HISTORY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. THE HON. GEORGE T. 0. BRIDGEMAN, M.A. 
 
 PRINTED BY THOMAS BIRCH, 32, MILLGATE, WIGAN. 
 1876.
 
 MY DEAR 
 
 As the following pages would never have been printed 
 but for your encouragement and valuable assistance, I hope you 
 will allow me to dedicate them to you. As you are aware, the subject 
 was taken up by me many years ago when my time was more at 
 my own disposal than it has been of late years. I have now availed 
 myself of a short period of comparative rest to finish what I then began. 
 My original purpose had been simply to identify the representation 
 of certain princely families through the perplexing era of the 
 Conquest of Wales, and, as far as I could, to rectify sundry errors 
 with respect to their descent. In the course of time, however, I found 
 myself possessed of a considerable number of original deeds bearing 
 upon their earlier history and carrying me back to the time of their 
 greater power when they ruled their respective dominions as indepen- 
 dent sovereigns. This caused me to study Welsh history more closely, 
 and induced me to trace their chequered fortunes through a longer 
 period. In so doing I have endeavoured to separate the history of 
 that portion of South Wales in which their territories lay from the 
 general history of the Principality. During the earlier part of 
 the narrative my information has been mostly taken from the Brut-y- 
 Tywysogion or Chronicle of the British Princes, verified and supple- 
 mented by the accounts of such contemporary writers as treated of 
 Wales and the Borders. During the latter parf it has been 
 chiefly extracted from original records. From this it will appear that 
 the work pretends to no originality, being little more than a compila- 
 tion of facts recorded by early historians or preserved in MS. among 
 
 2201 8K
 
 111. 
 
 the Eoyal Archives. Experience has taught me that the sources from 
 which we derive our information are very different in value ; I have, 
 therefore, given copious references to my respective authorities, so that 
 the reader may judge for himself of the amount of credibility due to 
 them. To "Welsh eyes the orthography will doubtless appear 
 defective ; but, in departing from the correct Welsh spelling, my object 
 has been to bring the names of persons and places into better accord- 
 ance with the official language, as made use of in the Latin medieval 
 documents, and at that time of common acceptance between the 
 English and the Welsh. This explanation may serve, perhaps, as a 
 sufficient preface to the work. But I cannot conclude without expres- 
 sing to you my most sincere thanks for the kind interest you have 
 taken in its preparation for the press. 
 
 Believe me, 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 GEOEGE T. 0. BEIDGEMAN. 
 
 THE HALL, WIQAN, 
 
 SEPTEMBEB 15, 1876. 
 
 THE EEV. EGBERT W. EYTON, 
 
 IWEBNB HOUSE, BLANDFOBD,
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The history of the subjugation of Wales has received 
 such a very partial consideration from those who have 
 written upon it as a detached page of British history, 
 that it seems desirable to investigate it more closely, and 
 to compare it with such original documents as we still 
 possess. The chief difficulty which meets the student of 
 Welsh medieval history is the scarcity of official deeds. 
 The writings of the early chroniclers, though singularly 
 faithful on the whole, cannot always be implicitly trusted, 
 and it is not often that the facts they record can be 
 authenticated by contemporaneous documents. Heraldic 
 Pedigrees afford but little help ; indeed they often serve 
 rather to mislead than assist the enquirer ; for thougli 
 many of them have been preserved by their owners with 
 praiseworthy care for several hundred years, they have 
 been drawn up from the first with palpable inaccuracies 
 and without any regard for dates. 
 
 The Royal House of Dynevor is the subject of our 
 present enquiries. The history of this eminent race of 
 Princes, who so long baffled all the efforts of the English 
 monarchs to reduce them to subjection, has never been 
 fully or separately written. I have here arranged such 
 notes of their doings as I have been able to collect. Such 
 notes were too scanty to have assumed the preferable 
 form of personal biography ; but I have endeavoured to 
 follow these Princes through their highest and lowest 
 estate, and afterwards to trace their descendants, from 
 public records and other credible sources, to a period 
 subsequent to the conquest of Wales by King Edward I, 
 when they ceased to exist as independent rulers and are 
 gradually lost sight of in general history. 
 
 Where more authentic documents have failed I have 
 chiefly followed the Brut-y-Ty wysogion : and as this is 
 the source from which those who have written on the 
 subject appear to have principally derived their earlier 
 information, I have thought it advisable to adopt the 
 phraseology of the ancient chronicler whenever it seemed 
 to convey more accurately the true meaning of the 
 original compiler. But whereas the first portion of this
 
 yi. INTRODUCTION. 
 
 memoir was nearly completed before the late accurate 
 rendering of the Brut was given to the public, under the 
 auspices of the Record commission, 1 I have in some cases 
 retained the quaint language of Dr. Powel's version 
 where no undue liberty appears to have been taken with 
 the original. 
 
 In his preface to the History of Wales Dr. Powel says 
 that one of the things which made him the more willing 
 to publish his work was " the slanderous report of such 
 writers as in their bookes do inforce everie thing that is 
 done by the Welshmen to their discredit, leaving out all 
 the causes and circumstances of the same : which [writers] 
 doo most commonlie not onelie elevate or dissemble all the 
 injuries and wrongs offered and done to the Welshmen, 
 but also conceale or deface all the actes worthie of com- 
 mendation atchieved by them." There is doubtless much 
 of truth in these remarks. The want of faith with which 
 the Welsh have been charged, by English historians, in 
 dealing with their victorious rivals may fairly be attributed 
 to the continued violence and oppression of those Norman 
 adventurers, who first settled upon their lands and then 
 availed themselves of every pretext to wrest them from 
 their native owners. Nor were the Normans on their 
 part a whit less scrupulous in breaking their treaties with 
 the Welsh. We cannot be too thankful that England 
 and Wales should have been thus early united under one 
 common rule ; but it does not become us as Englishmen 
 to depreciate the conduct of a brave people in their long 
 continued struggle for independence, nor to stigmatize 
 them as mere rebels and truce-breakers, because they 
 would not tamely submit to the tyranny of foreign 
 oppressors. Nor yet must we lose sight of the fact that 
 the unjust spoliations and robberies of the latter, if not 
 actually encouraged, were generally overlooked and 
 pardoned by the English monarchs, who professed to 
 administer impartial justice, whilst the wrongs of the 
 Welsh remained unredressed, and their just complaints 
 too often unheeded. 
 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogion, Edited by the Rev. John Williams ab Ithel, Eector of 
 Llanymowddwy. 1860. Another version of the Brut, The Gwentian Chronicle, has 
 been more recently published by the Cambrian Archaeological Association in 1863. In 
 my future references, where the Brut-y-Tywysogion is quoted, the former of these 
 versions is ordinarily intended, and the other will be referred to as the Gwentian 
 Chronicle.
 
 HISTORY OF THE 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 On the dissolution of the Roman power in Great 
 Britain, at the close of the fourth century, the 
 governments reverted to those Reguli who were descended 
 from the ancient sovereigns. They had been but little 
 interfered with, indeed, by the Romans, who, with a 
 policy peculiar to themselves, permitted the kingly office, 
 in the full extent of its ancient authority, to remain in 
 many of the British provinces. 1 Thus Wales continued 
 to be governed by several chieftains or petty kings who 
 ruled over different portions of the country, until the 
 whole was nominally united into one kingdom under the 
 dominion of Roderic the Great, in the 9th century. 
 
 Roderic was the son of Mervyn Vrych (or the Freckled), 
 the son of Gwyriad or Uriet, the son of Elidur, and so 
 upwards in the right line to Belinus the brother of Brennus 
 King of the Britaines. 2 His mother was Esylht the 
 daughter and heiress of Conan Tyndaethwy King or 
 Prince of Gwyneth, the son of Roderic, the son of Edwal 
 Ywrch, the son of Cadwalader last King of the Britaines. 3 
 And his grandmother Nest, the mother of Mervyn, was 
 the daughter of Cadell, Prince of Powis, the descendant 
 of Brochwel Yscithroc, King or Prince of Powis. 
 
 Mervyn is said to have been slain in battle with 
 Berthred King of Mercia ; upon which Roderic succeeded 
 to the dominion of North Wales. This battle is placed 
 by the Brut-y-Tywysogion and Annales Cambriae'in 844 ; 
 by the Gwentian Chronicle about 838. The Principality 
 
 i Warrington's Hist, of Wale*, Vol. I. p. 33. 2 Powel's Hist, of Wales 
 (ed. of 1584), p. 19. 3 Ihi.l.
 
 2 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 of Powis fell to him soon after in right of his grandmother 
 Nest, the sister and heiress of Concenn ap Cadell, Prince 
 of Powis, who died at Rome in 854. 1 And having married 
 Angharad, the daughter of Meyric ap Dyfnwal, and sister 
 and heiress of Gwgan ap Meyric, King of Cardigan, 2 who 
 was drowned in 870 or 871, 3 Roderic acquired the king- 
 dom of Cardigan in her right, and thus became sovereign 
 of all Wales ; for the lesser chieftains of Dy vet, Gwent, 
 Brecheinoc, and Morganwg are said to have acknowledged 
 his supremacy. If Roderic had acted wisely in consoli- 
 dating his dominions, his government might have been 
 fixed upon a firmer basis and longer resisted the encroach- 
 ments of its enemies. But he was induced to pursue an 
 opposite course. He divided his kingdom into three 
 principalities, which were governed during his lifetime 
 by chieftains acting under his authority. This singular 
 measure seems to have arisen from the narrow view that 
 the Welsh, accustomed to be governed by their own rulers, 
 ought not to yield obedience to a common sovereign. 4 
 
 Roderic was slain about 876-7, in the 89th year of his 
 age, while defending his country against the Saxons j and 
 his kingdom was divided between his three eldest sons. 
 To Anarawd the eldest he gave Gwyneth or North 
 Wales, with a certain precedence or feudal superiority 
 over his brethren : to Cadell, the 2nd son, he gave 
 Deheubarth or South Wales : and to Mervyn, the 3rd, the 
 principality of Powis. For each of these kingdoms he 
 built a palace ; for the King of Noith Wales at Aberfraw 
 (in the isle of Anglesea) ; for the King of South Wales at 
 Dinevawr (in Caermarthenshire) ; for the King of Powis 
 at Mathraval (in Montgomeryshire). 5 He further ordained 
 that when any difference should arise between the Princes 
 of North and South Wales the three should meet at 
 Bwlch-y-Pawl, and the Prince of Powis should be umpire. 
 But if the Princes of North Wales and Powis fell at 
 variance, they should meet at D61 Rhianedd on the bank 
 of the river Dee, where the Prince of South Wales was to 
 adjust the controversy; and if the quarrel happened 
 between the Princes of Powis and South Whales, the 
 
 i Brut-y-Tywysogion (Record Edition). 2 Meyrick's Cardigan. 3 Brut-y-Tywy- 
 ogion. * Warrington's Hist, of Wales, Vol. I., p. 212. 6 Meyrick's Cardigan. 
 p. xxvi. Wynne's Hist. Wales, p. 25.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 3 
 
 meeting was to be appointed at Llys Wen upon the river 
 Wye, where it was to be decided by the Prince of North 
 Wales. These sons of lioderic were called the three 
 crowned princes, on account of their being the first to wear 
 diadems around their crowns, like kings in other countries, 
 before which the kings and princes of the Welsh wore 
 only golden bands. 1 
 
 Thus did Wales become divided into three distinct 
 sovereignties, almost, if not entirely, independent of each 
 other. Roderic had enjoined, indeed, that if any one of 
 these states should be invaded by a foreign enemy the 
 others should come to its assistance : but there was no 
 real bond of union between them ; and there can be no 
 question that this partition of power, followed as it was 
 by future sub-division of territory according to the prin- 
 ciple of the law of gavelkind, proved utterly ruinous to 
 the interests of the country. 2 As long as it remained 
 united under one rule its collective strength was sufficient 
 to afford security against foreign aggression, and at the 
 same time to overawe the ambition of the tributary 
 chieftains. But its separation into petty states not only 
 divided its interests and led to perpetual jealousies and 
 contests between the states themselves, but so weakened 
 the power of the princes as to render them unable to curb 
 the ambition of their refractory vassals, who constantly 
 took part against their suzerain, and thus prepared the 
 way for the Norman invaders. 
 
 Cadell, the 2nd son of Roderic, succeeded to the king- 
 dom of South Wales, which was called Deheubarth, as 
 lying to the South of the other provinces. The residence 
 of the princes of this country was at Dynevor (Dinevawr 
 or Dinas Vawr, the Great Palace), on the bank of the 
 river Towy in Carmarthenshire where a palace had been 
 erected by Roderic. This District, the Demetia of the 
 Romans, consisted of 26 cantreds or hundreds, containing 
 81 commots. 3 It was encompassed by the Irish Sea, the 
 
 l Gwcntian Chronicle. 2 The law of gavelkind, by which each son claimed a sharo 
 of his father's inheritance, continued in force till the 34th of Hen. VIII, when it was 
 abolished by statute. (Penny Cylcopacdia) . 3 Wales was anciently divided into can- 
 trefs (or cantreds) and commots. The cantref (as its name implies) was originally 
 composed of one hundred trcfs or townships. These cantrefs were subdivided into 
 two or more commots, which severally maintained their own courts and jurisdictions ; 
 and thus each commot became a separate manor or lordship. Some of these original 
 commots were afterwards further subdivided, at a later period, as was frequently the case
 
 4 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Severn, and the rivers Wye and Dovey. This, though the 
 greatest kingdom of Wales, yet, says Powel " was it not 
 the best, as Giraldus witnesseth, cheefelie bicause it was 
 much molested with Flemings and Normans, and also 
 that in divers parts thereof the lords would not obey their 
 Prince, as in Gwent and Morganwg, which was to their 
 owne confusion." Deheubarth was divided into six 
 parts, viz., Caredigion, Dyvet, Caermardhyn, Morganwg, 
 Gwent, and Brecheinoc, which were nearly identical with 
 the present counties of Cardigan, Pembroke, Carmarthen, 
 Glamorgan, Momnouth, and Brecknock. But these 
 territories were gradually wrested from the descendants 
 of Roderic until Cardigan and Carmarthen and a small 
 portion of Pembroke alone remained to them. 
 
 The fatal policy of Roderic, in dividing his dominions, 
 soon became apparent from the conduct of his sons. For 
 in 892-3 we find Anarawd uniting with the English against 
 his brother Cadell ; when they invaded his territory with 
 their joint forces and devastated the country of Cardigan 
 and the vale of Towy. 1 And again we find Cadell, Prince 
 of South Wales taking forcible possession of Powis on the 
 death of his brother Mervyn in 901. 
 
 Cadell, son of Roderic the great, died in the year 907, 
 leaving three sons, Howel L)ha (i.e. Howel the good) 
 Meyric and Clydawc ; of whom the latter was killed by 
 his brother Meyric about the year 917. 2 
 
 Howel, the eldest son of Cadell, succeeded to his 
 father's dominions in South Wales and Powis, to which, 
 on the death of his cousin Edwal Foel, prince of Gwyneth, 
 in 941-2, he added the principality of North Wales, and 
 thus, for a time, again united the territories of his grand- 
 father Roderic. He was elected to the sovereignty of 
 Wales in preference to the sons of Edwal on account of 
 his talent and character, the exigency of the times, and 
 
 with English manors ; and every such respective portion was then styled a commot or 
 manor of itself. This division into cantrefs and commots continued intact until after 
 the conquest of Wales by King Edward I, who, in the twelfth year of his reign, passed 
 a statute, known as the statute of Rhuddlan, by which those parts of Wales which had 
 not already been recognized as Lordships Marcher, were formed into counties like those 
 in England. And as the territories which had pertained to the princes of the House of 
 Dynevor were then in possession of the crown, either by forfeiture, attainder, or sub- 
 mission, the two present counties of Cardigan and Carmarthen were created out of them. 
 The same boundaries were for the most part retained until the Welsh counties were 
 divided into hundreds in the reign of King Henry VIII. 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 Ibid ; Annales Cambrise.
 
 PKINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 5 
 
 the minority of the right heir to the Northern principality. 1 
 The reign of Howel Dha forms a new era in the history 
 of Wales. Great disorders and inconveniences had been 
 long felt from the undefined nature of the existing laws 
 and their inadequacy to meet the changes which had 
 been introduced by the progress of society : and Howel, 
 who ha J travelled to Rome in the year 926 and had thus 
 become acquainted with the institutions of other coun- 
 tries, justly considered that the greatest benefit he could 
 confer on his country would be to form a regular written 
 code suited to the habits and circumstances of the times. 
 Accordingly he sent "for the Archbishop of Menevia 
 (St. David's) and all the other Bishops and chiefe of the 
 cleargie to the number of 140, and all the barons and 
 nobles of Wales, and caused sixe men of the wisest and 
 best esteemed in everie comote to be called before him, 
 whorne he commanded to meete all together at his house 
 called Y Tuy gwyn ar Taf, that is, The White House 
 upon the river Taf. Thither he came liimselfe, and there 
 remained with those his nobles, prelates, and subjects, all 
 the Lent, in praier and fasting, craving the assistance and 
 direction of God's Holy Spirit, that he might reforme the 
 lawes and customes of the countrie of Wales, to the honor 
 of God, and the quiet government of the people. About 
 the end of Lent he chose out of that companie twelve 
 men of the wisest, gravest, and of the greatest experience : 
 to whome he added one clearke or doctor of the lawes, 
 named Blegored, a singular learned and perfect wise man. 
 These had in charge to examine the old lawes and cus- 
 tomes of Wales, and to gather out of those such as were 
 meete for the government of the countrie : which they 
 did, reteining those that were wholesome and profitable, 
 expounding those that were doubtfull and ambiguous, and 
 abrogating those that were superfluous and hurtfull." 2 
 
 This code, having received the judgment and verdict 
 of the country in the national assembly, was established 
 throughout Wales in every lordship, and in the court of 
 every lord and of every tribe. It continued in force 
 throughout the principality till the 'subjugation of Wales 
 by Edward I, and was retained in some districts until 
 
 i Jones' Hist, of Wales, p. 51. 2 Towel's Hist, of Wales, p. 44.
 
 6 PEINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 the final union with England in the reign of Henry VIII. 
 It has been pronounced to be the most complete of any 
 ancient code known ; and the laws possess considerable 
 interest from the picture they exhibit of the manners and 
 customs of the age. 
 
 In 943 died Elen, wife of Howel Dha; 1 and Howel 
 himself died in 948, 2 after a long and peaceful reign, in 
 which he had carefully studied the best interests of his 
 country, and secured the respect and confidence of his 
 subjects. His death, says Powel, "was sore bewailed of 
 all men, for he was a prince that loved peace and good 
 order, and that feared God." 
 
 He left eight sons, 3 Owen, Run, Roderic, Dyfnwal, 
 Edwyn, Cynan, Meredith, and Eineon, who, relinquish- 
 ing the kingdom of North Wales to Jevaf and lago, the 
 sons of Edwal Foel, divided amongst them the princi- 
 palities of South Wales and Powis. 
 
 Owen took the rule of Cardigan 4 and succeeded to the 
 chief dominion in South Wales ; but he was not left long 
 in peaceable possession ; for Jevaf and Iago f who had 
 assumed the government of North Wales to the exclusion 
 of their elder brother Meyric, laid claim to the whole 
 principality ; and having raised an army they invaded 
 Cardigan, defeated the sons of Howel after a sanguinary 
 battle on the hills of Carnau, and cruelly devastated the 
 land of Dyvet. This was in the year 949 ; and in the 
 following year they came a second time to Dyvet (or 
 Pembrokeshire) which they pillaged, and slew Dynwallon 
 the Prince thereof. On this occasion " Owen, prince of 
 Cardigan collected an army against them, and followed 
 them back to Gwynedd so closely that many of them were 
 drowned in the river Dyvi." 5 
 
 In the year 951, died Dyfnwal and Roderic, two of 
 the sons of Howel Dha. 6 And in the year ensuing 
 ' ' Owen ap Howel Dha led an army into Gwynedd, and 
 there the action of Aberconwy took place, in which such 
 a slaughter was made that both parties were obliged to 
 retreat from the losses they sustained in that battle." 7 
 At this time, or not -long after, died Edwyn another of 
 the sons of Howel Dha. 8 
 
 1 and 2 Gwentian Chronicle. 3 Jones' Hist, of Wales. *, 5, and 7 Gwentian 
 Chronicle, p. 25. 6 and 8 Brut-y-Tywysogion, p. 22.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 7 
 
 In the year 953 the Princes of Gwyneth once more 
 invaded Cardigan; and the sons of Howel drove them 
 back with great slaughter. 1 These disastrous conflicts, 
 however, ultimately terminated in favour of Jevaf and 
 lago, who succeeded in establishing their power over the 
 whole of Wales, and held the kingdom of Dynevor for 
 several years. 2 
 
 Owen ap Howel Dha, being thus driven from his own 
 country, turned his attention to another quarter. In the 
 year 958 he invaded the territory of Morgan Mawr Prince 
 of Glamorgan, over whose family the Princes of Dynevor 
 had formerly held a feudal supremacy, and took posses- 
 sion of the districts of Ystradyw and Ew) r as in the vale 
 of Usk, which he claimed as his right. The claim was 
 referred to Edgar King of England, who gave his award 
 in favour of Morgan ; 3 and O wen was obliged to retire. 
 In 962 Owen, with the other Princes of Wales, was com- 
 pelled to pay tribute to Edgar. 4 The two Princes of 
 North Wales having afterwards quarrelled, Oweri appears 
 to have seized this opportunity to regain his kingdom ; 
 and not long after, about the year 967, his eldest son 
 Eineon. further availed himself of these distractions to put 
 the land of Gower to tribute. This Prince, who died in 
 his father's lifetime, is spoken of as a young man of high 
 promise and a leader of great judgment and personal 
 bravery. When the Danes invaded Pembroke in 981 
 and laid the church of St. David in ruins, they were 
 checked by Eineon and defeated at Caer Faes in the 
 parish of Llanwenog in the county of Cardigan. 5 In that 
 or the following year the Saxons entered Wales and laid 
 waste the land of Brecknock and all the territory of 
 Eineon, 6 who collected his forces to oppose th.em. A hard 
 fought battle ensued, in which the Saxons were defeated 
 and put to flight. 7 Soon after this victory his spirited 
 career was brought to a sudden termination. " The yeare 
 
 1 Gwcntian Chronicle, p. 27. 2 Powel'8 Hist, of Wales, p. 60. 3 Liber 
 Landavcnsis, p. 512. Caradoc's Chronicle in the Myfyrian Archaeology. 4 The 
 singular tribute which Edgar exacted from the Welsh Princes, and which was imposed 
 in lieu of a more ancient one to which he claimed a right, was the yearly payment of 
 300 wolves' heads. The natural result of this tribute was that, after it had been paid 
 for three or four years, the Avolves were nearly extirpated from the country. 6 Jones' 
 Ilist. of Wales. *6 Brut-y-Tywysogion. This invasion has been by some placed in 
 the time of Howel Dha : but Edgar did not begin his reign until 958 (Carte i. 330) ; 
 For an explanatory note on this point I would refer the reader to Rees' South Wales, 
 p. 565, and the Liber Landavensis, p. 612. 7 Jones' Hist, of Wales.
 
 8 PRINCES OP SOUTH WALES. 
 
 following," says Powel, "the gentlemen of Gwentsland 
 rebelled against their prince, and cruellie slew Eneon the 
 son of Owen which came thither to appease them." This 
 Eneon, Eineon, or JEneas, who was thus slain in 982, is 
 described by Powel as " a worthie and noble gentleman, 
 who did manie notable actes in his father's time ;" and 
 our author further informs us that he left behind him 
 "two sonnes Edwyn and Theodor or Tewdor Mawr, of 
 whom came afterwards the kings or princes of South 
 Wales." This statement has been usually accepted ; but 
 it is highly improbable that Tudor the son of Eineon 
 should have been the father of Res ap Tudor Mawr. 
 Giraldus, as I think, more correctly, informs us that 
 Eineon had three sons Edwyn, Tudor, and Cadell; of 
 whom Cadell was the father of Tudor the father of the cele- 
 brated Res-ap-Tudor Mawr. 1 Tudor the son of Eineon 
 was slain at the battle of Llangwni in 993. 2 
 
 Eineon ap Owen ap Howel Dha was succeeded in the 
 command of his father's forces by his half brother Mere- 
 dith, the son of Owen by his second wife Angharad the 
 daughter and heiress of Llewelyn ap Mervyn, who 
 should have been Prince of Powis. Owen ap Howel 
 Dha died in 987, 3 having had four sons, Eineon who 
 died in his father's lifetime, Cadwallon who died in 96 1, 4 
 Meredith, and Llywarch who had his eyes put out by 
 Godfrey son of Harold in 986. 5 
 
 Upon the death of Owen, his son Meredith, who had 
 previously slain Cadwallon ap Jevaf the reigning Prince 
 of North Wales and assumed the government of North 
 Wales and Powis, possessed himself also of the kingdom 
 of South Wales to the exclusion of the sons of Eineon his 
 elder brother. 
 
 South Wates was, about this time, again attacked by 
 the Danes who committed dreadful ravages, and Meredith 
 had hardly freed himself from these foreign enemies 
 before he was called upon to defend himself against his 
 nephew Edwyn ap Eineon, who had raised an army to 
 support his claim to the throne. Edwyn, having obtained 
 succour from the Saxons and Danes, laid waste the 
 
 1 Leland's collectanea Vol. III. p. 74 ; Ex libro Giraldi Cambrensis de descriptions 
 Cambriae ad Ilugonem Episcopum Lincolniensem. 2 and 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 
 4 Gwentian Chronicle. 5 Powel' 8 Hist, of "Wales.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
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 10 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 territories of Meredith, namely Cardigan, Dyvet, Menevia, 
 Lower Gower, and Kidwelly ; but a reconciliation was 
 effected between the uncle and nephew which put an end 
 to hostilities ; and their friendship was cemented in the 
 following year, 992, by the death of Cadwallon the only 
 son of Meredith, which opened to Edwyn the prospect of 
 his future succession. 
 
 Edwal ap Meyric the rightful heir of North Wales re- 
 covered his kingdom from Meredith ap Owen in 993 . " And 
 in the same year Meredyth gathered togither all his power, 
 intending to recover againe North Wales, with whom 
 Edwal met at Lhangwm, [in Denbighshire] and overthrew 
 him in plaine battell," where Tudor, son of Eineon ap 
 Owen, Meredith's nephew was slain. 1 
 
 Edwyn the eldest son of Eineon ap Owen also fell soon 
 after at the battle of Clunog, in the same county, where 
 his monument is still to be seen, bearing the inscription 
 "Edwini occisio," the slaughter of Edwyn. 2 Edwyn 
 left two sons Howel and Meredith, who long strove 
 for the recovery of their kingdom, but only obtained 
 possession for a few years. Meredith was slain in 
 1033 and his brother Howel in 1042-3. 3 Their uncle 
 Meredith ap Owen died in 998, leaving an only 
 daughter Angharad, who married first Llewelyn ap Seisylt 
 by whom she had a son Griffith ap Llewelyn ; and 
 secondly Convyn ap Gwerystan, by whom she was 
 mother of Blethin and Rhiwallon who eventually suc- 
 ceeded to their mother's dominion of Powis. In the 
 meantime the government of South Wales was assumed 
 by Aeddan ap Blegored upon the death of Meredith ap 
 Owen ; and from this time forward the history of the 
 country is one continued record of civil warfare and blood- 
 shed, until the rightful succession was at length restored 
 in the person of Res ap Tudor Mawr in the year 1077. 
 
 The intermediate period is remarkable for the conquest 
 of England by William of Normandy, and, as a natural 
 consequence, the commencement of that series of spolia- 
 tion and encroachment upon the Marches of Wales by his 
 Norman followers which in a few years made them mas- 
 ters of its most valuable possessions. During the 79 years 
 
 i Vowel's Hist. ; Gwentian Chronicle. 2 Jones' Hist, of Wales, p, 56. 3 Brut-y- 
 fywygogion.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES, li 
 
 which intervened from the death of Meredith ap Owen 
 to the accession of Res ap Tudor Mawr, South Wales was 
 successively governed by Aeddan ap Blegored, Llewelyn 
 ap Seisylt, Rytherch ap Jestyn, Howel and Meredith 
 the sons of Edwyn ap Eineon ap Owen, Griffith ap 
 Llewelyn ap Seisylt, 1 Meredith ap Owen ap Edwyn, 
 Blethin ap Convyn, Caradoc ap Griffith ap Rytherch, 
 then jointly by Res ap Owen ap Edwyn and Rytherch 
 ap Caradoc until Res ap Owen, the survivor of them, was 
 overthrown by Trahaern ap Caradoc, in 1077; after 
 which Res ap Tudor was acknowledged Prince of South 
 Wales. 
 
 The brave Res is said, by Powel and others who have 
 followed him, to have been the son of Tudor ap Eineon 
 ap Owen ap Howel Dha, which Tudor fell at the battle 
 of Llangwm in 993. But this is scarcely reconcileable 
 with dates as it would suppose Res to have been nearer 
 90 than 80 at the time of his accession. It is far more 
 probable that he should have been (as stated by Giraldus) 
 the son of Tudor, son of Cadcll, son Of Eineon ap Owen ap 
 Howel Dha. 2 All however agree in deducing his descent 
 from Eineon ap Owen ap Howel Dha, and making him 
 the rightful heir to the principality of South Wales. 
 
