Violence and Disorder in Early Sixteenth-Century Wales: The Conwy Affray of 1516

The Conwy Affray was a violent disturbance in the north Wales town around 1516. It is comparatively well documented by several contemporary sources. We have accounts of what happened in the affray, along with a series of allegations, refutations and counter charges from the protagonists. The breadth of this material gives a useful insight into the impact of violence on a small community. The article also assesses how far the contemporaneous and personal accounts of the affray support modern historians’ interpretations of the causes of violence in early modern Wales.