Gwylltiaid Mawddwy
The Knights had the privilege of sanctuary, and in the troubled time after the Glyndwr uprising in the 15th century, Ysbyty Ifan was one of the hideouts to some of Wales’ most famous outlaws and rebels, including gwylltiaid cochion Mawddwy (the red bandits of Mawddwy), and became known as a haven for criminals.
Writing at the end of the 16th century, Sir John Wynn of Gwydir said Ysbyty Ifan had been “a receptacle of thieves and murderers”.
Red dragons and religion
With the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, the hostel was abolished in 1540, but the neighbouring church remained, to act as the parish church. The building was replaced in around 1860 by the present church, in the Victorian 'early English' style.
The church contains artefacts from the earlier church, many of them from the 14th to 16th centuries. Many of which highlight the connections between Ysbyty Ifan and the Tudor uprising. One effigy is said to depict Rhys ap Maredudd, who recruited soldiers to help Henry Tudor, as he was seen in Wales as the “mab darogan” or the son of prophecy, who would rise and lead the Welsh to defeat the English –Henry was born in Pembroke Castle, so made as much use of this prophecy as possible to garner support.
Rhys ap Maredudd took a local army to meet young Henry Tudor on his way to defeat King Richard III at Bosworth in 1485. Rhys carried the Red Dragon standard of Cadwaladr on the battlefield, and some poets insisted it was he who killed Richard. There is no way we can prove this, but the family did well out of the Tudor victory, with their local power, influence and estate growing.