ISSUE 13 – JULY/AUGUST 2016 – FREE
Meet the Mortimers Driving to Ludlow from Dubai Youth Shropshire Artist: Edward Bell Ludlow’s Rose & Crown rises again The man behind the BBC mike: Robin Spicer Short sharp Hamlet The Doctor’s Mon
“But, finally, the Mortimer luck had run out. After over 350 years of continuous male succession, Edmund died childless. However, that is not the end of the Mortimer story.” coRVe Street is the latest example of the use of the ‘Mortimer’ name, which, over time, has been used to designate not only a wide area as ‘Mortimer Country’, but also to name a forest, a road junction, a food store, a walking trail, a GP practice, a gardening service, a cider, and much else. Not many people, though, are aware of who the Mortimers were, their vivid history, and why the connection to this area is so important. People now live in and visit Ludlow and the surrounding area for its quiet, natural, rural beauty, enchanting countryside and remoteness. Yet for 500 turbulent years, following the Norman Conquest in 1066, this area was the centre of dramatic and important
events. Ruled over by powerful lords, it was the site of battles that affected the destiny of the country and was regularly visited by kings and queens. Indeed, the important role that the people and this area had in the Country’s history is reflected in such well-known London places as Mortimer Street, Wigmore Street, the Wigmore Hall and Harley Street. Partly through the good fortune of having an unbroken male succession for over 350 years, and also through conquest, marriage and royal service, the Mortimers amassed a great empire of estates in England, Wales and Ireland; they played key roles in the changing balance of power between the monarchy and nobles; they forced the abdication of a king and virtually ruled the kingdom for
nearly four years; they became, in later generations, close heirs to the throne through marriage; and they seized the throne through battle when a Mortimer grandson became King Edward IV. The borderlands between England and Wales (known as the Welsh Marches) had some of the highest concentrations of castles anywhere in medieval Europe. Within a small area alone (which creates a loop between Ludlow, Orleton, Pembridge, Presteigne, Pilleth, Knucklas and Knighton, Wigmore, Leintwardine) there are the ruins and visible sites of no less than 17 castles, 15 churches, an abbey and a priory that all have links to the Mortimer family and which are visible reminders of their lordship and domination of the area. There
– www.ludlowledger.co.uk –
are also three sites of battles, conflict and routs, which affected the course of national events. Nowadays, some of the castles appear as romantic ruins, whilst others are sites for which you have to use your imagination; most of the churches, though, are still regularly used for worship. The name Mortimer comes from a castle in Normandy – Mortemersur-Eaulne – that the family held for only a few years, but, despite this, retained the name in a foreign country for nearly 400 years. It is not clear whether a Mortimer fought at the battle of Hastings in 1066, but within 10 years Ralph (I) Mortimer (died between 1115-1127) was being given lands and estates, including that of Wigmore.
Continued on page 10 >