LAST week we looked at the history of Llandovery Castle where we briefly touched on the stainless steel statue located at the site.
This week we look more at the statue and the story behind who Llewelyn ap Gruffud Fychan was and why his death is commemorated with the statue.
Who was Llewelyn ap Gruffud Fychan?
Llewelyn ap Gruffud Fychan was a 60-year-old local landowner from Caio and father. Not much is known about his life, but according to Adam of Usk, a chronicler, Llewelyn was known for his hospitality. He said that Llewelyn used ’fifteen pipes of wine’ a year in his house.
On October 9, 1401, he was given a brutal death, even by medieval standards.
He was hauled in front of Llandovery Castle where he was dragged to the gallows before being disembowled, with his stomach reportedly being cooked in front of him, and then dismembered, with reports stating he was hung, drawn and quartered.
It is said that his salted or pickled body parts were sent to be exhibited in other Welsh towns and his head was said to have been spiked at the Tower of London.
But what crime did Llewelyn commit to deserve such a gruesome ending?
The orders for his execution came from then English King Henry IV who was battling to keep Wales during the Owain Glyndwr uprising.
Llewelyn, who had two sons in Glyndwr’s army, was accused of committing treason and his brutal death was a way for the King to deter those supporting Glyndwr.
MORE NEWS:
- Popular dad-of-two Arwel Davies tragically died, inquest hears
- New book explores Pontarddulais man's role in early rise of American soccer
He was sentenced to death after offering to help the King and his son (the future King Henry V) capture the prince. But instead he lead the king’s men across the uplands of Deheubarth for a number of weeks. The wild goose chase bought the Welsh prince time to escape.
The king’s plan to deter Glyndwr’s supporters didn’t have much success as Glyndwr’s campaign continued for another 14 years and the prince was never captured.
Why is there a statue of Llewelyn ap Gruffudd Fychan at Llandovery Castle?
A group of people dedicated their time to keeping the memory of Llewelyn alive. They were led by the late Rhobert ‘Castro’ ap Steffan, a retired Llangadog art teacher who wanted to commemorate a local hero with a statue in Llandovery.
A campaign began in 1998 for the statue to be created.
The statue is a 16-foot stainless steel structure of an empty helmet with cloak and armour that was unveiled in October 2001, marking 600 years since his death.
It was part funded by the Arts Council of Wales and created by renowned Welsh sculptor David Petersen’s sons Toby and Gideon.
Gideon Petersen told our sister site The National, both he and his older brother Toby are very proud of the statue and it had been chosen by the public from a shortlist of five maquettes displayed at the Llandovery Heritage Centre.
He said: “We decided to do something that didn’t have the body in it and it was more in keeping with the spirit of Llywelyn Fychan and also we couldn’t get a picture of him but we wanted to portray that spirit with the empty cloak and helmet.
“We had him facing the spot in the town where he’d been hung, drawn and quartered.
“The whole idea was for the statue to be a focal point for the town and an attraction for tourists and to remember Welsh history. He wasn’t a fictional character and the idea was that he wouldn’t be forgotten to the sands of time.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here