15th century The council was initially responsible for governing the lands held under the
Principality of Wales, the lands directly administered by the English Crown following the
Edwardian conquest of Wales in the 13th century. In 1457,
Henry VI created for his son,
Prince Edward, a council to rule Wales and the Marches,
Cheshire, and
Cornwall. It was re-established by
Edward IV of England as a body to counsel and act on behalf of his son, the infant
Edward, Prince of Wales. King Edward had recently been restored to the monarchy during the
Wars of the Roses, and he and his allies controlled most of the
marcher lordships within and adjoining Wales. He established his son at
Ludlow Castle, and appointed his allies from the
Woodville and
Stanley families as leading figures in the council.
16th century The council continued after the death of Edward IV and
the disappearance of his son. Under
Henry VII, the council was responsible for acting on behalf of his sons as successive Princes of Wales, first
Arthur and then
Henry. The second
Laws in Wales Act 1542 (
34 & 35 Hen. 8. c. 26) gave the council statutory recognition; it had previously been based solely upon the king's
prerogative. The full council was composed of the
Lord President and his deputy, with twenty members nominated by the king; these included members of the royal household, some of the bishops of Wales, and the justices of the
Court of Great Sessions. It continued to sit at
Ludlow, and had responsibilities for the whole of Wales together with the
Welsh Marches. These were initially deemed to comprise
Cheshire,
Shropshire,
Herefordshire,
Worcestershire and Gloucestershire; the
City of Bristol was exempted in 1562, and Cheshire in 1569. Worcestershire unsuccessfully attempted to free itself in 1576, and the council's authority over the English counties was relaxed in 1606 but restored by royal decree in 1609.
17th century The council was abolished on 25 July 1689, following the
Glorious Revolution of 1688 which overthrew
James II and established
William III (William of
Orange) and
Mary II as joint monarchs. According to Davies, "when the Council at Ludlow was abolished ... there was very little protest in Wales. Instead, the Welsh gentry embraced London". ==Leadership==