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 POLITICAL HISTORY to cope with the Welsh within the borders of the county/^' but without much result. The most serious aspect of his position was that the pay of his troops was in arrear. The situation was redeemed in March by a defeat of the Welsh before Grosmont Castle by a small force detached by Prince Henry under Lord Talbot of Archenfield,"" the elder brother of the great earl of Shrewsbury. In consequence the inhabitants of several outlying districts in the Black Forest, the upper valley of the Usk, and the Golden Valley, sent in their submission to the sheriff at Hereford."" Immediately after this victory Prince Henry was appointed lieutenant of North Wales for a year,^*^ the duke of York being relieved of his command. On 14 May, 1405, the king himself entered Hereford on his way to Wales and made his head quarters there.^*^ But on 23 May the news of the rising of Northumberland and Bardolph forced him to hasten north. In his absence the Welsh, aided by French auxiliaries, burst into Herefordshire after capturing Carmarthen, and on his return to Worcester on 22 August he found them ravaging in Worcestershire within ten miles of the city. His presence forced them to retire after facing him for eight days at Woodbury Hill. Proclamations dated 24 August called up the forces of ten midland counties to join the muster at Worcester or ' elsewhere in Wales,' and on 29 August the order was given requiring the troops to be at Hereford ' by Friday next ' ^** to move forward into Wales. Henry IV entered Hereford in the beginning of September, and on the loth advanced with his army into Glamorganshire, relieving Coity, but losing heavily on his return. By 29 September he was back in Hereford, and by i October he had retired to Worcester, after an expedition which had accomplished very little. During 1406 the war languished owing to the fact that neither king nor prince was present, but in 1407 the muster was summoned to Hereford for 10 June, and Prince Henry unsuccessfully besieged Aberystwith, making Hereford his base for supplies.^" On 30 October he left Hereford for Gloucester, and did not return until 10 June, 1408, after visiting London. By 29 June he had completed his preparations for again assaiUng Aberystwith and Harlech, having collected stores of arrows, sulphur, and saltpetre at Hereford.^*' Aberystwith was recovered after a determined effort, and Harlech also fell before February, 1408-9. These successes mark the close of effective Welsh resistance, and from this time the war ceased to be carried on on a great scale. According to one account Owen Glendower died in obscurity at Monnington, within the county, on 20 September, 141 5, and was buried there.^" The county of Hereford was considerably affected by the Lollard move- ment. Sir John Oldcastle himself was the son of a Herefordshire knight. Sir Richard Oldcastle of Almeley, near Kington.^** He had some land at Weobley.^"" His uncle, Thomas Oldcastle, had been sheriff of Herefordshire from 18 November, 1386, to 18 November, 1387, and from 21 October, ™ Cott. MSS. Vesp. F. xiii. No. i6. ™ Ellis, Original Letters (Ser. 2), i, 39-41 ; Proc. ofP.C. i, 248-50. -" Wylie, Engl, under Hen. IF, ii, 20. "'" Rot. Pat. 5 Hen. IV, pt. ii, m. 29, quoted in Wylie, ii, 170. Wylie, Engl, under Hen. IV, ii, 172. 2« Ibid, ii, 303. Ibid, iii, 107, I I 2-1 3. -'4i JJ,JJ_ ;;;^ ^^^ '" Pennant, Tour in Wales (1778), 368. «» Col. Rot. Pat. (Rec. Soc ) 27-; 277 ^" Cal Rot. Pat. (Rec. Soc), 280 b ; Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc), iv, i 24. '^' "' 3,71 242 243 245