 " In the year 1077," says Powel, " Rees the sonne of 
 Theodor as right inheritour to the kingdome of South 
 Wales claimed the same, and the people received him 
 with much joie, and made him their Prince." " In him," 
 says Yorke, "the legal succession was restored: he was 
 moreover the choice of the people." 3 According to 
 Vaughan of Hengwrt the immediate territories of this 
 Prince, who is known as the founder of the 2nd Royal 
 Tribe of Wales, consisted only of the present counties of 
 Cardigan and Caermarthen : as Pembroke, Brecknock, 
 Gwent, and Glewising (or Herefordshire) were governed 
 by their several reguli. There can be but little doubt, 
 however, that all these acknowledged the sovereign 
 authority of the superior Prince of South Wales. 4 
 
 Res had scarcely secured himself on his throne before 
 
 1 Oct. 24, 1055, is the date of a battle two miles from Hereford, wherein Griffin, 
 King of Wales, defeated the English commanded hyAlgarEarl of Mercia, and Rodolpk 
 (sometimes called Earl of Hereford), nephew of King Edward the Confessor. (Ex. inf. 
 Rev. R. Eyton.) 2 Leland's Collectanea III, p. 74. 3 Royal Tribes of Wa4, 
 * Warrington's Wales.
 
 12 PRINCES O'F SOUTH WALES. 
 
 he was called to the assistance of another Prince, who, 
 like himself, had been kept from his lawful inheritance. 
 Griffith ap Cynan, called the Founder of the 1st Royal 
 Tribe of Wales, was the son of Cynan ap lago, ap 
 Meyric, ap Edwal Foel, ap Aiiarawd, the eldest son of 
 Eoderic the Great, and rightful heir to the throne of 
 Gwyneth. In the year 1080 he landed in Pembrokeshire, 
 with an army of Irish Scots, and being joined by Res ap 
 Tudor, he marched against Trahaern the ruling Prince of 
 North Wales, and engaged him on the hills of Carnau, 
 in Cardiganshire. In this battle Trahaern was slain ; 
 and the fortunes of that field established Res and Griffith 
 upon their respective thrones. 
 
 It was in this same year (according to the Welsh 
 Chronicle, but more correctly in 1081) that William the 
 Conqueror came into Wales with a great army. The 
 Welsh were unprepared for resistance ; and, as he met 
 with no opposition, he retired from the country, after 
 receiving the homage of the native Princes, and making 
 an offering at the shrine of St. David. 1 King William I. 
 
 1 AVe gather something of the state of the Welsh Border in the year 1085 from the 
 following notes supplied by Domesday. The county of Monmouth is not sxirveyed : 
 but under Gloucestershire we have a detailed notice of the Castie and Chatellany of 
 " Estrighoiel." The Castle had been built (between 1066 and 1070) by Earl William 
 fitz Osbern, whose son Roger, Earl of Hereford, had lost Strigoil and everything, by 
 his treason in 1074. The chief Norman occupants of Strigoil and other Monmouthshire 
 territory were, in 1085, (1) the King himself, as having the Fief of Earl Roger by 
 Escheat. (2) Durandus Sheriff of Gloucestershire. (3) Geoffrey de Moubray, Bishop 
 of Coutances. (4) Roger de Berkeley. (5) William de Eu. (6) Roger de Lacy. (7) 
 Turstin fitz Rou ; and (8) Alurcd of Spain. Domesday records of four vills which had 
 been in charge of one or other of K. William's Pr<epositi, that they were destroyed 
 (VastatcK) by King Caraduech. Among the King's Theyns of Gloucestershire only one 
 of Welsh origin appears. Madoch tenet de Rege Rtideford (In Botelau Hundred). 
 Ipse tenuit. T.R.E. 
 
 The Herefordshire Domesday shows the Conqueror on better terms with his Welsh 
 neighbours. The Province of Arcenefelde was tenanted by Welsh and English indis- 
 criminately. Each population was governed by its own national laws and customs ; 
 but the Executive in both was with the King's officers. The Priestsof the Arcc-nefelde 
 churches were by prescription the King's Ambassadors for Wales ; when the King 
 invaded Wales proper, they formed the Vanguard of his host ; when he retreated, they 
 formed the Rear-guard. For some great Section of this Province of Arcenefelde, Riset 
 de Wales, as he is called, paid King Willinm an annual tribute of 40. But a more 
 remarkable feature of the Herefordshire Domesday is that Grifin Son of Mariadoc is 
 registered as a tenant in capite, with a Fief of seven Herefordshire manors, all of which 
 had been held under Edward the Confessor by Saxons rather than by Welshmen. 
 What is said of two of these manors was doubtless true of all, viz. that Earl William 
 gave them to King Mariadoc ; that is, William fitz Osbern, in his palatinate power, 
 and between the years 1066 and 1070, had thus enfeoffed a native King of Wales. 
 And it seems that King William, when in 1074 Fitz Osbern's Earldom reverted to 
 the crown, had respected the act of his greatest Lieutenant, nay, he had exempted 
 King Mariadoc' s Herefordshire Fief from the payment of Danegeld, and had conceded 
 the same immunity to Mariadoe's Son, Grifin, " Rex. W. Condonavit geldum Regi 
 Mariadoc et posteei jilio ejus." (Ex. inf. Rev. R. Eyton.) 
 
 It is difficult to identify these Welsh Magnates whose names occur in the Domesday
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 13 
 
 died in Normandy, on Sept. 9, 1087; and was succeeded 
 by his son William. Riifus. "On the death of the Con- 
 queror, the spirit and genius of the Welsh nation revived, 
 and with it revived also the variety of evils which are 
 incidental to intestine divisions." 1 
 
 In 1087, after the death of King William the Conqueror, 
 the sons of Blethiii ap Convyn, who had formerly ruled 
 over all Wales, gathered their forces together against Res 
 ap Tudor; and Res, being unable to cope with them, 
 escaped to Ireland, from whence he obtained assistance 
 and returned to South Wales with an army of Irish Scots : 
 "which when his freends hard of, they drew to him, and 
 the other came in hast, thinking to fight with him before 
 his power should increase, and at Lechrhyd they gave him 
 battell." 2 In this engagement the usurpers were defeated ; 
 two of the sons of Blethin were slain, and the other " fled 
 and forsooke the countrie." 3 As soon as Res was in quiet 
 possession of this kingdom, he sent home his auxiliaries 
 with great rewards. But the turbulent spirit of his 
 vassals allowed him only a short interval of repose. A 
 circumstance shortly occurred which produced a most im- 
 portant and decisive change in the affairs of South Wales, 
 and tended in no small degree to bring about the final 
 overthrow of Cambrian liberty. Eineon and Llewelyn, 
 the sons of Cedivor, Lord of Dyvet, and their uncle 
 Eineon ap Collwyn, brother to Cedivor, chiefs of some 
 eminence in South Wales, rose in rebellion against Res 
 ap Tudor, and prevailed 011 Griffith ap Meredith, another 
 southern chieftain, to join their revolt. The rebels were 
 quickly defeated ; Llewelyn and Eineon, the sons of 
 Cedivor were slain, Griffith ap Meredith w r as taken and 
 beheaded as a traitor, and Eineon ap Collwyn fled to 
 Jestyn ap Gwrgan, Prince of Morgan wg (or Glamorgan). 
 This magnate, whose proud spirit could not submit to a 
 feudal superior, was also in arms against the Prince of 
 
 Record. King Caraduech was probably Caradoc, son of Griffith ap Rhydderch ap 
 Jestyn, who-e territory was Ystnulyw, invent Uchcoed, and Gwynllwg (Liber Landa- 
 vensis, p. 550). Kisct de Wales may have been Res ap Tudor Mawr; and Grifin son 
 of King Mariadoc may, perhaps, have been the same with Griffith ap Meredith who 
 joined Eineon ap Collwyn, in his rebellion against Prince Res np Tudor, by whom he 
 was taken and beheaded after the death of William the Conqueror. 
 
 l Warringfon's Wales. 2 Towel's Hist, of Wales. The village of Llechrhyd is 
 situated on the banks of the Teify, about three miles from Cardigan, where Res would 
 have probably landed on his return from Ireland. 3 Towel's Hist.
 
 14 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES, 
 
 South Wales ; and Eineon, who had served with the 
 Normans under William the Conqueror, engaged, upon 
 certain conditions agreed upon between them, to bring 
 an English army to their assistance. By this agreement 
 it was stipulated, on the part of Jestyn, that Eineon 
 should receive the daughter of Jestyn in marriage, with 
 the lordship of Meisgyn for her dower. Eineon prevailed 
 upon Kobert fitz Hamon and other Norman knights to 
 come to their aid, and with these reinforcements they 
 invaded the territories of Res, burned and spoiled his 
 land, and destroyed his people. The aged Prince of 
 South Wales marched in person against the rebels, and 
 meeting them upon the black mountain near Brecknock, 
 engaged them, with an army far less in number than that 
 of his adversaries, and w T as defeated. 1 In this battle, 
 which was bravely contested by the Welsh, the old and 
 gallant Res is said by some to have fallen. But it is 
 more probable, as asserted by others, that he survived 
 this defeat to perish a few months later while assisting 
 his brother-in-law Blethin ap Maenarch, Lord of Breck- 
 nock, against Bernard Newmarch, and a fresh horde of 
 Norman adventurers. The date of this last battle has 
 been attributed to the year 1093. Mr. Jones, the his- 
 torian of Brecknock, indeed, conjectures that it happened 
 a few years earlier, and asserts that there are grants by 
 Bernard Newmarch in Brecknockshire, as early as 1088; 2 
 but Florence of Worcester, a contemporary writer who 
 appears to have been well acquainted with the affairs of 
 Wales, places the death of Res in 1093, and says that he 
 was slain in battle near the castle of Brecknock, "in ipsa 
 hebdomada Paschali." 3 We can hardly doubt such res- 
 pectable authority; but it is by no means improbable 
 that Bernard Newmarch may have obtained some footing 
 in the land of Brecknock before this decisive battle was 
 fought. 
 
 With Res, says Powel, " fell and decaied the kingdome 
 of South Wales." The same author informs us that he 
 had, by his wife [Gladys], the daughter and heiress of 
 Rhiwalhon ap Convyn, "a sonne called Gruffyth, who at 
 his father's death was but a verie child, and one Grono 
 
 l Warrington's Hist, of "Wales. 2 Jones' Hist, of Brecknock, Vol. I. p. 88. 
 Florence of Worcester, Vol. II, p. 31.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 15 
 
 that was in the king's prison." From the Brut, however, 
 I should infer that Grono was taken prisoner about the 
 year 1102, and probably died soon afterwards in 
 captivity. 1 Another son, Howel, is afterwards mentioned 
 by the chronicler as the companion of his brother Griffith 
 ap Res in his struggles to regain his father's kingdom. 2 
 There was also a daughter Nest, who was married first 
 to Gerald de Windsor, constable of Pembroke (to whom 
 she is said to have brought Carew Castle with seven 
 manors in Dyvet, or West Wales, as her dower); and 
 secondly to Stephen, Constable of Cardigan. 3 
 
 The heralds give, as the issue of Res ap Tudor and his 
 wife Gladys one son, Griffith ap Res, and four daughters, 
 Gwenllian, Nest, Eva, and Arddyn. 4 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysopon, compared with general history. 2 Powel's Hist, of Wales, 
 S Lord Lyttelton's Hist, of Henry II, Vol. II, p. 165. The Marquis of Kildare 
 makes Stephen Constable of Cardigan to have been the first husband, and Gerald de 
 Windsor the second. (Earl* of Kildare and their ancestors, p. 3.) But Lord Lyttelton's 
 statement is borne out by Giraldus Canibrensis (Conquest of Ireland, chap. 13), who 
 writes concerning the arrival in Ireland of Redmond le Grosse, that " he "was nephew to 
 Robert fitz Stephen, and to Maurice fitz Gerald, being the son unto their elder brother 
 William," (i.e. William ,/frz Gerald, who assumed the surname of de Carrio, eldest son 
 of Gerald de Windsor, and ancestor of the family of Carew of Haccombe). It 
 has been asserted by some that Xest or Nesta the daughter of Res ap Tudor, who was 
 a woman of great beauty, was mistress of King Henry I, and mother of his eminent son 
 Robert de Caen, Earl of Gloucester, but this is very questionable. As Robert de Caen 
 obtained, through his wife, the lands of Robert fitz Hamon and his Welsh acquisitions 
 the Welsh wished to create for him a Welsh pedigree. Thus they have also found a 
 Welsh wife (Gladys daughter of Rhiwallon) for Gerald de Windsor's father, i.e. for 
 Walter fitz Otho. But the only proved wife of "Walter, and the mother of his eldest 
 son William, was Beatrice by name. (Hist. Abingdon.) 4 Heraldic Visitations of 
 "Wales, by Lewys Dwun, Ed. by Bir Samuel Meyrick, Vol. II, p. 99.
 
 16 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The death of Res was a sore disaster to his country, 
 which never afterwards recovered the position it had held 
 under his rule. The Norman adventurers who had 
 assisted Jestyn ap Gwrgan received their pay and returned 
 to their ships ; but South Wales was not destined to be 
 quit of them so easily. Eineon ap Collwyn went to 
 Jestyn to claim his daughter in marriage, and the portion 
 he had promised to give with her ; but Jestyn refused, 
 and laughed at Eineon, saying that he would do better 
 with his daughter than bestow her on a traitor to his 
 country and his lord. At this Eineon was greatly 
 enraged, and burning with resentment he went after 
 Robert fitz Hamon and his company, and related to them 
 the insult he had received, and likewise represented 
 to them the great dislike of the principal men of that 
 country to Jestyn, the fertility of the country, and the 
 ease with which it might be wrested from Jestyn, who, 
 on account of his treachery and deceit, would meet with 
 no assistance from any of the Welsh Princes. The Nor- 
 mans joyfully listened to Eineon, and willingly followed 
 his advice. Emeon. then gathered together such of the 
 nobles as were disaffected to Jestyn, with whom he joined 
 the Normans, and taking him unprepared, they soon 
 dispossessed him of his territory of Glamorgan, which 
 fitz Hamon divided amongst his followers, reserving all the 
 rich and fertile parts for the Normans, and leaving the 
 rough and barren mountains to the share of Eineon. 1 
 
 This invasion was speedily followed by others of a 
 similar nature. Brecknock, as we have seen, had already 
 fallen a prey to another set of Norman adventurers under 
 Bernard Newmarch who subdued the country and held 
 it as a lordship marcher under the King of England. 
 And these brilliant conquests induced several Norman 
 
 l Gwentian Chronicle. It is said that Eineon received from the conqueror the hand 
 f Jestyn'* daughter and with her the lordship of Meisgyn.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 17 
 
 warriors to apply to the King for a licence to possess such 
 lands as they might win for themselves in Wales. Thus 
 Martin de Turribus effected a landing at Fishguard, then 
 called Abergwayn, in Dyvet or West Wales. Here he 
 settled with his followers, and, partly by conquest, partly 
 by the consent of the inhabitants, carved Ins Barony of 
 Kemaes out of the Northern portion of Dyvet (or Pembroke- 
 shire), where he assumed the powers of a lord Marcher. 1 
 Cardigan and the remaining portion of Dyvet were also 
 disposed of by anticipation, and respectively granted to 
 Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his son 
 Arnulph, with leave to conquer them for themselves. 
 Nor did they long remain inactive, for we find them 
 speedily gaining a footing within the coveted possessions, 
 where they built, among others, the castles of Cardigan 
 and Pembroke. 
 
 These early successes on the part of the Normans, 
 however, were followed by temporary reverses. The 
 Welshmen of the South, who, for want of a leader, had 
 hitherto failed to make head against the invaders, being 
 stung to the quick by the galling yoke which they were 
 made to bear, now laid aside their differences. In the 
 year 1094, under the leadership of Cadogan ap Blethin 
 ap ('onwn, Prmce of Powis, they rose in arms against 
 their foreign masters, and drove them from their newly 
 acquired possessions in Cardigan and Dyvet, where they 
 destroyed all their castles but those of Pembroke and 
 liliyd-y-Gors, and returned home with great spoils. 
 William was at this time in Normandy, whither he 
 had gone to oppose his brother Robert. The Kong's 
 absence and the simultaneous disaffection of his English 
 barons encouraged the Welshmen to extend their vic- 
 torious arms to other quarters ; and, not content with 
 ravaging the territories acquired by the Normans in North 
 
 1 Fenton's Pembrokeshire, p. 521. This able writer says that the death of 'Rhys ap 
 Twdwr nnd the feebleness of the government during the minority of his son had thrown 
 such a damp over the Welsh as to render the conquest of this and the surrounding 
 country easy for a time ; but as soon as the young Prince [Griffith] was in a position to 
 vindicate his rights and appear in arms the nominal conqueror of Cemaes could scarce 
 call his newly acquired possessions his own for the whole of Grufydd ap Rhys' reign, 
 and part of his son's, till by the marriage of William Martin with the daughter of the 
 Lord Rhys [Grandson of Res ap Tudor], out of respect to that alliance, and influenced 
 by a mutual convention then entered into with reciprocal advantages, the people of 
 t - began to be reconciled to their new masters, now acknowledged by the title and 
 
 with the full power of Lords Marchers. 
 
 D
 
 18 PKINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Wales, they penetrated the border counties of Chester, 
 Salop, and Hereford, where they put the inhabitants to 
 fire and sword. 1 The Normans in South Wales on their 
 part laid waste the districts of Gower, Kidwelly, and the 
 vale of Towy, which ' ' remained a desert." 2 This was the 
 state of affairs when King William returned from Nor- 
 mandy on December 29, 1094 (iv. Kal. Januarii), and we 
 find him speedily raising an army to chastise the Welsh- 
 men. But they, retiring to their mountain fastnesses, 
 were enabled to hold their enemies at defiance; and 
 William, unable to meet with them except in the 
 straights of the mountains, or in the passage of rivers, 
 where they attacked him at a disadvantage and killed 
 many of his men, returned home before Easter with 
 ignominy. At the latter end of the same year, 1095, after 
 Michaelmas, he made another inglorious campaign against 
 the Welsh ; who, planning their defence in the same man- 
 ner, cut off his provisions and harassed his army so 
 continually, that, after passing through their country as 
 far as Snowdon without having an opportunity of a pitched 
 battle, he was obliged to retire with no better success 
 than before. 3 A similar fate attended a subsequent expe- 
 dition into Wales with a royal army in 1097. But that 
 which he failed to accomplish by a direct invasion 
 he effected more safely through the repeated and perse- 
 vering aggressions of the Lords Marchers, to whom he 
 held out every inducement to harass and destroy the 
 hated Welshmen. 
 
 In the meantime the natives of Brecknock, Gwent, and 
 Gwentlwg, encouraged by the example of their fellow- 
 countrymen and the death of William fitz Baldwyn, an 
 able and active knight who had founded the castle of 
 Khyd-y-Gors, rose against their conquerors and threw off 
 the Norman yoke. The English troops who were sent 
 into Gwent to reduce them to obedience were met, on 
 their return from a fruitless expedition, by a party of 
 Welsh, and slain at a place called Celli Darvog. 4 
 
 During the year 1095 the star of the Welsh was in the 
 
 l Carte's History of England, vol. I, p. 466, compared with, the Brut-y-Tywysogion, 
 Walter de Hemingburgh, and Florence of Worcester. The Saxon Chronicle also 
 implies that at this juncture Hugh, Earl of Shrewsbury, was unsuccessful against 
 Wales. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 Carte's History of England, p. 466 ; Florence of 
 Worcester, Vol. II, p. 39 ; Walter de Hemingburgh, Vol. I, p. 28. 4 Gwentian Chronicle.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 19 
 
 ascendant, and sundry other successful expeditions against 
 their enemies are recorded in the chronicle of the Princes; 
 but in the following year the tide of victory had turned 
 in favour of the Normans ; and from this time forward 
 we find the power of the latter gradually increasing, 
 though not without encountering repeated checks from 
 the Welshmen, who made many a gallant effort to recover 
 the ground which they had lost. In Gwyneth the 
 English, under the Earls of Shrewsbury and Chester, not 
 only regained their former footing but appear to have 
 temporarily reduced the whole of North Wales to their 
 subjection, forcing Griffith ap Cynan and Cadogan ap 
 Blethin, the most powerful of the Welsh chieftains, to 
 escape to Ireland. Their fellow-countrymen at the same 
 time probably recovered their possessions from the Welsh 
 in Dyvet and Cardigan. To this same period we 
 may ascribe the re-conquest of Brecknock by Bernard de 
 Newmarch. This Bernard was assisted by Roger de 
 Newburgh, and their victory extended to Gower, which 
 was subsequently held by Roger and his descendants 
 under the superior lordship of Brecknock. 1 The commots 
 of Kidwelly and Carnwallyon were likewise subdued by 
 Maurice de Londres, and added to the lordship of Ogmore 
 which he held under Fitz Hamon. So that three only of 
 the four cantreds of Istrad Tywi (i.e. the Vale of Towy 
 or Carmarthenshire) now remained under Welsh rule, 
 together with a portion of Cardigan : and even these 
 territories, as we shall see, were further reduced before 
 the final conquest of Wales. The Normans strengthened 
 their hold upon their newly acquired possessions by 
 erecting castles of stone as places of defence against their 
 enemies ; for before that time the castles in Wales 
 were only built of wood. 2 
 
 The year 1097 was marked by the return from Ireland 
 of Griffith and Cadogan, who, after making their peace 
 with the victorious Normans, were allowed to hold a 
 portion of Cambrian territory. Cadogan ap Blethin had 
 Cardigan and a part of Powys made over to him, and 
 Griffith ap Cynan had Mona or the Isle of Anglesey. 3 
 
 William Rufus died on August 2, 1100, and Henry 
 succeeded to the English throne. The rebellion of Robert 
 
 I Jones' History of Brecknockshire. 2 Gwentian Chronicle. 8 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 20 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 de Belesme, the great Earl of Shrewsbury, in the year 
 1102, in which he was joined by his brother Arnulph 
 Earl of Pembroke and other magnates of the Marches, 
 effected some changes in the tenure of lands in South 
 Wales, and served to increase the power of the Welsh 
 Princes, whose alliance was eagerly sought by both King 
 and Earl. 
 
 Cadogan seems to have thrown in his lot with the 
 Norman Earl. His brother Jorwerth was won over to 
 the King's allegiance by the bribe of a large grant of 
 territory, to be held during the King's life without 
 homage or payment no less than Powys, Cardigan, and 
 the half of Dyvet which had been forfeited by Arnulph 
 de Montgomery. The other half of Dyvet had been 
 bestowed upon Richard fitz Baldwin together with Istrad 
 Ty wi, Kidwelly, and Gower j 1 from which we may infer 
 that the lords of these commots had taken part with 
 Belesme. After this time we hear no more of Arnulph in 
 connection with the earldom of Pembroke. He was forced 
 to relinquish his lands to the King and to purchase his 
 life at the price of banishment from the country. Jorwerth 
 ap Blethin now made peace with his brother Cadogan and 
 surrendered to him Cardigan and a part of Powys : but 
 King Henry, having no more need of his services, " took 
 Dyvet and the castle from him, and gave them to a cer- 
 tain knight named Saer; and Istradtywi, Kidwelly, and 
 Gower, he granted to Howel ap Grono." 2 At this time 
 the King granted divers castles and lordships in Wales to 
 his English followers; 3 and in the same year Grono, son of 
 Res ap Tudor, died in the King's prison in London. 4 This 
 is the first we hear of the sons of Res ap Tudor after the 
 death of their father. Grono's misfortune probably 
 followed quickly upon the attainment of his majority. 
 
 In the following year (1104) the castle of Rhyd-y-Gors 
 was restored by Richard fitz Baldwin ; and Howel son of 
 
 1 The Brut places this grant in the year 1100 ; but we are obliged to add about a 
 year or two at this period to the dates of the record edition of the Brut to make them 
 agree with those of other historians. Perhaps it may have been in the year 1101 that 
 the grant was made, for there is some probability that Henry was on the' Welsh border 
 in that year, though no chronicle records it. A charter date'd at Hereford seems most 
 likely to have passed in that year ; (Ex inf. Rev. R. Eyton.) 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion, 
 C.D. We are not informed whether Istradtywi, Kidwelly, and Gower were at this time 
 forfeited by Richard fitz Baldwin, or whether, as is more probable, they had been 
 taken from him by Cadogan. 3 Powel's Hist, of Wales. 4 Gwentian Chronicle.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 21 
 
 Grono, to wliom King Henry had previously committed 
 the custody of Istradtywi and Rhyd-y-Gors, was driven 
 from his lands; "upon which he collected spoils, by 
 burning and laying waste nearly all the districts, and 
 killing many of the Normans who were returning home. 
 He also raised the country on every side, and re-possessed 
 it, and the castle remained undisturbed, and its garrison 
 within it. In that interval King Henry expelled the 
 knight Saer from Pembroke, and granted the custody of 
 the castle with all its boundaries to Gerald the Steward, 
 who had been the Steward under Ernulph." 1 
 
 In the following year, 1 105-6, the same Howel ap Grono 
 was treacherously delivered to the Normans and put to 
 death. 2 
 
 The next remarkable event connected with South 
 Wales is the permanent settlement of the colony of 
 Flemings in the cantred or hundred of Rhos in Pem- 
 brokeshire. Some of their countrymen had already 
 settled in this country in the days of William the con- 
 queror, and we find them established about Downton at 
 the period of the Domesday survey. 3 An eruption of the 
 sea into Flanders compelled the inhabitants to emigrate 
 in great numbers. Many of the wanderers sought refuge 
 in England and were allowed to inhabit the borders of 
 Scotland. Shortly afterwards, about the year 1107-8, 
 the King removed this colony to the Welsh border, and 
 gave the Flemish refugees permission to settle in Rhos, 
 in the neighbourhood of Haverfordwest and Tenby, which 
 they were to take possession of for themselves. 4 And 
 Gerald, the Steward, at this time rebuilt the castle of 
 Pembroke in a place called Cengarth Bychan, where he 
 brought his household stuff and settled with his family. 5 
 
 Soon afterwards the audacious rape of Nest, the wife 
 of this Gerald de Windsor and daughter of Res ap Tudor, 
 by her kinsman Owen son of Cadogan ap Blethin, set the 
 country in a blaze and served to complicate the affairs of 
 
 l Bmt-y-Tywysogion. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion compared with general history. 
 8 Wright's History of Ludlow, p. 45. 4 The date of this immigration and settlement 
 is differently given by the historians. The author of the Welsh Chronicle places it in 
 1105 or 1106 ; Holinshed in 1107 ; Powel in 1108 ; Florence of Worcester and Carte 
 in 1111. 6 Brut-y-Tywysogion; Towel's Hist, of Wales. Mr. Clark conjectures that 
 it was not the castle of Pembroke but that of Carew which Gerald built (Earls and 
 Castles of Pembroke.)
 
 22 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 South Wales. Cadogan, unable or unwilling to sacrifice 
 his son to the revenge of those whom he had so deeply 
 wronged, was forced to flee the country. Before many 
 months had elapsed, however, he was permitted to return 
 to Cardigan after paying a heavy fine to the King and 
 binding himself to have no dealings whatever with his 
 son. It may, perhaps, have been the King's intention to 
 entrap him into a breach of faith. At any rate, his son 
 Owen's behaviour soon afforded a ready pretext for 
 depriving him again of his territory and placing him 
 under surveillance. He was once more restored to his 
 liberty in the year 1110, when the King gave him the 
 land of Powys and consented to receive his son Owen to 
 his peace ; but his connection with the land of Cardigan 
 had now for ever ceased, and he came to a violent end 
 soon after. During the period of Cadogan's incarceration 
 the King sent for Gilbert de Clare, and made him an 
 offer of all the lands of Cadogan in case he could win 
 them for himself. The King's offer was joyfully accepted, 
 and Gilbert, having raised an army for the purpose, 
 landed in Cardiganshire and soon brought to his subjec- 
 tion the whole of that country j 1 where he built two 
 castles, one opposite to Llanbadarn near the efflux of the 
 river Ystwyth, and the other near to Aberteivi at the 
 place called Dingeraint (Cilgerran ?) where Roger de 
 Montgomery (or his son Robert de Belesme) had before 
 founded a castle. 2 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion. * Ibid.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 23 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Although the events of the few years last recorded are 
 not immediately connected with the personal history of 
 the descendants of Res ap Tudor Mawr, it was necessary 
 to relate them at some length in order to enable the 
 reader to follow the great changes which had taken place 
 in the government of South Wales since the death of that 
 Prince, and to realize the position of his son Griffith in 
 his struggles for the recovery of his inheritance. 
 
 It was after the return of Henry I. from Normandy, 
 in 1115, that we first hear of Griffith, the son of Res ap 
 Tudor, who in his youth had gone with some of his rela- 
 tives into Ireland, where he remained until he grew up 
 to manhood. He was sent for from thence by his brother- 
 in-law Gerald, steward of Pembroke Castle, who had 
 married his sister Nest the daughter of Res ap Tudor. 
 " And he passed about two years, sometimes with Gerald, 
 at other times with his kindred ; sometimes in Gwyneth ; 
 sometimes wandering from place to place. At length he 
 was accused to the King ; and it was represented that the 
 hearts of all the Britons were with him, in contempt of 
 the royal title of King Henry. And when Griffith ap 
 Res heard of those reports he determined on going to 
 Griffith ap Cynan to endeavour to save his life; and 
 having sent messengers, the other promised that he would 
 receive him with great pleasure if he came. After Griffith 
 ap Res heard that, he and his brother Howel went to 
 him. This same Howel had been in the prison of Ernulph, 
 son of Roger, lord of Castle Baldwyn (Montgomery), to 
 whom King William had given a part of the territory of 
 Res ap Tudor ; and subsequently this Howel had escaped 
 in a maimed state, with broken limbs, out of the prison." 1 
 
 The brothers, with their attendants, were kindly 
 received by the Prince of Gwyneth. But when the King 
 heard that Griffith ap Res had repaired to Griffith ap 
 
 l Brut-y-Tynrysogion.
 
