1. L princeps de Aberfrau [dominus de Snaud' .......... amico suo domino] Stephano de Segraf [cum debita] dilectione, salutem. Mittimus ad vos
2. transcripta litterarum dirigendarum ad dominum regem ex parte nostra per dominum R de Mortuo Mari (2). Preterea quia nec volumus nec debemus {quod} omnia
3. ....... ....... .......nobis nec significentur nec [super] eis ..... . Mittimus igitur vobis literas directas (3) Idneved senescallo nostro de W filio
4. [A]de (4) senescallo domini comitis Penbr' per quas perpend.. eis ... presumptose atemptent retinere filium Ennii Vachan et quod nostre non commit-
5. tatur custodie secundum quod promisistis nobis et mandastis per magistrum Instructum quem quidem promissionem adimplere tenemini et sicut aliud
6. esset in causa nisi quod ballivi dicti domini comitis videantur atemptare presumentes refragari {et contradicere} justo consilio domini regis. Nos vero respondi-
7. mus quod non liberaremus unum garciferum pro dicto filio ennii nec alicui incarcerato parceremus propter ipsum {nec debemus} quia tanquam alumpnus traditus fuit
8. domine Eve de Brausa. Nos vero visis causis tenemus eos quos habemus in carcere [nostro], vero agenda nostra secundum dominum {deum} et fidele
9. consilium nostrum deo dante disponimus. preterea dicta domina Eva habet capilanum suum qui singulis dominicis diebus excomunicat
10. nos nominatim et ..... [mu]ltis nos provocant ad iram qui querentes occasionem movendi guerram quam vix sustiner[ent pro...]
11. super quam curam debent habere. Ad hec questi sunt dicti ballivi de Madog Vachan et complicibus suis qui transtulit se et sua mobilia
12. de Brekeniauc usque ad Buelt nos respondimus eis quod illos faceremus venire ad locum securum et competentem ad [emen-]
13. das faciendas de hiis que eis obiciantur quod si nollent de terra nostra expellemus eos. Si vero velint hoc facere [ductis]
14. cum ipsis viris discretis ex parte nostra ad faciendum pacem cum predictis ballivis ita quod eis jura sua reddentur pro ......
15. serviciis [itaque] fuerint [dum secure presint morari] in terra sua sicut moris est in Wall', [fieri de ...lius libere ad]....
16. Hec deo vobis significamus ut {ne} dicti ballivi presint vobis contraria significare, Valete. [Preterea] rogamus vobis quatinus
17. [introduc' eis] (5) dom' cancell' et dominum de warant (6)si presens fuerit ut scribant pro nobis
18. et [filio nostro] domino regi ut agenda nostra injustis petentibus [et litera] promoveantur. Et literarum eorum et vestrarum
19. [transcripta] nobis per latorem presentium remitere non obmittatis, ipsas vero literas per [eundem] mittatis quam citius pot[eritis]
20. ut consequi [prefatum] dominum Radulphum de Mortuo Mari et nuncium nostrum ante quam mare transierit;(7) iterum Valete
21. beneplacitum vestrum et [consilium] nobis significare velitis

1. The catalog of Special Collections 1 in Vol. 15 of the PRO's Lists and Indexes describes the letter thus: "The same (Llywelyn ab Iorwerth) to Stephen de Segrave. He encloses transcripts of letters for the king. He has received a letter from the earl of Pembroke's steward concerning the son of Einion Fychan, his attitude thereto; Madog Fychan. [c. May-June 1230] Stained and partly illegible; formerly sewn to nos. 56 and 57 above".

2. Ralph Mortimer was the lord of Wigmore in Herefordshire and Llywelyn's son-in-law, having married Llywelyn's daughter Gwladus Ddu, probably around the time of the 12 June 1230 meeting between Llywelyn and the chancellor.

3. The letters referred to here as sent by William fitz Adam are probably those alluded to by William of Christchurch in his letter to the Chancellor around September 1230 (J.G. Edwards Anc. Corr. Wales pp. 35-6, vi. 103 (Cardiff, 1935)), and, so far as I know, these are not extant. The letters of direction referred to in line 2 may have been Llywelyn's letters to Eva and William de Braose which were at some point sewn to this letter (above, n.1).

4. The initial A is conjectural but William of Christchurch was the steward of the earl of Pembroke at the time. I have not been able to verify William's parentage, but a letter in Anc. Corr. Wales p. 53, from Llywelyn's constable of Builth to W. son of Adam strongly suggests that they are the same person.

5. The first two words of this line appear to rise to avoid a large hole in the parchment indicating that the hole was original. This and what look like erasures in line 3 (the passage from Preterea up to Mittimus) suggest that this letter is both a draft and a palimpsest.

6. D[omi]n[u]m Cancell[arium] must certainly be Ralph de Neville, but d[omi]n[u]m de warant remains a mystery. The word is quite clear, and it does not appear to be abbreviated in any way. It could conceivably be a reference to William Warenne, earl of Surrey, who was warden of the ports and seacoast of Suffolk, Essex and Norfolk at least until August. (Close Rolls 1227-31, p. 369), and who was in Wales the summer of 1231 (ibid., p. 539) and treated with Llywelyn in February of the following year. (Close Rolls 1231-4, p. 132). Click for New Information

7. A letter close issued by the king on 28 July at Mirebel, France, orders that an assize of mort d'ancestor brought by Ralph Mortimer be delayed so long as he is in the king's service (Close Rolls 1227-31, p. 446). This letter was probably issued on Ralph's behalf in preparation for his departure from England and does not necessarily indicate that Ralph was already in Brittany. He was certainly in Brittany by 1 Sept. however, when he William Brewer, Walter de Beauchamp and John fitz Alan were ordered to bring 1,000 marks from Nantes to the king at Lucon (ibid., p. 433).