The Battle of Cadfan, at which the forces of Henry III of England were roundly defeated, is widely believed to have taken place in the Tywi Valley, Carmarthenshire on 29th May 1257.
Henry’s army arrived near Carmarthen before marching up the Tywi Valley towards Dinefwr Castle near Llandeilo, which they intended to take from Llywelyn ap Gruffydd and restore to their ally Rhys Fychan. However, unbeknown to the English Rhys had come to an agreement with Llywelyn, which left them without a guide in hostile and unfamiliar territory.
On the first engagement, the English army drove the Welsh westwards towards the heavily wooded area known as Broad Oak, where many more Welsh were positioned to ambush the unsuspecting English. The fighting continued all day with the Welsh employing continual hit and run tactics, using their knowledge of the area to their advantage, before striking a final blow to the tired and confused English. It is reported that 2000 of Henry’s army were killed and many nobles taken hostage.
Many local place names recall the battle, with Cadfan deriving from the Welsh cad meaning battle and ban meaning peak. A local bridge, Pont Steffan, is named after the English army’s leader Stephen Bacon who was killed in the battle, and nearby fields carry the names Cae Ochain – field of groans, Cae Tranc – field of death and Cae Ffrainc – field of Normans.
