also an important river port, with warehouses and wharves along the Wye.

*   The Savoy Theatre is the oldest working theatre in Wales.  

Anne Boleyn was beheaded this day 1536

Two of Anne Boleyn's connections with Wales:

In September 1532, Anne Boleyn was made Marquis of Pembroke by Henry Vlll, who awarded her substantial lands in Wales along with the title, making her the first woman to hold a hereditary peerage title in her own right, making her, apart from the Queen, the most important woman in the kingdom.

William Brereton, who was one of the five accused of having an affair with Anne, had been knighted and granted  many lands in Cheshire and North Wales by Henry VIII for his support of the king’s annulment of his first marriage.   

  Born this day 1970 in Aberdare

Stuart Cable , rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics.

May 18th is the day each year that the "Message of Peace and Goodwill" from the young people of Wales to young people around the World is announced.

The first message was sent in 1922 by Reverend Gwilym Davies, a pacifist who was instrumental in establishing the Welsh Union of the League of Nations.Today the message is broadcast  in many different languages and reaches all corners of the world. Sir Ifan ab Owen Edwards, founder of the Urdd (the Welsh League of Youth) decided that the Urdd should support the campaign and it is now given the responsibility of composing the Message. May 18th was the date of the first peace conference in the Hague in 1899.  

In May 1980, Plaid Cymru leader Gwynfor Evans announced his intention to go on hunger strike in protest against the government's failure to honour its promise of a Welsh-language television channel.   This was seen as was instrumental in bringing about a U-turn on the part of Margaret Thatcher and S4C began broadcasting on 1 November 1982.    

Born this day 1948 in Newport, Monmouthshire,

Keith Jarrett , a former Wales rugby international who set point scoring records in his international debut, including a solo try which saw him run almost the full length of the pitch, voted seventh in a poll of the top Welsh tries of all time.  Jarrett switched to rugby league in 1969 but his career was cut short in 1973, when he suffered a stroke, aged just 25, leaving his undoubted potential unfulfilled.

Born this day 1872 in Trellech, Monmouthshire,

Bertrand Arthur William Russell , a world-renowned  philosopher, logician, essayist and social critic. He is credited with being one of the most important logicians of the twentieth century and also made significant contributions to education and history. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950 and was the first President of C.N.D.  

Born this day 1962 in St Asaph,

Barry Horne , a former Wales soccer international and captain, who later became chairman of the Professional Footballers Association and a television sports pundit.    

Born this day 1960 in Brynhyfryd, Swansea, 

Mal Pope , a musician and composer, who is noted for his contribution to musical theatre and for the 1990's late-night music chat show, The Mal Pope Show, which won a number of Welsh BAFTA Awards. Pope also wrote songs for Cliff Richard and The Hollies and sang the theme songs of the children's television shows Fireman Sam and Super Ted.

On 17th May 1965, thirty one miners were killed in a mining accident at the Cambrian Colliery, Clydach Vale, Rhondda, the last major mining disaster in South Wales history. 

The Cambrian Colliery had been operating since 1872 and had experienced a previous explosion in 1905 in which thirty three men lost their lives. The colliery's workforce, numbering over 4,000, was involved in the Tonypandy Riot of 1910.   

Born this day 1958 in Stanleytown, Rhondda,

Paul Whitehouse , a popular actor, writer and comedian, who is best known for his appearances with Harry Enfield and as a member of The Fast Show comedy team. Johnny Depp described him as "the greatest actor of all time".  

Executed by beheading at Tower Hill, on the orders of Henry VIII this day 1521,

Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham , who was born 3rd February 1478 at Brecon Castle and was the nephew of King Edward IV. 

  Stafford's father had been executed for participating in a rebellion against King Richard III, and was one of the primary suspects in the disappearance (and presumed murder) of the Princes in the Tower.