 24 PKINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Cynan, he summoned the latter to his court at London 
 and despatched an honourable retinue to conduct him 
 thither. The Prince obeyed the summons, and after 
 being honourably entertained at the King's court and 
 loaded with rich gifts, he was induced to betray his 
 friend by the promise that he should hold his lands free, 
 and that he should receive the King's assistance and sup- 
 port. Accordingly he returned to Gwyneth under a 
 pledge to secure Griffith ap Res, and send him alive to 
 the King, or if this could not be effected, to kill him, and 
 send to him his head. It appears, however, that, in a fit 
 of drunkenness, he talked of his treacherous engagement, 
 at the King's palace, in the hearing of one of Gerald's 
 relations, who immediately despatched a speedy messenger 
 to Gerald with the information. Nest lost no time in 
 sending the intelligence to her brothers in Gwyneth ; 
 which reached them just in time to enable them to escape 
 from the horsemen who were sent by their faithless host 
 to take them. They immediately fled to Aberdaron 
 and placed themselves under the protection of the 
 church ; and when Griffith ap Cynan heard that they 
 had taken refuge there, he sent to force them from 
 thence ; but the clergy would not suffer the sanctuary of 
 the church to be violated. While the contention was 
 pending between them, a ship from Dyvet came to Enlli, 
 with sailors, who took Griffith ap Res and his brother on 
 board, and thus enabled them to reach the vale of Towy 
 in safety. 1 
 
 The situation of Griffith at this period was not an 
 enviable one. On his return from Ireland to his native 
 country he had found the Normans in possession, not 
 only of Glamorgan, Gwent, and Brecknock, but also of 
 Dyvet, Cardigan, Gower, Kidwelly, and Carnwallyon. 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion ; i.e. the Strata Florida version, being that published by the 
 Record commission in 1860; compared with the Gwentian version, published by the 
 Cambrian Archseological Association in 1863, which at this period gives a fuller account 
 than the former. It would seem that the Welsh history recorded by Caradoc (or who- 
 ever may have been the original compiler of the Brut-y-Tywysogion) was carried no 
 further than the period which we have now reached. For at this period (ascribed to 
 th year 1113 in the chronicle before us, but in reality about A.D. 1116) we observe in 
 the Strata Florida version a remarkable change in the spirit of the writer. We may 
 assume, from the contemptuous language in which he speaks of the Welsh exploits, that 
 the continuator of the chronicle at this period was a Norman monk having no sympathy 
 with the Welsh nation. _ This unfriendly tone towards the Welsh continues for about 
 15 or 20 years, after which the narrative is taken up again by a moro friendly hand.
 
 PBINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 25 
 
 I imagine that the cantrev Bychan was likewise held at 
 this time by the Normans, so that little besides the can- 
 trev Mawr remained in possession of the native lords 
 of South Wales ; and even this was under the govern- 
 ment of chieftains nominated by the English King. 1 
 
 From this unhopeful state of affairs did Griffith gradu- 
 ally raise himself to a position of power and eminence. 
 Adversities seem to have drawn forth his talents, and 
 though the Welsh chronicle (which was penned at this 
 time by an unfriendly hand) makes light of his early 
 exploits, we must assign to him a high place amongst the 
 defenders of his country. 
 
 Being now delivered from the treacherous hospitality 
 of the Prince of North Wales, he was forced, for the 
 defence of his own life, to bid open defiance to the King. 
 When he reached Istrad Tywi he began to arm himself; 
 and many of his countrymen resorted to him and placed 
 themselves under his command. With these irregular 
 forces he attacked the English outposts, and ravaged the 
 borders of Dy vet and Cardigan. 
 
 In the following year (1116) he renewed his desultory 
 warfare, which he commenced by sacking and burning 
 the castle near Arberth. 2 From thence he proceeded to 
 Llanymddyvri [Llandovery] and attacked the castle of 
 Richard fitz Ponz, to whom King Henry had given 
 Cantrev Bychan; but here he met with a repulse 
 from the garrison, which was aided by Meredith 
 ap Rytherch ap Caradoc, who held the stewardship of 
 Cantrev Bychan under Richard fitz Ponz : and Griffith 
 could only kill some of the defenders, burn the out- 
 work of the castle, and ravage the lands of Richard 
 fitz Ponz. 3 He also made an incursion into the land of 
 Gower which he laid waste, although he was unable to 
 accomplish more than the destruction of the outer works 
 of the castle of Abertawy (or Swansea). His many 
 successes raised his credit among his countrymen, who 
 now flocked to him in great numbers in the hope of 
 
 l To thi we may add a portion of Nether Gwent which was retained by Welsh 
 lords, who made Caerleon their capital. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. The castle of Arberth, 
 now called Narberth, was in the ancient commot of Penrhyn-yr-Eleys and in the 
 cantrcd of Arberth in Dyvet (or Pembrokeshire). It formed the head of a lordship 
 which was assigned to Stephen Perrot by Arnulph do Montgomery in the reign 
 of King William II. (Lewi*' Top. Die.) 3 Gwentian Chronicle. 
 
 E
 
 26 PRINCES OF SOITTH WALES, 
 
 seeing the British kingdom once more restored. The 
 English also were roused to a more strenuous effort for 
 the defence of their possessions, and summoned to their 
 assistance those of the Welsh nobles who had received 
 their lands to hold under the King, viz., Owen ap Caradoc 
 ap Rytherch, to whom he had given a portion of the 
 Cantrev Mawr, Meredith ap Rytherch, and Rytherch 
 ap Tudor with his sons Meredith and Owen. These 
 declared themselves true to the English allegiance and 
 undertook the defence of the castle of Carmarthen, which 
 was committed to them in turn for a fortnight at a time. 
 Bledri ap Cedivor was in like manner appointed to keep 
 the castle of Robert Langan (or the crook-handed) at 
 Abercavwy. 
 
 Griffith now turned his attention to the castle of Car- 
 marthen, and after sending spies to reconnoitre he soon 
 found an opportunity of approaching it whilst it was- 
 under the custody of Owen ap Caradoc. His attack was 
 conducted by night. " And when Owen and his com- 
 panions heard the noise and shouting of the men coming 
 near, he and his companions suddenly arose from the 
 house they were in, and, going towards the place where 
 he heard the shout, he advanced forwards himself before 
 the troop, supposing his companions to be close behind 
 him ; but they, leaving him alone, had fled, and thus he 
 was slain there;" 1 whereupon Griffith entered the 
 castle, burned the outer ward, and, leaving the tower, 
 returned to the vale of Towy with great spoil. 
 
 Florence of Worcester, in speaking of the spring of 
 the year 1116, relates that Griffith ap Res took booty, 
 and burned the castles in Wales, because King Henry 
 would not give to him any of his father's land. 2 The 
 Gwentian version of the Brut informs us that a great 
 mortality took place among the English in that year, so 
 that the King could not procure men at his need. There 
 was also a pestilence among the cattle which caused great 
 dearth in England but did not extend to Wales. The 
 King's absence in Normandy at this juncture would have 
 also proved favourable to the operations of the Welsh 
 Prince. 3 "At that time the Flemings came a second 
 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 Florence of Worcester, Vol. II, pp. 68-9. 3 Henry -went 
 to Normandy in March, 1116, and was absent till November, 1120.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 27 
 
 time to England, on account of the sea destroying their 
 lands, where the sea flood had demolished the sand hills 
 years previously ; and the king, being in want of men to 
 withstand the irruptions of Griffith ap Res, sent to his 
 castellans and officers, and the Normans and Welsh who 
 were well affected to him, with a command to receive the 
 Flemings and give them means of subsistence, under 
 condition that they should take arms when required by 
 the King and those faithful to him. And so it was ; and 
 those strangers had Roos, in the district of the Headland 
 of Dyved, and settled there as loyal men to the king ; 
 and he placed English among them to teach them the 
 English language, and (adds the chronicler) they are now 
 English, and the plague of Dyved and South Wales on 
 account of their deceit and lies, in which they exceeded 
 any settlers in any part of the island of Britain." 1 
 
 Griffith's next exploit was directed against the lords of 
 Kidwelly and Gower. Having first destroyed a castle 
 in Gower, and slain many of the garrison, he took the 
 castle of Kidwelly from William de Londres, and ravaged 
 his territory, from whence he returned home again 
 loaded with spoils. 
 
 After these fresh successes, the leading men of Cardigan, 
 namely, Cedivor ap Grano, Howel ap Jdnerth, and 
 Trahaern ap Ithel, being of his kindred, came to him 
 and offered to receive him as their Prince. And, with 
 their assistance, Griffith not only demolished many castles 
 and took great spoils, but also regained a portion of the 
 lands and territories of his father in those parts. The 
 Welshmen who had submitted to the Norman rule suddenly 
 rose in his favour, killed numbers of the English settlers 
 in the land of Cardigan, and destroyed and pillaged their 
 houses. " And when the King heard that, he sent to 
 Owen ap Cadogan, called in South Wales the Traitor, 
 and Llywarch ap Trahaern ap Ithel, and promised them 
 gifts and honourable privileges to go against Griffith ap 
 Res ; and Owen and Llywarch went at the King's request. 
 And when Gerald, steward of the castle of Pembroke, 
 heard of the arrival of Owen in Cardigan, calling to mind 
 what Owen had done to his wife Nest, he meditated 
 
 l Gwentian Chronicle.
 
 28 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 revenging that injury, and went with his men against 
 Owen and his men ; and early in the onset Owen was 
 slain with an arrow. And so it happened to him for the 
 injuries he had done to the Welsh nation." 1 
 
 About that time Griffith entered Cardigan Iscoed and 
 attacked and destroyed the castle of Port Gwythain, which 
 had been built by Gilbert fitz Richard, and slew the garri- 
 son. Then he subjugated the country around as far as 
 Penwedic ; and won the castle of Ystrad Peithell, which 
 belonged to .Ralph the steward of Gilbert. He afterwards 
 assaulted the castle of Aberystwith, where however he 
 met with a severe repulse and was obliged to retire 
 with loss. Griffith with his forces had encamped for the 
 night at a place called Glasygrug, about a mile from 
 Lanbadarn, purposing to besiege the castle of Aberystwith 
 on the morrow : but for want of necessary provisions for 
 his army he was tempted to violate the sanctuary of the 
 church by taking some cattle which belonged to the 
 religious there. The following morning Griffith and his 
 kinsmen, Rytherch ap Tudor and his sons Meredith and 
 Owen ap Rytherch, indiscreetly sallied forth from their 
 tents without putting their troops in array, until they 
 came to Ystrad Antarron, which was opposite the castle. 
 The castle was situated on the top of a hill that shelved 
 down to the river Ystwyth, and over the river was a 
 bridge. Griffith, having encamped on Pendinas hill, 2 
 opposite to the castle, passed the morning in preparing 
 engines and devising means to effect a breach in the walls, 
 so that in the words of the chronicle "the day glided 
 away until it was afternoon." Then the Normans, seeing 
 their hesitation, sent out some archers to skirmish with 
 them, in the hopes of drawing them to the bridge, where 
 the mailed cavalry might suddenly attack them and cut 
 them off. Ralph, the steward, who had custody of the 
 castle, had privately sent to Strat Meyric, another of the 
 castles which had been erected by Earl Gilbert, his lord, 
 from whence he received reinforcements in the night. 
 But the Welsh, not knowing the strength of the garrison, 
 fell into the trap which was laid for them and indiscreetly 
 ran down to attack the archers at the bridge. " And as 
 
 1 G-wentian Chronicle. 2 Meyrick's Cardigan.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 29 
 
 the one party was pressing on, and the other shooting, a 
 mailed knight rushed violently to the bridge ; and some 
 of Griffith's men carne to oppose him on the bridge. He 
 essaying to attack them, his horse broke his neck, and 
 the horse being wounded fell down ; and then they all 
 with spears endeavoured to kill him, but his coat of mail 
 protected him, until some of his party came and dragged 
 him away. And when he got up he fled ; and when his com- 
 panions saw him flee, they also all fled, and the Britons 
 pursued them almost to the declivity of the mountain. 
 The rear body however did not pursue, but without 
 seeking either bridge or ford they took to flight. When 
 the Normans from the top of the mountain observed 
 these fleeing, they attacked the advanced body and 
 killed as many as they could find ; and the throng of 
 people was scattered about the country on every side, 
 some having their cattle with them, others having left 
 everything, endeavouring to save their lives ; so that the 
 whole country was left a desert." 1 
 
 In the following year (1117) Robert de Caen, Earl of 
 Gloucester, was sent against Griffith ; but l i when he came to 
 the vale of Towy he w r as deserted by nearly all the Welsh 
 in his army ; who would nolftake up arms, on behalf of a 
 foreigner, to oppose a lawful Prince, a Welshman of un- 
 mixed lineage ; " 'so Robert was obliged to return home 
 Avithout accomplishing anything. 2 
 
 In the meantime Griffith ap Res, having retreated to 
 the wilds of Ystradtywi, held the English at defiance ; 
 and Henry, wearied at length with his ineffectual 
 attempts to conquer him, was under the necessity of con- 
 cluding a peace with him, about the year 1122, by which 
 he ceded to Griffith a considerable portion of his father's 
 territories to be held free. These lands are thus enumer- 
 ated in the Gwentian Chronicle " Ystrad Tywi, Cantref 
 Penwedic, in Cardigan, the cantreds [and commots ?] of 
 CaerAvcdros, Cantref Bychan, Caethinawc, Caeaw, My- 
 fennydd, and others." 3 It would thus appear that the 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysopion. 2 Gwentian Chronicle, which however places these events at 
 too early a date. The occurrence of these two years are thus shortly alluded to by 
 Florence of Worcester, " Griffinus flitia Re verno tempore [an. 1116] in Walonia 
 prtedam tgit, ct castcUa incendit, quoniam rex Anglia; Heinrinu particulam de terra 
 patn's sui ei dari noluit." 3 This passage does not occur in the Record Edition of the 
 Brut.
 
 30 PEINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 greater portion of Carmarthenshire (all indeed except the 
 South Eastern Cantrev) as well as the upper portion of 
 Cardiganshire together with the more Southern commot 
 of Caerwedros were made over to Griffith by this treaty. 
 But such a truce was not likely to be kept any longer 
 than suited the King's convenience ; and we are not sur- 
 prised to hear that a few years afterwards Griffith was 
 ejected from his lands on the accusation of the Normans 
 who dwelt in those parts. Griffith demanded to be 
 informed of the ground of complaint against him, but 
 could get no answer. He now prepared for a vigorous 
 defence of his rights, and, calling Howel ap Meredith and 
 the men of Brecknock to his assistance, he expelled the 
 Normans and Flemish from his territories with as little 
 bloodshed as possible. After which he despatched an 
 embassy to the King under the safe conduct of the Bishop 
 of St. David's to ascertain the cause of his offence ; to 
 which he received no reply ; but he was allowed to 
 remain in peace and quietness for some time afterwards. 1 
 We are not informed how these engagements affected the 
 tenure of the Welsh Prince's lands in Cardiganshire, but 
 it is probable that he lost at this period the footing he 
 had previously gained there.* 
 
 We hear no more of Griffith ap Res until after the 
 death of Henry I, which took place on Dec. 2, 1135. 
 On the accession of Stephen, we are told that the King 
 sent a summons to Griffith to attend him without delay 
 in London to answer some complaints which had been 
 preferred against him. 2 But Griffith tired of such vague 
 accusations treated the summons with contempt, and 
 took prompt measures to chastise the foreign settlers who 
 had thus repeatedly endeavoured to involve him with the 
 English court. Accordingly he proceeded to North 
 Wales to procure assistance from his f ather-in-law Griffith 
 ap Cynan, Prince of North Wales ; and during his 
 absence " his wife Gwenllian, a woman of an high spirit, 
 collected her friends and with her sons entered Cydweli, 
 the land which the ancestors of Maurice de Londres had 
 ravished from her family. Gruffudd ab Llywelyn, who 
 commanded for Maurice, and was an enemy to Gruffudd, 
 
 1 Gwentian Chronicle. 2 Ibid.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 31 
 
 met Gwenllian, and a bloody scene ensued, wherein 
 Gwenllian and her son Morgan were defeated and slain, 
 and her son Maelgwn made prisoner. The place where 
 this battle was fought is, to this day, called Maes 
 Gwenllian, Gwenllian's Field." 1 This is probably the 
 battle which is stated by Florence of Worcester to have 
 been fought at Guher (Gower) in which five hundred and 
 sixteen were slain on one side and the other, and their 
 bodies left on the field to be horribly torn to pieces and 
 devoured by the wolves. This battle, he tells us, was 
 followed by a very great invasion of the Welshmen, 
 attended, far and wide, with a vast destruction of churches, 
 towns, growing crops, and cattle, the burning of castles 
 and other fortified places, and the slaughter, dispersion, 
 and sale into foreign parts, of innumerable men 
 both rich and poor ; amongst whom, on xvii. Kal. Mali 
 (April 15, 1136), perished the noble and amiable 
 Richard fitz Gilbert, whose body was conveyed to 
 Gloucester and honourably interred. 2 The Brut informs 
 us that Owen (Gwyneth) and Cadwalader, the sons of 
 Griffith ap Cynan, assisted Griffith in this expedition, 
 and that they destroyed the castles of Walter de Bek and 
 Richard de la Mere, and the castles of Aberystwith, 
 Dinerth, andCaerwedros, after which they returned home. 3 
 Before many months had elapsed the sons of Griffith ap 
 Cynan a second time invaded the land of Cardigan with 
 an army of about 6000 infantry and 2000 well armed 
 cavalry. 4 They were joined by Griffith ap Res and 
 other magnates of South Wales, who subdued the whole 
 country as far as Cardigan, and driving out the foreigners 
 
 1 York's Royal Tribes of Wales, p. 35. 2 Florence of Worcester, vol. II, p. 97. 
 This Richard fitz Gilbert was the eldest son and heir of Gilbert fitz Richard, the con- 
 queror of Cardigan, and was also elder brother of Gilbert Strongbow, afterwards made 
 Earl of Pembroke. Richard fitz Gilbert was succeeded by his son Gilbert who became 
 Earl of Hertford. 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion, Annales Cambriae, and Gwentian Chronicle. 
 Giraldus Cambrensis relates a feat of chivalry which greatly redounds to the honour of 
 an English knight at this distressing period. The widow of Richard fitz Gilbert, who 
 is described as a " lady of singular beauty, was left in a castle attended by many female 
 attendants, distant from every friend, and surrounded by the Welsh, who menaced her 
 with every possible indignity. The poor Countess and her damsels had already felt 
 each horror by anticipation, when they were unexpectedly relieved by the romantic 
 gallantry of Milo fitz Walter, who, encouraged by King Stephen, and accompanied by 
 a few chosen warriors, rode night and day to the beleagured fortress, and although he 
 found it environed by numbers of Welsh, brought away the ladies inviolate." This 
 lady was the daughter of Ranulph le Meschin (I) Earl of Chester. Castell Caerwedroi 
 (or the Bloody Fort) was situated near Llwyndafydd, in the Pariah of Llandysilio Gogo, 
 where a moted tumulus itiUe marks the site (Jones' Hist. Wales). * Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 32 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 replaced the old inhabitants in their lands and possessions. 
 In the meantime King Stephen had sent Baldwin de 
 Clare, the brother of Richard fitz Gilbert, with a well 
 appointed army to put down the insurrection. But he 
 got no further than the castle of Brecknock, where he 
 heard that the Welsh were coming in strong force to 
 resist him, having blocked up the roads with trees which 
 they had felled for the purpose ; and Baldwin, seized 
 with fear, after wasting much time in listless idleness and 
 exhausting all his stock of provisions, made an igno- 
 minious retreat to England. 1 The entire force of the 
 Normans and Flemings in Wales and the Marches was 
 now brought together, to oppose the victorious Welshmen, 
 under Stephen constable of Cardigan, Robert fitz Martin, 
 Pain fitz John, and the sons of Gerald. 2 A great battle 
 ensued which was fought at Cardigan in the second week 
 of October, 1136, 3 in which an English contemporary his- 
 torian informs us that the slaughter of human life was so 
 great that, besides the men who were led away into cap- 
 tivity, there remained 10,000 captured women, whose 
 husbands, with countless little ones, had been partly 
 drowned in the water, partly consumed in the flames, 
 partly slain with the sword. And it was a truly miserable 
 sight to behold when the bridge over the river Teuwi 
 [Teivy]had been broken down and a bridge for those who 
 passed over was formed by human corpses, or a shocking 
 pile of horses drowned at that place. 4 " The valour of 
 the Welsh on this occasion," says Lord Lyttelton, " seemed 
 to be raised above its usual pitch under the conduct of those 
 Princes by whom they were commanded. The English 
 were routed, and flying to their castles were so hotly pur- 
 sued that great numbers of them were drowned in the river 
 Teivy by the breaking down of a bridge over which they 
 were passing, besides 3000 who were killed in the battle 
 and flight, and many more were taken prisoners ; inso- 
 much that from the time when the Normans first entered 
 Wales they had never suffered so great a defeat, nor had 
 their arms been so disgraced in any other country." 5 
 
 1 Gesta Regis Stephani, p. 12. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion and Annales Cambrise com- 
 pared with Eyton's Ant. of Shropshire, and Gesta Regis Stephani, pp. 15, 16. 
 a Florence of "Worcester, vol. II, p. 97. * Ibid. 5 History of Henry 11, vol. II, p, 60.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 33 
 
 After this the King was compelled to relinquish his 
 efforts to subdue them and left them for a while to them- 
 selves in the hope that when peace was restored they 
 might quarrel over the spoil, and turn their arms against 
 each other. 1 In the meantime Griffith ap Res pursued 
 his advantage by conquering the land of Ros (in Pem- 
 brokeshire). 2 
 
 When the conquest of the land of Cardigan was com- 
 pleted it was divided among the confederates ; and after 
 this series of triumphs the Prince of South Wales appointed 
 a grand festival to be held at his palace in Ystrad Tywi, 
 to which he invited all the Princes and Nobles of Wales 
 and the Marches. For the entertainment of the guests 
 he assembled the sages of the country, whom he appointed 
 to hold disputations ; and he brought together the chief 
 bards and musicians of every district to display their 
 skill in vocal and instrumental music. To these were 
 added scenic representations, feats of skill, and athletic 
 sports. This festival continued forty days, after which 
 the guests were dismissed and the bards and players 
 liberally rewarded according to their deserts. 8 
 
 This interval of relaxation being over, Griffith applied 
 himself with diligence to the most important affairs of 
 state. Assisted by a counsel of wise and learned men, 
 whom he had convened for the purpose, he revised the 
 existing laws, and established some new regulations for 
 the government of the country, appointing a court to be 
 held in every cantrev, and a subordinate court in every 
 conimot for the greater accommodation of the people 
 and the more expeditious despatch of business. Having 
 concluded these arrangements he died universally 
 lamented by his subjects, and leaving behind him the 
 character of being "the bravest, wisest, most merciful, 
 beneficent, and just of all the Princes." 4 He is described, 
 in another edition of the Chronicle of the Princes, as " the 
 light and strength and greatness of the men of South 
 Wales." 5 Florence of Worcester places his death about 
 April, or May, 1137, and attributes it to the treachery of 
 
 l Gesta Regis Stephani. 2 Annales Cambriae. 3 Eees' South Wales, p. 234 (The 
 author quotes from Myfyrian Archaeology, Vol. II, p. 558). * Eees' South Wales 
 (from Myfyrian Arch. Vol. II, p. 558). 6 Brut-y-Tywysogion, p. 161. I would refer 
 my readers to Lord Lyttelton's life of Henry II, Vol. II, p. 64, for a highly interesting 
 and descriptive account of the manners and customs of the Welsh at this period. 
 
 F
 
 34 PEINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 his wife. 1 It was soon followed by the death of his 
 father-in-law, Griffith ap Cynan, Prince of North Wales. 
 Giraldus Cambrensis tells a story of Griffith ap Res which 
 will serve to illustrate the credulity of the times. He 
 was returning 1 from the King's Court, riding in company 
 with Milo, Earl of Hereford, the Lord of Brechinioc 
 (Brecknock), and Pain fitz John, the Lord of Ewyas, by 
 the shore of the lake Brechinioc, in a time of frost when 
 the lake was covered with waterfowl of various kinds. 
 Milo alluded to an ancient Welsh saying, to the effect 
 that if the natural Prince of the country should come to 
 this lake and order the birds to sing, they would imme- 
 diately obey him, and jestingly proposed that Griffith 
 should prove his descent by this ornithological experi- 
 ment. Griffith, who was richer in wit than in gold, and 
 who had lost none of his dignity with the diminution of 
 his inheritance, retorted that, as Milo and Fitz John 
 were now in possession of the country, they ought to 
 try first. They agreed ; and having failed to induce 
 the wildfowl to acknowledge them, Griffith, feeling 
 himself bound by their importunity to try his fortune in 
 turn, immediately dismounted from his horse, and fell up- 
 on his knees towards the east, as though he were about 
 to engage in a duel, then humbly prostrating himself, and 
 lifting his eyes and hands towards Heaven, he engaged in 
 earnest prayer. After which he rose from his knees and, 
 signing himself with the cross, he openly exclaimed " 
 Almighty God who knowest all things, O Lord Jesu 
 Christ, declare Thy power this day. Seeing that Thou 
 hast caused me to derive my lineal descent from the native 
 Princes of Wales, in Thy name I command these birds to 
 proclaim it." Upon which all the birds, each after its 
 own kind, immediately began to call and cry out, striking 
 the water with their wings. All the bystanders were 
 astonished and confounded; and the Earl and Pain 
 returned to the King's court with all haste and related to 
 him the singular occurrence. Whereupon the King, after 
 listening to their story, exclaimed " By the death of Christ " 
 (his usual oath) "it is not so much to be wondered at; 
 
 1 Florence of Worcester, Vol. II, p. 98. " Rex Wali<e Griffinus, fillus Res, dolo con- 
 jugis su<e cireumventus, defungitur." If this be so she must have been a second wife, 
 or perhaps a concubine, for his wife Gwcnllian was killed in 1136.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 35 
 
 for although by our great power we have inflicted much 
 injury upon this people, they are well known to have an 
 hereditary right to these lands." Giraldus informs us 
 that this incident occurred in the time of King Henry 
 I., and that, although Griffith nominally held the rank 
 and title of Prince of South Wales under the English 
 King, he was then in possession of but one commot only 
 (which he describes as the fourth part of a cantrev) 
 namely that of Kaoc (Caeo) in Cantrefmaur. 1 
 
 By his wife Gwenllian, daughter of Griffith ap Cynau, 
 Griffith ap Res had six sons, Morgan, Maelgon, Anarawd, 
 Cadell, Meredith, and Res ; and, according to the heralds, 
 also six daughters, Gwenllian, Sioned, Ales, Marred, 
 Arthyn, and Gladys. 2 
 
 i Itinerarium Cambria;, Record Edition, p. 34. According to the usual divisions of 
 Caermarthen the commot of Caeo was tn the Cantrev Bychan, hut there was another 
 division under which the Cantrev Mawr embraced what are usually known as th 
 Cantrers Mawr and Bychan. 2 Her. Vis. Wai., Vol. II, p. 99.
 
 36 PKINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 It is doubtful whether Griffith ap Res held any part of 
 Cardigan at the time of his death. At any rate his sons 
 were not allowed to enter into possession of this portion 
 of the ancient dominions of their ancestors ; but the 
 rightful succession in Wales had been so often interrupted 
 that the heirs were seldom suffered to enter upon their 
 inheritance without having to contend with the most 
 powerful of their kindred or neighbours. Shortly after 
 the death of Griffith ap Res, however, we find Owen 
 Gwyneth and Cadwalader, the sons of Griffith ap Cynan, 
 in possession of the land of Cardigan, which they held 
 against the Norman claimants. 
 
 Of the sons of Griffith, Morgan was slain at the battle 
 of Maes Gwenllian in 1136, being then but a youth; 
 Maelgon was taken prisoner by the English at the same 
 time, and probably died in captivity, since we hear no 
 more of him. Anarawd married the daughter of his 
 cousin Cadwalader ap Griffith ap Cynan, and fell by the 
 hand of his father-in-law, in 1142-3, 1 leaving a son 
 Eineon who was murdered in his bed by one of his own 
 retainers about the year 1163. 2 The quarrel between 
 Cadwalader and his son-in-law was caused by Anarawd's 
 taking the part of his brother Res, which was distasteful 
 to Cadwalader. 3 The three remaining brothers Res, 
 Cadell, and Meredith, jointly contended for their rights 
 against the Princes of North Wales and their common 
 enemy the Normans. 
 
 The first we hear of these Princes, after the death of 
 Anarawd, is about the year 1 145 4 whenGilbertde Clare had 
 
 1 & 2 Powel' s Contin. of Welsh. Chron. 8 Gwentian Chronicle. 4 On Sunday 
 Feb. 2, 1141, was fought the famous battle of Lincoln. Eanulph le Meschin, 
 Earl of Chester, and Robert de Caen, Earl of Gloucester, here defeated and took 
 prisoner the Usurper Stephen. The victory was in great measure owing to the 
 intrepidity of a Welsh contingent, raised by the Earl of Chester, probably in North 
 Wales, while the Earl of Gloucester's Fitz Hamon inheritance will have enabled him 
 to augment the force by his resources in South Wales. These Welsh soldiers, 
 Ordericus (who finished his books in the very year 1141) tells us were led by two of 
 their own Kings, whom he calls "Mariadoth'' and "Kaladrius." I tako these to 
 have been Meredith ap Griffith ap Res and Cadwalader ap Griffith ap Cynan.
 
