Sir William ap Thomas of Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire

Name and Title: Sir William ap Thomas

Born: Sometime in the 1380s.

Died: 3 May 1445, London.

Buried: St Mary’s Priory, Abergavenny, Wales.

The Early Years of William ap Thomas

William ap Thomas was born into the Welsh gentry. The family most likely descended from a younger son or daughter of a pre-Norman royal family who ruled the Kingdom of Gwent. His date of birth is not known. However, he married for the first time in 1406. Therefore, historians conclude William was most likely born sometime in the 1380s.

William was the son of Sir Thomas ap Gwyllym, Knt (d. 1438) of Perth-hir House and Maud Morley, daughter and co-heir of Sir John Morley of Llansantffraed. After his father-in-law’s death, Thomas inherited Morley’s country seat at Llansantffraed Court by the right of his wife. Llansantffraed Court was located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Raglan, where William would later establish his principal country seat. We will return to how William became the owner of Raglan Castle shortly.

Although only the fifth son of a minor gentry family, William Ap Thomas went on to amass power, wealth and status in a stellar piece of social climbing, primarily due to making two advantageous marriages. The first was to Elizabeth Berkeley (also known as ‘Isobel Bluet’ or ‘Bloet’), a widow with familial ties to the omnipotent Beauchamp family. Her father was Sir John Bluet of Raglan. Their marriage was childless.

The second marriage was to Gwladus Gam. According to her elegy, composed by Lewys Glyn Cothi, a contemporary of Gwladus, she was described as ‘y seren o Efenni … braich i Went a Brychandir’, ‘the star of Abergavenny, the strength of Gwent and Brecon’s land’. Thus, she was recognised not only as a lady of great beauty but also an influential woman of substance in her native land of south east Wales.

They were married in 1421 in Bredwardine, Herefordshire (if you are wondering why Bredwardine, Gwladus’ previous husband, Sir Roger Vaughan was ‘of Brewardine’. It seems this was where she was still living when her second husband turned up to whisk her down the aisle.)

It is tricky to tie down the exact number of legitimate children they left behind. It is perhaps safest to say that the pair had several children together. They included William (later ‘Sir William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke’), Richard (Later ‘Sir Richard of Coldbrook, who was executed alongside his brother following defeat at the Battle of Edgcote in 1469) and two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. In addition, William seems to have fathered many illegitimate offspring, including a line that inherited Troy House (visited by Henry VII and Elizabeth of York during the 1502 progress.)

William’s marriage to Gwladus was most likely responsible for propelling William’s career forward. Her father was Sir Dafydd Gam. He had illustrious connections to the Lancastrian royal court, serving Henry V and his young heir, Henry VI – notably fighting for the former at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. He was also ‘one of the staunchest supporters of the English crown against Owain Glynd?r.’

It is believed that William’s second father-in-law introduced him to the court in London. William ap Thomas clearly made an impression and must have served the Crown diligently, as he was rewarded on Whitsunday 1426 by being knighted and becoming ‘Sir William’. William ap Thomas was a substantial landowner in southeast Wales by this time. Furthermore, he would go on to administer lands on behalf of other, more powerful overlords who held interests in the area. These included those of the Beauchamp family, Richard, Duke of York (upon whose council he served) and the Crown via the lands belonging to the Duchy of Lancaster.

At the time of his death in 1445, Sir William ap Thomas was an influential and wealthy man with tentacles connecting him to some of the most powerful people in the kingdom. It was a good effort, although those efforts would subsequently be eclipsed by those of his eldest son, the future 1st Earl of Pembroke, who would raise the family from the wealthy landed gentry class to the heady heights of the nobility.

Inheriting Raglan Castle

We have already mentioned how Sir William’s parents owned a property within two or three miles of Raglan. So, it is not unreasonable to assume that Sir William had spent much time in the area during his youth.

However, his first wife, Elizabeth, brought Raglan into Sir William’s property portfolio, which she had inherited when her father died. Upon Elizabeth’s death in 1420, William continued to live in the castle as a tenant of his stepson, James Berkeley. While it was agreed that Sir William could live at Raglan for life, in fact, he eventually bought the castle outright in 1432. Subsequently, Sir William ap Thomas used his burgeoning prosperity to augment and develop the castle. He is credited as one of the principal protagonists responsible for creating the Raglan Castle we see today.

The Burial and Tomb of Sir William ap Thomas

One source records that Sir William died in London, probably on 3 May. He was 60-70 years old at the time of his death. His body was brought back to Wales, where he was buried alongside his wife in the Priory of St Mary’s in Abergavenny, which lay 10 miles from Sir William’s home at Raglan Castle.

Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century, the Priory of St Mary was a Benedictine monastery founded by the Lords of Abergavenny. While much of the monastery was destroyed at the Dissolution, the priory church survives today as a parish church. It is one of the largest in Wales and is sometimes referred to as’ The Westminster Abbey of Wales’ on account of its size and the collection of fabulous medieval tombs.

These tombs can be found in the Herbert Chapel to the right of the chancel. Amongst them is the alabaster tomb of Sir William and his second wife, Gwladus. There is a detailed paper by Maddy Grey, published by the Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association and Contributors in 2022, describing the appearance and history of the tombs. You can read it in full here. However, I will pull out some of the most salient points and quote them in this blog.

The tomb is made from carved alabaster and is of exceptionally high quality. It has been commented on by several antiquarians and historians over the centuries, has been subject to archaeological investigation, and has been much studied.

