Henry Tudor’s Wales and the Route to Bosworth tour
Henry Tudor’s Wales
The Tudor dynasty had a profound influence on British history and it was started by King Henry VII. Born in Pembroke Castle, Henry and his uncle Jasper depended on support from across Wales to defeat King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. So it’s no surprise that many historic places in Wales are linked to Henry Tudor, his ancestors and supporters.
Use the list at the foot of this page to discover some of those places. Click on any of the place-names to see our web page about that place. Should you visit the featured locations in person, our QR codes there will give you on-the-spot access to the web pages.
Henry Tudor's Route to Bosworth
Henry landed from his exile in France at Mill Bay, Pembrokeshire, in August 1485 and wrong-footed the authorities by taking an unexpected route to England, through the centre of Wales. Now you can follow his route, in person or virtually, by taking our tour of QR-code locations. After reading each text, use the ‘Next’ icon beside the tour banner to discover the next point of interest.
The texts along the route aim to distinguish between the known facts about Henry’s march and the myths that grew up around those facts long ago. There is documentary evidence that Henry passed through Haverfordwest, Cardigan and Machynlleth before meeting his new allies at Cefn Digoll, a ridge near the English border.
Stories that Henry called at various other places in between are impossible to prove or disprove after so many centuries. Some may have been concocted soon afterwards by families eager to assert their importance, others could have been conjecture by historians, and some could even be true!
To join the tour online, choose a location from the list below:
View a map showing all locations on this tour here
HiPoints on the Route to Bosworth tour |
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Other HiPoints relating to Henry Tudor’s story
North Wales
- Penmynydd, Anglesey – seat of Tudor family, ancestral effigy in church
- Caernarfon - Jasper Tudor fled from Twthill in 1461 after ‘Wars of the Roses’ battle
- Llandrillo-yn-Rhos, near Colwyn Bay – church linked to Henry’s ancestor Ednyfed Fychan
- Ysbyty Ifan – reputed effigy of Battle of Bosworth stalwart Rhys ap Maredudd
- Bodrhyddan Hall, Rhuddlan – home of envoy who carried info and money to exiled Henry
- Salusbury Arms, Tremeirchion - Henry knighted T. Salusbury for helping end the 1497 tax rebellion
- Holywell – buildings at pilgrimage site reputedly funded by Henry’s mother
- Mold - church funded by Henry's mother. Contains arms of her husband Lord Stanley, a Bosworth veteran
- Northop - heraldry in church is legacy of patronage by the Stanley and Beaufort families
- Wrexham – giant church tower probably funded by Henry’s mother
- Ruabon - effigy of John ap Elis Eyton, given local land as reward for his service at Bosworth
- Holt - castle owned by Bosworth veteran Sir William Stanley until Henry executed him in 1495
- Llandrillo-yn-Edeyrn - Lloyds of Hendwr memorials. A family member held besieged Harlech Castle 1460-68
- Tŷ Gwyn, Barmouth - reputedly built as safe house for exiled Jasper Tudor to enter and leave Wales
South-west Wales
- St Davids Cathedral - location of the tomb of Henry Tudor's father
- Pembroke Castle – Henry’s birthplace
- Carew Castle - residence of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, Henry's main backer before and at Bosworth
- Tenby Harbour - where Henry escaped in 1471 to start 14 years in exile
- Carmarthen Castle – where Henry’s dad was jailed illegally, shortly before dying
- Carmarthen effigy - depicts Sir Rhys ap Thomas and his wife
- Weobley Castle, Gower – given after Bosworth to Sir Rhys ap Thomas, who started upgrading it
South-east Wales
- Llandaff Cathedral – tower funded by Jasper Tudor, Henry’s uncle and mentor
- Newport - cathedral tower reputedly funded by Jasper Tudor, who was Lord of Newport
- Usk - Church porches probably built by Lord Herbert, Henry's guardian at Raglan and wannabe dad-in-law