 Other illegitimate children 
 by various concubines. 

 
 38 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 come with great power into South Wales and repaired the 
 castles of Carmarthen and Mabuchtryd. Not long after- 
 wards Res ap Griffith ap Res and his brothers Cadell 
 and Meredith reduced the castle of Dynevor which 
 Earl Gilbert had built ; and further took the castle of 
 Carmarthen with the help of Howel ap Owen. From 
 thence the brothers proceeded to Llanstephan, 1 where the 
 foreigners were again defeated, and the castle taken from 
 them and committed to the keeping of Meredith ; " where- 
 upon all the Flemings and Normanes inhabiting that 
 countrie all about, gathered their powers togithir, 
 and their captaines were the sonnes of Gerald, and 
 William de Hay, who laid siege to the same castell upon 
 the sudden. But Meredyth ap Gruffyth, to whose 
 custodie the castell was committed, encouraged his men 
 to fight and to defend the place, and that which lacked 
 in him of strength (for he was young in years) he supplied 
 in courage and discretion. He suffered his enemies to 
 scale the wals, and, when the ladders were full, he gave 
 the watchword, and his souldiours did manfullie with 
 engines overturne all the ladders, and maimed a great 
 number of armed men and tried souldiours, and put the 
 rest to flight." 2 
 
 In the year 1147 we find the three sons of Griffith ap 
 Res attacking the castle of Gwys, 3 which likewise fell 
 into their hands. 4 
 
 In 1150 Cadell ap Griffith, having fortified the castle 
 of Carmarthen, led his forces to Kidwelly 5 where he 
 
 1 Llanstephan Castle is iu Carmarthenshire, 8 miles S.S.W. of Carmarthen, in the 
 present hundred of Derllys (Lewis' Top. Dictionary). 2 Powel's Hist. 3 Castell Gwys 
 or Wiston is in the modern hundred of Dungleddau eo. Pembroke, 5 miles E.N.E. from 
 Haverfordwest. It derived its name from its first Norman or Flemish possessor, Gwys 
 or Wyz, who made it the head of his Barony of Dungleddau. The daughter of his 
 grandson Sir Philip Gwys married Gwrgan ap Blethin, a Welsh chieftian, from whom 
 descended the family of Wogan, in whose possession this place remained till the present 
 generation, when, in default of issue male, the estates of this ancient family were 
 divided among co-heiresses ; and the castle and Barony of Wiston were subsequently 
 purchased by the Earl of Cawdor. 4 Powel compared with the Brut, &c. 
 6 Kidwelly or Cydweli is a district in Carmarthenshire 9 miles south of Carmarthen. 
 The district was first won from the Welsh by William, de Londres, one of the twelve 
 knights who accompanied Fitzhamon in his conquest of Glamorgan. Having again 
 fallen into the hands of the Welsh it was recaptured by Maurice de Londres, who is said 
 to have built the castle. About the year 1116 the town and fortress were surprised and 
 taken by Griffitlrap Res, who retained possession only for a short time; and it was sub- 
 sequently the scene of his intrepid wife's misfortunes. After various fortunes the castle 
 and lordship of Kidwelly became the property of Henry Earl of Lancaster by hie mar- 
 riage with the great granddaughter of Maurice de Londres, and so became vested in the 
 crown in the time of Henry VII, who granted them to the celebrated Res ap Thomas.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 39 
 
 ravaged the country and took great spoil. After his 
 return he joined his forces with those of his brothers 
 Meredith and Res, and entering Cardigan they won from 
 Howel ap Owen Gwyneth the part called Is Aeron, 1 or 
 the country south of the river Aeron. 
 
 They subsequently directed their forces against the castle 
 of Llanrhystyd ; 2 and after a longand toilsome attack they 
 gained the fortress and slew all the defenders. They then 
 took possession of the castle of Ystrad Meuric, 3 in which they 
 placed a garrison ; after which they returned to the vale 
 of Towy with a very great spoil of corn, cattle, and other 
 goods, 4 having apparently subjugated the whole of 
 Cardigan with the exception of one castle at Pengwern 
 in Llanvihangel. 
 
 In the following year, 1151-2, while Cadell ap Griffith 
 was hunting in Dyvet, some of the Englishmen of Gower 
 set an ambush to kill him ; and having attacked him, and 
 put his companions to flight, they fell upon him ; but he, 
 being a brave and powerful man, maintained his post, 
 and having killed some of his foes, he forced the others 
 to fly : but he received a severe wound in the conflict, of 
 which he languished for a long time. When his brothers 
 
 On the attainder of Griffith, grandson of Res ap Thomas, they reverted to the crown, and 
 were purchased in 1630 by the Earl of Carbery, from whom they have passed to the Earl 
 of Cawdor, their present owner. The lordship, honour, and liberty of Kid welly comprises 
 the commots of Carnwallyon, Iscennen, and Kid welly, and contains 16 parishes. It thus 
 forms the South- Western portion of the county, being bounded by the river Towy on the 
 North, the little river Cennen and Glamorganshire on the East, and the Sea on the South. 
 
 1 Towel compared with the Brut. 2 Llanrhystyd Castle I take to have been one of two 
 castles in the commot of Anhunog, south of Aberystwith in Cardiganshire. This part of 
 Cardiganshire had been held by Cadwalader, the son of Griffith ap Cynan, who rebuilt th 
 castle of Llanrhystyd in 1149 and gave over his portion of Cardigan to his son Cadogan 
 (Brut-y-Tywysogion corrected as to the date). 8 Ystrad Meuric Castle was in 
 the parish of Yspytty Ystwith in Cardiganshire, about 13 miles South-Eat from 
 Aberystwith. It was built by Gilbert de Clare, was partly destroyed by the Princes 
 of North Wales when they invaded Cardigan in 1136, and repaired and fortified on its 
 recapture by the sons of Griffith. In 1168 it was taken by Earl Roger de Clare ; but it 
 was retaken in 1184 by Maelgon ap Res who in 1194 gave it to Anarawd his brother, 
 as a ransom for the liberation of two of his brothers, Howel Sais and Madoc, who had 
 been captured by Anarawd. It did not long remain in possession of the latter, for in 
 1198 Maelgon retook it, and retained it till the year 1207, when despairing of being 
 able to defend it against Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, Prince of North Wales, he rased it to 
 the ground ; since which time it does not appear to have been rebuilt (Meyrick's 
 Cardiganshire, p. 311. Lewis' Top. Die.) 4 Gwentian Chronicle. The account of 
 thee exploits is given somewhat differently in the Record Edition of the Brut, where 
 it is stated that " Cadell and Meredith and Res, the son* of Griffith ap Res, took the 
 whole of Cardigan from Howel ap Owen except one castle that was at Pengwern in 
 Llanvihangel. And, after that, they conquered the castle of Llanrhystud, after long 
 fighting with it. And subsequently Howel ap Owen obtained that castle by force and 
 burned it, after killing the garrison wholly. It was but a short time after that when 
 Cadell, Meredith, and Res repaired the castle of Ystrad Meuric."
 
 40 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Meredith and Res heard of it, they entered Gower with 
 their forces, and demanded that the ambuscaders should 
 be given up to them. And when their demand was 
 denied they attacked the country and devasted the 
 land, reducing the castle of Aber Llychwr to a heap of 
 ruins, and burning the castle of Llan Rhidian ; after 
 which they returned home with great spoil. 1 The castle 
 of Dynevor was at this time repaired by them and 
 strengthened, and garrisoned with chosen men. At the 
 same time Howel ap Owen repaired Humphrey's Castle 
 in the vale of Calettwr. 2 We hear no more of Cadell 
 after his ill-treatment at the hands of the English, except 
 that he went on a pilgrimage to Rome about the year 1156, 
 when he left his possessions in the custody of his brothers 
 Meredith and Res until he should return home. Perhaps 
 he never afterwards fully recovered from his wounds, for 
 we do not find him again taking part in the affairs of state; 
 but he lived many years after this, and died in 1175. 3 
 
 In the meanwhile we find the brothers Meredith and 
 Res, in the year 1153, following up their successes 
 against Howel ap Owen Gwyneth in Cardigan. They 
 led their forces into Penwedic, the most northern division 
 of Cardigan, and took from him the castle after a long 
 and toilsome siege. This was probably Castell Gwalter 
 at Llanvihangel Genau'rglyn, the castle of Llanvihangel 
 in Pengwern which they had been unable to take from 
 him on the former occasion. So that at this period the 
 whole of Cardigan must have fallen into their hands. 
 I imagine them to have also possessed themselves of the 
 whole land of Carmarthen, with the exception of the two 
 Southern commots of Kidwelly and Gower which pro- 
 bably yet remained in the hands of the Norman Con- 
 querors. Their expedition into Cardigan was followed 
 by an attack upon the castle of Tenby, in Dy vet, which 
 they took by a night assault and committed to the custody 
 of their cousin William fitz Gerald. 
 
 1 Gwentian Chronicle. Gower or Gwyr was a district of Glamorganshire, so called 
 because Gwyr signifies an encircled place ; and this peninsular, once a part of Car- 
 marthenshire hut now forming the Western portion of Glamorganshire, is nearly 
 encircled by sea and rivers. It was conquered from the Welsh by Eoger de Newburgh 
 and held by him and his heirs under Bernard Newmarch and de Braose, his 
 successor (Jones' Hist, of Brecknock, Vol. I, p. 95). 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 Ibid., 
 compared with Powel and others.
 
 PRINCES "OF SOUTH WALES. 41 
 
 The continued success of the young princes appears to 
 have fired their ambition and excited them to greater 
 projects. Res applied to his cousin Morgan ap Caradoc 
 ap Jestyn (whose mother Gwladus or Gladys was a 
 daughter of Prince Griffith ap Res) to assist him in an 
 organised attack upon the Normans and English, with 
 the intention of driving them from every district in Wales. 
 He sent a similar message to Madoc ap Meredith, Prince 
 of Powys. But, failing to obtain the assistance of these 
 magnates, he entered Cyveilioc, 1 which belonged to 
 Powysland, and took heavy spoil from thence. Meredith 
 also led his " forces into Morgan wg against Morgan ap 
 Caradoc and assaulted the castle of Aberavan, which they 
 demolished, and brought away a rich booty ; but Morgan 
 and his men fled, and placed themselves under the sanc- 
 tuary of the churches and monasteries and under the pro- 
 tection of William ap Robert, Prince of Morganwg," 2 i.e. 
 William, Earl of Gloucester, son of Robert de Caen. 
 
 King Stephen died on October 25, 1154, and was 
 succeeded on the English throne by Henry II : and not 
 long afterwards " died Meredith ap Griffith ap Res, King 
 of Cardigan and Ystrad Tywi and Dyved, in the 25th 
 year of his age," 3 leaving his brother Res to contend alone 
 against the enemies of his country. 
 
 " In the year 1155 Rees ap Gruffyth ap Rees, whom 
 the Welsh booke surnameth Lord Rees [Res Argloith], 
 and all the Latine and English writers of that time name 
 King of South Wales, did gather all his strength togithir 
 to defend his countrie from Owen Gwyneth, whom he 
 heard to be levieing of men to conquer South Wales. 
 So Rees came to Aberdyvi [Aberdovey] over against 
 North Wales, and perceiving the rumour to be false, 
 built a castle there, and so returned backe." 4 About 
 this time the King banished from England the Flemish 
 soldiers who had been introduced by King Stephen, and 
 gave them permission to settle among their countrymen 
 in West Wales. In 1156 he visited Anjou to put down 
 his brother Geoffrey ; from whence he returned in the 
 
 1 Cyreilioc or Kevelioc was a commot or lo r dship in Montgomeryshire lying to the 
 North of the cant rev Penwedic in Cardigan. 2 Gwentian Chronicle. 3 Brut-y- 
 Tywysogion. 4 Powel's Hist. Aberdovey is & seaport in the Parish of Towyn and 
 modern hundred of Estimanor, in the county of Merioneth (Lewis' Top. Dictionary). 
 

 
 42 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 following year, fully bent on the conquest of Wales ; his 
 designs being encouraged by the disaffection of the 
 lords of North Wales towards Owen Gwyneth their 
 Prince. Before he had been long on his throne 
 Henry seems to have contemplated an expedition 
 into South Wales and Ireland ; for the Royal " eorrody " 
 was conveyed in one ship to Pembroke, for the hire 
 of which Roger, the Constable, had 4. This was in 
 the 3rd year of his reign (ending at Michaelmas 1157),* 
 and the eorrody was probably sent in subservience to 
 his proposed invasion of Wales. This invasion how- 
 ever did not ultimately extend further than the northern 
 seaboard. War stores were in the same year sent some 
 whither from Gloucester ; but it is quite clear that Henry 
 never visited any part of the Border of South Wales. 
 In that year (1157) he raised a great army with which he 
 marched into Flintshire, where he was met with spirit 
 by Owen the Prince of North Wales, who successfully 
 resisted the invasion, and baffled the efforts of the King. 
 But, though little was accomplished by force of arms in 
 this war, the expedition was by no means unfruitful to the 
 English in its results, for the Welsh Prince, alarmed at 
 the prospect of a lengthened war with so great a power, 
 was induced to relinquish his high pretensions and sub- 
 mit to the King's terms. By the treaty of peace which 
 ensued it was stipulated that he and his lords should do 
 homage to the King for their lands, and Owen engaged 
 to yield up those castles and districts which had been 
 taken from the English during the reign of King 
 Stephen ; moreover he had to deliver two of his sons as 
 hostages for his future obedience. 1 Having obtained these 
 concessions, and put strong garrisons in the castles of 
 Rhuddlan and Basingwerk, Henry left the remainder of 
 the war to be prosecuted by the Lords of the Marches 
 against the other Welsh Princes, supposing that they 
 would not long continue in arms after the submission of 
 Owen. Nor was he mistaken in his judgement. For at 
 the beginning of the following year (1158) all the Princes 
 of South Wales, except Res ap Griffith, and all the inferior 
 
 l This is substantiated by an entry on the Middlesex Pipe Eolls where the Sheriffs 
 charge 72 shillings "propannis obsidum Oeni Eeyi3."
 
 PRINCES OP SOUTH WALES. 43 
 
 chieftains and nobles of that country, came to him in 
 England, and there received from him the conditions of a 
 peace, which he accorded to them on their making a full 
 cession to him of all the territories or lordships which 
 had been won from the crown or subjects of England in 
 the reign of his predecessor, and doing homage to him for 
 their own patrimonial estates. In that year the castle of 
 Ystrad Meuric was taken by Roger de Clare, Earl of 
 Hertford, who had succeeded his brother Gilbert in 
 1151-2. But no quiet or perfect settlement could be 
 made of South Wales, while Res ap Griffith remained un- 
 conquered. The great spirit of that Prince could not 
 patiently endure to see the dominions, which for many 
 ages had belonged to his illustrious ancestors, torn by the 
 arms of ambitious foreigners from him and his children. 
 He, though deserted and betrayed by all his confederates, 
 commanded his people to remove their flocks, herds, 
 and other goods to the wilds of Towy and thence make 
 war on the King of England. Henry, who esteemed his 
 courage and magnanimity and dreaded his further 
 depredations, sent him a friendly invitation to come to his 
 court, with an assurance that he should be graciously re- 
 ceived ; but threatened, if he refused the favour offered to 
 him, that the whole power of England and Wales should 
 be employed to bring him thither. 1 Accordingly Res, 
 " after having taken counsel with his good men, went to 
 the King's court [at Woodstock], and there he was com* 
 pelled, against his own will, to make peace with the 
 King " under the promise that he should receive "the 
 Cantrev Mawr, and such other cantrev as the King should 
 be pleased to give him whole and not scattered. Yet 
 the King did not adhere to this, but gave him a piece of 
 land in the territories of each out of several barons. 
 And though Res understood that deceit, he accepted 
 those portions and held them peaceably. And in that 
 interval, though Roger, Earl of Clare [better known as 
 Earl of Hertford] was intent upon entering Cardigan, 
 nevertheless he dared not, until Res had made peace with 
 the King. Afterwards on a muggy day of the calends 
 of June, he came to Ystrad Meuric, and the day following 
 
 Lyttelton's Hist. Hen. II. Vol. II. p. 75.
 
 44 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 the calends of June he stored that castle, the castle 
 of Humfrey, the castle of Aberdovey, the castle of Dineir, 
 and the castle of Rhystud." 1 
 
 Thus did the Normans re-occupy their former conquests 
 in Cardigan and Carmarthen, and the Lord Res was 
 compelled to do homage to the King for the territories he 
 was allowed to retain, and to give up two of his sons as 
 hostages for his fidelity ; a like security having been 
 exacted from all the other Welsh Princes. 2 
 
 The Norman Lords no sooner re-entered upon their 
 lands than they commenced their former system of 
 aggression upon their neighbours. We are informed by 
 the chronicler that " Walter Clifford carried a booty out 
 of the territory of Res ap Griffith, and killed many of the 
 men of the country nearest to him ; for the castle of 
 Llanymddyvri was his possession. 3 When that was done, 
 Res despatched messengers to the King to inform him of 
 it ; but the King would not cause satisfaction to be made 
 to him for this. Then the family of Res took up arms ; 
 and Res joined them at the castle of Llanymddyvri, and 
 subdued the castle. Then Eineon son of Anarawd, 
 nephew to the Lord Res (brother's son), who was 
 young in age and manly in strength, seeing that his 
 uncle Res was released from his agreement and from 
 
 1 Brut-y-Ty wysogion. Humfrey's Castle, afterwards called Castel Howel, was in the 
 parish, of Llandyssil, in the modern hundred of Troedyraur, co. Cardigan, but formerly 
 in the commot or lordship of Gwynnyonydd in the cantrev or hundred of Syrwen 
 or Hirwan (Meyrick's Hist. Cardiganshire, p. 149). Dineir or Dynerth and Llan- 
 rhystid castles are sometimes assumed to have been the same, but there were probably 
 two castles in the parish of Llanrhystid, one of which was called Castel Rhos. This 
 parish lies in the lower division of the modern hundred of liar, but was formerly situate 
 in the commot of Anhunog. See note to page 37. 2 Lyttelton's Hist. Hen. II, 
 Vol. II, p. 76. 3 Llanyruddyvri or Llandovery Castle, which occurs so often in Welsh 
 history, is situated in the parish of Llandingat in the hundred of Perveth, co. Car- 
 marthen, 27 miles E.N.E. from Carmarthen, a pleasant locality in the upper part 
 of the vale of Towy (Lewis' Top. Dictionary). It would have 'been in the ancient 
 cantrev of Ffiniog and therefore not in the district assigned to lies by the King. This 
 oantrev is the same as that which is elsewhere called Cantrev Bychan (or the little 
 cantrev), which was given by Henry I, to Richard fitz Ponz, the father of the 
 first Walter de Clifford, whose heirs contested the possession with the descendants of the 
 ancient Welsh Lords. The second Walter de Clifford married Margaret, daughter of 
 Prince Llewelyn ap Jerwerth and widow of John de Braose, by whom he had an only 
 daughter and heiress Matilda or Maude de Clifford, who married first William de 
 Longespee, and secondly John Giffard of Brimsfield. By the former she had a daughter 
 Margaret, wife of Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, whose sole daughter and heiress 
 Alice was thrice married but died without issue. Being left a young widow by the 
 early death of her first husband, Matilda de Clifford was forcibly abducted from her own 
 Manor house and taken to the castle of Brimsfield by John Giffard, who subsequently 
 fined 300 marks for having married her without the King's licence. By John Giffard 
 she had two daughters, her eventual coheirs, namely, Katherine wife of Nicholas 
 Audley, of Helagh. and Alianore wife of Fulk le Strange, of Blackmere.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 45 
 
 every oath he had given to the King, also lamenting the 
 subjection of his own nation through the deceit of enemies, 
 made an attack upon the castle of Humfrey, and slew 
 the bravest knights, and all the garrison of the castle, 
 and carried away with him the whole booty and spoil of 
 the castle. And then when Res ap Griffith perceived 
 that he could not preserve anything of what the King 
 had given him, except what he could gain by his arms, 
 he made an attack upon the castles that had been 
 subdued by the Earls and Barons in Cardigan, and 
 burned them. And when the King heard of this, he 
 entered South Wales with an army," 1 by the sea coast of 
 Glamorgan ; " but seeing the Welsh nation gathering 
 from all parts to Res, he offered him terms of peace," 2 
 which were accepted ; and when Res had given him pledges, 
 and had certain castles assured to him by the King in re- 
 turn, the latter went back to England, and thence pro- 
 ceeded to Normandy, in September, 1158. 3 When Res, 
 however, went to take possession of the castles that were 
 assigned to him the garrisons refused to deliver them 
 up. 4 Whereupon he collected his forces and ravaged the 
 country of Dyvet, conquering and burning the castles 
 which the Normans had erected there. This was in the 
 year 1159. He then brought his little army to Carmar- 
 then and besieged it, but was obliged to raise the siege 
 on the approach of Reginald, Earl of Cornwall, with a 
 large force to relieve it. Earl Reginald was joined on 
 this occasion by William, Earl of Gloucester, Roger, 
 Earl of Clare, and two other Earls, as also by Cadwalader 
 ap Griffith, the brother, and Howel and Cynan, the 
 sons of Owen Gwyneth, Prince of North Wales, who 
 had been induced to join the English by the promise of 
 having the lordship of South Wales made over to him. 
 Res, unable to resist so formidable an opposition retreated 
 to the mountains of Cevn Resterin which strong post 
 he remained in security. The English army encamped 
 at the castle of Dynevor, " but, not daring to approach 
 the place where Res was, they returned home empty 
 handed. After that they offered a truce to Res which 
 
 l Brut-y-TyTrysogion. 2 Gwcntian Chronicle. 3 Towel, verified by Mr. Eyton. 
 * Gwentian Chronicle.
 
 46 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 he accepted ; and he permitted his men to return to 
 their country." 1 
 
 He appears to have conquered and taken possession of the 
 castles of Dynevor and Llandovery in or about the year 
 1161, 2 and probably retained possession of them during 
 the following year. 
 
 On the King's return from Normandy in 1 1 63 he invaded 
 South Wales with a strong force to reduce its Prince to 
 submission, and Res appears to have been betrayed by the 
 men of Brecknock, who interfered between him and the 
 King and persuaded him to give the King a meeting, 
 at a place called Pencadaer, in Carmarthenshire. 
 Giraldus thus describes the affair; " Not far to the 
 north of Caermardyn, namely at Pencadair, that is, 
 the head of the chair, Rhys the son of Gruffydd, was, 
 more by stratagem than force, compelled to surrender, 
 and was carried away into England." 3 He was not long 
 afterwards released by the King, to whom he did homage 
 at Woodstock* for his lands, and gave hostages for 
 his future fidelity. According to the Gwentian Chronicle 
 the King made over to him on this occasion the castle 
 of Dynevor and the Cantrev Mawr, which were pro- 
 bably then in his hands. I presume that these would 
 have formed the whole of his possessions at this period, 
 and that the land of Cardigan was now in the tenure of 
 its Norman lord, de Clare. The hostages given by Res 
 were his nephews Eineon ap Anarawd and Cadogan ap 
 Meredith ap Griffith. And these were soon afterwards 
 treacherously slain through the agency of the Norman 
 Barons,to whose custody they had probably been committed 
 by the King. Eineon, the son of Anarawd ap Griffith, 
 was foully murdered in his sleep by one of his own men 
 at the instigation of the English ; and Cadogan ap Meredith 
 was slain after the like manner by Walter de Clifford son 
 of Richard fitz Pons. Res was at this time in quiet possession 
 of Cantrev Mawr and the castle of Dynevor ; but the 
 murder of his nephews and the failure of the King's promises 
 afforded him a pretext for breaking the peace in the 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tyvrysogion. 2 Annales Cambriae. 3 Itin. Lib. I. cap. 10. Hoare's Giraldus, 
 Vol. 1, p. 175. 4 Bartholomaei Cotton Historia Anglicana, sub anno gratiao MCLXIII. 
 " Rex Scpttorum Malcolmus et Resus princeps Demetiae, id est Australium "Walensium, 
 cum aliis regibua et majoribus Cambriae, fecerunt homagium regi Anglorum 
 Henrico et filio ejus Henrico, Kalendas Julii, apud "Wudeetok."
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 47 
 
 following year (1164), and, entering the lands of Roger de 
 Clare, Earl of Hertford, by whose means Eineon was said 
 to have been put to death, he " dismantled and burned 
 the castle of Aber Rheidiol 1 and the castle of 
 Mabwynion, 2 and reconquered a second time the whole 
 of Cardigan ;" 3 from which, however, we must except the 
 castle of Aberteivi or Cardigan. Having thus possessed 
 himself of the land of Cardigan he carried his victorious 
 arms into Dyvet, attacked the Flemings settled there, 
 and ravaged all their country ; from whence he returned 
 to Dynevor, with great spoils and much honour, about 
 the end of the year 1164. It was probably at this period 
 that he founded the Abbey of Strata Florida or Ystradflur 
 for monks of the Cistercian order, in the commot of 
 Mef enydd and land of Cardigan, which afterwards became 
 the burial place of his family. 4 
 
 During the winter, Prince Res negotiated with all the 
 other Welsh Princes. He reproached them with their 
 cowardice and pusillanimity. He shewed them how 
 favourable the time then was for an attempt to deliver 
 themselves and their country from the oppression of 
 foreigners ; there being dissensions in England between 
 the church and state ; an archbishop of Canterbury exiled ; 
 
 l The castle of Aber Rheidiol -was situate in the commot of Anhunog in Cardiganshire 
 South of Aberystwith. 2 Castell Mabwynion, or the castle of the sons of Wynion, was 
 situated in the parish of Llanarth in the modern hundred of Moythen, co. Cardigan. 
 It formerly gave its name to a commot and extensive lordship in the cantreT y Castell 
 or Castle hundred. This lordship remained with the elder branch of Res' descendants 
 until the greater part of it was forfeited to the crown and granted by King Edward I. 
 to a representative of a younger branch, by whom it was shortly afterwards forfeited 
 for rebellion, when it lapsed once more to the crown. 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 4 Mr. 
 Roberts, the learned writer of a very able paper in the Archseologia Cambrensia 
 on this subject, supposes an earlier foundation for this religious House, chiefly on the 
 strength of Leland's statement " Rhesus Jilius Theodori princeps Suth-Walliae primus 
 fundator" (a statement which has also been followed by Dugdale), and a passage from the 
 works of Lewis Glyn Cothi (Roberts' StrataFlorida,in-4rcA. Cambrensis, Vol. Ill, p.110). 
 But I have much doubt as to this earlier foundation. The patronymic was sometimes given 
 rather loosely from one of the ancestors, and not always from the father, in the same 
 way that it is often given in the genealogies of Holy Scripture, so that Res ap Griffith 
 may possibly have been the person meant by Leland under the name of Res ap Tudor ; 
 and the assertion, in the Brut, that "in that year (viz. 1164 according to the writer's 
 dates), by the permission of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, came a convent 
 of monks/r4< to Strata Florida," corroborates the statement of the Lord Res in his own 
 foundation charter, where he describes himself as the founder. Sir C. Hoare gives the 
 following sketch of the abbey : " This monastery is situated in the wildest part of 
 Cardiganshire, surrounded on three sides by a lofty range of mountains, called by 
 Giraldus Cambrensis ' Ellennith ' ; a spot admirably suited to the severe and recluse 
 order of the Cistercians. But wild and desolate as its present appearance may seem, 
 how much more so must it have been in former times, when King Edward, for the 
 better security of his subjects from the dangers they were likely to incur in these 
 solitary districts, ordered the highways to be repaired and the surrounding woods 
 to be cut down."
 