The tomb chest is surmounted by effigies of the couple in the usual recumbent position, hands placed in prayer, reminding those left behind to pray for their souls. Grey’s paper describes the appearance of the effigies in detail:

‘She wears an elaborately embroidered horned head-dress and ceremonial dress, a full
mantle with long tassels and a surcote ouverte (a fitted sideless surcoat) over a gown with tight
sleeves. The embroidery on her head-dress is carved but this together with the mantle, surcoat and
gown were probably originally painted. Her head rests on a tasselled cushion supported by angels
and a small dog is biting the hem of her gown. William is in full armour, and his armour is well up
to date: a short cuirass with long tassets below to combine mobility and protection. His helmet is the
traditional great bascinet, complete with what may have been a jewelled orle and elaborate vervelle
covers (these were purely decorative as the bascinet covered the whole head and neck). It rests on
his tilting helm, which has a turbaned female head as its crest. His feet with their very up-to-date
V-shaped sabaton lames rest on a lion. He wears a livery collar of interlinked SS, a royal gift and
a symbol of his loyalty to the ruling house of Lancaster.’

Grey makes the point that Gwladus lies to Sir William’s right. She outlived her second husband by nine years and given her independent wealth and status, Maddy Grey postulates that Gwladus possibly commissioned the tomb and that we should see this tomb as hers, with her husband lying next to her, rather than this primarily belonging to Sir William.

Around the chest of the tomb are craved figures of Saints and apostles, which, according to Grey, is quite unusual and of particular interest. If you visit, you might note that the tomb has no wording to identify who lies within. However, cross-referencing with early and antiquarian accounts of the tomb (and its heraldry) and the detail of Sir William’s armour have allowed the monument to be identified as belonging to Sir William ap Thomas and his wife.

The question remains as to whether the bodies of Sir William and Gwladus are in the chest. To that question, we at least have a tentative answer. Apparently, ‘excavation in 1994 found that the tomb chest was resting on what was described as ‘two decorated floor slabs’ and that the cavity contained disarticulated human remains, decorated wood fragments, and dried plant remains.’ So, it seems at least some of the remains lie interred in the alabaster chest.

Visitor Information

St Mary’s Priory can be found in the Monmouthshire town of Abergavenny, about 10 miles from Sir William ap Thomas’ home at Raglan Castle. The tombs can be found in the priory church as described above. Adjacent to the priory is a large car park (ticket is required from a ticket machine on site). This makes access very easy.

The church is open most days until 2 pm, and there is always a steward at the entrance to welcome you and direct you to your destination. Note: As well as the fabulous medieval tombs, the church contains a Tudor tomb of Dr David Lewis (d.1584); he was a local man who achieved fame by becoming an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I and was appointed first principal of Jesus College, Oxford.

There are also two seats in the chancel, made for Prince Arthur Tudor and Katherine of Aragon and bearing appropriate Tudor heraldry. Although Ludlow (where the couple were based for a few short months before Arthur’s death) is around 50 miles away, it was deemed close enough to create these chairs of the estate in their honour. However, I am not aware that the couple ever honoured the town with a visit.

As a lover of medieval history, you will also want to take note of the enormous carved Jesse in the side chapel adjacent to Dr Lewis’ tomb. According to St Mary’s Priory website, Jesse is an ‘…extraordinary larger-than-life figure [which] once formed the base of an intricate and elaborate construction… depicting the lineage of Jesus Christ from Jesse, the father of King David.’ It dates to the fifteenth century and is carved from one solid piece of oak. ‘It was originally highly coloured and depicted all the Davidic kings and descendants, surmounted by the figures of Mary and the Child and Christ in glory.’

Also in Abergavenny is the Catholic Church of St Mary, which houses the other 1502 chasuble; if you are lucky, prior arrangement will allow you to see it.

Other Locations Nearby

Chepstow Castle (23 Miles): Chepstow is another location on the 1502 progress. This mighty medieval fortress is a fascinating castle, both historically and architecturally. During the Tudor period, it was owned by the Earls of Worcester, with Elizabeth Browne, Countess of Worcester (the woman whose words were first used against Anne Boleyn to ignite the destruction of the Boleyn faction), is buried in the nearby parish church. Just be sure to check it is open before you visit! I will write more about this location in a subsequent entry.

Tintern Abbey (23 Miles): If you love wandering among abbey ruins, nearby Tintern, nestled in the glorious Wye Valley, will be just the ticket. As any medieval abbey, it was slighted following its Dissolution in 1539 and, therefore, is inextricably linked to the seismic religious changes that shook England to its core in the 1530s. You can check out the Cadw website here to learn more about visiting Tintern Abbey.

Skenfrith, Monmouthshire (12 Miles): Take a 12-mile excursion to the small village of Skenfrith. In the local church (St Bridget’s), you will find the Skenfrith Cope on display. This magnificent garment is dated to the late 1400s and is thought to have been one of the church vestments given to the local religious community by Elizabeth of York and Henry VII during their stay at Troy House or Raglan (although I understand more recently this provenance has been disputed). Still, it is a magnificent survivor of the period.

Tretower Court: (9 Miles): Tretower Court evolved from the adjacent Tretower Castle site and is a scarce example of its type in that it shows how a castle gradually developed into another significant type of medieval building, the fortified manor house or defended house. It is linked with the Herbert family of Raglan Castle fame and the Vaughan family,  who fought prominently for the Yorkist cause during the Wars of the Roses.

Sources

St Mary’s Priory Website.

THE TOMB OF GWLADUS DDU AND WILLIAM AP THOMAS IN THE PRIORY CHURCH OF ST MARY, ABERGAVENNY, by Maddy Gray. Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association and Contributors, VOLUME XXXVII. 2022.

Guto’s Wales: The Life of a Poet in Fifteenth Century Wales website