How 1 Man Halted an Army Invasion of Shrewsbury

This is the story of the day that one man who thought he was very powerful is thought to have stopped an army on the original old Welsh Bridge. The halt only lasted one day, we are told, but nevertheless, it was a courageous thing to do.

Watch our video about this event below. Once the video is finished you may enjoy returning and scrolling down this page for a transcript of the video:

Video Transcript:

Invasion of Shrewsbury Halted by One Man (on the Welsh Bridge) The Story of Shrewsbury - Part 14

Paul Sandby [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

This video is about the time from Henry VII in 1485, to the Civil War of the 1640s.

It was not until 1485, eighty-two years after the Battle of Shrewsbury, that the town once again came to national prominence.

Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond had landed in Milford Haven, determined to overthrow King Richard III, who after much good work in government had himself illegally seized the throne.

Marching to Shrewsbury, which he reached on about 15th August 1485, Richmond found the town gates closed and the portcullis down.

When he demanded to be admitted, the chief bailiff of the town, Thomas Mytton, replied:

"I know no king but Richard, whose bailiff I am, and I swear that you will only enter Shrewsbury over my belly".

On hearing this, Richmond rode back to Forton Heath, near Montford Bridge,
where he and his army spent the night. There must have been some rapid negotiations,
because the next day Shrewsbury surrendered.

To preserve Mytton's honour and not be accused of not keeping his word, he lay down on the ground, while Richmond stepped over him.

At which the portcullis of the Bridge was drawn up, and Richmond and his army triumphantly entered the town.

The town gates, which Richmond found closed, are thought to have been on the original "Old Welsh Bridge" over the River Severn, were demolished long ago.

The Old Welsh Bridge, stood at the end of the street shown here. The photo shows the Mardol, taken from Shoplatch.

The old bridge was demolished once the present Welsh bridge (shown here), was completed in 1795.

It was thought that little or no evidence remained of the Old Welsh Bridge, with its large fortified gatehouse on the bridge, and a second gate to prevent a surprise attack, at the Frankwell (Welsh) end, until during excavations for the new Shrewsbury Theatre in 2006  and 2007, archaeologists discovered what is thought to have been part of the old road and west abutments.

Parts of the structure excavated during the dig, may have been close to Mytton's bold "stand" against Richmond's great army.

So, it was that Shrewsbury became the first town in which Richmond was proclaimed to be King Henry VII.

He stayed for a while in Wyle Cop, three doors below the Lion Inn.

It was from here that he marched to his famous victory at the battle of Bosworth Field.

The first image of the Old Welsh Bridge, shown again here, is attributed to artist Paul Sandby, and painted much later, in the 1700s.

The second image of a fortified bridge, shown again here, is of the Monnow Bridge in Monmouth, Wales which still exists!

The famous artist Joseph Mallord William Turner also painted the old Welsh Bridge, just before its demolition in 1795.

Text based upon The Story of Shrewsbury, by Richard Graves, Hardwick House, Ellesmere 1993. Details of the old bridges were added.

We hope that you enjoyed this video, which is part 14 of the ever increasing series of videos which makes up "The Story of Shrewsbury" series.

Run Up to the Battle of Shrewsbury: Richard II's Demise at the Hand of Henry IV, Owain Glendower, and Harry Hotspur: Pt. 11

There is a lot in this video instalment of the events in the period before the Battle of Shrewsbury. It includes Richard II's demise, at the hand of Henry IV, Owain Glendower, and Harry Hotspur. Harry Hotspur, joined up with Owain to fight Henry IV.

This page covers the events in our Part. 11, of the Story of Shrewsbury.

Watch our Part 11 story of Shrewsbury video below. However, if you prefer to read text, scroll on down, because we have added a transcription of our video below:

Only a year after Richard II had called another parliament to Shrewsbury, in 1399, he was imprisoned and deposed by the Duke of Lancaster.

Not content with unseating Richard II, he was soon murdered by the Duke, who then named himself King Henry IV.

By 1401, only 2 years after Henry II's Shrewsbury Parliament had reigned supreme, the Welsh Prince Owain Glendower commanded an uprising against Henry IV who he saw as an impostor.

On one occasion when Henry IV was on his way to attack Owain's men, it is said that Owain called down a gale of wind that blew down the king's tent.

As that happened it is said to have overturned his standard so heavily that the spear point entered the king's side.

Hostilities hotted-up further in 1402 when Owain Glendower agreed a coalition with a baron named  Harry Percy  (also known as Hotspur), and local landowners "the Mortimers".

Both Hotspur's rebel army, and the Royal army advanced upon Shrewsbury to do battle, but when Hotspur reached the suburbs he saw that Henry IV's banner was already flying above the castle battlements.

So, he retreated a little distance to the north of Shrewsbury, making camp in Little Berwick.
Hotspur wanted to avoid the battle starting, until Glendower could join him with another army.
But, he was not given the time because the very next day Henry IV marched his army out
to them and the Battle of Shrewsbury began.

Watch our Next Shrewsbury Story Video (Part 12) to find out what happened during the Battle of Shrewsbury!

Text based upon The Story of Shrewsbury, by Richard Graves, Hardwick House, Ellesmere 1993.

NOTE: While images of the main characters are referenced to that person, all other images are purely illustrative and for entertainment purposes.