BattlefieldsBattle of Craig-y-dorth
Medieval

Battle of Craig-y-dorth

1404
Monmouthshire, Wales
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Monmouthshire, Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
English forces under Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick
VS
Victor
Owain Glyndwr's Welsh forces
Outcome
Welsh victory; English forces driven back to the gates of Monmouth
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Craig-y-dorth took place in 1404 on the conical hill of Craig-y-dorth, near Mitchel Troy in what is today Monmouthshire, south east Wales, during the revolt of Owain Glyndwr. The engagement formed the concluding phase of a wider sequence of fighting that had begun earlier that summer when Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, led an English force into the region and met Welsh forces at the Battle of Mynydd Cwmdu, near Tretower Castle, northwest of Crickhowell. At Mynydd Cwmdu, Warwick came close to capturing Glyndwr himself, seized his banner, and drove the Welsh into flight down the valley of the River Usk.

The retreating Welsh forces regrouped and turned upon their pursuers, attempting an ambush. The tables were reversed and it was the English who were then chased back, with the Welsh pursuing them as far as the town walls of Monmouth after a skirmish at Craig-y-dorth. The Annals of Owain Glyn Dwr record that at Craig-y-dorth the English were killed for the most part and were pursued right up to the gates of Monmouth, underscoring the completeness of the Welsh recovery after their earlier defeat.

Confirmed battlefield location
Buried history

According to the Annals of Owain Glyn Dwr, at Craig-y-dorth "the English were killed for the most part and they were pursued up to the gates of the town" of Monmouth, a striking reversal given that the same English force under the Earl of Warwick had so recently routed the Welsh at Mynydd Cwmdu and nearly taken Owain Glyndwr himself prisoner.

Casualties & Losses

English losses described as heavy; the English were killed "for the most part" according to the Annals of Owain Glyn Dwr

Forces Involved

English force under Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick versus Welsh forces of Owain Glyndwr

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