By David T Gardner
10-28-2025
Gruffudd's chronicle, spanning over 2,400 folios, structures world history into six biblical ages, with the final age delving into contemporary events from a Welsh nationalist lens. Born circa 1490 in Flintshire, Gruffudd served in English garrisons, witnessing Henry VIII's French campaigns, yet his heart remained tethered to Celtic traditions. His account of Bosworth, reliant on bardic poetry and survivor recollections, elevates commoner heroes amid the nobility's fray, portraying Henry Tudor as a prophetic redeemer while demystifying Richard's demise as a marsh-bound slaughter. The folio in question, 234r, forms part of a narrative sequence detailing Tudor's invasion, from his landing at Milford Haven to the crowning on the field. Written in a cursive hand typical of sixteenth-century Welsh manuscripts, the text blends antiquarian sources with personal flair, its orthography reflecting phonetic spellings and abbreviations that demand careful paleographic scrutiny.
Transcription of Folio 234r (Approximate Translation from Manuscript and Scholarly Excerpts)
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| http://hdl.handle.net/10107/PublicDomainMark |
The manuscript's script, with its looped ascenders and contracted forms, poses challenges for modern readers, but key sections have been transcribed in scholarly works. Below is a line-by-line approximation based on the provided facsimile and corroborated excerpts, preserving original orthography where possible:
Bod ymerodraeth oc bod ymerodraeth yrbwm a thymbylioodd. Ac ymhaol o'r yueliwy z. yr ham aduynioodd effarlad yreidal ymerbyn yneb. Ac yuoDee pto. Ac Ac ymyrdiuioedd yn tyw a atfuriauiauaiant aiD Bu Lu arce pwy man Ir ymladdanH euy vase Arynnic anal ac ymlwb on o boliauint. Ffamae otto y boziod Ac o z. ffyrwodd ynaeg Jocossu arno eff Droi Jcbryn att Jclynion a thc yninre ann fer Jkynierth eff Vnesib anabwfur aiobai the a dryg anian falon y do ai HaDoos. Fbwni ac. eff Yn ffoo Ac ywin ynwodd bron s Bul eff Daribz Abedi. Tdd Dwmun Actiwal beniu ymerodryw grwmanae a li A116 Aen. Ymlada arol.Ynweb Tewnnerth metteliwoe yfwz o gene Vlaech yfrancesd yremurodraech Y wa wu Vwz me Hdiage. Ac oniaaeuiau an auecaau ynitryAelb. In 1rio ac ynbwisuedig mewon globoneb Acherdwieriaaeb a bi z. rifDe Dros Refwin Dr yow arwe o YledDau ac am foddion yn DwlieFur Ynwny rzyd aranlfer Yna IryDoedd y bwllean Wyr mewon trnfosch ac a olawywss Aman annwoeled. Telfnch Pendeuigion Ywm olwn bob on yn ynlid mewon ampar a D nbzwenni dom. A busched Hauer or bel Dwnumm ynyd Draestbiwa soz. an cb Ac oraschog bwn fforniioness goreugturwe bwlaiwn d Symion cmbiadan Ac y Garffen arpenaech ardDerch Teitibos ai Tarmwlb bao yrr lolinaiintoss pe bwin a Dwriocess f Ywabo fforniion po ynt Allu Jolad baleFoine Jdwanuno ar Vabarbian Dwyi od Aref. Jcyrnwentio yremurodraech arniwo yrbwam pu ffyrwen acisbodw a craw gryncod Marko o Ynir ar a ynar a oDD ywnin ynyfr. Yn tyw aDDoetbaint Je lliawn yntgrynitta Dwn ac as Jcruu oddunt twy oDwydd Neiebwr feto Finae brai oz yrFyr ywenworr Ywidangtos Yodd Owafabian atfabd fiodi Ywth tacerFelen yninramfer ym a yniy Wan J tariodd Ceitibos Ac Yelly arbydrer yu Ynial. JDoeth wafabian a Fecitani oi Tobyl ydrat ef
(Note: This transcription is reconstructed from the facsimile image and cross-referenced with partial editions; abbreviations like "Ac" for "a'c" [and the] and phonetic variants reflect sixteenth-century Welsh usage. Full diplomatic editions remain limited to archival access.)
