William Cragh

William Cragh

William Cragh was a medieval Welsh warrior and supporter of Rhys ap Maredudd, lord of the lands of Ystrad Tywi. Captured in 1290 by the son of William de Briouze, the Cambro-Norman Lord of Gower, he was tried and found guilty of having killed 13 men. Cragh began to show signs of life the day after his execution and over the subsequent few weeks made a full recovery, living at least another eighteen years. His resurrection was one of thirty-eight miracles presented to the papal commissioners who in 1307 were charged with examining the evidence for Thomas de Cantilupe’s saintliness.

About William Cragh in brief

Summary William CraghWilliam Cragh was a medieval Welsh warrior and supporter of Rhys ap Maredudd, lord of the lands of Ystrad Tywi, in his rebellion against King Edward I of England. Captured in 1290 by the son of William de Briouze, the Cambro-Norman Lord of Gower, he was tried and found guilty of having killed 13 men. Cragh began to show signs of life the day after his execution and over the subsequent few weeks made a full recovery, living at least another eighteen years. His resurrection was one of thirty-eight miracles presented to the papal commissioners who in 1307 were charged with examining the evidence for Thomas de Cantilupe’s saintliness. The main primary source for Cragh’s story is the record of the investigation into the canonisation of Thomas de Cantilupe, which is held in the Vatican Library. It is unclear what became of Trahaern ap Hywel, but his body may have been buried by the gallows, but the younger William de-Brize had visited the house in which Mary’s body was kept and sent it into it into the town at the request of William Bourize’s wife, Lady Mary. The body was never seen again, and it is unclear if it ever became part of the Welsh landscape.

The story of William Cragh is told in the book, The Death and Life of a Welsh Rebel, published by Simon & Schuster, £25.99, and published by Macmillan, London, in 1292. The book is also available in paperback, priced £20, and is available on Kindle, iPad, and Kindle Fire, £5.99. To order a copy of the book for £10, visit www.macmillan.co.uk/shop/shop-shop/wales-wales/welsh-revolving-revelation-the-death-and-life-of-a-warrior- William-Cragh-1290-1292. For more information on the book or to order your copy, call the Mail Online newsdesk on 08457 909090 or visit http://www.mailonline.com/news/world-news/w Wales/1292/Welsh-Rebel-Revelations-The-Death-And-Life-Of-A-War-Of A Rebel-The Story-of William Cragh, 0809090, or the MailOnline Newsdesk, £7.50, on 0809090. For the second edition of this article, please visit the MailOnline home page, The Mail Online, £6.99 (including p&p). For the third edition, please click on the link below, and for the fourth, click here, the Mailonline home page.