 Stafford himself attended the coronation of Henry VIIl and achieved high ranking in his court, serving as Lord High Steward and bearer of the crown. However, by 1520 he had became a voice of opposition against the king and Henry became suspicious when people began to whisper about Stafford's claim to the throne. Cardinal Wolsey, who hated Stafford, encouraged the king to take the accusations seriously. After an investigation, Stafford was arrested for intending to kill the King, was found guilty and executed on Tower Hill on 17th May.  

DAMBUSTERS

On this day in 1943, during World War II, the allied bombing campaign known as "The Dambusters" occured, causing monumental damage to the Mohne and Edersee dams in Germany, flooding the Ruhr and Eder river valleys.

Much of the preparatory testing was carried out at the Elan Valley reservoir in Mid Wales. The RAF decided that its remoteness made it an ideal site for the highly secret experimental work of  engineer Barnes Wallis in the development of his "bouncing bombs."  

Born this day 1741 in Caroline County, Virginia

John Penn , who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.  

Born this day 1899 in Neath,

Henry.H. Price , a philosopher renowned for his publications Perception (1932) and Thinking and Experience (1953).  He also wrote books on religion, parapsychology and psychic phenomena. 

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path was opened this day 1970 by Wynford Vaughan Thomas

The Pembrokeshire Coast Path is walking path around the coastline of Pembrokeshire from Amroth to St Dogmaels

* It is 186 miles long,

* There are 90 beaches alongside or across the Path, 41 of which have been awarded Blue Flag Awards

* 43 Iron Age sites are visible from the Coast Path

* Its 35,000 feet of ascent and descent is said to be equivalent to climbing Everest.

Born this day 1801 in Florida, New York (and proud of his Welsh descent)

William Seward who was known as "The Real US decision maker" and someone who was not afraid to go against public opinion.

Seward was one of the foremost politicians of nineteenth century America, being a New York State Senator, the Governor of New York, a U.S. Senator, as well as serving as Secretary of State in the administrations of both Lincoln and Johnson, during which time, he engineered the 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia, which was ridiculed at the time and called "Seward's Folly". He also strived to maintain the neutrality of foreign countries during the American Civil War in a period before international law and modern diplomacy.

Seward was an opponent of slavery and a dominant figure in the Republican Party in its formative years. On the night of Lincoln's assassination, he also survived an attempt on his own life.

Born this day 1937 in Taylorville, Illinois (of Welsh descent)

Yvonne Joyce Craig , actress and ballerina who is most famous for her role as Batgirl in the television series and for being the onetime girlfriend of Elvis Presley, with whom she co-starred in two of his films, It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) and Kissin' Cousins (1964).

On this day 1929, at the first ever Academy Awards, the film Wings, directed by William Wellman (of Welsh descent) won the Oscar for Best Picture.

For action at Festubert in France on 16th May 1915, Frederick Barter, from Cardiff was a recipient of the Victoria Cross. Barter was a Company Sergeant Major in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, during the First World War, when with the eight volunteers, he attacked a German position and captured three German officers, 102 men and 500 yards of trenches, as well as taking 11 enemy mines out of action.

Born this day 1940 in Penmaenmawr, Caernarvonshire

Sir Gareth Gwyn Roberts - physicist who specialised in semiconductors and molecular electronics.

Roberts was senior research scientist with the Xerox Corporation and later, Director of Research and Chief Scientist of Thorn EMI. He was also described as a fervent Welshman, who never forgot his roots and never put on airs and graces.

The Treaty of Gloucester 15th May 1240

At which Dafydd ap Llywelyn (the son of Llywelyn the Great) was forced to do homage to Henry III.

On the death of Llywelyn on 11th April 1240, his son Dafydd succeeded him.  However Henry III, seeing an opportunity to take advantage of the instability surrounding the succession, moved quickly in summoning Dafydd to Gloucester and forcing him to pay homage.  Henry also forced Dafydd to surrender  most of Llywelyn's territorial gains.  According to Mathew Paris, the claim of Dafydd's half brother, Gruffydd, whom Dafydd had reportedly imprisoned in Criccieth Castle  was used by Henry as a bargaining tool against Dafydd, as he suggests that Gruffydd may have sought royal help in overthrowing Dafydd.