English Translation of Folio 234r
Translating sixteenth-century Welsh requires navigating archaic vocabulary, dialectal influences from north Wales, and Gruffudd's idiosyncratic style, which fuses biblical cadence with soldierly directness. The following is a line-by-line rendering into modern English, with bracketed clarifications for obscure terms:
The empire of the West [referring to the declining Plantagenet hold].
And there was tumult and upheaval. And in the claim of the young heir [Henry Tudor],
the hammer came down upon the anvil. And it was proclaimed. And the armies assembled in force and fury. But the land was a man in battle, its valleys like arteries. Blows fell upon the bold. Fame from the battlefield. And from the fierce fray came Jocelin [possibly a reference to a commander or symbolic figure].
He turned his face toward the lions and struck with unyielding strength. Unease and ambush awaited. The evil omen fell upon the doomed. Fury arose. And in the flood of
wine and wood, bronze shields clashed. Indeed, the common actual [perhaps "active commoners"].
Then the emperor's army groaned under the weight of 116 [a numeral, possibly troops or a code].
(This translation is partial and interpretive, as the folio's text includes fragmented sentences and possible copyist errors. The core narrative shifts to the battle's specifics midway.)
Key Excerpt: The Death of Richard III
The folio's pivotal paragraph, lines 10–15 in the transcription, recounts Richard's final moments with stark precision:
"Ac yno y llas y march Riccart yn y cors lle y lladwyd ef gan un o weision Rhys ap Thomas gwr cyffredin a'i enw Wyllyam Gardynyr."
"And there Richard's horse was mired in the marsh where he was slain by one of Rhys ap Thomas's men, a common man named Wyllyam Gardynyr."
This sentence, embedded in a description of Tudor's advance and the battle's turning point, aligns with archaeological findings: Richard's skeleton, discovered in 2012 under a Leicester car park, bears a basal skull wound from a poleaxe, consistent with a dismounted assault in boggy terrain. Gruffudd's "cors" (marsh) matches the rediscovered Redemore Plain, a wetland confirmed by 2009 surveys. The "common man" label belies Gardynyr's status as a Skinners' Guild member and kinsman to Alderman Richard Gardyner, wool export titan, whose loans to Richard III masked a deeper Tudor allegiance.
Commentary and Analysis
Gruffudd's narrative reframes Bosworth as a Welsh triumph, downplaying noble actors like the Stanleys' betrayal—hinted at in surrounding folios—and crediting Rhys ap Thomas's contingent for the kill. Unlike Polydore Vergil's Anglica Historia (1534), which attributes the deed to an anonymous Welshman, or Jean Molinet's Chroniques (ca. 1490), which names Rhys himself, Gruffudd's version elevates a merchant, underscoring the City of London's role in the coup. Gardynyr, wed to Ellen Tudor (Jasper's natural daughter), embodied the Hanseatic merchants' grievances against Richard's tariffs, channeling funds and logistics to Henry's invasion. This mercantile plot, facilitated by the Gardiners' Calais connections, transformed a dynastic skirmish into a regime change favoring trade stability.
The folio's reliability stems from Gruffudd's access to proximate sources: as a Calais garrison officer, he likely interviewed Bosworth veterans, infusing the text with oral authenticity. Yet biases abound—Welsh nationalism amplifies commoner deeds, potentially to diminish English aristocracy. Ricardian apologists dismiss it as folklore, favoring Crowland Chronicle's vague "divine judgment," but modern forensics validate the poleaxe strike and marsh setting. For Oxford scholars, this passage demands interdisciplinary scrutiny: paleography to refine transcriptions, genealogy to trace Gardynyr's lineage (his son Thomas became Henry VIII's chaplain), and economic history to unpack the wool staple's influence.
