Abergavenny Castle

Abergavenny is a small Welsh town on the border with England.  The ruins of a 12th Century castle are well worth a visit.  During it's time, it has seen some turbulent history, most noticeably during the Norman kings and those troublesome Welsh Princes, said with my tongue firmly in my cheek.  Two incidents stand out.  The Norman lord of Abergavenny in 1175 was William de Braose.  A few miles away lived Seisyllt ap Dyfnwal, the Welsh lord of Castell Arnallt.  In an act of treachery, de Braose invited Seisyllt and his family, including his son Geoffrey, to Abergavenny Castle at Christmas in a bid to establish peace between them.  In the great hall, de Braose ordered all the men be massacred. To be fair, de Braose was 'avenging' the death of his uncle, Henry, the third son of Milo Fitzwalter, attacked and killed by Seisyllt earlier in 1175!  In 1182, Hywel ap Iorwerth, Lord of Caerleon, retaliated and set the castle alight.  De Braose was not there, but many of his men were captured.