Maurice de Londres (died 1166) was an Anglo-Norman noble. He was a son of William de Londres (died 1131), who was one of the

Twelve Knights of Glamorgan The Twelve Knights of Glamorgan were a "legendary" group of mercenaries who followed Robert Fitzhamon (d.1107), the Norman conqueror of Glamorgan. Although Fitzhamon was an actual historical figure, 16th-century historians, in particular Sir Ed ...

, and his wife Matilda. During his father's lifetime he took control of Ogmore, where he built the stone

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

Ogmore Castle Ogmore Castle () is a Grade I listed castle ruin located near the village of Ogmore in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, east of Ogmore-by-Sea, and south of the town of Bridgend. It is situated on the south bank of the Ewenny River and the east ban ...

in around 1126, and after the death of his father he inherited control of

Oystermouth Oystermouth ( Welsh: ''Ystumllwynarth'') is a village (and former electoral ward) in the district of Mumbles, Swansea, Wales. It is part of the Mumbles community (civil parish). Etymology Samuel Lewis and Nicholas Carlisle both state that the ...

Gower The Gower Peninsula (), or simply Gower (), is a peninsula in the south-west of Wales. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan, and is now within the City and County of Swansea. It projects towards the Bristol Channel ...

. During the Welsh uprising, after the death of King Henry I, he made a counter-attack after the defeat of the

Anglo-Normans The Anglo-Normans (, ) were the medieval ruling class in the Kingdom of England following the Norman Conquest. They were primarily a combination of Normans, Bretons, Flemings, French people, Frenchmen, Anglo-Saxons and Celtic Britons. Afte ...

at the Battle of

Loughor Loughor (; ) is a town in Swansea, Wales. Historic counties of Wales, Historically in Glamorgan, it lies on the estuary of the River Loughor (). The town has a community (Wales), community council under the name Llwchwr. The town is bordered by ...

. Prior to 1139 he acquired

Kidwelly Castle Kidwelly Castle () is a Norman castle overlooking the River Gwendraeth and the town of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Early history The castle dates from a decision in the very early years of the 12th century to entrust Roger, bishop of S ...

from

Roger of Salisbury Roger of Salisbury (died 1139), was a Norman medieval bishop of Salisbury and the seventh Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England. Life Roger was originally priest of a small chapel near Caen in Normandy. He was called "Roger, priest of t ...

and took control of

Kidwelly Kidwelly () is a town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...

, making him an independent lord of the

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...

. In 1136 he led a Norman army into battle at Kidwelly against the native Welsh, led by Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd, with the King of

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; , thus 'the South') was a regional name for the Welsh kingdoms, realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under ...

Gruffudd ap Rhys. This was a rare example of a woman leading an army into battle in Medieval Britain. Gwenllian was captured and then beheaded on the orders of de Londres, along with one of her children. He founded

All Saints' Church, Oystermouth All Saints' Church, Oystermouth, is an Anglican church in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon, South Wales. It is located in Mumbles and is a Grade II listed building (listed 23 April 1952 as "a large church with substantial medieval fabric and go ...

. He also founded

Ewenny Priory Ewenny Priory (), in Ewenny in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, was a monastery of the Benedictine order, founded in the 12th century. The priory was unusual in having extensive military-style defences and in its state of preservation; the architec ...

in 1141 when he granted the nearby Norman church of St. Michael to the abbey of St. Peter at Gloucester (now

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...

), together with the churches of St Brides Major, St. Michael at Colwinston and the manor at Lampha. The church had been built in the 12th century by his father, William de Londres. The village of

Ewenny Ewenny () is a village and community on the River Ewenny in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. Over the years the village has grown into the neighbouring village of Corntown to such an extent that there is no longer a clear boundary between the ...

grew around the priory and church. The priory of Ewenny also contains his tomb. In around 1159 he lost control of Kidwelly to

Rhys ap Gruffydd Rhys ap Gruffydd or ap Gruffudd (often anglicised to "Griffith"; c. 1132 – 28 April 1197) was the ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197. Today, he is commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh ''Yr Arglwydd Rhys' ...

, the Welsh prince of

. With his wife Adeliza, he had two sons, William de Londres (died 1211) and Thomas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Londres, Maurice de Anglo-Normans in Wales 1166 deaths