 48 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 his cause supported equally by Rome and by France ; 
 and a great probability of war between Louis and Henry 
 on that and other accounts. These instigations so influ- 
 enced them, and they were so animated by the success 
 which had attended his enterprizes, that not only Owen 
 Gwyneth and all his sons, but his brother Cadwalader, 
 who had married a sister of the Earl of Hertford and was 
 moreover under many obligations to King Henry, 
 as well as the Princes of Powis and other Welsh chief- 
 tains, now took up arms to recover their independence. 
 Provision having been made for levying soldiers against 
 Res ap Griffith at the parliament held at Northampton 
 the year before, the King, upon his arrival in England 
 from Normandy, found some forces already assembled, 
 with which he marched into Flintshire, where David, 
 one of the sons of Owen Gwyneth, had been making 
 grievous depredations ; but he found, on his arrival at 
 Rhuddlan that the Welshmen, after ravaging the country, 
 had retired with their plunder to the vale of Clwyd in 
 Denbighshire ; whereupon he contented himself with 
 strengthening the garrisons of all his castles in Flintshire, 
 and then returned to England to augment his forces ; 
 for he knew how great a war he had to sustain, and how 
 difficult he should find it to vanquish so courageous and 
 warlike a nation, now that they were united, which they 
 never had been since their first confederacy against 
 William Rufus. That he might be able to oppose this 
 formidable league, he not only raised an army of chosen 
 men out of all his British territories, but brought over many 
 troops from Normandy, Aquitaine, Anjou, Bretagne and 
 Flanders. With this combined force, the greatest that 
 had ever been drawn together against Wales by any King 
 of England, he marched to Powisland, which he entered 
 at Oswestry (in July, 1165. 1 ) The Welsh Princes awaited 
 him at Corwen in Edeyrneon ; and, when the King 
 heard that they were so near him, he advanced to the 
 river Ceiriog, and, for fear of ambuscades, he commanded 
 the woods, that covered the banks on both sides of it, to 
 be cut down. But while this was being done, a body of 
 Welshmen, without any orders from their leaders, fell 
 upon his vanguard, in which he had posted all the flower 
 
 l Eyton's Ant. of Shropshire, Vol. X, p. 323.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 49 
 
 of his army. A bloody action ensued. The Welsh 
 fought bravely ; but Henry at last gained the pass, and 
 came to the mountain of Berwin, one of the highest in 
 Wales, at the foot of which he encamped. The Welsh 
 hung like a dark cloud, at the top and on the sides 
 of it, waiting for an occasion to fight the King with 
 advantage, who found it impracticable to attack them 
 in the post they had taken, and was very uneasy in his 
 own ; for the flying parties of the Welsh cut off his 
 provisions, and his soldiers, being afraid to stir from their 
 camp, were soon distressed by a great scarcity of victuals 
 and forage. 1 At this time there fell on a sudden such 
 excessive and violent rains, followed by such inundations 
 and torrents of water pouring down from the mountains 
 into the valley where the King was encamped, that he 
 was forced to retire, with great loss of men and ammuni- 
 tion, and leave his enemies in possession of the field. 2 
 But, moved with rage at being baffled in his designs, he 
 cruelly ordered the eyes of his hostages to be torn out in 
 revenge. Among these were Cynwric and Meredith, 
 sons of the lord Res ap Griffith, and two of the sons of 
 Prince Owen Gwyneth. 3 
 
 Henry now retired to Chester, where he awaited the 
 arrival of some ships from Ireland, which he had hired 
 for the purpose of invading Wales by sea and infesting the 
 maritime parts without attempting to penetrate into the 
 heart of the country. But finding the number of ships, 
 when they arrived, to be insufficient for his purpose, he 
 discharged them with their pay and returned with his 
 army to England. 
 
 In the same year, about the Kalends of November (i.e. 
 Nov. 1) 1165, JPrince .Res ap Griffith laid siege to the 
 
 1 Lyttolton's Hist. Hen. II. 2 Mr. Eyton thinks the Welsh account of Henry's arms 
 having met with such uninterrupted disaster in the campaigns of 1165 must be an 
 exaggeration. Ho says; "In 1164 I find notice of only three Welsh hostages in 
 Henry's hands, and they were at Hereford. In 1165, at Michaelmas, ho had no 
 less than twenty five hostagee at Bridgenorth alone. The Welsh Annalists, though 
 they admit the King's possession of hostages, fail to account for his getting them." 
 8 Brut-y-Tywysogion (D), and Gwentian Chronicle. It is more probable that ome only 
 of the sons of Res ap Griffith was blinded on this occasion, namely Meredith, his 
 illegitimate son by Gwendyth, daughter of Cynddelw ap Brochwel, who is described 
 in the Heraldic pedigrees as Meredith Iddall (or the blind). I suppose Cynwric or 
 Kenwrick, the other hostage (who was also an illegitimate son of Res according 
 to the Heraldic Pedigrees), to have escaped this cruel fate, and to be the same with 
 him who is afterwards described by Giraldus Cambreusis &s meeting Archbishop 
 Baldwin and his suite in their progress of 1188. 
 
 H
 
 50 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 castle of Aberteivi or Cardigan and took it, by which he 
 completed his conquest of Cardiganshire. He now turned 
 his arms against Dyvet and made himself master of the 
 castle of Cilgerran, one of the strongest in Wales, in which 
 he captured his cousin Robert fitz Stephen, the son of 
 Nest, from whose lands he carried away a rich booty. 1 
 
 In the following year, 1166, the Normans and Flem- 
 ings from the land of Pembroke made a vigorous attack 
 upon the castle of Cilgerran but were repulsed with great 
 loss. And again " a second time they fought against 
 Cilgerran in vain, without getting the castle." 2 
 
 In the year 1167 we find the Lord Ees uniting his 
 forces with Owen Gwyneth and his brother Cadwalader, 
 the Princes of North Wales, against Owen Cyveilioc, 
 Prince of Powis, who had now allied himself with the 
 English. They took from him Caereinion, which they 
 gave to his cousin Owen Vychan, son of Madoc ap 
 Meredith, Prince of Powis Fadoc ; and from thence pro- 
 ceeded to Tafolwern (a lordship in the commot of 
 Cyveilioc) which they also took ; and this was given over 
 to the Lord Res ap Griffith, as it was said to have 
 formerly appertained to his dominions. 3 
 
 In the close of the same year " Owen and Cadwalader, 
 Princes of Gwyneth, and the Lord Res, Prince of South 
 Wales, accompanied by their armies, came against the 
 castle of Rhuddlan in Tegeingl ; and there they remained 
 three months erecting a castle, after breaking down the 
 castle which they found there, and burning it, with the 
 castle of Prestatyn ; and they returned happy and joyful 
 to their country." 4 
 
 About this time the castle of Abereynaun was built 
 by the Lord Res ap Griffith, who was driven soon after- 
 wards from the land of Brecknock ; which he re-entered 
 with a great army, and, when he had devastated a great 
 part of the land by fire and destroyed the castle of 
 Buellt, he made peace with the King's Justiciary and 
 returned in triumph to his own land. 5 
 
 In the year 1168 " Robert, the son of Stephen, the con- 
 stable, was released out of his coosen's the Lord Rees his 
 prison, and was sent to Ireland with a great power to 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion. The castle of Cilgerran was in Pembrokeshire, just over 
 the border, and about two miles south of Cardigan. 2, 3, & 4 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 
 6 Annales Cambriae.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 51 
 
 succour Dermot son to Murchart, who landed at Loch- 
 garmon and won it, and so went forward." 1 
 
 Owen Gwyneth, son of Griffith ap Cynan, Prince of 
 North Wales died in November 1169 ; and after some 
 contention between his sons the government was assumed 
 by his son David ap Owen. 
 
 Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury was mur- 
 dered on the 29th of December, 1170. 
 
 In the following year, 1171, the Lord Res ap Griffith 
 assembled an army against Owen Cyveilioc, Prince of 
 Powis, " with the intention of subduing him ; because as 
 often as Owen could resist the Lord Res, he also resisted 
 him. And Res compelled him to submit ; and he took 
 seven hostages from him." 2 " In that interval the King 
 became alarmed at the apostolical excommunication, and 
 left the French territories and returned to England giving 
 out that he would go and subdue Ireland. Accordingly 
 he summoned to him all the nobles of England and 
 Wales. And then the Lord Res came to him (at Cardiff ?) 
 from the place where he was at Llwyn Danet, about the 
 feast on which was born the lady Mary (Sept. 8) ; and 
 he entered into friendship with the King, by promising 
 
 J_ <_> ' j/ X ^ * ' 
 
 him three hundred horses, and four thousand oxen, with 
 twenty-four hostages." 3 After that the King went into 
 Gwent, and took the city of Caerleon upon Usk from 
 Jerwerth ap Owen ap Caradoc ap Griffith, who raised an 
 army after the King's departure, and destroyed the town, 
 burning the castle and devastating the country. 
 
 " Then the King proceeded with a vast army into 
 Pembroke on the 1 1th day of the calends of October, and 
 gave to the Lord Res Cardigan, Ystrad Tywi, Arwistli, 
 and Elvael, and in that summer the Lord Res built the 
 castle of Aberteivi, with stone and mortar, which he had 
 previously demolished when he took it from the Earl of 
 Clare and captured Robert, son of Stephen by Nest the 
 
 1 Powel* s Hist. Robert fitz Stephen landed in Ireland about the middle of May 
 1169 in Banough Bay, not far from Wexford, which had been promised to him and hia 
 brother Maurice fitz Gerald, together with the two adjacent cantrevs, by Dermot ex- 
 King of Leinster. These early successes of Fitz Stephen, followed by the victories of 
 Richard Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, in the ensuing year, induced King Henry to 
 undertake the conquest of Ireland in 1171. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. Owen Cyveilioc 
 is here described as son-in-law of the Lord Res. He is generally asserted to have 
 married Gwenthliaii daughter of Prince Owen Gwyneth ; but he may possibly have 
 married a daughter of the Lord Res for his second wife. 8 Brut-y-Tywygogion.
 
 52 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 daughter of Res ap Tudor And then Res went from 
 
 the castle of Aberteivi to the castle of Pembroke, to speak 
 with the King, on the 12th day of the calends of October, 
 and that day was a Saturday. 1 And Res ordered the 
 horses, which he had promised the King, to be collected 
 at Aberteivi, that they might be in readiness to be sent 
 to the King.,, And on the following day, Sunday, Res 
 returned; and. he selected eighty-six horses, to be sent 
 the next day to the King. And having come to Y Ty 
 Grwyn (the White House) he heard that the King had 
 gone to Menevia (St. David's) ; and in Menevia the King 
 made an offering of two choral caps of velvet, intended 
 for the singers serving Grod and St. David ; and he also 
 offered a handful of silver, about ten shillings. Here the 
 King was entertained by David fitz Gerald, the Bishop of 
 St. David's. And shortly after dinner the King mounted 
 horse and returned to Pembroke. And on that day, which 
 was Michaelmas Day, there was a heavy fall of rain." 2 
 
 When Res heard of Henry's return to Pembroke, " he 
 sent the horses to the King, beforehand, that he might 
 go to the King after he had received the horses. 3 And 
 on the horses being brought before the King, he took 
 thirty-six that he had selected, saying that it was not from 
 want of them that they were accepted, but to express his 
 thanks to Res more than before. And when they had 
 come together to the White House the King released to 
 him his son Howel, who had been long with him in 
 England as a hostage ; and the King granted him time in 
 respect of the other hostages, which Res was bound 
 to deliver to him ; and also in respect of the tribute until 
 the King should come from Ireland." 4 
 
 1 There is some discrepancy and a miscalculation of dates in this passage from the 
 Brut. Sept. 20, 1171, fell on a Monday. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 The conduct 
 of Ees, on this occasion, reminds us of the meeting of Jacob with his brother Esau, and 
 this is not the only passage in the history of the Welsh at this time which recalls the 
 manners and customs of early scriptural times. 4 Brut-y-Tywysogion. Howel, who 
 was called Saig or the Englishman (probably on account of his long residence in England 
 as a hostage in the King's custody) was a natural son of Res by Ysteder the daughter 
 of Caradoc ap Llowrodd (Her. Vis. Wai., Vol. II, p. 99). Though he escaped 
 mutilation at the hands of the English, a fate but too common with hostages in those 
 days, he is said to have afterwards been cruelly hlinded by his brother Anarawd, 
 another of Res' illegitimate sons, about the year 1194. Notwithstanding this 
 calamity he continued for some years to take his part in the petty warfare of his time. 
 According to the Annalcs Camb. he died in 1199, on his return towards Wales from the 
 Court of King John, at Striguil, where, as some say, he was seized with a sickness 
 which carried him off, or, as others say, he was slain by the Normans. But, according 
 to the Brut he was treacherously assassinated at Cemaes in the year 1204-5 by his 
 brother Maelgon's men, and was buried near his brother Griffith at Strata Florida.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 53 
 
 The English fleet was now ready for action, but the 
 expedition was for some weeks delayed by unfavourable 
 winds. At length the King set sail from Milford Haven 
 on Sunday, the eve of St. Luke (October 17), 1171, and 
 landed at Waterford on the following day. Here he 
 received the homage of many of the Irish Kings and 
 Princes, and remained for the winter at Dublin. 
 
 In the ensuing year, 1172, there was a dreadful mor- 
 tality among his army, which suffered from the use of 
 the unfermented wines and unaccustomed food; and 
 Henry, having received unfavourable advice from Nor- 
 mandy where the Pope's legatees had threatened to lay 
 his dominions under an interdict, returned from Ireland, 
 after making Hugh de Lacy his Justiciary and leaving 
 the Earl of Pembroke in possession of Leinster. 
 
 The King set sail from Wexford, with only two ships 
 in his train, and arrived the same day at Portfinnan, in 
 South Wales. 1 " On Good Friday he arrived at Pem- 
 broke; and there he remained for Easter. On Easter 
 Monday he had an interview with Res, on the road, at 
 Talacham ; and from thence he went to England." 2 
 
 Henry soon afterwards appointed the Lord Res his 
 Justiciary of South Wales ; after which he repaired to 
 Normandy without further delay. 
 
 In the following year, 1173, when Henry the young 
 King, as he was called, rebelled against his father, the 
 old King was faithfully supported by the Lord Res ap 
 Griffith, who sent to him Howel his son, beyond the sea, 
 with a retinue to serve him. "And the King received 
 him honourably, and was extremely thankful to Res." 3 
 
 Again in the year 1175, we find him acting the part 
 of mediator between his countrymen and the English 
 King. Henry and his son had now been reconciled, and 
 they held a great council at Gloucester, on the 29th of 
 June, for settling the peace of South Wales and the 
 borders. 
 
 The commotions, occasioned by taking, from Jerwerth 
 ap Owen, Caerleon upon Usk, and by the slaughter of 
 
 1 Lyttclton'e Hist. Hen. II, Vol. Ill, p. 94. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. According to 
 Lyttelton Henry embarked at Wexford on Easter Monday, April 17, 1172; so that, 
 if this be true, his interview with Ees must have taken place a few days later. 
 3 Brut-y-Ty \vysogion.
 
 54 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 one of his sons by the English, had been effectually 
 appeased, in 1172, by the commission of Chief Justice 
 over all South Wales, which the Lord Res had then 
 received from Henry, and which he exercised with great 
 prudence and fidelity towards him. But when he was 
 summoned, in 1174, to serve in England against the Earl 
 of Derby, Caerleon, which the English had rebuilt, was 
 retaken by Jerwerth. 1 It was again recovered by the 
 English, however, in the following year; and Res, return- 
 ing into Wales from the siege of Tutbury Castle, per- 
 suaded Jerwerth and all the Princes of the South who 
 had been in opposition to the King to go with him to 
 Gloucester, and make their submission, under the promise 
 of a pardon. The Lords who attended Res on this 
 occasion were Cadwallon ap Madoc, of Melenith, his 
 cousin ; Eineon Clyd, of Elvel, and Eineon ap Res, of 
 Gwrthryneon, two of his sons-in-law ; Morgan ap Caradoc 
 ap Jestyn, of Glamorgan, his nephew by his sister Gladys ; 
 Griffith ap Ivor, of Senghenyth ; Jerwerth ap Owen, of 
 Caerleon ; and Seissyll ap Dyfnwal, who was then the 
 husband of his sister Gladys. 2 These all received the 
 
 1 Lyttelton's Hist. Henry II, Vol. Ill, p. 178. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. Cadwallon 
 ap Madoc, Lord of Melenith, and his brother Eineon Clyd, Lord of Elvel, were the sons 
 of Madoc ap Idnerth, Lord of Melenith and Elvel, by his wife Reinalt the daughter of 
 Griffith ap Cynan, Prince of North Wales, and sister of Gwenllian the mother of the 
 Lord Res. Idnerth the father of Madoc was the son of Cadogan,- son of Elystan 
 Glodryth Prince of Ferlys, the country between the Wye and the Severn. The lord- 
 ships or cantrevs of Melenith and Elvel were situate in the present county of Radnor, 
 and were probably co-extensive with the two Rural Deaneries bearing those names in 
 the Diocese of St. David's and Archdeaconry of Brecknock. Gwrthryneon was a corn- 
 mot or lordship in the caiitrev Arustli, and present county of Radnor. I am unable to 
 give any information about its lord, Eineon ap Res ; but it is probable that he was a 
 descendant of Elystan Glodryth and a coparcener of his lands. Morgan ap Caradoc was 
 a descendant of Jestyn ap Gwrgan, Lord of Glamorgan. His mother Gwladys (or 
 Gladys) sister of the Lord Res is said to occur in a Margan charter. By her Carudoc 
 was father of the said Morgan, and also of Meredith (who married Nest), Owen, and 
 Cadwallon. Giraldus, who in 1188 mentions these sons and their relationship to the 
 Lord Res, adds that Cadwallon killed Owen from malice, and was himself crushed by 
 the falling of a castle wall. Owen was the owner of a greyhound celebrated for fidelity 
 to his master, and which, on his death, William Earl of Gloucester gave to King 
 Henry II (Arch. Cambrensis, 3rd series, Vol. XIII., p. 5). The early descents of this 
 family require some further elucidation. Jestyn ap Gwrgan, the founder of the 5th 
 Royal Tribe of Wales, who obtained from his father Gwrgan ap Ithel, Lord of Glamor- 
 gan, the commot of Trev Essylt in 994, and married his first wife in the same year, 
 cannot (as assumed by the Heralds) be the same with Jestyn ap Gwrgan who died 
 about 1092, after his defeat by Robert fitz Hamon, nor the father of Caradoc ap Jestyn, 
 whose son Morgan did homage to King Henry II, in 1175. This Morgan ap Caradoc 
 was Lord of Avan or Aberavan in Glamorgan, and in 1188 he guided Archbishop 
 Baldwin and Giraldus from Margan across the treacherous sands of Avan and Neath, to 
 their next stage at Swansea ; he was moreover a benefactor to the Abbey of Margan. 
 He died about 1207-8, leaving issue Lleisan ap Morgan, Lord of Avan, Morgan Gam 
 (or the crooked), who succeeded his brother Lleisan, and other children (Arch. Cam- 
 brensis, 3rd series, Vol. XIII., p. 7). Griffith ap Ivor, Lord of Senghenyth, is wrongly
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 55 
 
 King's pardon and returned in peace to their lands, after 
 that the King had restored to Jerwerth his castle of 
 Caerleon upon Usk. And in order to unite more closely 
 his vassals both English and Welsh, who were present at 
 the council, the King obliged them to take an oath, that 
 if any one should be separately attacked by any other 
 power in Wales, all the rest should unite in his defence. 1 
 " Immediately after that Seissyll ap Dyfnwal was slain, 
 through the treachery of the Lord of Brecknock [William 
 de Braose], in the castle of Abergavenny, and with him 
 Geffrei his son, and many of the chieftains of Gwent ; 
 and then the Normans repaired to the court of Seissyll 
 ap Dyfnwal, and, after seizing Gwladys his wife, they 
 killed his son Cadwalader, and on that day there was a 
 miserable slaughter of the good people of Gwent ; and 
 after that most open and flagitious treachery, none of the 
 Welsh dared trust to the Normans. And then Cadell ap 
 Griffith [brother of the Lord Res] died of a severe disease, 
 and was buried at Strata Florida, after taking the 
 religious habit." 2 This abbey had been built and endowed 
 by the Lord Res ap Griffith in or about the year 1164. 
 In a subsequent charter of the year 1184, in which he 
 confirms and amplifies his original grant, he styles 
 himself the founder of the abbey. 3 This charter of Res 
 proprietarius princeps" was witnessed by his 
 
 described in the Brut-y-Tywysogion as nephew to the Lord Res, by his sister Nest. 
 Ivor Bach, the father of Griffith ap Ivor, acquired the lordship of Senghenyth by 
 marriage with Nest, the daughter and heiress of Madoc ap Caradoc ap Eineon ap 
 Colhvyn, which Eineon ap Collwyn, having taken part with fitz Hamon at the con- 
 quest of Glamorgan, received as his share the cantrev of Senghenyth, an immense but 
 almost valueless district, wholly mountainous, lying between the Taff and the Rhymney, 
 and extending from the borders of Brecknock to Whitchurch and the margin of Cibwr 
 (Glamorgan Pedigrees, by G. T. Clark). Griffith ap Ivor himself, however, is said to 
 nave married Ellen the daughter (perhaps it should be the niece ?) of the Lord Res, by 
 whom he had a son Res who succeeded him (Glamorgan Pedigrees). Jerwerth ap 
 Owen, Lord of Carleon Wentlwg, was the son of Owen, son of Caradoc, who was Lord 
 of Ystradyw, Gwent Uchcoed, and Wentlwg, at the time of the Xornian conquest, and 
 died in 1069 or 1070, the son of Griffith who fortified Caerleon and held it at his death 
 in 10o4 or 1057 (for the account* differ as to the year), the son of Rhydderch ap Jestyn 
 who was slain in 1031 (Arch. Cambrensis, 1st series, Vol. Ill, p. 331). Jerwerth, who 
 did not live many years after doing his homage to the King in 1175, was succeeded by 
 his son Howel ap Jerwerth, whose only child Morgan had an only daughter Gwervil 
 married to Griffith, by whom she had a son Meredith, who was found to be heir to his 
 grandfather Morgan ap Howel. Sir Morgan ap Meredith, the son of Meredith, left an 
 only daughter Angharad, heiress of St. Clair, who married Llewelyn ap Ivor, Lord of 
 Tredegar, from which marriage the present Lord Tredegar is descended (Arch. Camb. 
 as before). 
 
 . l "Warrington's History of "Wales quoting from Benedict Abbas, p. 1 10, and 
 Brompton's Chronicle, sub. ann. 1175, p. 1102. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 Dugdale's 
 Monasticon, Vol. V., p. 632.
 
 56 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 sons Griffith, Res, and Meredith, in the presence of many 
 of the army in the church of St. Bridget at Rhaiader (in 
 Radnorshire). 1 
 
 In the year 1176, at Christmas time, "the Lord Res 
 held a grand festival at the castle of Aberteivi, wherein 
 he appointed two sorts of contention ; one between the 
 bards and poets, and the other between the harpers, 
 fiddlers, pipers, and various performers of instrumental 
 music ; and he assigned two chairs for the victors in the 
 contentions ; and these he enriched with great gifts. A 
 young man of his own court, the son of Cibon the fiddler, 
 obtained the victory in instrumental music ; and the men 
 of Gwyneth obtained the victory in vocal song ; and all 
 the other minstrels obtained from the Lord Res as much 
 as they asked for, so that there was no one passed over. 
 And that feast was proclaimed a year before it was held, 
 throughout Wales, and England, and Bretagne, and 
 Ireland, and many other countries." 2 
 
 In the following year, 1177, about the middle of May, 
 the King held a parliament at Oxford, to which came 
 David ap Owen, of North Wales, Res ap Griffith, of South 
 Wales, Owen Cy veilioc, of Powis, and other Welsh Lords, 
 whom Henry had summoned to confer with him upon the 
 state of their country. At this parliament he gave 
 Ellesmere to David, and the territory of Merioneth to 
 Res ap Griffith. 3 
 
 But the old spirit of enmity between the two races was 
 not yet eradicated; and in this same year Einieon Clyd was 
 treacherously slain by the English who lay in ambush to 
 kill him. His death was avenged by the Lord Res, who 
 ravaged their lands in Melenith, and built at that time the 
 castle of Rhaiader Gwy on the precipitous ground above 
 the noted cataract of that name on the river Wye. 4 
 
 In the following year 1 178, the sons of Cynan ap Owen 
 Gwyneth came against Res ap Griffith ; and Res went 
 against them and conquered them and put them to 
 shameful flight. 5 
 
 In the year 1181 fresh breaches of the peace occurred 
 between the English and Welsh in South Wales ; during 
 
 1 Cart. 10, E. Ill, m. 6, n. 9. per inspeximus ; also Pat. 4, Eic. II, part 1, m. 13. 
 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 Lyttelton's Hist. Hen. II, Vol. Ill, p. 301. 4 Brut-y- 
 Tywysogion, and Gwentian Chronicle. 5 Ibid.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 57 
 
 which Ranulph le Poer, sheriff of Gloucestershire, was 
 slain by the men of Gwentland, in revenge, it is said, for 
 the murder of their lord Seissyll ap Dyfnwal. The King 
 was unable at this time to pay much attention to these 
 disturbances being called away to restrain and pacify the 
 quarrels of his sons. For the greater part of the next 
 two years he was occupied in settling their disputes 
 on the continent, and reducing them to a state of sub- 
 mission to himself. His eldest son Henry, the young 
 King, died at a castle in the viscounty of Turenne in the 
 spring of the year 1183; and Henry at length returned 
 to England in the summer of 1184. 
 
 During that time the commotions on the borders of 
 South Wales had been continued, and had now reached 
 such a height that Res ap Griffith, who had hitherto re- 
 mained faithful to the King and done such able service as 
 his Justiciary, was himself in arms against the English, 
 together with two of his nephews, having taken forcible 
 possession of sundry lands and castles belonging to the 
 crown. We may infer that he was driven to this course 
 by the fresh encroachments of his Norman neighbours who 
 were no longer restrained by the observation of their 
 Royal Master ; for we find it recorded of the Lord Res, a 
 few years later, that he took the castle of St. Clare, and 
 recovered his castles of Dynevor and Carmarthen, which 
 had probably been wrested from him by the English. 
 The King therefore raised an army, as soon as his other 
 affairs would permit, and marched against him in person. 
 Whereupon Res sought a safe conduct and came to the 
 King at Worcester, where he made his submission, and 
 promised to give his son for an hostage, to restore all his 
 late conquests, and to do everything in his power to 
 reduce his nephews to an entire submission. In order 
 that he might be enabled to perform these engagements, 
 a truce was granted to him, at the expiration of which he 
 came again to the King, who was then at Gloucester, but 
 failed to bring with him either his son or nephews. Yet 
 the King was induced, on conferring with this Prince, 
 to give up his purpose of marching into Wales, and the 
 Lord Res was suffered to return thither in peace. 1 
 
 i Lyttelton's Hist. Hen. II, Vol. Ill, p. 399.
 
 58 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 In the April of 1185 King Henry was again obliged to 
 repair to Normandy for the purpose of reconciling his 
 sons Richard and Geoffrey. After his departure from 
 England the Welshmen made great ravages in Glamor- 
 ganshire, and fired the town of Cardiff; but, attempting 
 to besiege the castle of Neth, they were repulsed and 
 beaten by an army which came from England to the 
 relief of the fortress. The Welshmen were again defeated 
 in the following year by Englishmen from the counties 
 of Chester and Hereford ; and Henry, who had now 
 returned to the country, thought it a favourable time to 
 offer them a peace. He accordingly sent his Grand 
 Justiciary, Ranulph de Glanville, who had lately returned 
 from France, to treat with Res ap Griffith and the other 
 chiefs of South Wales, not only for the purpose of termi- 
 nating the war and bringing the Welshmen to their 
 fealty, but also of raising a body of infantry from among 
 them to serve him in his wars with France; in which 
 purpose he was fully successful. 1 
 
 In the year 1186 Cadwalader ap Res (one of the illegi- 
 timate sons of the Lord Res ap Griffith), was privily 
 slain in Dyvet, and buried at the. Ty Gwyn, 'or White 
 House upon Taf, i.e. Whitland Abbey. 2 And in this 
 same year we first hear of the turbulent Maelgon ap Res 
 who took such a prominent part in the affairs of Wales in 
 the succeeding reign. He is said by the Heralds to have 
 been an illegitimate son of the Lord Res, by Gwervil, 
 daughter of Llewelyn ap Res ap Wardav Vrych ; but he 
 attained at one time to the chief power in South Wales, 
 and transmitted to his descendants a portion of his father's 
 territories. He is described in the chronicle as being a 
 man of middle height, and comely person, fierce towards 
 his enemies, amiable towards his friends, ready of gifts, 
 victorious in war, and dreaded by all the neighbouring 
 
 1 Lyttelton's Hist. Hen. II, Vol. Ill, p. 442. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 59 
 
 Princes. He appears to have been a special scourge to 
 the Flemings, and at this time we are told that he 
 " brought his power against Tenbye, and byplaine force 
 wan the towne, and, spoiling the same, he burned it to 
 ashes." 1 
 
 The year 1188 was remarkable for the preaching of 
 the crusade by Archbishop Baldwin, who came into South 
 Wales accompanied by Giraldus, the Archdeacon of 
 Brecknock. 2 It happened at this time, while Res was 
 attending the conference with the Archbishop and Ranulph 
 de GJanville at Hereford, that the Welsh Prince was one 
 day sitting at dinner in the house of William de Vere, 
 Bishop of Hereford, by the side of that prelate and Walter, 
 son of Robert de Clare, both of whom were descended 
 from the family of Clare. On this occasion Giraldus de 
 Barri, Archdeacon of Brecknock (who was nearly related 
 to Res) approached the table, and standing before them 
 thus facetiously addressed himself to Prince Res; "You 
 may congratulate yourself, Rhys, on being now seated 
 between two of the Clare family, whose inheritance you 
 possess." 3 For at that time he held all Cardiganshire, 
 which he had recovered from Roger de Clare, Earl of 
 Hertford. Res, a man of excellent understanding and 
 particularly ready at an answer, immediately replied ; 
 " It is indeed true that for sometime we were deprived 
 of our inheritance by the Clares, but as it was our fate to 
 be losers, we had at least the satisfaction of being dis- 
 possessed of it by noble and illustrious personages, not 
 by the hands of an idle and obscure people." The Bishop, 
 desirous of returning the compliment to Prince Res, 
 replied ; " And we also, since it has been decreed that 
 we should lose the possession of those territories, are well 
 
 1 Powel's Hist. 2 Giraldus de Barri, better known as Giraldus Cambrensis, the 
 author of many learned works now extant, was descended from an illustrious lineage, 
 being the fourth son of William de Barri, by his second wife Angharad, daughter of Nest 
 the daughter of Res ap Tudor, and sister of Robert fitz Stephen and Maurice fitz Gerald. 
 Giraldus de Barri was born about the year 1147, at the castle of Manorbeer, in Pem- 
 brokeshire. He was made Archdeacon of Brecknock in 1175, and on the death of his 
 uncle David fitz Gerald, Bishop of St. David's, he was nominated to that see, but his 
 advancement was opposed by Henry II, who was jealous of the promotion of one so 
 nearly allied to the Welsh Princes. 3 The father of William de Vere, Bishop of Here- 
 ford, was that Alberic de Vere who was killed in a London riot in 1 140. There is some 
 contradiction among the genealogists as to who wa the mother of William, but Prince 
 Res' speech is enough to decide the question. She was undoubtedly Adeliza the 
 daughter of Gilbert fitz Richard de Clare (whose sera was circa 1088-1123), and not the 
 daughter of Roger de Ivry aa some have it (ex. inf. Rev. R. Eyton).
 
