In this region of the Welsh Marches, there is a significant incursion of Wales east of Offa's Dyke, an area which includes Corndon Hill and the Churchstoke valley.

The borderland parish of Church Stoke comprises nine areas, known as townships, one of which is Bacheldre, which lay in the former county of Montgomeryshire.

Bachelldre lay in the manor of Overgorther (Welsh Gorddwr Uchaf, Gorddwr signifying land beyond the water of the River Severn and Uchaf meaning uppermost, or over, as opposed to Nethergorther), under the marcher lordship of Caus / Barony of Caus, which lordship covered an extensive area, embracing Bachelldre at its southern extremity.

This Marcher lordship has been described as a semi-autonomous fief, the Corbets of Caus (Welsh Cawrse) having consolidated great tracts of land, as did the Mortimers further to the south, who also had possession of Kerry (Ceri) to the west of Bachelldre.

From Tudor times, one of the avenues open to the people of the Welsh Marches for the resolution of disputes, was the Council of Wales, which met at Ludlow.

Again, Hopton Grange, also a possession of Abbey Cwm Hir, but in Churchstoke parish, lay between Bachelldre and Gwernygo (Gwern-y-go(f), meaning Smith's Field).

1340–1390) wrote an appealing ode to Dafydd ap Cadwaladr, lord of Bachelldref entitled ‘A Christmas Revel’.

It includes the lines ‘Heaven’s bounty on earth in Bachelldref, Where there is a revel each Christmas’, and is a rather longer poem than that by Deio ap Ieuan Du.

The more famous poet, Lewis Glyn Cothi, writing about 1480 say, also addressed a poem to Gryffydd ab Howell, the grandson of the said Dafydd ap Cadwaladr, who also resided here.

Lewis Glyn Cothi urges him, as a son of a warlike father, possessing the estate of his grandfather, Cadwaladr, to take up arms for Edward IV of England.

Owain alludes to Cadwaladr's descent from Philip (Ffylip) Dorddu, who was Gruffudd Dwn's father, the Dwns also being mentioned in the poem.

(Philip Dorddu (black face or dark visage) held lands in Maelienydd, was linked with Heyhop (Heiob) Court near Knucklas, and was also associated with Bryndraenog near Beguildy.

As the crow flies it is not many miles from Bryndraenog or Heyhop to Bachelldre, crossing the Kerry Ridgeway (Yr Hên Ffordd or Cefnfordd Ceri).

Key sources are identified in the article Welsh-Border Surnames from ‘ab Edmond’, which is available at the link [1] in Heraldic Visitations above.

Additionally excellent articles are available on this area of the Welsh borderland, for instance those by James Conway Davies and Richard Morgan.