Battle of Bryn Glas
Battle of Bryn Glass
The village of Pileth with the church (2007)
The Battle of Bryn Glas, also called the Battle of Pilleth, was a battle between a Welsh and an English army during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr. The clear victory of the Welsh rebels over a significant English army led to an expansion of the rebellion.
In June 1402 Owain Glyndŵr invaded Radnorshire with a Welsh force. On 22 June 1402, Edmund Mortimer, a son of the Earl of March, opposed him at Pilleth near the towns of Knighton and Presteigne in Powys with an English force raised in Herefordshire and the surrounding area. The English army also included a contingent of Welsh archers from Mortimer's holdings in Maelienydd.
The exact location of the battle has not been established, it is likely that the battle took place on the slopes of Bryn Glas to the south of St Mary's Church of Pilleth. The course of the battle has been described in several contemporary or contemporaneous accounts which, although differing in detail, nevertheless describe a consistent course of the battle.
The Welsh army under Glyndŵr had taken up a position on the top of the hill, where they were attacked by the English army. Suddenly the Welsh soldiers of the English army defected to the rebels, so that the Welsh now clearly outnumbered the English. The English commander Mortimer was taken prisoner. According to contemporary accounts, between 200 and 1100 English soldiers fell. It is said that the victorious Welsh forbade the burial of the fallen English soldiers, whose bodies were mutilated by Welsh women. To the west of the church, the 19th century Welsh politician Richard Green-Price had six Wellingtonia planted to mark a mass grave where victims of the battle were believed to have been buried.
As the English king refused to redeem Mortimer, he too eventually changed sides and married Owain Glyndŵr's daughter Catherine on 30 November 1402.
Questions and Answers
Q: When was the Battle of Bryn Glas fought?
A: The Battle of Bryn Glas was fought on 22 June 1402.
Q: What was the Welsh Revolt?
A: The Welsh Revolt was a rebellion that took place from 1400 to 1415.
Q: Who led the rebel forces of Wales during the Battle of Bryn Glas?
A: The rebel forces of Wales during the Battle of Bryn Glas were led by Owain Glyndŵr.
Q: Who led the English army during the Battle of Bryn Glas?
A: The English army during the Battle of Bryn Glas was led by Sir Edmund Mortimer.
Q: Where was the location of the Battle of Bryn Glas?
A: The exact location of the Battle of Bryn Glas is not known, but research shows that it was probably on Bryn Glas hill, to the east, west, and south of the church of St. Mary.
Q: What happened to Mortimer during the Battle of Bryn Glas?
A: Mortimer was captured by the Welsh during the Battle of Bryn Glas.
Q: What happened to the bodies of the dead English after the Battle of Bryn Glas?
A: The bodies of the dead English were left on the battlefield; later the bones were collected and buried in the churchyard.
