William Cragh

William Cragh (or "William the Scabby", (ca. 1260 - 1310) was a medieval Welsh warrior and enemy of William VI de Briouze, Lord of Gower. William seems to have been an ally of Rhys ap Maredudd while the latter was on the run from the English crown. Rhys was lord of the lands of Ystrad Tywi, and although he had supported King Edward I of England's war of conquest in 1282-3 against the forces of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, had revolted against the king in 1287. During this revolt William Cragh, who was probably Rhys' vassal, took part is ravaging the lands of William VI de Briouze, Lord of Gower, the the neighbouring Anglo-Norman lord. In 1290 William was captured, and was hanged alongside his companion Trahaern ap Hywel at Swansea, within sight of de Briouze's Swansea Castle. The hanging was botched, and although Trahaern was killed, William survived.

When Pope Clement V, in 1307, established an inquiry to verify the saintliness of Thomas de Cantilupe, Bishop of Hereford, the inquiry was told that William Cragh had been brought back from the dead by the dead bishop's intercession. It was alleged that William's recovery had been brought about by the prayers of de Briouze's wife Mary, and that Cragh had seen a vision of a bishop on the gallows. Cragh, first believed to have died of natural causes in 1305, was alive at the time and gave his witness before the commission. He told the members of the board that he was "about 45" at the time but could, however, not remember too much of his own hanging since he was unconscious. He probably lived a few years after this.

References

* Bartlett, Robert, "The Hanged Man: A Story of Miracle, Memory, and Colonialism in the Middle Ages", (Princeton, 2004)

External links

* [http://www.lrb.co.uk/v26/n15/keen01_.html "Why did Lady Mary care about William Cragh?", LRB review by Maurice Keen]