AS we head into May and things heat up in both a meteorological and political sense, it’s worth remembering that before Oliver Cromwell, before the House of Commons, and before the Senedd, Abergavenny was once its own nation.

It was a long time ago now, and the arrangement didn’t last long, but for a brief period in 1404, locals could make the proud boast that they weren’t Welsh, British or even European, but Abergavenny nationalists! And presumably if they formed a political party, they could have named it Abergavenny First!

To be fair, though, Abergavenny really had no say in the matter.

During his war for Welsh independence, Owain Glyndwr decided to besiege Abergavenny. Back then, we were a walled town, but the Welsh prince’s rebel forces were let through a gate in Market Street by a woman sympathiser who was all in favour of Glyndwr’s fight against the anti-Welsh laws and excessive taxation favoured by the English.

Upon entering Abergavenny, Owain and the boys obviously didn’t like what they found and decided it would be best to burn a large part of the town to the ground.

Hence why Market Street is also known as Traitor’s Lane.

After the destruction was complete, the rebel leader’s son, Ieuan ab Owain Glyndwr, decided, for reasons only known to himself, to declare Abergavenny its own nation.

You might ask what unique traits and identity did proud Abergaverians, or Abertonions, share that they needed their own nation? Who knows! But the ties that bind in this case didn’t appear to be all that strong, because after just two weeks, it all fell apart quicker than a promise in a Labour Party manifesto.

Abergavenny’s forced flirtation with nationalism was as brief as it was fragile. And the little market town was once again welcomed back into the forgiving arms of Cymru and told to behave!