 60 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 pleased that so noble and upright a Prince as Rhys should 
 be at this time Lord over them." 1 They entered the 
 borders of Wales at Hereford. On leaving Hereford, the 
 Archbishop was again met by Res at Radnor, soon after 
 Ash Wednesday, which fell on March 2, in that year ; 
 and many of the nobles impelled by the preaching of 
 Giraldus took the cross. Among these was Eineon, the 
 son of Eineon Clyt, who had married a daughter of the 
 Lord Res ; and it seems that Res himself would have been 
 of the number, if he had not been dissuaded from it by 
 the prayers and entreaties of his wife Gwenllian, the 
 daughter of Madoc, Prince of Lower Powis. Giraldus 
 informs us that just as Res was departing from the con- 
 ference, when he had called together his retainers to take 
 council on the matter, a certain noble youth of his own 
 family, named Griffith, who afterwards took the cross, is 
 reported to have spoken to the following effect ; " What 
 man of courage would dislike to make such a journey 
 since the worst that could befall him would be to return 
 home again." 2 
 
 During his progress through South Wales the Arch- 
 bishop and his suite were entertained by Res at the 
 Priory of St. Dogmael, and the next day after at his 
 own Castle of Cardigan. 3 
 
 Before leaving South Wales Giraldus informs us that 
 when starting from Strata Florida for Llanbadarn Vawr 
 they were met, at the borders of a certain wood, by 
 Kenwrick, the son of Res, accompanied by a band of 
 active youths. The young man was tall and handsome, 
 with red and curly hair, being clothed with a light cloak 
 and undergarment only, and having his legs and feet 
 bare, regardless of thorns and briers. He was adorned 
 by nature rather than by art, having much dignity in 
 himself but receiving little from externals. A sermon 
 was thereupon addressed to the three grown up sons of 
 Res, namely Griffith, Maelgon, and Kenwrick, in the 
 presence of their father, and after the brothers had dis- 
 puted among themselves about taking the cross, Maelgon 
 at length promised to accompany the Archbishop to the 
 
 l Hoaxe's Giraldus, p. 22. 2 Giraldus Cambrensis, Itinerarium Kambriee, p. 15. 
 3 Meyrick's Hist. Cardigan, p. 98.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 61 
 
 Court of the King and be guided by their counsel in the 
 matter. 1 
 
 On reaching the river Dovey, which separates North 
 Wales from South Wales, the Archbishop parted company 
 with the Bishop of St. David's, and with Res ap Griffith, 
 who had conducted them with princely liberality from 
 the castle of Cardigan to the borders of his dominions ; 
 and on the following day they were deserted by Maelgon, 
 who found some excuse for breaking his promise to the 
 Archbishop and returning to his own country. 2 
 
 Henry II. died at Chinon, on July 6, 1189 ; and was 
 succeeded by his son Richard, who was crowned King 
 of England, on Sunday, September 3, 1189. The late 
 King Henry had always treated Res with marked respect 
 and courtesy, so that whenever he came to his court 
 he used to receive him in person, attended by his 
 nobles. But Richard paid him no such attentions, 
 and when the Welsh Prince came to Oxford, under the 
 safe conduct of the King's brother John, Earl of Moreton, 
 to do homage for his lands, he was not met with the 
 accustomed respect, nor received by the King in person. 
 This treatment was highly resented by the Lord Res, 
 who returned home without speaking to the King. 
 
 The conciliatory policy of Henry towards this most 
 eminent of the Welsh Princes had the effect of reconciling 
 him to the English sovereignty ; and, under the presi- 
 dency of one of their own native Princes, the people of 
 South Wales would probably have soon become accus- 
 tomed to their state of dependence upon the English 
 crown, and their interests would have been gradually 
 united. But the haughty Richard's want of courtesy and 
 due respect for his rank and position had the effect of 
 estranging the best friend he had in Wales, at a time 
 when he should have sought, by every means in his 
 power, to confirm the good feeling which was beginning 
 to grow up between the two nations. 
 
 The pride of Res was deeply offended by the slight he 
 considered himself to have received. He threw off 
 his allegiance to the English crown, and seized the 
 
 
 
 opportunity to enlarge the boundaries of his territories 
 and to strengthen his own dominions. 
 
 1 and 2 Girald. Camb., Itin. Kambruc.
 
 62 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 In this same year, 1189, he caused much destruction 
 of property in Ros and Pembroke by fire, despoiled 
 Gower, destroyed the castle of Carnwyllaon, and took 
 other castles in Dyvet which he indolently lost again for 
 lack of proper guarding. 
 
 He next besieged the castle of Carmarthen ; but when 
 Earl John, the King's brother, came with a large army 
 to oppose him he relinquished the siege, and a peace was 
 privately made between them, upon which Prince John 
 returned to England. 1 
 
 About Christmas, however, Res besieged and took the 
 castle of St. Clare, which he gave to his son Howel Sais 
 together with the adjacent country. 2 He also took the 
 castles of Abercorran 3 and Llanstephan ; and imprisoned 
 in the castle of Dynevor his son Maelgon who was then 
 in rebellion against him. But Maelgon was soon after- 
 wards taken from thence by his brother Griffith, without 
 his father's knowledge, and delivered over to the custody 
 of William de Braose. 4 
 
 In the following year, 1190, Res built the castle of 
 Kidwelly, which he made the fairest and strongest of all 
 his castles ; and at this time his daughter Gwenllian died, 
 "the flower and ornament of all Wales." 5 
 
 In the year 1191, on the day of the Assumption of St. 
 Mary (August 15), he recovered his castle of Dynevor 
 from the English ; 6 and about the same time he lost his 
 son Owen, who died at Strata Florida. 7 
 
 In the year 1192 the Welshmen of Dyvet, under the 
 leadership of Griffith ap Res, took forcible possession of 
 the castle of Llanhauaden. 8 At this time Prince Res 
 liberated his son Maelgon from captivity against the 
 
 1 Annales Cambriae. 2 Ibid. The castle of St. Clare stood on the confluence of 
 Cathgenny and the Taf in the county of Carmarthen, and was probably a Welsh castle, 
 formed of a tumulus and wooden piles (Jones' Hist. Wai.). It was situate in the 
 ancient commot of Widigadaf and cantrev Mawr. 3 The castle of Abercorran was 
 situate at the mouth of the Taf, opposite to the castle of Llanstephan in the commot of 
 Talacharn and cantrev Mawr. It is the same with the castle of Laughame or Talacharn, 
 and is sometimes called also in Welsh history the castle of Abercowin (Jones' Hist. 
 Wai.). 4 Annales Cambrics. 5 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 6 Brut-y-Ty wysogion ; and 
 Annales Cambriae (B.). According to the (C.) MS. it was the castle of Kemmer that 
 he took. 7 Brut-y-Tywysogion. Owen was an illegitimate son of the Lord Res by 
 Sybel daughter of Ivan hir of Kaerwedros (Her. Vis. Wai., Vol. II, p. 99). 8 Gwentian 
 Chronicle. The castle of Llanhauaden is situate in the present hundred of Dungleddy, 
 co. Pembroke, 3^ miles N.N.W. from Narberth. It was formerly within the commot 
 of Llanhauaden and cantrev Y Coed. Llanhauaden Castle was the head of the Barony 
 in right of which the Bishops of St. David's claimed their seat in the House of Lords 
 (Lewis' Top. Die.).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 63 
 
 will of William de Braose ; after which he besieged the, 
 town of Abertawi (or Swansea) with a strong force, and 
 when he had prosecuted the siege for ten weeks and had 
 almost reduced the citizens by famine to surrender, he 
 was obliged to abandon the enterprise on account of the 
 squabbles between his sons Griffith and Maelgon, and the 
 loss of some of his servants who had been drowned on the 
 preceding day. 1 It was probably at the close of that year 
 that " on Christmas Eve, the family of Maelgon brought 
 missiles with them to break down the castle of Ystrad 
 Meuric," which they demolished. 2 In the year 1193, 
 about the feast of St. Ciricius, the retainers of Howel Sais 
 " obtained the castle of Gwys by treachery ; and captured 
 Philip, son of Gwys [Philip de Gwys], the owner of the 
 castle, with his wife and two sons." Whereupon the 
 Normans and Flemings of Dyvet assaulted the town of 
 Llanhauaden, which was under the power of Howel, "but 
 they were ignominiously driven home again without 
 succeeding in their purpose." 3 " And when the said Howel 
 perceived that he could not hold possession of all the 
 castles, without throwing some of them down, he per- 
 mitted the family of his brother Maelgon to demolish the 
 castle of Llanhauaden. And when the Flemings heard 
 of this, they assembled unexpectedly against the two 
 brothers, attacked them, killed many of their men, and 
 put them to flight, and immediately afterwards the Welsh 
 returned and assembled about the castle, and, to their 
 satisfaction, it was razed to the ground. That year 
 Anarawd, son of Res, seized Madoc and Howel, his 
 brothers, and deprived them of their eyes," 4 with the 
 intention of possessing their territory. 
 
 Maelgon now gave up to Anarawu the castle of Ystrad 
 Meuric in Cardiganshire, in exchange for his brothers 
 Howel and Madoc whom Anarawd had detained in 
 captivity. This was in 1194. In the same year the 
 Lord Res built the castle of Rhaiader Gwy the second 
 time. 5 And his own sons, Howel and Maelgon, laid wait 
 for him, and took him prisoner ; 6 but he was released by 
 the means of his blind son Howel, who deceived his 
 brother Maelgon ; and the Lord Res recovered the castle 
 
 i Annales Cambriac. 2 Brut-y-Ty-wysogion. 3 Ibid. Compared with Annales 
 Cambria?. 4 and 5 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 6 Ibid, and Annales Camb.
 
 64 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 of Dynevor, which Maelgon had kept. The sons of Cad- 
 wallon ap Madoc, of Melenith, at this time reoccupied 
 the castle of Rhaiader Gwy which they fortified for them- 
 selves. 
 
 King Richard returned to England from his captivity 
 in the spring of this year, having been absent about four 
 years. 
 
 In the ensuing year, 1195, Roger Mortimer came with 
 an army into Melenith, and drove out the sons of Cad- 
 wallon. The Flemings also recovered the castle of Gwys. 
 
 And then Res and Meredith, the sons of the Lord Res, 
 having gathered together a number of wild heads of the 
 country, came to Dynevor and got the castle from their 
 father's garrison, and the castle of Cantrev Bychan, 
 (i.e. Llandovery Castle) through treachery, by the con- 
 sent of the men of these parts. "Wherewith their father 
 was sore displeased, and laid private wait for them, and 
 by treason of their owne men (which were afraid anie 
 further to offend their lord and prince) they were taken" 1 
 at Ystrad Meuric and brought to their father, who placed 
 them in confinement. 
 
 In this year William de Braose won the castle of St. 
 Clare, and held it, together with no less than 70 of 
 Howel's retainers, whom he took captive therein. 2 When 
 Howel was informed of this he destroyed the castle of 
 Newer (or Dynevor?), but retained the land in spite of 
 the English. 3 Whether he was at this time acting in 
 concert with his father or with his rebellious brothers 
 Res and Meredith I cannot tell. 
 
 Having subdued the revolt of his sons the aged Prince 
 Res was now able to turn his hand against the English. 
 In the year 1196 he " gathered a great armie, and laid 
 siege to the towne and castell of Caermarthyn, and in 
 short time wanne them both, spoiling and destroieng the 
 same, and then returned with great bootie. Then he led 
 his armie to the Marches before the castell of Clun, which 
 after a long siege and manie a fierce assault he got, and 
 burned it ; and from thence he went to the castell of 
 Radnor, and likewise wanne it ; to the defense whereof 
 came Roger Mortimer and Hugh de Saye [Lord of 
 
 1 Powel's History. 2 Annales Camb. 3 Ibid. B.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 65 
 
 Richard's castle], with a great armie of Normanes and 
 Englishmen, well armed and tried soldiours. Then Rees, 
 which had wornie the castell, determined not to keepe 
 his men within the walles, but boldlie, like a worthie 
 prince, came into the plaine besides the towne, and gave 
 them battell, where his men (although for the most part 
 unarmed and not accustomed to the battell) declared 
 that they came of Brytaine's blood (whose title the noble 
 Romaine Emperours did so much desire, as a token of 
 manhood and worthines) choosing rather to die with 
 honour in defense of their countrie than to live with 
 shame, [and] did so worthilie behave themselves that 
 their enemies forsooke the field, with great losse of their 
 men, whom Rees pursued till the benefit of the night 
 shadowed them with hir darkness; and forthwith he laid 
 siege to the castle of Payne in Elvel and gat it ;" 1 but 
 this castle was restored by him to its owner William de 
 Braose, whose daughter was married to Griffith the son 
 of Res, and with whom he entered into terms of peace. 
 
 These gallant exploits closed the Lord Res' career. 
 In the year 1197 there was a great and terrible plague 
 throughout all the isle of Britain and France, in which 
 great numbers perished ; and on the viii. Kal. Maii 2 
 (April 24), 1197, "died Rees the sonnc of Gruffyth ap 
 Rees ap Theodor, Prince of South Wales, the onelie anchor, 
 hope, and staie of all that part of Wales, as he that 
 brought them out of thraldome and bondage of strangers, 
 and set them at libertie, and had defended them diverse 
 times in the field manfullie, daunting the pride and courage 
 of their cruell enemies, whom he did either chase out of the 
 land, or compelled by force to live quietlie at home. Wo 
 to that cruell destiiiie that spoiled the miserable land of 
 her defense and shield, who, as he descended of noble and 
 princelie blood, so he passed all other in commendable 
 qualities and laudable virtues of the mind; he was the 
 overthrower of the mightie, and setter up of the weake, 
 the overturner of the holdes, the separator of troopes, the 
 scattcrer of his foes, among whom he appeared as a wild 
 boare among whelpes, or a lion that for anger beateth 
 his taile to the ground." 3 " It is observed that this Prince 
 was the youngest of six towardly sons that his father had 
 
 1 Po^el's Hist. 2 Annales Theokesberiee. 3 Powel's Hist. 
 
 K
 
 66 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 by Gwenllian, the fair daughter to the Prince of North 
 Wales, and that he, surviving them all, obtained the 
 dominion of South Wales, which he well and worthily- 
 ruled." 1 
 
 Our chroniclers are encomiastic of this character, says 
 Yorke, 2 and state that he was no less remarkable in 
 courage than in the stature and lineaments of his body 
 wherein he excelled most men. 
 
 Spes patrise, columen pacis, lux urbis et orbis ; 
 
 Gentis honos, decus armorum, fulmenque duelli ; 
 
 Quo neque pace prior, iieque fortior alter in armis. 3 
 His character has been well-nigh libelled by the pen of 
 flatterers. The second volume of the Myfyrian arch- 
 aeology has preserved the following strain of almost 
 heathen adulation; " Death in that accursed year broke 
 the chain of destiny to reduce the Lord Rhys ap Griffith 
 under his triumphant dominion, the man who was the 
 chief, the shield, the strength of the south, and of all 
 Wales ; the hope and defence of all the tribes of Britons ; 
 descended of a most illustrious line of Kings ; conspicuous 
 for his extensive alliance; the powers of his mind were 
 characteristic of his descent; a councillor in his court, 
 a soldier in the field, the safeguard of his subjects, a 
 combatant on the ramparts ; the nerve of war ; the van- 
 quisher of multitudes, &c." We find in the annals of 
 the church of Winchester a strange story relating to the 
 last days of this gallant warrior and popular Prince, 
 which throws a light upon the times in which he lived, 
 while it shows the independence of his spirit and the 
 reckless indifference with which he treated ecclesiastical 
 authority when employed for political purposes. The 
 Annalist informs us that Peter de Leia, Bishop of St. 
 David's, came to the court of King Res (as he is called) 
 to remonstrate with him for disturbing the peace of the 
 Holy church and of his master the King of England, but 
 when he found that his paternal entreaties were altogether 
 bootless, he became very angry and retired from the 
 interview in high displeasure. On the following night the 
 graceless sons of Res, under their father's instructions, 
 pulled the Bishop from his bed, when he had nothing on 
 him but his woollen undergarment and drawers fstaminia 
 
 1 Hengwrt MS. 2 Royal Tribes of Walee, p. 42. 3 Pentarchia.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. G7 
 
 tantum femoraUbusque indutunJ, and in this half naked state 
 they irreverently dragged him through the wood near his 
 house, and were hastily taking him to their lord, when he 
 was fortunately rescued from their hands by the men of 
 AYilliam de Braose. The next morning the Bishop sum- 
 moned his Archdeacons and all the Presbyters of his 
 Diocese and, in conjunction with them, proceeded to 
 anathaniatize both the King and his sons together with 
 their whole land. And not many days afterwards Res 
 died, with the sentence of excommunication still resting 
 upon him. But Griffith, son of Res, being a little more 
 tractable than his father, came to the Bishop, attended by 
 his brothers and friends, and humbly begged his pardon 
 for the offences they had committed, promising due sub- 
 mission and respect to the English King as well as to the 
 Bishop himself. Whereupon the Bishop, with the per- 
 mission and authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, 
 consented to absolve both the deceased King and his living 
 sons, on condition that not only the sons should be scourged 
 but also the now decomposed body of the King himself. 2 
 Prince Res is said by some to have been buried in the 
 cathedral church of St. David, where a monument on 
 the south side of the altar is shown as his, and another 
 on the north side as that of his son Res Grig ; 3 but accord- 
 
 i I have not elsewhere met M-ith the word Staininia ; but it is presumptively 
 a derivative of Stamen, which, in the Glossary of Latin Words appended to 
 the Record Ed. of Chronicon Monasterii de Abinydon, is rendered "a woollen 
 undergarment, used by the monks instead of hair cloth." 2 Annales de Wintonia, 
 sub auno. 3 Much has been written on the subject of these monuments, but it 
 yet remains to Le decided to whom they really belong. Browne Willis, who is 
 followed by Mr. Manby, ascribes the effigy on the South side to Res ap 
 Tudor, Prince of South Wales ; and considers the other to represent Owen Tudor, 
 the father of Edmund, Earl of Richmond. He subsequently corrects the latter 
 statement, and assigns the second monument to Res Grig, whom he erroneously calls 
 the son of Res ap Tudor. Mr. Fenton reduces this tradition to its original form, and 
 attributes the tomb to Res ap Griffith, commonly called the Lord Res, and his son Res 
 Gri>:, respectively. Messrs. Jones and Freeman, the authors of the History and Anti- 
 quities of St. David's, from whom the above account is borrowed, affirm " It is certain 
 that these, and these alone of the South Welsh Princes, were buried at St. David's, the 
 rest of their family having been buried at Strata Florida Abbey." In corroboration of 
 which they give the following quotations " Anno MCXCVIII Ricardus Rex obiit. 
 Resus iilius Grifut Sut Wallise Princeps moritur iv. cal. Maii ; cujus corpus apud 
 Sane-tarn David honorifice huinatum est" (Annales Menerense* ; Anglia Sacra, II, 
 p. 549) ; and " Y vlwydyn honnog bu uarw Rys Gryc yn Llandeilaw Vawr, ac y 
 cladwyt yu Mynyw yn jmyl bed y dat " (Brut-y-Tywygogion, Myv. Arch. II, p. 456). 
 According to Warrington (Hist. Wai. II, p. 6), however, who quotes from MS. of 
 Edwd. Llwyd in Sir John Sebright's collection, and Vaughan's British Antiquity 
 Revived, the Lord Res was buried at Ystrad Flur in the abbey of his own foundation. 
 I am disposed to believe that he was buried at St. David's ; but these monuments in 
 St. David's cathedral are of much too late a date, judging from the style of the armour, 
 to have been erected ut the time of Res ap Griffith's death, in 1 1 97, or that of his son Res
 
 68 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 ing to other accounts he was buried in the abbey of his 
 own foundation at Strata Florida, or Ystrad Flur. 
 
 Besides the abbey of Strata Florida he likewise 
 founded that of Tallagh or Talley in Carmarthenshire ; x 
 and was moreover a benefactor to the commandery 
 of Slebech 2 and other religious Houses. 
 
 The Lord Res ap Griffith married G-wenllian, daughter 
 of Madoc ap Meredith, Prince of Lower Powis, by whom, 
 according to Yorke, he had four sons and two daughters. 3 
 
 Grig, who died in 1223. The armour is that of the latter part of the fourteenth century. 
 The effigy on the South side (a figure of which is given in Hoare'8 Giraldus) represents 
 a man rather advanced in years, in a recumbent attitude, clothed in armour with his 
 Tizor raised, booted and spurred : the head which has the conical shaped basanet and 
 camaille, is reclining upon a casque surmounted by the crest, on a chapeau a lion sejant. 
 The body armour is covered by ajupon, on the breast and back of which are embroidered 
 the wearer's arms [gules] within a bordure engrailed [or] a lion rampant [of the second]. 
 It is not quite clear whether the jupon, which falls in a i tinge round the hips, is meant 
 to have sleeves, or whether the figure has a hauberk with short sleeves, those of the 
 tunic appearing beneath them. The hands are clasped ; there is a richly decorated belt 
 and sword ; the legs have complete plate armour, with genouilleres ; the feet have spurs, 
 and rest on a lion. Above it is a skreen and projecting canopy of late perpendicular 
 work. The figure on the North side of the altar is similar in nearly every respect, but 
 evidently the representation of a much younger man. The head, however, reclines on 
 a double cushion, and the heraldic bearings on the jupon are differenced by a label of 
 3 points. The arms are protected by plate armour, with elbow joints and round plates 
 at the elbows. The hands are broken off, but were originally clasped in prayer. Both 
 these figures are extremely well sculptured in a fine oolite ; and it is evident that they 
 both represent members of the same family. We can hardly conceive the position which 
 these tombs occupy being conceded to any but to persons of high rank ; and the arms 
 are those of Res ap Tudor and his descendants. These arms were subsequently assumed 
 by the Talbots who married an heiress of the family ; but there is no special ground 
 for supposing that any members of this family were buried at St. David's. The authors 
 of the History and Antiquities of St. David's are on the whole inclined to believe that 
 these effigies mark the resting place of the Lord Res and his son ; their conclusion 
 being based on " the general tradition, the conspicuous position which they occupy, and 
 the mark of cadency on one of the figures." And in order to account for the discrepancy 
 between the style of the armour and the date of their deaths, they conjecture that they 
 might have been put up by one of the Talbot family, whose members possessed great 
 power in South Wales, and were claiming greater, and seem to have regarded them- 
 selves as in some sort the representatives of lies ap Griffith. If the principle once be 
 conceded that such monuments may have been erected long after the death of those to 
 whose memories they were put up, there can be no means of identifying them by the 
 style of their architecture or the dress of the figures. If the Talbots had erected such 
 monuments to their remote ancestors they would also have been careful to note more 
 clearly for whom the effigies were intended. There is, however, another way of account- 
 ing for these monuments which does not appear to have occurred to the learned 
 antiquaries who have written on the subject. It seems to have escaped their notice 
 that the senior branch of this princely family, the descendants of the Lord Griffith, 
 eldest son of Res, and brother of Res Grig, were extant in the male line, and retain- 
 ing a portion of their ancient inheritance so late, at least, as the year 1355, and 
 probably later. And whereas they held, in addition to their portion of Cardigan, lands 
 also in Rhos and the lordship of St. David's, it is not improbable that they may have 
 been buried at the cathedral church of that city. The label of 3 points on the 
 armour of the younger figure seems to me rather to prove that it is not the effigy 
 of Res Grig, who was a younger son, seeing that the label is, almost invariably, the 
 mark of difference assumed by an elder son. 
 
 l Tanner's Notitia Monastica. 2 Fenton's Pembrokeshire, appendix, p. 64. 
 3 Yorke's Royal Tribes, p. 42.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 69 
 
 In a full and ancient pedigree, among the visitations of 
 Lewys Dwiin, his sons, by the daughter of Madoc ap 
 Meredith his wife, are stated to have been Griffith, 
 Cadogan, Res Grig, and Meredith Gethin j 1 of whom the 
 first and two last in their order appear as confirming their 
 father's grant to the abbey of Ystrad Flur ; but I have 
 met with no other notice of Cadogan, the second son 
 here mentioned, of whose existence I have much doubt. 
 
 According to the same authority he had likewise by 
 her a daughter Gwenllian, who married first Rodri ap 
 Owen Gwyneth, and secondly Ednyfed Fychan, 2 Lord of 
 Brynffenigl in Denbigh land, chief counsellor to Llewelyn 
 ap Jerwerth Prince of North Wales, by whom she was 
 mother of Grono ap Ednyfed, great, great, great, grand- 
 father of Sir Owen Tudor, the grandfather of King Henry 
 VII. Gwenllian was certainly the wife of Ednyfed 
 Fychan, but according to other accounts it was Anne or 
 Agnes, another daughter of the Lord Res, who was the 
 wife of Rodri ap Owen Gwyneth, 3 from which marriage 
 the Wynnes of Gwyder descended. Sir John Wynne, in 
 his history of Gwyder, speaks of the daughter of the Lord 
 Res as Rodri's first wife and the mother of two of his sons, 
 but he does not mention her name. If she was his first 
 wife she could not have afterwards been married to 
 Ednyfed, unless we suppose her to have been divorced 
 from Rodri on account of their consanguinity. It is 
 more probable, however, that she was not the same 
 with Gwenllian wife of Ednyfed. 
 
 The same pedigree mentions also several illegitimate 
 children, namely : 1 Maelgoii, by Gwervil daughter of 
 Llewelyn ap Res ap Wardaf Vrych. 2 Morgan, 4 by Nest 
 daughter of Caradoc Vychan ap Caradoc. 3 Cynwric, 
 by Nest daughter of Griffith Wynn ap Gwalchmai. 
 4 Howel Sais, Lord of St. Clare, by Ysteder 5 daughter 
 
 1 and 2 Her. Vis. "Wai., Vol. II, p. 99. 8 Ibid. p. 69 ; Giraldus speaks of this 
 marriage of Rodri ap Owen Gwyneth with the daughter of Res ap Griffith as an 
 incestuous one because they were related in the third degree (Itin. Kamb. p. 127). 
 Gwenllian, the mother of Res ap Griffith, and Owen Gwyneth, the father of Rodri, were 
 hrother and sister. 4 According to the Golden Grove Book, Morgan was own brother to 
 Maelgon being also the son of lies by Gwervil, daughter of Llewelyn ap Res ap Wardaf 
 Vrych (Lord of CilicwnO. The MSS. known as the Golden Grove Book consist of three 
 volumes of Pedigrees. They have lately been lodged, by the Earl of Cawdor, at the 
 Public Record Office, in London, with the understanding that they may at any time be 
 reclaimed by himself or his heirs. 5 According to the same authority (Golden Grove 
 Book, as W. H.) this Ysteder was foster sister to the Lord Res.
 
 70 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 and heiress of Caradoc ap Llowrodd. 5 Cadwalader, by 
 Gwenllian daughter of Meredith ap Griffith ap Tudor. 
 6 Meredith, who was Archdeacon of Cardigan, by Eva 
 daughter of David Vras ap Rydderch. 7 Meredith 
 Iddall (or the blind), by Gwendyth daughter of Cynddelw 
 ap Brochwel of Llangiwg in Emlyn. 8 Owen Caerwedros, 
 by Sabel daughter of Ivan hir of Caerwedros. A daugh- 
 ter Thangwyst, by Gwendyth daughter of Cynddelw ap 
 Brochwel of Llangiwg. And a daughter Gladys wife of 
 Meredith ap Rydderch, whose mother is not mentioned. 
 
 Besides these, many other sons and daughters are 
 ascribed to him by various writers, as Anarawd and 
 Madoc, who are mentioned in the Welsh Chronicle ;* a 
 daughter who married Enieon Clyd, Lord of Elvel ; 2 a 
 daughter who married Enion ap Res, Lord of Werthry- 
 neon or Gwrthryneon ; 3 a daughter who married William 
 Martyn, Lord of Kernes ; 4 Aiicreta, wife of Bledri, Lord 
 of Dyvet ; 5 Catherine, wife of Cadivor ap Dyfnwal, Lord 
 of Castell Howel in the commot of Gwynnionyth, in 
 Cardiganshire ; 6 and Elen, wife of Griffith ap Ivor Bach 
 and mother of his son Res ap Griffith. 7 
 
 The state of morals at the courts of the Welsh Princes 
 was very lax at this period. It was scarcely less so, 
 indeed, at the court of King Henry II ; but the harems 
 of the former must have rivalled those of the Eastern 
 Monarchs. And it is observable that in Wales it was by 
 no means uncommon in those times for the illegitimate 
 sons, when eminent, to share the paternal inheritance 
 with those that were born in wedlock. 
 
