On the Gower peninsula, overlooking the salt marshes of Llanrhidian, Weobley Castle is a medieval fortified manor that passed, in the late fifteenth century, into the hands of one of the great Welsh architects of the coming of the Tudors. Its destiny turned with the spectacular treason of its heir.
The manor of Rhys ap Thomas
In the late fifteenth century, Weobley passed to the powerful Sir Rhys ap Thomas — the great Welsh lord whose rallying was decisive in Henry Tudor's victory at Bosworth (1485). According to legend, it was on his body or beneath his feet that Richard III is said to have died, to believe a prophecy. Although his principal seat was Carew, Rhys ap Thomas modernised Weobley by adding a two-storey porch, for a more dignified and stately entrance. This detail illustrates the way the great Welshmen loyal to the Tudors, showered with favours, embellished their houses to display their new status.
The fall of a house
Weobley's destiny turned with the following generation. Rhys ap Thomas's grandson, Rhys ap Gruffydd, fell from favour under Henry VIII and was executed for treason in 1531 — an obscure episode, no doubt linked to the tensions around the royal divorce and the distrust of the great lords. The Crown then confiscated the estate. Weobley was later sold, in 1560, to William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, another great Welshman of the royal circle. The fall of the house of Rhys ap Thomas illustrates the very fragility of the most loyal servants of the Tudors: royal favour could turn in an instant. To see: the Tudor porch, the great hall and chapel, the views over the Llanrhidian salt marshes and the Loughor estuary.
Did you know?
The family that had brought Henry Tudor to the throne was broken by its grandson: Rhys ap Gruffydd, heir of Sir Rhys ap Thomas — the man without whom Bosworth might have been lost —, ended beheaded for treason in 1531. In two generations, the greatest Welsh house passed from the summit of royal favour to the scaffold. Nothing better tells how far, under Henry VIII, to serve the Crown remained a mortal game.
Notes
Weobley Castle lies at Llanrhidian, Gower peninsula, Swansea; a ruin run by Cadw, open to visits. Seasonal hours to check.
Quiz
- Which great Welshman modernised Weobley?
- Sir Rhys ap Thomas (architect of Bosworth)
- Cardinal Wolsey
- Owain Glyndŵr
- What did his grandson Rhys ap Gruffydd undergo in 1531?
- He was executed for treason
- He was crowned
- He went on crusade
- To whom was Weobley sold in 1560?
- William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke
- The pope
- The Mansels