Swansea Miracle

By Ann Marie Thomas

It was a cold, crisp November morning on Gallows Hill above Swansea Castle. The two convicted men shivered in their thin shirts waiting for the hanging. But this was to be a hanging like no other before or since. One of the men wouldn't stay dead.
Yet another story from medieval Gower, the fascinating series of factual history, told in a storytelling style.
Endorsement
"Welsh history is peppered with forgotten events. Swansea Miracle is a gem, a small slice of Swansea History brought beautifully to life and an audience again courtesy of the expert pen of Ann Marie Thomas." Catrin Collier, bestselling Historical Fiction Author

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ann Marie Thomas
• Release date: Apr 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781739783105

Ann Marie Thomas

Writing poetry and making up stories since I was a child, I only started to write seriously when my children were grown. My main ambition is to write science fiction, but along the way I got fascinated by local history and distracted by a major stroke. I wrote poetry about my stroke and spent my recovery writing a local history book. Taking early retirement gave me the chance to concentrate on my writing. I have been married for over 45 years, with 4 grown children and 8 grandchildren.I had already written up my research into the de Braose family before my stroke, but the long hours in hospital gave me time to think about it in detail. Once I came home, rather than sitting doing nothing, I rewrote the book, and taught myself to format and publish in both ebook and print. My husband contacted the art department of the local university, who helped me find a wonderful artist to illustrate my books.Alina, The White Lady of Oystermouth came out as an ebook and in print for the locals and the tourist market at Easter 2012 and it's success gave me the impetus to write another, Broken Reed: The Lords of Gower and King John, which came out in September 2013.The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015 led me to adapt and enlarge my Broken Reed book and produce The Magna Carta Story: The Layman's Guide to the Great Charter. This came out in May 2015.During my research I found other fascinating stories which are not long enough for a book, so I collected them together into Medieval Gower Stories, published in October 2017.I am now working on another great story from Gower medieval history: Swansea Miracle.When I was in hospital I wrote a flood of poetry, about my stroke, my therapy, my faith, and random things like the rain outside my window. I have now published them as an ebook and print, My Stroke of Inspiration. 22 poems in all: verse, doggerel, and blank verse. The poems talk about suffering and patience, therapy and faith, and are surprisingly cheerful. If you are a stroke survivor or know someone who is, or just enjoy poetry, these poems will comfort, encourage and inspire you.There is also a Christian non fiction book, Blinded by the Light, warning of the traps Christians can fall into, published in February 2020.I continue to work on my recovery from the stroke, and although I am disabled I lead a very busy life. I am involved in my church and active on social media. I am still writing science fiction, a series called Flight of the Kestrel, about the adventures of the crew of the Fast-Response spaceship the Kestrel. The first book in the series - Intruders - was published in April 2016, and the second - Alien Secrets - was published in October 2017. The third - Crisis of Conscience - was published in June 2021. Watch out for book 4 Planet Fall.

Book preview

Swansea Miracle

Ann Marie Thomas

Illustrations by Carrie Francis

Published by Alina Publishing

Copyright 2021 Ann Marie Thomas

Ann Marie Thomas has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

ISBN 978-1-7397831-0-5

This book is also available in print. ISBN 978-1-7397831-1-2

Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thanks go to my illustrator Carrie Francis,

my cover designer David Collins,

Catrin Collier for her endorsement,

and my beta readers Cristine Sillitoe and Alan Bryant

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 2 – Setting the Scene

Chapter 3 – The Hangings

Chapter 4 - Death

Chapter 5 – Lady Mary

Chapter 6 – Thomas de Cantilupe

Chapter 7 – Crach’s Revival

Chapter 8 – Pilgrimage

Chapter 9 – Papal Commission: London

Chapter 10 – Papal Commission: Herefordshire

Chapter 11 - Aftermath

About the Author

Other books by the same author

Bibliography

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Praise for this and other history books:

Ann Marie Thomas has collected together the back story of this tragic figure from Swansea's past. A fascinating account of what really happened in a local landmark many, many years ago... (Swansea Life magazine)

Though this piece of writing is based on facts, I couldn't help sense a bit of a storyline. Sometimes non fiction can get too caught up in story telling that the underlying facts are put on the backbench but I must stress that while there is an interesting storyline to this piece, the emphasis is on the facts - which is needed in any good non fiction writing. It is a great short piece. The amount of information isn't overwhelming and certainly a good introduction for anybody wanting to research this particular era... it is a wonderful piece that is rich with historical information. It is in fact a great starting point for further research into this field. (Thomas Falco for Readers Favourite)

We know King John. He upset his barons and had to sign Magna Carta. We know little more. This well-written book fills a big hole in history. It explains how their discontent was fueled by his treatment of the lords of Gower and Swansea. Betrayal and intrigues that make the doings of the Ewings pale into the shade. It is presented in an easy-to-read fashion interesting to young and