Everything about The Statute Of Rhuddlan totally explained
The
Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted on
3 March 1284 after the military conquest in 1282-83 of the
Principality of Wales — which had been established by
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd,
Lord of Aberffraw and
Prince of Wales, and briefly held after his death by his successor
Dafydd ap Gruffudd — by the
King of England Edward I. The statute assumed the lands held by the
Princes of Gwynedd under the title Prince of Wales as legally part of the lands of England under Edward I. Some of the claimed lands such as the south of the
Kingdom of Powys had apparently already been surrendered (in 1283 by
Owen de la Pole: see
Powys entry). These territories didn't include a substantial swathe of land from
Pembrokeshire through south Wales to the
Welsh Borders which was largely in the hands of the
Marcher Lords.
Iron Ring of Fortresses
The Statute of Rhuddlan was issued from
Rhuddlan Castle in North Wales, which was built as one of the 'iron ring' of fortresses by Edward I, in his late-
13th century campaigns against the Welsh.
New counties
After the defeat and death of
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in
1282 and his brother
Dafydd early in
1283, the
Principality of Wales was legally incorporated into
England and King Edward set about pacifying the new territory. The Statute divided the Principality into the
counties of
Anglesey,
Merionethshire,
Caernarfonshire, and
Flintshire, which were created out of the remnants of the
Kingdom of Gwynedd in
north Wales. For the first three, there was a
Justiciar of North Wales and a provincial exchequer at
Caernarfon. Edward I similarly appointed a
Justiciar of West Wales for in
Cardiganshire and
Carmarthenshire. However, the Lordships of
Montgomery and
Builth (both in royal hands) continued to be administered separately, rather like
marcher lordships. The other Welsh counties were not established until 1536. Only then were the marcher lordships (covering the rest of Wales) brought directly under the English government.
New Regime
It introduced the
English common law system, and allowed the King to appoint Royal officials such as
sheriffs,
coroners, and
bailiffs to collect taxes and administer justice. In addition, the offices of Justice and Chamberlain were created to assist the sheriffs.
Marcher Lords in dominion under the King of England
Some aspects of
Welsh law remained in common use at a local level, such as the specifics of
inheritance, and the
Marcher Lords retained most of their independence, as they'd prior to the conquest.
Long lasting Statute
The Statute remained in effect until
Henry VIII's
Laws in Wales Act in
1536, spending some 250 years on the Statute books.
Further Information
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