The Mystery of Jack of Kent and the Fate of Owain Glyndwr

by Alex Gibbon (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $3.25

  Set in the Welsh marches and the borderlands of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, this is a story about changing identities and the fate of heroes. In 1400, Owain Glyndwr, a descendant of the ancient rulers of Wales, raised his standard of revolt and began a war which not only rocked the Anglo-Norman establishment to its foundations but which, within three years, saw the English effectively expelled from Wales. The last great leader of the Welsh nation against the Anglo-Saxon oppressors, he disappeared into the medieval night with his elegy unsung. His story is powerful, spectacular and romantic, and whilst his fate has hitherto been unknown rumours of his survival in south Herefordshire have always refused to die away. In this extraordinary investigation, Alex Gibbon combines history with folklore as he scrutinizes a connection traditionally said to have existed between the outlawed Glyndwr and a legendary character of the Welsh borders - 'Jack of Kent'. In the fascinating scenario which unfolds, not only do we meet Glyndwr as never before, but we come finally to stand where Owain may have lain in silence for almost six hundred years.