Y Gardden

Ruabon / Hillforts

SJ 29684 44809

‘See their spears distain'd with gore!

Hear the din of battle roar!

Bucklers, swords, together clashing,

Sparkles from their helmets flashing!

Hear ye not their loud alarms?

Hark! they shout—to arms! to arms!

Thus were Garthen's plains defended,

Maelor fight began and ended.

There two princes fought, and there,

Was Morach Vorvran's feast exchang'd for rout and fear.’

Owain Cyfeiliog, Hirlas Owain, The Drinking Horn of Owain

Almost nothing is known of the Battle of Maelor Drefred, the subject of Owain Cyfeiliog’s poem, but there remains the possibility that it was fought in the vicinity of the likely late Bronze Age, early Iron Age hillfort of Y Gardden in Ruabon. The only reference to what would appear to have been a brutal, bitter and bloody slaughter is to be found in Cyfeiliog’s only extant poem. Owain Cyfeiliog (1130-1197), was a prince of Powys and known in his lifetime as an outstanding warrior - Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr, perhaps the most famous Welsh court poet of the 12th century, lauds his martial prowess. But it would seem Owain also had a talent for poetry - Owain Hirlas is considered a poem of real quality, reminiscent of the Gododdin.(1)

Looking south into Y Gardden from the relatively weakly defended northern rampart.

All we can say with relative certainty, is that the poem makes clear that Owain and his men fought the Saxons - the English, and that the Welsh were the victors. The poem itself is a celebration of the relationship of Owain and his warriors after the defeat of their enemy - a not uncommon trope for poetry of the court. But what of the site of the Battle of Maelor Drefred? Can it be linked with any confidence to Ruabon, to the lands surrounding the ancient hillfort of Y Gardden.

The poem states clearly enough that, ‘thus were Garthen’s plains defended.’ Garthen can be rendered easily enough from the Welsh, Cardden, an archaic word meaning, thicket or brake, but also enclosure - a word used here in Ruabon, and often elsewhere to name a hillfort.(2) The fact that similarly named hillforts can be found elsewhere in both Wales and the wider British Isles has confused the siting of the Battle of Drefred. But, then, Owain Cyfeiliog(3) himself, both the writer and star of Owain Hirlas can be placed with absolute certainty in the territory around Ruabon. He was appointed as under-lord of nearby Cyfeiliog by his brother Madog ap Maredudd, king of Powys in 1149 and came into its ownership in his own right in 1160. Ruabon, then was absolutely in Owain’s patch and the intriguing strong possibility that the Battle of Drefred can be placed as being fought in the vicinity of the hillfort of Y Gardden in Ruabon is tantalising. As to the date of the battle - that remains entirely lost, though the fact that Cyfeiliog was an ally of the English from around 1167 onwards would suggest the Battle and probably the poem are dated earlier. Owain had been present at the muster to defend Welsh lands against the ill-fated expedition of Henry II in 1165, much of which occurred in the very near vicinity of Ruabon. Perhaps then the Battle of Drefred was connected to the campaign of Henry II in that year.

Looking east along the northern rampart - note the gentle approach from the north.

The hillfort of Y Gardden itself obviously predates the medieval Battle of Drefren by some 2000 years. A prominent contour hillfort, it was likely raised to control the passage into the Vale of Llangollen from the east. It is then one of a series of hillforts that were built along the northern slopes of the Vale stretching from Ruabon through to Corwen. Y Gardden is a multivallate hillfort on its south and eastern flanks, boasting two ramparts, possibly three, since there is evidence of partial banks further down the hill. Whether these ramparts once formed a continuous embankment from the north east to the south west is unknown. These ramparts face the route into the Vale of Llangollen - a clear sign of strength and purpose. A single bank and ditch would seem to have sufficed for the hillfort’s northern and western flanks. The internal area of the enclosure is some 1.6ha.

The name of the hillfort has been in current usage since at least the late 16th century, and is mentioned in John Norden’s Survey of Bromfield and Iâl of 1620. Thomas Pennant visited the hillfort of ‘Garthen ie. Caer-ddin’, on his travels at the end of the 18th century, and describes seeing an ‘inner dike’,

‘made of loose stones, with a wall of vast thickness on the top. Within the area are many vestiges of buildings, the habitations of the old possessors.’

T. Pennant, Tours in Wales Vol. I, (1784), p. 374

The wall and majority of the stone has long since been removed, probably for the maintenance of the roads in the vicinity. But if Pennant is to be believed, and there doesn’t seem any good reason not to, the hillfort was well inhabited - the remains of the roundhouses now beneath the earth and scrub - awaiting discovery. The hillfort has been known by a number of names since Pennant’s visit, including The Chesters and Chesterfield, suggesting a belief locally that the fort was in fact of Roman origin.(4) However, it retains the older name, Y Gardden.

Section of Offa's Dyke on Tatham Road - facing the southern ramparts of Y Gardden.

Something ought to be said regarding the position of Offa’s Dyke, which runs almost perfectly parallel to the strongest face of Y Gardden, along Tatham Road, little more than a throw of a stone from the outer ramparts of the hillfort. There can be little doubt that the famous 8th century earthwork was built with the hillfort in mind. It has been noted that the Dyke makes a curious diversion around the southern, strongest flanks of Y Gardden, before resuming its largely northern march to Prestatyn. The hillfort is, of course, some 1800 years older than the Dyke, but the positioning of the earthwork raises some intriguing questions, the most pertinent being as to why it was necessary. The obvious answer is that the builders of Offa’s Dyke were given no choice, that the strength of Powys at this time warranted the diversion - that Y Gardden was still in use by the Welsh, probably as a defended site. Powys was certainly in a position of strength at this time, the Mercians having been expelled from much of Powys land by Eliseg, ruler of Powys and focus of the extraordinary and nearby Pillar. It is possible that the territorial lines here were negotiated between the English and Welsh. There is then the intriguing possibility that men of Mercia and men of Powys faced each other, the former upon the raised earthwork of Offa’s Dyke, the latter upon the ramparts of Y Gardden.

There are stones still extant on the eastern ramparts.

Y Gardden is one of many hillforts in North East Wales, and they all have their own stories to tell. But it seems Y Gardden has more than its fair share.

Footnotes

1. So good, in fact, that perhaps unsurprisingly, some believe the poem to have been written by someone other than Owain. The lack of other extant works by the prince makes it impossible to compare his style.

2. There are hillforts dotted throughout the British Isles which share the name, including as far distant from Ruabon as East Sussex. Given the similarity of Carden, or Gardden to the English word, Garden, it's unlikely most would recognise that in fact the name signifies an older, non-English meaning.

3. As his name would obviously suggest. When he became known as Cyfeiliog to distinguish him from other Owains, including Owain ap Gruffyd, known as Owain Gwynedd, is unknown.

Pvt. 593 Jones: What's he up to, 593?

Pvt. 716 Jones: Oh, I think he wants to be a hero, 716.

Cpl. Frederic Schiess, NNC: Haven't you rednecks got names instead of numbers?

Pvt. 716 Jones: 'Tis a Welsh regiment, man! Though there are some foreigners from England in it, mind. I am Jones from Bwlchgwyn, he is Jones from Builth Wells, and there are four more Joneses in C Company! Confusing, isn't it, Dutchy?

Zulu, (1964)

4. It has had other names, including Gardden Camp, Caer Din, y Dref Fawr and Coed Christionydd.