Strata Florida Abbey; The Valley of Flowers

In the rural part of Central Wales, near the small village of Pontrhydfendigaid (no clue on how to pronounce this) lies the ruins of an medieval church. In English the Abbey was known by the name "Strata Florida", in welsh it was called Ystrad Fflw or the Valley of Flowers. Despite its name a long history of violence marred this location and defiled the sacred purpose of the Abbey. Although it is unassuming at first glance the ruins of this Cistercian Abbey mark the spot where enormous changes and upheavals happened in British History not limited to the Glyndŵr rising and the chaos of the Protestant Reformation.

Strata Florida was founded by Cistercian Monks in the year 1164 CE, the Abbey's chapel was consecrated much later in the year 1204. The Cistercian Monks at Strata Florida eventually became quite wealthy and influential Ystrad Fflw had arguably become the cultural center of medieval Wales. Among the great works that were produced here were the Brut y Tywysogion (one of the first chronicles of Welsh History written in the Welsh Language) and the ballad of Mabinogion. One of the foremost poets of the middle ages, Dafydd ap Gwilym was known to have lived and compiled his works inside Strata Florida. Strata Florida was so important in the political and cultural spheres of Wales that the Welsh princes, including the famous Llywelyn the Great often held council there to decide the major political issues of the day.

Unfortunately the prosperity and influence of the Cistercian Monastery began to decline following the English conquest of Wales in 1277 CE. Perhaps this is representative of the decline of Welsh culture in general, the confiscation of Welsh lands under English nobles styled "Marcher-Lords" marks the beginning of the gradual Anglicization of Wales. This period marks the beginning of the troubles that the Cistercian Monks of Strata Florida faced during the tail-end of the Middle Ages.

                                                   A 16th century portrait of Henry IV

During the Welsh war of Independence the problems faced by the Abbey grew worse. In 1401 the English King Henry IV and his son lead an army in pillaging Strata Florida, after the monks there were found to be sympathetic to the Welsh rebel leader, Owain Glyndŵr. Following this incident the monks were expelled from the Abbey. Strata Florida was used as an English military base for the remainder of the war. In 1415 following English victory in the Glyndŵr rising the Abbey was returned to the Cistercian Order, though the monks would never truly recover from the devastation incurred upon them during the conflict.

                                                                        Henry VIII


The protestant reformation and the rise of Anglicanism in England would mark the final death of Strata Florida. In the 1540's Henry VIII the founder of Anglicanism assumed direct control over religion in England. As a consequence of this many monasteries including Strata Florida Abbey were plundered and destroyed by English Soldiers, often being converted into manor houses for use of the nobility.

                                                                         Sources: 

        http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/waleshistory/2012/07/strata_florida_abbey.html
        
        http://strataflorida.org.uk/

        https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/The-English-conquest-of-Wales/

                                                                    

Are You Worth Your Salt?

In Roman times, salt was highly prized and if one was said to be not "worth their salt," it was considered a high insult. It is also regarded as the first traded commodity (Salt Assocation). Salt was no less valuable in the Middle Ages and contributed to status as well as food preservation.

The mineral was not mined, but obtained through evaporating brine and seawater. Lead salt pans were used for this purpose but would be replaced with iron versions in the eighteenth century. Originally designed in the Roman era, salt pans of the Middle Ages were slightly smaller than the Classical standard and did not have any inscriptions or embellishment on them. Pans were left in the sun and would leave behind salt as the water evaporated. There was money to be made in salt production and "wiches" - saltworks - sprung up throughout England to get into the industry.


Domesday Book records of the salt industry in England are more in-depth than those of any other type of production, demonstrating just how valuable it was (Hull). Worcestershire and Cheshire were two of the largest saltworks cities, followed by Sussex on the southern coast. Middlewich, Nantwich, and Northwich were the major saltworks of Cheshire. Salt was a local affair and the cost of importing it to other cities was great. London later formed its Fraternity of Salters to produce it themselves as only the wealthy could afford it when brought in from other towns.

These saltworks received support from the king and in return were to pay shares of their product to him. Droitwich, a saltworks in Worcestershire, had 300 measures of salt paid to the king by three salt-workers according to the Domesday account. Henry II's marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine also opened trade between England and France, providing a new market for Biscay salt from the Continent, although it probably did little to reduce the prices attached to it.

The famine that struck Europe in 1315 saw the amount of salt available to the population drop because of a reduced amount of sunlight. Intense rain decreased crop populations and blotted out the sun, making it difficult to dry out salt from seawater. As availability decreased, it made it harder to preserve meats which resulted in even greater food shortage.






Works Cited

"Lead Salt Pans." Salt Association. https://www.saltassociation.co.uk/education/salt-history/roman-times/lead-salt-pans/.

"Life in Towns and Villages." National Archives. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/domesday/world-of-domesday/towns.htm.

Newman, Paul. Daily Life in the Middle Ages. McFarland and Company, 2001.

"Roman Times." Salt Association. https://www.saltassociation.co.uk/education/salt-history/roman-times/.

"Normans and Late Medieval." Salt Association. https://www.saltassociation.co.uk/education/salt-history/normans-late-medieval/.

"Salt-works." Hull Domesday Project. http://www.domesdaybook.net/domesday-book/structure-of-domesday-book/salt-works.

"Using Salt in the Middle Ages." Medievalists.net. http://www.medievalists.net/2016/01/using-salt-in-the-middle-ages/.