 We have seen that the charter of Res to the abbey of 
 Ystrad Flur was witnessed by three of his legitimate sons. 
 The pedigree gives also another son Cadogan of whom I 
 find no mention elsewhere. If there were such a person 
 he was probably dead before the year 1184, the date of 
 the charter above mentioned. Of Griffith, the eldest son, 
 we shall speak hereafter as Lord of South Wales. Res, 
 also, and his posterity will be spoken of in the subsequent 
 
 1 and 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion ; according to Giraldus (Itin. Kamb. p. 14) " JEneaa 
 JEnece Claudii Jilius, Elvenice Princeps," married a daughter of the Lord Res ap Griffith. 
 If this he so the father and son must have married two sisters ; but Giraldus may 
 possibly have confounded the father with the son. 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. * Fenton's 
 Pembrokeshire, p. 623. 6 Burke' s Die. of Lan. Gentry sup., p. 112. 6 Meyrick's Hist. 
 Cardigan, p. 149. 7 Clark's Glamorgan Pedigrees, under Lewis of Van. 

 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 71 
 
 history. This Res Vychan (otherwise called Res Grig) 
 became a person of consequence ; and his descendants, 
 by dint of their activity and time serving policy, 
 assumed, for a while, the chief place among the Princes 
 of the house of Dynevor. 
 
 Meredith Gethin the youngest son of Res, was in 
 rebellion against his father in 1195. He became Lord of 
 Llandovery and the Cantrev Bychan, in the land of 
 Carmarthen, after the death of his father. In conjunction 
 with his brother Res, he took possession of the castle of 
 Dynevor in the year 1198, at which time their brother 
 Griffith was in the hands of the English. Meredith was 
 slain at Carnwyllaon in the year 1201, when his brother 
 Griffith took possession of the castle of Llandovery and 
 the Cantrev in which it was situated. 
 
 This Meredith is erroimpusly said, by the heralds, to 
 have married the daugnter and heiress of Howel ap 
 Jerwerth, Lord of Caerleon upon Usk, and to have 
 had by her a son Griffith hir, Lord of Caerleon, from 
 whom the present Lord Tredegar derives his descent. 1 
 
 It is certain, however, from the several inquisitions 
 taken after the deaths of the Lords of Caerleon, that this 
 descent is wrongly given. 2 From these inquests it appears 
 that Howel ap Jerwerth was succeeded by his son 
 Morgan, who was Lord of Caerleon in 1236. Gwervil 
 or Wirvil, the daughter and heiress of Morgan, was 
 
 l The following is the descent of Griffith ap Meredith given in tho lolo MS. 
 " Grufydd ap Meredydd Gethin ap yr Arglwydd llhys was Lord of Caerlleon upon Usk, 
 and of the territory of Meredydd ; and ho built the castle of Machen, in Caerlleon ; and 
 he was Lord of Llandovery and Talley, and he huilt the castle of Llandovery ; and in 
 that castle he died on St. Mary's Eve in August [Aug. 14], and was buried at Strata 
 Florida. And the mother of Grufydd ap Meredydd Gethin, was Gwenllian Verch Sir 
 Jorwerth ap Owen "Wan, Lord of Caerlleon upon Usk. Meredydd ap Grufydd ap 
 McreJydd Gethin, Lord of the possessions of Meredydd and Caerlleon upon Usk, built 
 the castle of Newport upon Usk. The mother of that Meredydd was from Llanaeron. 
 And Sir Morgan ap Meredydd was his on by the daughter of Cadwgan ap Madoc, 
 Lord of Radnor, by the daughter of Philip ap Meyric ap Gwas Teilo, of Gwent. The 
 wife of Sir Morgan ap Meredydd was Grissel Verch David ap Meyric, of Gwent, and of 
 that Grissel this Sir Morgan had a daughter called Angharad Verch Morgan ; to whom 
 the following Englyn was composed ; 
 
 Prosperity to the beauteous maid of Caerlleon, 
 
 Angharad, daughter of Morgan ; splendid as the gold ; 
 
 Of the wealth dispensing hand ; best of daughters, 
 
 Of the hue of the drifted snow. 
 
 And this Angharad was mother of Morgan ap Llewelyn ap Ivor." If I am right in my 
 conjecture the Caerleon heiress was not the mother, but the wife, of Griffith (ap 
 Meredith Gethin), and not the daughter but the great granddaughter of Jerwerth ap 
 Owen Wan. Inq. p.m. 33. Hen. Ill, No. 46 ; Inq. p.m. C. Edw. I, No. 70; Inq. 
 p.m. 5. Edw. Ill, No. 16. Compare also Arch. Camb. 1st series, Vol. Ill, p. 331 et ieq.
 
 72 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 married to a certain Griffith, whose son Meredith ap 
 Griffith was found to be 14 years of age in 1249, and 
 to have the right of inheritance, if he could prove his 
 legitimacy, which he afterwards established and accord- 
 ingly held the property till the year 1272-3, -when he was 
 forcibly dispossessed of it by Gilbert de Clare during the 
 absence of Edward in the Holy Land. Meredith was 
 succeeded by his son Morgan ap Meredith, whom I take 
 to be the Morgan, that was in arms against the King in 
 1294, in conjunction with Madoc of North Wales, and 
 Maelgon Vychan of West Wales. His daughter and 
 heiress, Angharad Verch Morgan, Lady of St. Clare, was 
 married first to Llewelyn ap Ivor, Lord of Tredegar in 
 Monmouthshire, from which marriage the present Lord 
 Tredegar is descended; and secondly to David ap 
 Llewelyn of Eydodin, Esq. If, therefore, there is any 
 foundation for this traditional descent of the Morgan 
 family from Meredith ap Res, Lord of Llandovery, it is 
 more likely to have been through Griffith who married 
 the heiress of Morgan ap Howel ap Jerwerth, and who 
 may possibly have been the son of Meredith, son of the 
 Lord Res. But I know of 110 evidence of this. It is 
 recorded in the Welsh Chronicle that Meredith ap Griffith, 
 Lord of Hirvryn, died on the morrow of St. Lucy, the 
 Virgin (December 14, 1270), in the castle of Llandovery, 
 and was buried in the chapter House of the Monks, at 
 Strata Florida. But there must be an error in the date, 
 if this be the same with the Meredith ap Griffith above 
 mentioned, who is stated by an inquisition of 6 Edw. I, 
 to have been dispossessed of his Monmouthshire property 
 in 1272-3. 1 
 
 i Arch. Carnb. 1st series, Vol. Ill, p. 237.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 73 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 After the death of Res ap Griffith, which occurred on 
 April 24, 1197, his eldest legitimate son, Griffith ap Res, 
 proceeded to the King's Court ; and having been acknow- 
 ledged as his lawful heir and done homage to the King, 
 he returned home to take possession of his dominions. 
 In this, however, he was opposed by his brother Maelgon, 
 who had been ejected from his lands by his father. 
 Maelgon formed an alliance with Wenwynwyn, son of 
 Owen Cyveilioc, Prince of Upper Powis, and speedily 
 re-entered Cardigan accompanied by the forces of the 
 latter. With this powerful aid he gained the castle of 
 Aberystwith together with the town, after killing many 
 of the inhabitants and taking several prisoners; and 
 about the month of August he further succeeded in cap- 
 turing his brother Griffith, whom he gave into the custody 
 of Wenwynwyn. Maelgon now took possession of the 
 land of Cardigan ; his brothers Res Grig and Meredith, 
 the younger sons of Res ap Griffith, were about this time 
 released from prison; 1 and Wenwynwyn proceeded 
 against Arustli, 2 which he conquered, taking captive 
 Llewelyn ap Jerwerth and David ap Owen, Princes of 
 the House of Gwyneth. 
 
 In the following year, 1 198, the Lord of Powis delivered 
 over Prince Griffith ap Res to the English, in exchange 
 for the castle of Carrec Huva, and Griffith was imprisoned 
 in Corf Castle. At the same time Maelgon completed his 
 conquest of Cardigan by making himself master of the 
 castles of Aberteivi and Ystrad Meuric which had still 
 been held for his brother Griffith. 
 
 "That year" says the chronicler "the youngest sons 
 of Lord Res took possession of the castle of Dynevor," 4 
 
 1 Annales Cambriae. 2 The cantrev of Arustli, which is partly in the present county 
 of Montgomery and partly in that of Radnor, was taken from Owen Cyveilioc, the 
 father of "NVenwyiiwyn, in 1167, by the Lord Res ap Griffith, to whom it was confirmed 
 by King Henry II in 1171. It was thus recovered by the Jxirds of Powis in 1197 ; 
 since which time, with slight interruptions, it remained constantly in their possession. 
 3 Annales de Wintonia, p. 68. 4 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 
 
 L
 
 74 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 which, according to Powel, they won from the Normans ; 
 so that the latter would seem to have taken advantage 
 of the death of the Lord Res and the difficulties of his 
 successor to make themselves masters of the greater 
 portion of Carmarthenshire. 
 
 Wenwynwyn subsequently turned his arms against the 
 English, and gathered a strong body of Welshmen who 
 joined him for the purpose of invading the English 
 territory. With these allied forces he marched into 
 Radnorshire, and proceeded to attack Pain's Castle, a 
 notable stronghold in Elvel, perhaps originally built by 
 Pain Fitz John, a powerful and active minister of Henry 
 I on the Western Marches, and at this time held by the 
 family of De Braose. The castle must have been well 
 defended, for the Welsh army besieged it for nearly three 
 weeks with doubtful success; and "when the English 
 had intelligence of that, they liberated Griffith ap Res 
 [de Braose's son-in-law], whom they had in prison, and 
 collected the strength of England to accompany him, 
 with the intention of pacifying the Welsh. And then the 
 Welsh would not accept peace of the English, but, after 
 obtaining the castle, they threatened to burn the towns, 
 and carry off their spoils; and the English, not brooking 
 that, attacked them, and in the first battle put them to 
 flight, making a vast slaughter of them ; and in that year 
 Griffith ap Res, manfully got possession of his share of his 
 territory from Maelgon his brother, excepting two castles, 
 namely Aberteivi and Ystrad Meuric. As to one of them, 
 namely, Aberteivi, Maelgon swore upon several relics, in 
 the presence of monks, after taking hostages for peace 
 from Griffith, that he would deliver up the castle and 
 hostages together to Griffith on a fixed day. And that 
 oath he disregarded, giving up neither the castle nor the 
 hostages." 1 But, says Powel, "as soone as Maelgon got 
 the pledges, he fortified the castell, and manned it to his 
 owne use, and sent the pledges to Gwenwynwyn there to 
 be kept in prison. But shortlie after, by God's helpe, 
 they brake the prison and escaped home." 2 
 
 In the following year, 1199, Maelgon got possession of 
 the castle of Dynerth, which Griffith had built or restored ; 
 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 Bowel's Hist. Wai.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 75 
 
 and of the men he found there, he slew some, and im- 
 prisoned others. On the other hand Griffith possessed 
 himself, by stratagem, of the castle of Cilgerran, in Pem- 
 brokeshire. 1 It was at this period that John succeeded to 
 the English crown ; and Maelgon took advantage of this 
 opportunity to pay his court to the King, and thus obtain 
 his powerful assistance against his brother. In order to 
 purchase this he made over the castle of Aberteivi, and 
 the adjacent commot of Iscoed Bisberwern or Isherwen, 
 which he sold to the King for 200 marks, because he felt 
 himself unable to hold them against his brother Griffith. 2 
 For this surrender the King, by his charter bearing 
 date at Poictiers on the 3rd of December in the first 
 year of his reign (1199), concedes to his beloved and 
 faithful Maelgun, son of Res, for his homage and faithful 
 service, the four cantreds which are called Kaerdigan, 
 together with Kilgerran and Emelin, as well those of 
 them which he has already acquired as those which are yet 
 to be acquired from the King's enemies ; so that Mailgun 
 should serve him faithfully and remain faithful to him 
 against all men. And Mailgun for himself and his heirs 
 gives up and quit claims to the King and his heirs for 
 ever the castle of Kaerdigan with a certain commot 
 adjacent to the said castle. 3 
 
 A few months later Maelgon obtained a confirmation of 
 the King's grant, whereby the latter concedes to him the 
 four cantreds of Kardigan, excepting the castle of Kardigan 
 and the commot called Bisbirwern adjacent to the said 
 castle, which the aforesaid Maelgon has given up to the 
 King. This charter, which is dated from Worcester on the 
 llth of April in the 1st of King John (1200), is witnessed 
 by Geoffry fitz Peter, Earl of Essex, William Mareschal, 
 Earl of Pembroke, William Earl of Surrey, and others. 4 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 This perfidious betrayal of his country's cause brought 
 upon Maelgon the malediction of the clergy and people of all Wales (Annales Cambriai). 
 3 Rot. Chart. a<>. 1. Job., memb. 2. 4 Rot. Chart. a<>. 1. Job. memb. 15. Some doubt 
 seems to have existed as to which of these charters was first issued. King Richard 
 died on Tuesday, April 6, 1199 : and at first sight it might be thought that this charter, 
 which is dated at Worcester on April 11, in the first year of his reign had been issued 
 immediately after the news of Richard's death had been received in England. It would 
 seem to have been so understood by Maelgon, the son of this Maelgon, from the order 
 in which he produced the two charters in a trial at Westminster in the 25th of Henry 
 III. But I have followed the Editor of the Record Edition of the Charter Rolls, and 
 also Sir Harris Nicolas, who shows, in his " Chronology of History," that the first 
 regnal year of King John commenced on May 27, 1199. Moreover the Prince was 
 apparently in Normnndy at the time of his brother's death. Mr. Eyton su^nnrta thi
 
 76 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 It is probable that Maelgon's charter would have 
 availed him little at the time. The King's writs would 
 have had no force in a country where his rule was not 
 acknowledged ; and, during Griffith's lifetime, it does not 
 appear that Maelgon ever got possession of these his 
 brother's territories which had been so liberally bestowed 
 upon him by the English monarch ; but it served as 
 a pretext for future interference on the part of the 
 English crown, and rendered it easier for the King to 
 deprive the sons of Griffith of their inheritance, during the 
 family disputes which followed upon the death of their 
 father. In the meantime the King retained the important 
 fortress of Cardigan which has been described as the key 
 and lock of all Wales. 
 
 In October of the same year, 1200, Griffith is himself, 
 apparently, at peace with the King, from whom he 
 receives a summons and a safe-conduct to come to the 
 King's court, bearing date from Chelewerth (Chelsworth) 
 on the 22nd of October ; and the King issues his letters 
 patent to the Sheriff of Pembroke, and his barons, knights, 
 &c., of Ros and Pembroke, apprizing them of the issue 
 of the above safe-conduct, and charging them, in the 
 meanwhile, to levy no forfeit on him or his lands. 1 
 
 Whether this summons was obeyed or not I do not find. 
 I imagine that Griffith was at this time in possession of 
 the whole of Cardigan, except the castle of Cardigan with 
 its adjacent commot of Bisberwern (which would have 
 included but a small portion of the commot of Iscoed). 
 And perhaps we may also except the castles of Dynerth 
 and Ystrad Meuric, which may possibly have remained 
 in the hands of Maelgon with their adjacent lordships. 
 
 It would seem, from the King's letter having been 
 addressed to the Sheriff of Pembroke, and the Barons, 
 Knights and others of Eos and Pembroke, that Griffith 
 also held lands in those parts. These lands will have 
 involved the castle of Cilgerran and the adjoining 
 
 reading, and says that April 11 anno regni Regis Johannis primo is certainly April 11, 
 1200. It is a good illustration of the mistakes likely to arise from King John's dating 
 his diplomas abnormally. It is well known that he dated them not, like other Kings, 
 from the date ef his predecessor's death but from the day of his own coronation, he not 
 being successor to the crown dc jure but only de facto. Moreover he was accustomed 
 to date from a moveable feast, so that in some of his regnal years a certain number of 
 days come twice over, and in others certain days of the ordinary year do not occur at all. 
 l Rot. Chart. Pat. a- 2. Job. memb. 28 in dorso.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 77 
 
 lordship of Emlyn, which Griffith had recently taken 
 from ^f aelgon. It is possible that he may have also held 
 the commot or lordship of Trefgarn in the cantrev of 
 Khos, which was subsequently held by his descendants 
 under the Earls of Pembroke; but with respect to this 
 records are deficient. 
 
 We have no mention, at this period, of Ystrad Tywy, 
 and I am unable to discover whether Griffith retained 
 any portion of his father's dominions in those parts. 
 We shall see that he subsequently took possession of 
 the castle of Llandovery and the cantrev Bychan upon 
 the death of his younger brother Meredith ; which had 
 probably been recovered from the Normans, in 1198, at 
 the same time with the castle of Dynevor and the 
 cantrev Mawr ; and I assume that the latter had fallen 
 to the share of his other brother Res Grig. The remain- 
 der of Carmarthen was probably in the hands of the 
 English at this time ; as also by far the greater portion 
 of Pembroke or West Wales. 
 
 In the year 1201 "on the eve of Whit-Sunday (May 12), 
 the monks of Strata Florida came to the new church ; 
 which had been erected of splendid workmanship. A 
 little while afterwards, about the feast of St. Peter and 
 St. Paul," 1 (or more correctly on July 2, being St. 
 Swithun's Day, in the year 1201) Meredith ap Res, the 
 younger brother of Griffith, was slain by the Englishmen 
 of Kid welly at Carnwyllaon, and Griffith took possession 
 of his castle at Llandovery and the cantrev Bychan (or 
 little cantrev), in which it was situated. And within a 
 month of this time, namely, " on the feast of St. James 
 the Apostle (July 25, 1201) Griffith ap Res (himself also) 
 died at Strata Florida, after having taken upon him the 
 religious habit ; and there he was buried " 2 with great 
 solemnity. 3 " This Gruffyth," says Powel, "was a wise 
 and discreet gentleman, and one that was like to bring all 
 South Wales to good order and obedience, who in all 
 things folowed his father's steppes, whom as he succeeded 
 in government so he did in all rnartiall prowes and 
 nobilitie of mind; but cruell fortune, which frowned 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion. The author of the Annales Cambria records that he was 
 killed by the Normans of Kidwelly, on St. Swithin's day (probably July 2, the feast of 
 the deposition of Bishop S within), "and that his body was brought to Kidwelly and there 
 buried near the church of St. Mary. 2 Brut-y-Tywyogion. 3 Towel's Hist.
 
 78 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 upon that countrie, suffered him not long to enjoy his 
 land." He married Maud or Mallt, daughter of William 
 de Braose, Lord of Brecknock, by whom he had two sons 
 Res and Owen who ought to have succeeded to their 
 father's dominions. But Res Grig, the brother of Griffith, 
 appropriated to himself the cantrev Bychan with the 
 town of Llandovery ; and Maelgon took possession of the 
 castle of Cilgerran. 1 I presume that Maelgon also re- 
 entered upon the land of Cardigan and withheld it from 
 his brother's children. 
 
 About this time, namely, in the August of that year 
 or soon afterwards, William Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke 
 had a grant, from the crown, of 300 marks for the keep- 
 ing of Cardigan Castle. 2 
 
 At this time Llewelyn ap Jerwerth ap Owen Gwyneth 
 was upon the throne of North Wales, an able and active 
 prince who assumed the sovereignty of all Wales and 
 claimed the allegiance of all its princes and nobles as a 
 right accorded to his family by the ordinance of Roderic 
 and the laws of Howel Dha " notwithstanding that of 
 late years by the negligence of his predecessors they had 
 not used their accustomed dutie; but some held of the 
 King of England, other ruled as supreme powers within 
 their owne countries. Therefore he called a parliament of 
 all the lords in Wales, which for the most part appeared 
 before him, and swore to be his liegemen." 3 
 
 Wenwynwyn, Prince of Powis, at first a dissentient, was 
 subsequently won over to the Prince, and Llewelyn 
 appears to have succeeded at this juncture in uniting the 
 interests of the whole principality against the English. 
 
 At this period we are informed that the family of the 
 young Lord Res ap Griffith, the rightful Prince of South 
 Wales, obtained the castle of Llandovery, about the feast 
 of St. Michael (September 29), 1202 ; 4 which had been 
 withheld from him by his uncle Res Grig. In the 
 following year, 1203, "the foresaid Rees ap Gruffyth ap 
 Rees," says Powel, "got the castell of Llangadoc and 
 fortified it to his own use;" 5 but shortly after, Maelgon 
 
 1 Annales Cambrise. 2 Earls and castle of Pembroke, by G. T. Clark. 3 Towel's 
 Hiat. 4 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 5 In the Brut-y-Tywysogion it is the castle of Llanegwad 
 which was taken by the young lord Res ap Griffith in that year : but, from what follows, 
 the history seems to point to Llangadoc ; I have therefore, in this instance, given 
 preference to Powcl's version.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 79 
 
 and his former ally Wenwynwyn, by devices, got posses- 
 sion of the castles of Llandovery and Llangadoc. Maelgon 
 also completed the castle of Dynerth (in Cardiganshire). 1 
 
 In the year 1204 " Howel Sais ap Res was stabbed, at 
 Cemaes, through treachery, by the men of Maelgon his 
 brother, of which stab he died, and was buried at Ystrad 
 Flur, in the same manner as his brother Griffith, after 
 having taken upon him the habit of religion. 8 That year 
 Maelgon ap Res lost the keys of all his dominion, to wit 
 Llandovery and Dynevor; for the sons of his brother 
 Griffith manfully won them from him." 3 The castle of 
 Cilgerran was also taken from him in the same year, by 
 William Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, who suffered the 
 garrison to retire unarmed. 4 And not long afterwards 
 the unscrupulous Maelgon hired an Irishman to kill 
 Cedivor ap Griffith, a respected chieftain of high lineage, 
 whose four sons he likewise caused to be put to death ; for 
 what reason is not stated. 5 
 
 About this time, namely in 1205, Res Grig, with 
 English assistance, set fire to the castle of Luchewein 
 (Llychwein) which belonged to the sons of Griffith and 
 killed all that were found therein. 6 
 
 In the year 1206, which was remarkable for a great 
 abundance of fish at Aberystwith, Maelgon built the 
 castle of Abereinion. 
 
 In the year 1207 Wenwynwyn, having come to speak 
 with the King at Shrewsbury, was unjustly detained as a 
 prisoner there, and Llewelyn appropriated his territories 
 to his own use. "And when Maelgon ap Res became 
 acquainted therewith, from fear of Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, 
 he razed the castle of Ystrad Meuric to the ground, and 
 burned Dynerth and Aberystwyth. But Llewelyn did 
 not desist from his purpose ; for he came to Aberystwyth 
 and repaired it, and took the cantrev of Penwedic to him- 
 self, giving the other portion of Cardigan above Aeron 
 to his nephews the sons of Griffith ap Res :" 7 that is to 
 say, he made over to young Res and Owen the cantrev 
 Canol, containing the commots of Anhunog, Mevenyth, 
 and Pennarth; and retained in his own hands the 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 According to other accounts Howel Saia died in 1199 (soo 
 note to page 52). 3 Brut-y-Ty%\ y^ogion. 4 Annales Cambria. 6 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 
 6 Annales Cambria?. ^ Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 80 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 northern cantrev of Penwedic, containing the commots 
 of Geneurglyn, Perveth, and Crewthyn ; which latter 
 appear to have also been subsequently relinquished to the 
 sons of Griffith; so that the whole of Cardigan Uch 
 Ayeron (ultra Ayeron, or Upper Cardigan) thus fell into 
 their hands, while Cardigan Is Ayeron or the two South- 
 ern cantrevs, that of Castel), containing the commots of 
 Mabwynneon and Caerwedros, and cantrev Syr wen, con- 
 taining the commots of Gwynnionith and Iscoed Ucher- 
 wern, would have yet remained to Maelgon. 
 
 That same year Res Grig took possession of the castle 
 of Llangadoc, without regarding the agreement which he 
 had made with his nephews when they delivered to him 
 the castle of Dynevor. 1 
 
 In the following year, 1208, Res and Owen, the sons of 
 Griffith, once more attacked the castle of Llangadoc, 
 which they burned, having slain some of the garrison 
 and taken others prisoners; 2 while their own castle of 
 Llychewein appears to have received, for the second time, 
 a similar treatment at the hands of their uncle Res Grig. 8 
 
 On January 21, 1209, the King directed a levy against 
 the Welsh, William Earl of Salisbury being the Warden 
 of the Marches, and William de Londres keeper of 
 Carmarthen castle for the King ; 4 and in the Waverley 
 Annals it is recorded that the King himself entered Wales 
 with a large army to fight against two of the Welsh 
 Princes who opposed him, which Princes are stated, by 
 the Editor of the Record Edition of that work, to be Res 
 and Owen, the sons of Griffith. 5 
 
 In the following year, namely in June, 1210, King John 
 proceeded to Ireland, from whence he returned, after a 
 successful expedition in the August of the same year. 
 
 After the King's return from Ireland Res Grig 
 made his peace with the King; by whose assistance 
 he obtained possession of the castle of Llandovery; 
 "for the garrison, after despairing in every way, 
 
 1 and 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 Annales Cambriae. I am unable to identify thia 
 castle of Llychewein (or Luchewein as it is called by the Annalist from whom we quote) 
 unless it be the same with Laugharne or Talacharn in cantrev Mawr, or Llychwr in 
 Gower (see page 62). It is only mentioned twice in the Annales Cambria and not at 
 all by the other chroniclers. 4 Clark's Earls and castle of Pembroke. 5 Post ejectionem 
 Willelmi de Breose cum uxore sua a regno Angliie rex cum exercitu magno intravit 
 Walliam ad expugnandos reges duos qui sibi invicem adversabantur (Annals of 
 Waverley).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 81 
 
 surrendered the castle, with sixteen horses in it, on the 
 feast day of St. Mary in September (September 8), under 
 an agreement that the garrison should have their bodies 
 safe, with everything belonging to them. That year 
 about the feast of St. Andrew (November 30) Wenwynwyn 
 repossessed himself of his dominion by the assistance of 
 King John." 1 Maelgon also, when he heard of this, 
 repaired to the King's court, and became the King's man ; 
 after which he collected a great army of English and 
 Welsh, with whom he marched towards the cantrev 
 Penwedic, and, contrary to the oath and engagement 
 into which he had entered with his nephews, he began 
 to spoil their country, and came as far as Cilcennyn, 
 where he encamped for the night. Whereupon Res and 
 Owen the sons of Griffith collected a body of three 
 hundred chosen men, who attacked the army of Maelgon 
 by night, and killing many, captured others, and put 
 the remainder to flight. "In that battle, Cynan ap 
 Howel, Maelgon's nephew, and Griffith ap Cynan, 
 Maelgoii's chief counsellor, were taken prisoners ; and 
 Eineon ap Caradoc and a great number of others were 
 slain, and Maelgon disgracefully fled, escaping on foot. 
 That year, on the feast of St. Thomas the Martyr 
 (December 29, 1210), Mahalt de Braose, the mother of 
 the sons of Griffith ap Res, died at Llanbadarn Vawr, 
 after receiving the holy communion, and confession and 
 penance, and the habit of religion, and was buried with 
 her husband at Strata Florida." 2 
 
 1 and 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. Mahalt de Braose was the daughter of William de 
 Braose by his -wife Maud de St. Valeri, a high spirited woman, who, as " Maud Walbee," 
 is still the reputed heroine of several Brecknockshire romances, and who, in refusing to 
 give up her sons as hostages to King John, was bold enough to add a significant hint 
 about Prince Arthur. She shared the reverses of her husband William de Braose who 
 had fallen under the King's displeasure, and, with her eldest son William, was taken 
 captive by the King in Ireland in the year 1210. The King sent them to Windsor 
 where they are said to have been starved to death soon after. William de Braose 
 himself died in 1211, an exile in France, and was honourably buried by Stephen, Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury, who was then also in oxile (Annales de Margan). It is not easy 
 to follow the subsequent fortunes of the family. By his wife Maud de St. Valeri this 
 William de Braose seems to have had four sons, namely, William, who died in the 
 King's prison as above stated; Giles, consecrated Bishop of Hereford Sept. 24, 1200, 
 who recovered most of the Welsh estates of his family during the war, in 1215 ; 
 Reginald, who succeeded to the acquisitions of his brother Giles ; and John, of Knyll, 
 the ancestor of a family who assumed the local name of Knyll ; also four daughters, 
 namely, Joane, wife of Richard, Lord Percy ; Loretta, wife of Robert fitz Parnell, Earl 
 of Leicester ; Margaret, wife of Walter de Lacy ; and Mahalt or Maud, wife of Griffith 
 ap Res, Prince of South Wales. William, the elder son, left issue a ion John, who 
 escaped from a. series of guardians in 2 Hen. Ill (1217-18). Within the next ten 
 years this John levied a fine with his uncle Reginald (whom we may suppose to have 
 
 M
 
 82 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 During this period Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, 
 had been frequently treating for peace with the King, 
 from whom he received a pardon, in December 1208, for 
 the depredations he had committed upon the territories 
 of Wenwynwyn while under his (Llewelyn's) protection ; 
 which pardon appears to have been renewed in the 
 following year, when the Welsh Prince did homage, either 
 in person or by proxy, to the King at Woodstock. 1 But 
 these nominal renewals of peace were of short duration. 
 The year 1210 was marked by the inroads of the Earl of 
 Chester into North Wales on the one side, and on the 
 other by the retaliations of Llewelyn who laid waste the 
 English possessions. 
 
 Incensed at these frequent breaches of fidelity on the 
 part of one who had repeatedly acknowledged himself his 
 vassal, King John assembled a large army on the borders 
 of Wales, in the year 1211, with which he threatened to 
 crush the Welsh Prince and reduce him to complete 
 obedience. To this army he summoned Maelgon and 
 Res Grig, together with Wenwynwyn, of Upper Powis, 
 Madoc ap Griffith Maelor of Lower Powis, Howel ap 
 Griffith ap Cynan ap Owen Gwyneth, and such of the 
 Welsh Barons as held their lands of the English King. 
 
