Battlefields›Battle of Mechain
Medieval

Battle of Mechain

1069
Wales
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Victor
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
Outcome
Victory for Bleddyn ap Cynfyn.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Mechain was fought in Powys, Wales, in 1070, for rule of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys. The battlefield may be near Llanfechain in northern Powys. A written account is included in the Brut y Tywysogion, the medieval Welsh chronicle of the princes. It is also referred to in the work of medieval poets such as Lewys Glyn Cothi.

After the murder of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, Harold Godwinson married his widow Ealdgyth and divided Gruffydd's realm into the traditional kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys, the rule of which were given to Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and his brother Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn. Gruffydd left two sons— Maredudd and Idwal–who in 1070 challenged Bleddyn and Rhiwallon at Mechain in an attempt to win back part of their father's kingdom. However, both sons were defeated, Idwal (or Ithel) being killed in combat and Maredudd dying of exposure after the battle.

Rhiwallon was also killed in this battle, leaving Bleddyn to rule Gwynedd and Powys alone.

"Battle of Mechain". www.llanfechain.org.uk. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2009.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Mechain lies on Caradoc Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Mechain

This page covers Battle of Mechain. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Mechain

Bwlch-y-Cibau Enclosure
Bwlch-y-Cibau Enclosure
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~2.1 mi

Bwlch-y-Cibau Enclosure is a prehistoric earthwork defence situated on Caradocian bedrock in Wales. The site lies upon mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formations of the Caradoc period, geology that would have influenced both the construction methods available to its builders and the character o…

Penny Mayes / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Plas Uchaf Enclosure
Plas Uchaf Enclosure
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~2.6 mi

Plas Uchaf Enclosure is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference DE227. The site sits upon bedrock composed of Caradoc Rocks, undifferentiated mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formations dating to the Caradocian period. This geology w…

John Firth / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Llwyn Bryn-Dinas Camp
Llwyn Bryn-Dinas Camp
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~2.8 mi

Llwyn Bryn-Dinas Camp is a hillfort located in Denbighshire, Wales, that dates to the Iron Age period. The site is situated on elevated terrain and is defended by earthwork ramparts characteristic of prehistoric fortified settlements in Wales. Like other hillforts of its class, it would have serv…

Jeremy Bolwell / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Hen Domen
Hen Domen
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~3.4 mi

Hen Domen is a medieval motte constructed on the border of Powys and Shropshire in Wales. The earthwork rises prominently from a foundation of Ashgill rocks—mudstones, siltstones and sandstones laid down in the Ashgill period—which provided a naturally stable base for the substantial mound. The s…

Jeremy Bolwell / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Sycharth Mound and Bailey Castle
Sycharth Mound and Bailey Castle
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~3.5 mi

Sycharth Mound and Bailey Castle is a motte and bailey earthwork located in Denbighshire, Wales, dating to the medieval period. The site consists of a substantial mound with an adjoining bailey, representing the characteristic defensive architecture of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Sycharth…

Llywelyn2000 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ty-Newydd Dyke
Ty-Newydd Dyke
Scheduled monument · Unknown · ~3.8 mi

Ty-Newydd Dyke is a linear earthwork of uncertain date and purpose located in Wales. The monument runs across landscape underlain by Ashgill Rocks, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits that form a relatively soft bedrock foundation. This geological substrate would have present…

John Firth / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Domen Castell Mound & Bailey Castle
Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.2 miles
Soldier's Mount
Scheduled monument · Prehistoric · ~1.6 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Mechain

Battle of Carreghofa
1213
~4.3 miles away
Henry V Suppression of Lollards: Oldcastle Final Capture 1417
1417
~6.7 miles away
Battle of Buttington (alternative dating, 894)
894
~8.1 miles away
Glyndwr Razes Welshpool, Early Phase 1400
1400
~8.4 miles away
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