I63182: WILLIAM ap Thomas of Raglan CastleSir (1401

Notes

"SIR WILLIAM AP THOMAS: In 1426, Ap Thomas was knighted by Henry VI, becoming known to his compatriots as 'Y marchog glas o went' (the Blue Knight of Gwent).

Raglan, stately and handsome, is perhaps deceptive. The might of its angular towers bears comparison with the great castles of Edward I, and suggests its origins lay in the bitter conflicts of the later 13th century. In face it belongs mainly to the 15th century, and was as much a product of social aspiration as it
was of military necessity. It was begun by Sir William ap Thomas, a veteran of the French wars, who grew wealthy through exploiting his position as a local agent of the duke of York in south-east Wales. About 1435 he began building the Great Tower, subsequently known as the Yellow Tower of Gwent, probably on the site of a much earlier Norman motte-and-bailey castle. Surrounded by a water-filled moat, the unusual hexagonal plan of the tower, together with its elaborate drawbridge arrangements, are more easily paralleled in France than in Britain. Within, there was a single large room to each floor, and the entire structure echoed the power and influence of its builder.

Following ap Thomas's death he was succeeded by his son William Herbert who continued to develop Raglan. As a prominent Yorkist, he played a major role in securing the throne for Edward IV in 1461, and was raised to the peerage as Lord Herbert of Raglan. Eventually rising to earl of Pembroke, his political career is reflected in his sumptuous building. Under Herbert, Raglan became a veritable palace, unmatched in the 15th century southern March. He added the great gatehouse, the Pitched Stone Court and also rebuilt the Fountain Court with a series of formal state apartments for himself and his household. All of these repay careful examination. Notice, for example, the circular gun ports in the lower part of the gatehouse. The great kitchen lay in the tower at the corner of the Pitched Stone Court, and its huge ovens and fireplaces remain.

Herbert was beheaded following his defeat at the battle of Edgecote in 1469, and there were no further major alterations to Raglan until the ownership of William Somerset, earl of Worcester (1548-89). In the main, he was responsible for extensive changes to the hall, which remains the finest and most complete of all apartments in the castle. The huge fireplace survives, as does the tracery of the beautiful windows. These were once filled with heraldic glass, and the roof was built of Irish oak. Earl William also added the long gallery, without which no great Elizabethan house was complete.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Raglan was garrisoned for the king. Henry, the new earl, and later marquess of Worcester, poured his fortune into the royal cause. By 1646 the castle was under siege, one of the longest of the Civil War. It was pounded by heavy artillery under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax, and finally the elderly marquess was forced to surrender.
The fall of Raglan virtually marked the end of the Civil War, and Cromwell's demolition engineers were soon at work reducing the great walls. However, the strength of the Great Tower was almost great enough to defy them. Only after 'tedious battering the top thereof with pickaxes', did they eventually undermine
the walls and two of its six sides were brought crashing down in a mass of falling masonry.
Source: www.castlewales.com/raglan.html

Children:
1. William HERBERT (1º E. Pembroke) Married: Anne DEVEREUX (C. Pembroke)
2. Elizabeth HERBERT Married: Henry STRADLING (Sir) (b. ABT 1430 - d. ABT 1451, Famagusta, Cyprus)
3. Richard HERBERT of Colebrooke
4. Thomas HERBERT
5. Elizabeth Verch WILLIAM Ap THOMAS Married: Cawdgan Ap GRIFFITH DON
6. Margaret Verch WILLIAM Ap THOMAS Married: Henry WOGAN
7. Maud Verch WILLIAM Ap THOMAS Married: How O'ER BLAENAU
8. Olivia Verch WILLIAM Ap THOMAS Married: Thomas FLEMING

^[S2394] ^[S2807]

[311793]
died Ragland Castle, Monmouthshire, England

My Southern Family

Sir WILLIAM ap Thomas of Raglan Castle

1401 - 1446

ID Number: I63182

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Peter ABELL

1745 - ABT 1785

ID Number: I68549

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Fred PARVIN ALVIS

Lonnie D. BONNER

16 Nov 1875 - 5 Sep 1892

ID Number: I22116

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Richard BURKS

ABT 1761 - ____

ID Number: I47261

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William Champe CARTER

ABT 1770 - ____

ID Number: I85069

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Jennifer Karen DUDLEY

Coleman ESTES

22 Apr 1778 - bet. 1838-1844

ID Number: I95240

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Moley GRAVES

29 Dec 1776 - ____

ID Number: I24486

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Patience JOBE

2 Jul 1710 - BEF 22 Dec 1762

ID Number: I78720

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Elizabeth "Eliza" MAJOR

ABT 1790 - 1852

ID Number: I55945

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PETER STRADLING of St.Donat's, Glamorgan

____ - BEF 1314

ID Number: I72465

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Mary Amelia TALIAFERRO

____ - ____

ID Number: I104339

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