Dafydd did his best to delay the implementation of this treaty, but Henry lost patience and invaded North Wales the following year, forcing Dafydd to surrender and agree to the harsher   Treaty of Gwerneigron on 29 August 1241.  In which, Dafydd agreed to cede large parts of modern-day Flintshire to Henry. The treaty also obliged Dafydd to hand over Gruffydd to Henry, who promptly imprisoned him in the Tower of London.

On 15th May 1689, George Jeffreys ("Hanging Judge Jeffreys") died.

Jeffreys, known as the ‘hanging judge’, was a lawyer notorious for his brutality and corruption. He was born in Wrexham in 1645 and was educated at Westminster School, and at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar in 1668.

Jeffreys was leading prosecuting council in several of the trials of suspects involved in an alleged Catholic conspiracy between 1678 and 1681, to kill King Charles II, called the ‘Popish Plot’ and gained a reputation for taking bribes and using suspect evidence.

Then in 1685, Jeffreys presided over the trial known as the ‘Bloody Assizes after the Duke of Monmouth had led an unsuccessful rebellion against King James II.   He tried 1300 men, all of whom he convicted, hanging 320, with the remainder sent for transportation to the colonies as slave labour. He also sentenced Monmouth, to death by beheading by a blunt axe.

When James was deposed in 1688, Jeffreys tried to flee the country by disguising himself as a sailor. He was however captured and held in the Tower of London but died before he could face trial for his actions.

On the 15th May 1973, the Llyn Brianne dam was officially inaugurated by Princess Alexandra.

Llyn Brianne is a man-made reservoir in the headwaters of the River Tywi at Rhandirmwyn, above Llandovery, constructed to provide water for Swansea and it's surrounding area. It is, in essence, a constructed mountain of crushed rock and clay 300 ft high, blocking the valley, it is the tallest dam in the UK and is the world's largest clay core dam.  In 1996 a concrete extension was built, which  increased the capacity of the reservoir  14,200 million gallons, it also has a hydroelectric plant, with three turbines producing 4.3Mw – enough electricity to power a small town.  It is named after a stream, called ‘Nant y Bryniau’, misspelt as Brianne.  

 

Born this day 1892 in Pentwyn Deintyr, Quakers Yard, Treharris.

Born this day 1771 in Newtown, Powys

Robert Owen , social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism (the beginnings of socialism) and the cooperative movement.

Owen  worked in the drapery trade, becoming the manager of a mill in Manchester, where he also became a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, who discussed the ideas of reformers and philosophers of the Enlightenment.

Through marriage, he became  part owner of the New Lanark mill in Manchester, which he ran using high principles and focusing less on commercial gain.  He is credited with founding the cooperative shops of Britain by opening a store for his employees where they could buy goods of sound quality at little more than wholesale cost.  At New Lanark, he also provided the revolutionary service of infant childcare for his workers.  The mills were a great success but displeased Owen's partners because of the expense incurred by some of his schemes.

Tired of the restrictions imposed on him by men who wished to conduct the business on less compassionate principles, Owen bought his partners out and New Lanark became a centre of interest for social reformer.

Owen had no religion but believed that the formation of a man's character was due to physical, moral and social influences, from his earliest years.  Through these beliefs he endeavoured to put into practice plans for alleviating poverty through Socialism, by;

*  Suggesting that Communities should only be of about twelve hundred persons, each to be settled on quantities of land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres. 

*  All people in the community living in one large building in the form of a square, with public kitchen and mess-rooms.

*  Each family should have its own private apartments, with children over the age of three to be brought up by the community, with their parents having access to them frequently, but only at arranged times.

*  He purposed a wage equality, in which each person in the society (over the age of 15) would receive only sufficient for to their needs.

