Here's another tale of Christmas joy and wonder to gnaw on. If you're not so clear on your British history, the English have traditionally treated the Welsh as a pack of savages - possibly because it took centuries to finally get a grip on them... /THREAD 
Shortly after the Normans conquered England, they turned their attention towards subduing the Welsh. The Welsh, however, weren't having any of these interlopers, and gave as good as they got for a good long while in the late 11th century. /2
Such was the ferocity of the Welsh when they rose up against the invaders, that castles were built along the borders to prevent incursions back into England. One of these was built at Abergavenny, in South Wales. /3
Almost a century after the invasion, the Welsh still relished making life miserable for the Norman interlopers. Various chiefs, such as Seisyll ap Dyfnwal raided and plundered. At one point, the Lord of Abergavenny, Henry Fitzmiles was lured to his death at Seisyll's hands. /4
Henry's son-in-law, William de Braose took over as the Lord of Abergavenny, and, in a somewhat unexpected move, appeared to be suing for peace. He sent word to Seisyll, his fellow chiefs and their entourages to come and spend Christmas at the castle, discussing a way forward. /5
Somewhat bemused, but not willing to let a chance to celebrate and feast, Seisyll and his fellow chiefs rocked up to Abergavenny Castle at Christmas, 1175. Leaving their horses stabled, their weapons in a safe place, they entered the hall and celebrations began... /6
...at which point, with a signal from William, the doors were bolted shut, and those attending the feast pulled out swords and daggers. They then proceeded to slaughter every one of the Welshmen who had come to feast. Every. Last. One. /7
News soon spread of the Christmas Massacre at Abergavenny, & the Welsh were appalled. Hell, when the Anglo-Norman establishment learned of what William had done, they were horrified too. Hell, they stripped him of his title and moved him elsewhere, to prevent revenge attacks. /8
The Christmas Massacre at Abergavenny created a rift that would take centuries to heal - even today, it's spoken about in tones of faint contempt towards the murderous William. You can read more about it here. /9 bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/en…
If you want to go to Abergavenny Castle, you're more than welcome to! The bodies are supposedly buried in a mass grave somewhere on the site, although we don't suggest that you go looking without the right equipment! /10 breconbeacons.org/abergavenny-ca…
I hope you enjoyed that - it's always great to hear about people coming together at Christmas! /FIN
