On Saturday 13 March 2004 the town of Cowbridge celebrated the 750th anniversary of the granting of its charter in 1254.

Now, almost 767 years have passed since that momentous occasion. We decided to look back at how our town of Cowbridge came to be.

Richard de Clare, Lord of Glamorgan

Born in Clare Castle, Suffolk, in 1222, Richard De Clare was one of the most powerful barons of the day, having huge estates stretching across South Wales and southern and eastern England.

From 1243 he extended his authority in Glamorgan; in 1245 he seized the manors of Llanblethian and Talyfan from Richard Siward, and the lordships of Miskin and Glynrhondda from Hywel ap Maredudd.

Richard died at John de Criol's Manor of Asbenfield in Waltham, near Canterbury, on 14 July 1262 at the age of 39; it was rumoured that he had been poisoned, potentially for his role in a Baronial reform.

The charter begins a new chapter

Developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, a town or city charter establishes a municipality as a town.

The granting of a charter gave a settlement and its inhabitants the right to town privileges under the feudal system. Cowbridge townspeople were now 'burghers' as opposed to serfs, who lived in villages.

They were now 'free' in the sense that they were not part of a feudal fief, but were directly protected by the King.

So, in 1254, the new town of Cowbridge had become the administrative centre of the lordship of Llanblethian and was granted its first charter, from Richard de Clare, the Lord of Glamorgan. Later in the 13th century, the town walls were built.

When, in 1254, Richard de Clare addressed his charter to "our beloved burgesses of Longa Villa", a small settlement probably already existed at Cowbridge, with plans already drawn up to extend it along both sides of what was the main road through Glamorgan.

"Longa Villa" (the long town) was most likely a provisional name, since Cowbridge, with various spelling, can be found in documents from 1262 onwards.

Modern Cowbridge celebrates

On Saturday the 13th. March 2004, 750 years after the granting of the Charter the whole of the Cowbridge area joined in the celebrations.

To begin, there was a visit by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on St. David's Day 2004, where he visited the Holy Cross Church and met with local children and various community groups in Cowbridge.

Commemorations included a community parade, followed by a march-pass by all three Armed Forces and a fly-pass by the RAF.

"With Knights of Old, medieval encampments, strolling street entertainers & musicians along with children's shows it was a day enjoyed by thousands of spectators in gorgeous sunshine," wrote the Cowbridge Charter Trust.