Three Chevrons Red: The Clares: a Marcher Dynasty in Wales, England and Ireland Paperback – 19 Oct. 2013

This is an excellent reference work on the Clare family from origins to endings. It's packed with illustrations and photographs that give the reader a real sense of the families dwellings and domiciles. The family is explored in depth and it's good historical writing - scholarly without being emotive. The readers gets to make up his or her own mind and the author does not go off into flights of fancy (something I've noticed in certain biographies of medieval personages of late) The history of the period is clearly explained too and the family set in context. Recommended..

Living in South Wales, where the signs of the de Clare dynasty such as the mighty Caerphilly Castle are still in existence, I was very interested to read this book. I was not disappointed. The book covers the history of the de Clare family from the Norman invasion to its end in the 14th century. It not only covers the male members of the family but also some of the women as well, who were just as strong willed as their male counterparts. The book also includes photographs, maps and sketches that help to bring the story to life. Considering the de Clare family had several branches the author has done well to describe these in a way that is easy to follow.My only criticism is that the author sometimes uses words and phrases that possibly aren't the most appropriate. For example, he describes the Welsh men of Owain Gwynedd raping and pillaging during a raid. He provides no references to back up the allegation of rape and so one wonders if this comment has been added in order to sensationalise the account. If there is no evidence to back this up it shouldn't be in a factual book. The author also refers to the Welsh conducting ethnic cleansing, a phrase I don't feel should be used lightly. Again, what is the evidence for this? The Welsh burnt down Norman and English towns and villages in areas that they'd been driven from and were trying to reclaim. Even though the Normans and English were the invaders, and often used brutal means to gain territory from the native Welsh, the author uses no such terms to describe their actions. Once again, I feel this is another case of an author showing favouritism towards their subject matter and failing to remain objective. Despite this, the book is well written and presented and I enjoyed it very much.

Arrived promptly and was just what zi’d hoped fpr