It is said that Rhewl is the site of what was a major battle between the forces of Henry III and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in the 13th century. The army of the Welsh prince was utterly annihilated there, caught by surprise near the banks of the River Dee. Ever since, the woods there have been called, Coed y Gadfa, ‘Wood of the Battle’ or ‘Battle Wood’.
Do the spirits of the Prince of Gwynedd's slain army still wander these woods?
Legends linger in these woods - you're not surprised, I'm sure. Many believe that Llywelyn's troops still wander the woods here - some say as goblins. They were to be heard at night, within the dark of the trees, moaning out their last breaths, endlessly reliving their deaths. So troublesome were these shades, that an old woman who lived by the woods, was paid a handsome sum to enter Coed y Gadfa each night, carrying a bucket of fried frog and rabbit legs. It was thought the stench as she waved the bucket about like a censer was very much like the smell of hastily cremated bodies. The ghosts of Llywelyn's army thus reminded of their own demise, fled from the old woman, leaving the locals free from the moans and groans for another evening.
The old woman was said to live by Coed y Gadfa. Here perhaps..?
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