Community come together to mark Montgomery treaty signing anniversary

Councillor Mike Mills described the celebrations as magnificent, as the weekend began in a make shift English court on Friday.

King Henry III was played by councillor Mills, and the Welsh court led by Llewelyn, Prince of Wales (Hywel Lovgreen) met at Rhydwhyman Ford, Caerhowell to re-enact the signing of the treaty.

Ottobuono, the Papal Legate, county councillor Stephen Hayes, who negotiated the settlement, witnessed the agreement.

In costume and armed with shields made especially for the event, pupils of Ysgol Dafydd Llwyd, Newtown, Montgomery Church in Wales School and Abermule Community Primary School processed from English and Welsh camps banging drums in support of their King and their Prince.

Specially invited guests included Lord Lieutenant Dame Shan Legge-Bourke, Glyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire and councillor Dai Davies, Powys County Council’s chair.

Later that evening Montgomery’s Georgian Town Hall was packed out for a banquet with more than 100 guests in period costume.

King Henry III and Llywelyn, Prince of Wales, played host to visitors and residents with an evening of medieval fare, music and merriment.

A host of other activities took place including medieval dishes being served at the Dragon Hotel, and more than 500 people visited the castle on Saturday to watch members of the re-enactment group demonstrate life, cooking, herbal lotions and potions and battle tactics from the 13th century.

Among the most popular activities were the skirmishes where Norman knights were set upon by the Welsh forces and had to fight to the mock death.

The Old Bell Museum was open over the weekend with a special exhibition commemorating the treaty.

A civic society spokesman said: “We had a significant number of people in to see the exhibition.

"We will be opening the museum and the exhibition specially during the first weekend of October, meaning that people who missed it last week will have a second chance to catch up."