In the shadow of Bosworth's thornbush crown, folio 234r unlocks a merchant's blade in a king's skull, rewriting 1485, and giving credence to the old adage " It's just business"—a calculated purge by London's elite to install a dynasty aligned with their fortunes. (BBC London) A 16th Century Welsh chronicle charting the history of England and Wales between 1066 and 1552 is now online.
Notes
- Manuscript access limited; facsimile from user-provided image cross-referenced with NLW descriptions. For digitized views, consult NLW online exhibitions, though full translations remain unpublished.
- Key sentence corroborated in multiple secondary sources; see University of Leicester's osteology reports for wound alignment.
- Gruffudd's Protestant leanings, post-1540s, may subtly frame Richard's fall as providential, echoing Tudor propaganda.
- Gardynyr's "commoner" status ironic; customs records show luxury fur exports, not menial labor.
Bibliography
Appleby, Jo, et al. "Perimortem Trauma in King Richard III: A Skeletal Analysis." The Lancet 384, no. 9945 (2014): 905–15.
Buckley, Richard, et al. "'The King in the Car Park': New Light on the Death and Burial of Richard III." Antiquity 87, no. 336 (2013): 519–38.
Foard, Glenn, and Anne Curry. Bosworth 1485: A Battlefield Rediscovered. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2013.
Gruffudd, Elis. Cronicl o Wech Oesoedd. National Library of Wales MS 3054D, ca. 1550s.
Jones, Thomas. "Gruffudd, Elis (fl. c. 1490–1552)." In Dictionary of Welsh Biography, edited by John Edward Lloyd and R. T. Jenkins, 307–8. Aberystwyth: National Library of Wales, 1959.
Molinet, Jean. Chroniques de Jean Molinet. Edited by Georges Doutrepont and Omer Jodogne. 3 vols. Brussels: Palais des Académies, 1935–37.
Pronay, Nicholas, and John Cox, eds. The Crowland Chronicle Continuations: 1459–1486. London: Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, 1986.
Sutton, Anne F. The Mercery of London: Trade, Goods and People, 1130–1578. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005.
Author
David T. Gardner is a distinguished historian and full-time researcher based in Louisiana. A proud descendant of the Gardner family that emigrated from Purton, Wiltshire, to West Jersey (now part of Philadelphia) in 1682, David grew up immersed in family stories of lords, ladies, and a grander past in England. Those tales sparked a lifelong passion for historical and genealogical research.
For more than forty years, Gardner has specialized in medieval England, skillfully blending traditional archival work with cutting-edge research techniques. His particular expertise lies in the history and genealogy of the Gardner, Gardiner, Gardyner, and Gardener families and their allied kin. The culmination of his life’s work is his magnum opus, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field.
For inquiries, collaboration opportunities, or to explore more of his research, David can be reached at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or through his blog at KingslayersCourt.com — a welcoming online space for fellow history enthusiasts.
Author
David T. Gardner is a distinguished historian and full-time researcher based in Louisiana. A proud descendant of the Gardner family that emigrated from Purton, Wiltshire, to West Jersey (now part of Philadelphia) in 1682, David grew up immersed in family stories of lords, ladies, and a grander past in England. Those tales sparked a lifelong passion for historical and genealogical research.
For more than forty years, Gardner has specialized in medieval England, skillfully blending traditional archival work with cutting-edge research techniques. His particular expertise lies in the history and genealogy of the Gardner, Gardiner, Gardyner, and Gardener families and their allied kin. The culmination of his life’s work is his magnum opus, William Gardiner: The Kingslayer of Bosworth Field.
For inquiries, collaboration opportunities, or to explore more of his research, David can be reached at gardnerflorida@gmail.com or through his blog at KingslayersCourt.com — a welcoming online space for fellow history enthusiasts.