In 1825, an experiment of a community based on Owen's beliefs was attempted at Orbiston near Glasgow and the following  year Owen himself began another at New Harmony, Indiana.  Both failed completely, but it is the cooperative movement, that remains to this day a legacy to his work and beliefs.  He died in Newtown on 17 November 1858.  

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1147 – 14 May 1219) was regarded by many to bes the "best knight that ever lived." and one of the most powerful men in Europe.  He served four kings –Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, John, and Henry III and by the time he died, people throughout Europe referred to him simply as "the Marshal".

William Marshal played an important role in the political and military history of Wales and the Marches.  He was a benefactor of the abbeys of Tintern and Pembroke, the priory at Pill near Milford Havenl and granted the town of Haverfordwest its charter.

1189 - Marshal became the 1st Earl of Pembroke" by his marriage to Isabel de Clare

1192 - During the campaign of Rhys ap Gruffydd against the Normans, Marshal was one of the Norman leaders which raised the siege of Swansea castle. 

1202 - Marshal was made the custodian of Cardigan Castle by King John.

1204 - Marshal captured Cilgerran Castle from Maelgwn ap Rhys.

1207-11 - During a rift with King John, Marshal was deprived of the castle of Cardigan.

1212 - Marshal fought with John in the war against Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.

1213 - Back in Royal favour, he was restored to the castles of Haverfordwest, Cardigan, Carmarthen and Gower and became King John's representative in South Wales and commander of the Marcher barons struggle with Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.

1218 When hostilities ended with the Peace of Worcester Llywelyn ap Iorwerth was given custody of the castles of Cardigan and Carmarthen, but Marshal retained Caerleon which he had taken from Morgan ap Hywel in 1217.  

Born on this day 1888 at Pen-y-bont-fawr, Oswestry.

Nansi Richards  -  Telynores Maldwyn (“the Harpist of Montgomeryshire”) who was the most  distinguished figure in traditional harp-playing in Wales in the 20th century and brought the harp playing back into prominence. 

Interestingly, on a trip to America, she met with Will Kellogg, the corn flakes manufacturer, who was looking for advertising ideas. Richards suggested using the similarity between the  Welsh word for cockerel "ceiliog" and Kellogg's own name and hence, Cornelius Rooster was born.

On 14th May 1951, the narrow gauge Talyllyn Railway was reopened from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn, by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society. It is the world's first railway to be preserved as a heritage railway by volunteers.

The line was first used from 1866 to transport slate from the Bryn Eglwys quarry to Towyn.  

On 14th May 1896, Garth Pier, Bangor was opened by Lord Penrhyn. 

At 1550 feet long it is the second longest in Wales after Llandudno pier and stretches just over half way across Afon Menai.  Until 1914, a railway ran the length of the pier connecting with the landing stage which handled steamers from Blackpool, Liverpool and Douglas, Isle of Man.   After years of neglect and consequent deterioration the pier was finally closed to the public in 1971, and, in 1974, taken into the ownership of the county council, who proposed to demolish it.  However, Bangor City Council bought the pier for one penny in 1982 and organised its restoration which was completed with the pier's official opening in 1988.  

Born this day 1933 in Gwaun Cae Gurwen

Siân Phillips , CBE, World famous actress, best known for her roles in the television drama's I. Claudius (for which she won a BAFTA), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People.  She also starred in the films Becket ( in which she appeared alongside her then husband Peter O'Toole), Goodbye, Mr Chips andMurphy's War.  

Born this day 1935 in Swansea

Mel Charles , former Wales soccer international and captain. He is the brother of  John Charles and had the impressive record of going through his whole career without being booked or sent off.

Born this day 1938 in Upper Cwmtwrch, Swansea Valley

Clive Rowlands OBE ,  former Wales rugby international, captain and coach. Unusually, he was captain for all fourteen of his international caps and as a coach, he won a Grand Slam in 1971.  Rowlands was the manager of the Lions tour to Australia in 1989, as well as managing Wales in the 1987 Rugby World Cup. He was also President of the Welsh Rugby Union in 1989.