History - a long tradition.....

In one way or another Machynlleth has a long tradition of welcoming visitors to Wales, something which the White Lion Hotel seeks to maintain. For centuries the farm products of this fertile valley have been brought into Machynlleth for sale. Likewise the slate from the Corris and Aberllefenni region and the lead from the mines at Dylife have passed through the town to Derwenlas, a small port two miles down river from Machynlleth, on their export route.

There is a long history of human activity in the Machynlleth area. In the late 1990s, radiocarbon dating showed that copper mining was taking place in the Early Bronze Age (ca. 2750 years ago), within a mile of the town centre. But much older are legends of a once fertile plain, the Cartre'r Gwaelod, now lost beneath the waves of Cardigan Bay, which persist in the local folklore . Everywhere seems to have its version of the Flood legend.

The area has evidence of the Roman occupation. They built a small fort at Pennal (Cefn Caer) about four miles west of Machynlleth and are reputed to have had two look out posts above the town at Bryn-y-gog and Wylfa. In town the Garsiwn (Welsh for garrison) is undoubtedly the area of town where soldiers were stationed during the Roman occupation.

One of the earliest written references to Machynlleth is the charter granted by Edward 1 to Owen de la Pole, Lord of Powys, giving him the power to hold "a market at Machynlleth every Wednesday for ever and two fairs every year" . The charter was granted at Westminster on Friday, 28 December 1291. Owen's father, Gruffydd (d 1286), was unique among the Welsh princes in keeping his family's position after Edward's conquest of North Wales in 1282. The Wednesday market is still a busy and popular day in Machynlleth.

Perhaps Machynlleth's most historic character was Owain Glyndwr, born in about 1350 into the Welsh aristocracy. He lived a fairly quiet life until the close of the 14th Century, when a dispute with English neighbour and son-in-law Lord Grey of Ruthin led to revolution in September 1400. Ruthin was soon taken, following which he was proclaimed the Prince of Wales. But this was just the start. Raids followed on Rhuddlan, Flint, Holt, Oswestry and Welshpool: the castles of Aberystwyth and Harlech were taken and by 1405, his authority was recognised across Wales. In 1404 he established Wales' first Parliament in Machynlleth.

War continued, however, and things fared ill with Owain, with a final showdown in battle at Harlech Castle in 1409. He managed to escape and apparently lived out the rest of his years in Herefordshire, refusing the offer of a pardon in 1415. However where, when and how he died, and where he is buried, are mysteries to this day. The Parliament building still stands as a memorial to Machynlleth's place as the ancient Capital of Wales.

Royal House, which stands on the corner of the Garsiwn, is another of the medieval houses that can still be seen today. According to local tradition, David Gam was imprisoned here from 1404 to 1412 for attempting to assassinate Owain Glyndwr. After his release, Gam fought alongside Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt and is named amongst the dead in Shakespeare's Henry V. The name Royal House undoubtedly refers to the tradition that Charles 1 stayed at the house in 1643. Samuel Lewis in his "Topographical Dictionary of Wales" published in 1833, says: "Charles 1, on his route to Chester, had a bed prepared for him in a house called The Garrison". Recently, plans have been drawn up to restore the building and work is due to commence in 2004.

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