 Llewelyn, unable to oppose so large a force, which was 
 composed not only of the flower of the English nobility 
 but likewise of many of his own countrymen, commanded 
 the inhabitants of the inland country (which is now part 
 of Denbigh and Flint shires) to retreat with their cattle 
 to the heights of Snowdon ; and then, assuming the offen- 
 sive, he so harassed the English troops that the expedition 
 signally failed; and John was obliged to retire to 
 England with considerable loss. This was in the spring 
 
 been the Bishop's Devisee) dividing the Braose estates. Hence the two houses 
 afterwards distinguished as Braose of Gower and Braose of Bergavenny. This John 
 de Braose married Margaret daughter of Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, Prince of North Wales, 
 by -which Margaret (who was afterwards married to Walter de Clifford) he had a son 
 William, whose son, also called William, left two daughters and coheirs, between whose 
 descendants the Barony of Braose of Gower is now in abeyance. Eeginald de Braose, 
 the Bishop's brother, married Gracia, daughter of William Briwere, by whom he had a 
 son William, whose five daughters, by Eve Mareschal, sister of the last Mareschal, Earl 
 of Pembroke, became coheirs of the Barony of Braose of Bergavenny and a fifth part of 
 the Barony of Briwere, as also coparceners of the vast estates of the Earls of Pembroke. 
 The writer of the Dunstaple Annals says that Reginald de Braose succeeded to the 
 inheritance of his brother Giles the Bishop by the help of Llewelyn, whose daughter he 
 had married. If this be so she must have been a first wife who died without issue. 
 1 "Warrington's Hist. Wai., Vol. II, p. 20.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 83 
 
 of the year 1211. A second expedition, accompanied by 
 the same Welsh lords, in the autumn of the same year, 
 produced a different result ; and Llewelyn was obliged 
 to sue for peace, which was granted to him on 
 the condition of his giving forty horses and twenty 
 thousand head of cattle towards defraying the expenses 
 of the war. He likewise ceded to the King and his heirs 
 for ever the inland parts of his dominions, and gave 
 twenty-eight hostages for the observance of the treaty. 
 "And thereupon all the Welsh Princes, except Res and 
 Owen, the sons of Griffith ap Res, made their peace with 
 the King ; and the King returned victoriously and with 
 great joy to England. And then the King commanded 
 those princes to take with them all the troops of Morganwg 
 and Dyvet, with Res Grig and Maelgon and their forces, 
 and to go against the sons of Griffith ap Res, and compel 
 them to surrender themselves into his hands, or to retire 
 into banishment out of all the Kingdom." 1 Moreover 
 Fulke de Breant, Lieutenant and Warden of the 
 Marches, by the King's command, united the forces at his 
 disposal with those of Maelgon and Res Grig ; who thus 
 repaired to Penwedic together. "And since Res and 
 Owen, the sons of Griffith could not withstand a power 
 of that magnitude, and there was not a place for them in 
 Wales to repair to, they sent messengers to Fulke to 
 bring about a peace. And they made peace with him ; 
 and they consented that the King should . have the 
 territory between the Dy vi and Aeron ; and Fulke built 
 a castle for the King at Aberystwyth. And then Res and 
 Owen, the sons of Griffith, went, under the safe-conduct 
 of Fulke, to the court of the King ; and the King received 
 them as friends. And whilst they were repairing to the 
 King's court, Maelgon ap Res and his brother Res Grig, 
 repented of their terms with the King, and made an 
 attack upon the new castle at Aberystwyth and demolished 
 it." 2 It would seem that two of Maelgon's sons, who 
 were then hostages in the hands of the English, were so 
 severely punished for their father's offence that they died 
 of the injuries they received. The two sons of Cadwallon 
 ap Ivor were also very roughly handled at the same time; 
 
 I and 2 Brut-y-Tyvry-ojion.
 
 84 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 and the Welshmen, fired with indignation at this 
 savage treatment of the hostages, retaliated by committing 
 much slaughter and incendiarism. 1 "When Res and 
 Owen, the sons of Griffith ap Res, returned from the 
 King's court after making their peace with him, they 
 entered Is Aeron, the territory of M aelgon, and killed 
 and burned and ravaged in the district." 2 The defection 
 of his uncles from their English allegiance secured to 
 young Res and his brother the favour and support of the 
 King, who, on May 26, 1212, granted to "Resofil Griffin" 
 the whole land of the honor of Cardigan which "Maelgon 
 fil. Resi" had held, with the exception of two commots 
 which the King reserved to his own use. And he issued 
 his letters patent to the men of Cardigan commanding 
 them to return to the fealty and service of the King and 
 to that of Res, whose retinue they were to form, and 
 forbidding them for the future to return to the service of 
 Maelgon. 3 This royal mandate would probably have had 
 little effect upon the men of Cardigan, for the star of 
 Llewelyn was now once more in the ascendant. And in 
 the same year Fulke received orders to assist Res ap 
 Griffin and Owen his brother from the revenues of the 
 crown by assigning them for a certain time such a sum 
 as should be suitable for their maintenance in the King's 
 service. 4 The gain of the King's support entailed upon 
 Res the loss of that of the Prince of North Wales, his 
 former protector. Maelgon now swore fealty to Llewelyn 
 and joined him in his attack on the English territories in 
 North Wales, and Llewelyn would, doubtless, have 
 favoured the pretentions of his new vassal to the land of 
 Cardigan. When young Res found himself excluded 
 from all his lands, "he sent messengers to the King to 
 
 1 Annales de Margan. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 Eot. Lit. Pat. a- 14 Job. memb. 5. 
 It is observable that in eacb fresb grant tbe King retains to his own use a further 
 portion of the inheritance of the Princes of South Wales. Thus in the first year of his 
 reign, 1199, he grants to Maelgon the whole land of Cardigan, which he is to acquire 
 for himself, together with Cilgerran and Emlyn in Pembrokeshire, reserving to himself, 
 however, the castle of Cardigan and the adjacent coznmotof Bisberwern, which Maelgon 
 surrenders as the price of the King's support. On the present occasion King John 
 grants the honor of Cardigan to young Ees retaining tico commots to his own use. And 
 we shall see how the same system of gradual encroachment was continued by the suc- 
 ceeding Kings of England until the whole dominion was confiscated. I suppose this 
 second commot to have been the immediate lordship attached to the Royal castle of 
 Aberystwith. The castle of Aberystwith and the town of Llanbadarn Vawr, with a 
 small portion of adjacent land, still form a separate manor which is now (or was lately) 
 the property of the Duke of Leeds. 4 Hot. Lit. Claus. a- 14 Job. memb. 5.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 85 
 
 beseech him that, through his power, he would cause 
 him to have a share of his father's inheritance. And 
 thereupon the King sent to the Seneschal of Hereford, 
 and to Fulke [de Breant], Seneschal of Cardiff, com- 
 manding them to compel Res Grig to deliver up the 
 castle of Llandovery and the district to the sons of Griffith 
 ap Res, or to retire from the borders of the country into 
 exile. Res Grig, being cited in due form to respond to the 
 King's commands, returned answer that he would not 
 divide a single acre with young Res. Thereupon young 
 Res became enraged, and collected a great force out of 
 Brecknock, and came in a hostile manner to Ystrad Tywi, 
 and encamped in the place called Trallwng Elgan on the 
 Thursday after the octaveof St. Hilary [January 25, 1213]. 
 And the following morning, being Friday, his brother 
 Owen came to him, and Fulke, the Seneschal of Cardiff, 
 with their forces. The following day they entered the 
 territory of Res Grig, arranged their troops, and placed 
 young Res with his force in the van, and Fulke with his 
 force in the centre, and Owen ap Griffith with his force 
 in the rear. And it was not long before Res Grig met 
 them ; and in the attack with the first division, Res Grig 
 and his men were overpowered, and he retreated and 
 fled, after many of his men had been killed, and others 
 taken. And then young Res went, w-ith the intention of 
 attacking the castle of Dynevor ; however Res Grig was 
 before him, and strengthened his castle with men and 
 anus, and, after burning Llandeilo, retired thence. 
 Nevertheless young Res invested the castle ; and 
 the following day he planted engines and devices for 
 attacking it, ana placed ladders against the walls, 
 for men to climb over the same, and thus did he possess 
 himself of the castle altogether, save one tower ; and in 
 that the garrison secured themselves, fighting and 
 defending it with missiles and other engines. And outside 
 were the archers and cross-bowmen, and miners, and 
 horsemen, fighting against them. And thus they were 
 compelled, before the afternoon, to" capitulate; "and 
 they delivered three hostages, and covenanted to give 
 up the tower unless they should receive support by the 
 evening- of the next day, under an agreement to have their 
 
 ^/ / 
 
 clothes and their arms, with the safety of their limbs ; and
 
 86 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 thus it was concluded. And after young Res had got the 
 castle, and subdued the land of cantrev Mawr, Res Grig, 
 with his wife, his children, and family, retired to his 
 brother Maelgon, having strengthened the castle of 
 Llandovery with men and arms, and food and engines, and 
 other necessaries. And a second time young Res repaired 
 to Brecknock; and there he collected a great force of Welsh 
 and Normans, and proceeded to Llandovery ; and before 
 they had pitched their tents, the garrison gave up the 
 castle, on condition of safety of life and limb." 1 In this 
 year the Earl of Pembroke was made Governor of the 
 castles of Caermarthen, Cardigan, and Gower ; 2 and at 
 the close of the same year, or the beginning of the year 
 1214, " after Res Grig had withdrawn himself from the 
 Welsh and sought a second time to make peace with 
 them, as it is said, he was siezed at Carmarthen, and put 
 in the King's prison." 3 
 
 In April 1214, the Lord Bishop of Winchester has 
 orders to deliver up to Res ap Griffin, for his support in 
 the King's service, the land of Maelgon ap Res which 
 Falkes de Breaute had had in his keeping; 4 but it is 
 doubtful whether Res was put into possession of it by any 
 mandate of the King, whose power in Wales was 
 gradually diminishing at this time. 
 
 A new era was now commencing for the principality ; 
 and Llewelyn seems to have used all his powers of per- 
 suasion in drawing together the Welsh Princes into a 
 general confederation. It was no doubt by his instru- 
 mentality that the Princes of the House of Dynevor were 
 induced to forget their differences in the common cause of 
 their fatherland. The rebellion of the English Barons 
 opened a way for the Welsh to recover their liberty and 
 independence of which they were not slow to avail them- 
 selves ; and the Welsh chronicle informs us that "all the 
 good men of England and Wales combined together 
 against the Bang, so that none of them without the others 
 would enter into peace or agreement or truce with 
 him, until he restored to the churches their laws and 
 privileges, which he and his ancestors had aforetime 
 taken away from them ; and until he also restored to the 
 
 l and 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 Dugdale's Baronage. 4 Rot. Lit. claus. 15 Joh. 
 la pars. memb. 1.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 87 
 
 good men of England and Wales their lands and the 
 castles which he had taken from them at his will without 
 either right or law." 1 
 
 In the year 1215 Llewelyn led an army to Shrewsbury 
 which was delivered to him without any resistance. Giles 
 de Braose, Lord Bishop of Hereford, the son of William 
 de Braose of Brecknock, and uncle to the young Lord Res 
 ap Griffith, recovered the lands of which his father had 
 been deprived by the King, namely the castles of Pencelli 
 and Abergavenny, and castell Gwyn, and the isle of 
 Cynwraid ; as also Aberhodni, and Maesyfaedd, and 
 Gelli, and Blaenllyvni, and the castle of Buellt ; and this 
 without any opposition. Pain's castle, and the castle of 
 Colwyn, and the cantrev of Elvel attached to them, he re- 
 linquished to Walter son of Eineon Clyd who had subdued 
 them. While these events were taking place in Brecknock 
 Maelgon became reconciled to his nephews Res and Owen, 
 and on the eve of the Ascension (May 27) they jointly 
 proceeded with an army to Dyvet, where they subjugated 
 all the Welshmen of that country, some of whom they 
 brought away with them beyond the river Teify and 
 some they left behind in Emlyn and Elfed. In this 
 expedition they gained possession of all Dyvet, excepting 
 Cemaes, which they devastated, and burned the castles 
 of Arberth and Maenclochog. After this, Maelgon and 
 Owen ap Griffith went to Llewelyn ap Jerwerth in 
 Gwyneth ; and young Res, by the help of his uncle 
 Maelgon, collected a considerable army, with which he 
 conquered Kidwelly and Carnwallyon, and destroyed the 
 castle at the latter place by fire ; in revenge of which the 
 bailiffs and citizens of Carmarthen set fire to his town. 
 From Carnwallyon he proceeded to Gower, and having 
 first reduced the castle of Llychwr, he attacked the castle 
 of Hugh Miles at Talebont (in Pembrokeshire), where 
 the garrison attempted to hold it against him ; but Res 
 obtained it by force, passing the castle and garrison 
 through fire and sword. The following day he marched 
 towards the castle of Ystum Llwynarth in Senghenyth, 
 and from fear of him the garrison burned the town. But 
 without being diverted from his purpose he proceeded to 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 88 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 the castle and encamped about it that night ; and the 
 next day he gained possession of it and destroyed it. In 
 the course of a three days' campaign he thus reduced all 
 the castles of Grower, and returned victoriously home. 
 Res Grig was now liberated from the King's prison, after 
 having given his son and two other hostages in his stead. 1 
 Giles de Braose, the Bishop of Hereford, at this time also 
 made his peace with the King, by the Pope's command- 
 ment, and died at Gloucester on his return homeward 
 (Nov. 13). His acquisitions seem to have gone to his 
 brother Reginald, which Reginald is said by some to have 
 married a daughter of Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, but she was 
 certainly not the mother of his children. 2 Shortly after- 
 wards Llewelyn and the other Welsh Princes collected a 
 great army at Carmarthen on the feast of the Conception 
 of the Blessed Virgin (Dec. 8); and before five days were 
 over they took the castle and razed it to the ground, the 
 English garrison having fled in alarm without striking a 
 blow in its defence, and afterwards demolished the castles 
 of Llanstephan, Talacharn, and St. Clare. From thence, 
 on the eve of the feast of St. Thomas (December 20), they 
 proceeded to Cardigan ; and winning the new castle in 
 Emlyn the men of Cemaes did homage to Llewelyn, and 
 the castle of Trevdraeth (or Newport) was delivered up 
 to him, and by general consent was demolished. And 
 when the garrison of Aberystwith saw that they could 
 not maintain the castle, they delivered it up to Llewelyn 
 on the feast of St. Stephen (Dec. 26) ; and the following 
 day, the feast of St. John the Apostle (Dec. 27), the 
 castle of Cilgerran was delivered to him. After which 
 Llewelyn and all the Welsh Princes that were with him 
 returned to their countries happy and joyful with victory. 
 The Princes who took part in this expedition were 
 Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, Prince of Gwyneth, and Howel 
 ap Griffith ap Cynan, and Llewelyn ap Meredith ap 
 Cynan, from Gwyneth ; Wenwynwyn ap Owen Cyveilioc, 
 Meredith ap Robert of Kedewen, the family of Madoc ap 
 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogion ; Annales Cambriae. The Earl of Pembroke received orders, 
 on June 13, to receive certain hostages, and then to liberate Res Boscanus (Res 
 Vychan ?). Clark's Earls of Pembroke. By the act of Magna Charta (17 Joh. June 15, 
 1216) it was stipulated that the Welsh hostages were to be set at liberty, and all lands, 
 &c., illegally seized from the Welsh were to be restored (Rymer's Fsedera). 
 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion ; Annales de Dunstaplia. See page 82 note
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 9 
 
 Griffith Maelor (of Bromfield), and the two sons of 
 Madoc ap Cadwallon, from Powis; and out of South 
 Wales Maelgon ap Res, Res Grig, and Res ivanc and 
 his brother Owen, the two sons of Griffith ap Res. In 
 the course of this year they subjugated the whole of the 
 counties of Cardigan and Carmarthen (including the 
 commots of Kidwelly and Carnwyllion and the district 
 of Gower which had long been in the hands of the 
 English) with the upper portion of Pembroke and parts 
 also of Brecknock and Radnor. 
 
 In the following year, 1216, there was a partition of 
 land between Maelgon ap Res, and his brother Res Grig, 
 and Res and Owen, the sons of Griffith ap Res, at 
 Aberdovey, in the presence of Llewelyn ap Jerwerth 
 and the other Welsh Princes. To Maelgon were allotted 
 three cantrevs of Dyvet Gwarthav, namely, Penllwynog 
 (or Pebidioc), Cemaes, and Emlyn, with the castle of 
 Cilgerran ; likewise of Ystrad Ty wi, the castle of 
 Llandovery, with three commots, namely, Hirvryn, 
 Mallaen, and Maenor Bydvai (or Myddvai); and of 
 Cardigan, the two commots of Gwynnionith and 
 Mabwynion. 
 
 To Res ivanc and his brother Owen were allotted the 
 castle of Aberteivi (or Cardigan), and the castle of Nant 
 yr Arian (or Silverdale) and three cantrevs of Cardigan. 
 And to Res Grig were allotted the whole of cantrev Mawr, 
 except Mallaen, and the cantrev Bychan, except Hirvryn 
 and Bydvai; and to him also came Kidwelly and 
 Carnwyllion. 1 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion ; compared with Powel's History (folio ed. of 1811); and 
 Jones' History of Wales. Nantyrarian is situate in the parish of Llanbadarn Vawr, 
 co. Cardigan (fiees 1 History of Cwuihir Abbey, p. 32). Prince Llewelyn ap Jerwerth 
 appears to have acted as something more than Umpire or President on this occasion. 
 The subdivision of the Principalities of South Wales and Powys had greatly reduced 
 the power of their hereditary Princes, and the supremacy of Llewelyn seems to have 
 now been generally acknowledged by them whenever the Welsh were in a position to 
 repudiate the King's authority. The continued encroachments of the English, who 
 were gradually extending their possessions over the Welsh borders, had doubtless done 
 much to efface that spirit of rivalry and jealousy which had previously existed between 
 the people as well as the Princes of North and South Wales, and which is well illus- 
 trated by the following story related by Yorke in his " Royal Tribes of Wales." When 
 David ap Owen Gwynoth, Prince of the North (the immediate predecessor of Llewelyn 
 ap JVnverth), had honourably received some fugitives from the South, his courtiers 
 insisted that it was too much condescension on his part to receive the subjects of a rival 
 Prince, who would uot shew the least respect to any of his. Upon which 
 David swore with a great oath that he would not rest until he should be satisfied 
 
 N
 
 90 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 In order to understand this apportionment of territory 
 we must follow the more ancient divisions of Carmarthen 
 instead of those contained in the survey of Prince 
 Llewelyn ap Griffith. According to the latter, which are 
 those usually adopted by the Welsh historians, 1 the 
 country was divided into four cantrevs or hundreds; but 
 according to the more ancient division, which is preserved 
 in the Myfyrian Archaeology as well as the other, 2 it 
 was only divided into three ; namely cantrev Mawr, 
 cantrev Bychan, and cantrev Eginiog. That which is 
 called in the later survey the cantrev Ffiniog is here 
 called the cantrev Bychan or small cantrev, while the 
 cantrev Bychan of the later division is here contained in 
 the cantrev Mawr or great cantrev. 
 
 The larger cantrev Mawr contained seven comrnots, 
 namely Mallaen, Caeo, and Maenor Deilo (which formed 
 the cantrev Bychan of the later division) as well as the 
 commots of Cethinioc, Mab Elved, Mab Uchtryd, and 
 Widigada, being the whole country north of the Towy. 
 
 The cantrev Bychan contained three commots, Hirvryn, 
 Derfedd (or Pertieth) and Iscennen, (which three commots 
 formed the cantrev Ffiniog of the later division). 
 
 The cantrev Eginiog contained three commots, Cydweli 
 
 whether the Lord Res of South Wales -would not honourably receive some messengers 
 sent by him to his court. It was some time before he could meet with a person who 
 would undertake the trial. But at length Gwgan of Caereinion in Powysland set off 
 on the embassy ; and when he reached the court of the Lord Res he found him in a 
 furious temper, beating his servants and hanging his dogs. Gwgan, feeling that this 
 was not a proper time to appear before him, wisely delayed his message until the 
 following day ; and then in a long speech, still extant in MS., he let the noble descend- 
 ant of Res ap Tudor Mawr know that he came from David ap Owen of North Wales, 
 of the stock of the Royal Cynan, to pay his friendly respects to him ; and if he was 
 well received he was commissioned to thank the Lord Res ; if not he was commissioned 
 to act on the reverse. The Lord of South Wales asked Gwgan in what way his 
 honourable reception could be shewn. Gwgan replied, " By giving me a horse better 
 than my own to carry mo home ; by giving me five pounds in money and a suit of 
 clothes ; by giving my servant who leads my horse by the bridle a suit of clothes and 
 one pound." " Come in," said the Lord Res, " I will give thee the noblest steed in 
 my stud, for the sake of thy Royal Master ; and above thy demand 1 will double the 
 sums of money and treble the suits of apparel." Which promise was performed, and 
 Gwgan returned to his country to the mutual satisfaction of both Princes. 
 
 1 Powel's Hist, folio ed. p. 32. "Warrington's Hist, of Wales, map in the ed. of 1788, 
 Vol. I. Jones' Hist. Wai., p. 108. 2 Myf. Archseol., Vol. II, p. 606, et. seq., as quoted 
 in the Beauties of England and Wales (p. 261). It is there stated that there are two 
 accounts given of the Divisions of Carmarthenshire, in the time of Llewelyn ap 
 Griffith, the last Prince of "Wales; namely that in which it is divided into four 
 cantrevs and that in which it is divided into three, as shewn in my text ; see also page 
 35 note. The writer of the Brut appears to have recognized the later division into four 
 eantrevs, when, under the year 1201, he describes the castle of Llandovery as being 
 in the cantrev Bychan.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 91 
 
 (or Kid welly), Carnwyllion, and Gwyr (or Gower), which 
 last is now in Glamorganshire. 
 
 In like manner the land of Cardigan was .divided into 
 four cantrevs, namely, Penwedic, Canol, Castell, and 
 Syrwen or Hirwain. 
 
 The cantrev Penwedic contained three commots, 
 Geneurglyn, Creuddyn, and Pervedd. 
 
 The cantrev Canol contained three commots, Anhunog, 
 Mefenydd, and Penarth. 
 
 The cantrev Castell contained two commots, 
 Mabwynion and Caerwedros. 
 
 The cantrev Syrwen contained two commots, 
 Gwinionydd and Iscoed. 
 
 The land of Dyvet (-then called West Wales by the , 
 English and now Pembrokeshire) was divided into eight 
 cantrevs, namely, Arberth, Daugleddau, Y Coed, Penfro, 
 Rhos, Pybidioc, Cemaes, and Emlyn. 
 
 The cantrev Arberth contained three commots, Penrhyn, 
 Estrolef, and Talacharn. 
 
 The cantrev Daugleddau contained three commots, 
 Amgoed, Pennant, and Iselfre. 
 
 The cantrev Y Coed contained two commots, 
 Llanhauaden and Castell Gwys (or Wiston). 
 
 The cantrev Penfro contained three commots, Coed yr 
 Haf, Maenor Byrr, and Penfro. 
 
 The cantrev Rhos contained three commots, Hwlfford 
 (or Haverford West), Castell Gwalchmai, and Y Garn. 
 
 The cantrev Pybidioc contained three commots, 
 Mynyw, Pencaer, and Pybidioc. 
 
 The cantrev Cemaes contained three commots, Uwch 
 Nefer, Is Nefer, and Trefdraeth. 
 
 The cantrev Emlyn contained three commots, Uwch 
 Euch, Is Euch, and Lleffethr. 
 
 In this partition of South Wales between the descend- 
 ants of the Lord Res it will be seen that the largest share 
 fell to Maelgon, who had the three Northern cantrevs of 
 Dyvet, with two commots of Cardigan, and the three 
 (or rather two) commots which formed the Eastern portion
 
 92 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 of Carmarthen. 1 The remainder of Carmarthen was made 
 over to Res Grig, with the exception of Gower which 
 was probably never fairly won from the English, though 
 laid waste by hostile incursions of the Welsh. The land 
 of Cardigan was apportioned to Res and Owen, with the 
 exception of the commots of Mabwynion and Gwyn- 
 nionyth, which intercepted the Southern commot of 
 Iscoed from the remainder of their territory. 
 
 I presume that the five remaining cantrevs of Dyvet 
 still remained substantively under the English rule, though 
 liable to frequent attacks and spoliations from the Welsh. 
 
 Towards the close of this year, namely, on October 19, 
 1216, King John died at Newark, while making prepara- 
 tion to oppose Louis of France, who had been invited to 
 come over to England by some of the English Barons. 
 
 Henry III, a child of nine years old, was crowned 
 King; upon whose accession many of the Barons returned 
 to their allegiance. And in the year 1217 Reginald de 
 Braose became reconciled to the King, without the know- 
 ledge of Llewelyn. "When young Res and Owen, 
 the sons of Griffith ap Res, saw that their uncle was 
 going against the treaty which he had entered into with 
 the good men of England and Wales, they wrested the 
 whole of Buellt 2 from him except the castles. Then also 
 Llewelyn ap Jerwerth Prince of Gwyneth became angry 
 with Reynold de Bruce (de Braose) ; and, breaking the 
 treaty, he directed his army towards Brecknock, and com- 
 menced by attacking Aberhodni, 3 which he intended 
 wholly to destroy. And thereupon the men of the town 
 made peace with Llewelyn through means of young Res, 
 who became an accepted arbitrator between them, by de- 
 livering five hostages to Llewelyn of the gentlemen of the 
 town [as a pledge] that they would pay him a hundred 
 
 l The lordship of Maenor Bydvai, Mydfai, or Mothvey, which was assigned to 
 Maelgon, originally formed a portion of the commot of Mallaen ; so that he will have 
 had but two entire commots of Carmarthen. But the term " commot" seems to have 
 been used to describe a separate Manor or Lordship, so that when the original commot 
 was divided we find the term applied to the moieties as well as to the whole ; as, for 
 .example, in the case of the commot Iscoed Isherwern or Bisberwern, which was that 
 part of the commot Iscoed, in Cardiganshire, which was attached to the castle of Car- 
 digan after it came into the King's hands. 2 Buellt Bualt or Builth was the Southern 
 cantrev of the district anciently known as the principality of Fferlys. It lay to the 
 north of the ancient lordship of Brecknock, and now forms a part of that county, though 
 it was formerly reckoned to the territory of Powis Wenwynwyn. 3 Aberhodni was 
 the chief town of the land of Brecknock. It was situated in the commot of Trahaeru 
 and cantrev Selyf.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 93 
 
 merks, because they were unable to oppose him. And 
 from thence he conducted his army to Grower over the 
 black mountain, where many sumpters were endangered ; 
 and then he encamped at Llangiwg. When Reynold de 
 Bruce observed the devastation that Llewelyn was com- 
 mitting in his territory, he took six noble knights with 
 him, and came to give himself up to the disposal of 
 Llewelyn, who gave him the castle of Senghenyth, which 
 Llewelyn had entrusted to the custody of Res Grig." 1 
 After remaining there a few days Llewelyn led his army 
 towards Dy vet, against the Flemings ; and came as far 
 as Cevn Cynwarchan, where messengers met him from 
 the Flemings entreating for terms of peace. But the 
 Prince was not to be deterred from his purpose. He 
 advanced to Haverford West, and surrounded the town 
 with his troops for the purpose of besieging it. "And 
 thereupon young Res, at the head of a body of the men 
 of the South, of whom he was leader, went through the 
 river Cleddy, and approached the town, having that 
 retinue with him, in order to attack the town first. And 
 then Jerwerth, Bishop of Menevia, accompanied by many 
 of the religious and clergy, came to the Prince and 
 proposed to him terms of peace. And these were the 
 terms, namely, that they should give the Prince twenty 
 hostages from Rhos and Pembroke, of the noblest ; that 
 they would pay him a thousand merks by next Michaelmas ; 
 or otherwise they should do homage to him by that time, 
 and should hold under him for ever. And, after that, 
 every one returned to his country. And in that interval 
 pacification was declared between Henry King of 
 England, and Louis, son of the King of France." 2 
 
 2 Brut-y-Tprysogion.
 
 94 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The ardour had now subsicted with which the English 
 nobles had at first engaged in the cause of Prince 
 Louis of France. The great talents of the Protector 
 Earl of Pembroke enabled him to seize the fortunate 
 moment, and succeed in drawing back to their allegiance 
 the revolted Barons. In the treaty of peace which ensued, 
 in the September of 1217, the Welsh and the Scots were 
 alike included, on condition that they should restore all 
 the places which they had seized during the war. 1 
 Llewelyn came to Hereford on the octaves of St. Martin 
 (Nov. 18), probably for the purpose of negociating his 
 peace. But the King was unable to meet him, and Hugh 
 Mortimer was sent to escort the Welsh Prince to North- 
 ampton, (provided that he came to that city and were 
 absolved from the sentence of excommunication,) where 
 he and those that came with him were to do homage to 
 the King. 2 It does not appear that Llewelyn paid any 
 regard to this summons; for at this time the Earl of 
 Pembroke fought against Caerleon and took it. "And 
 then Res Grig destroyed the castle of Senghenyth and all 
 the castles of Gower. And he expelled the English 
 population that were in that country entirely, so that they 
 had no hope ever to return back, taking as much pro- 
 perty as he chose, and placing Welshmen to dwell in the 
 lands." 3 
 
 On March 11, 1218, however, Llewelyn attended the 
 King's summons to appear before him at Worcester, 
 where he did homage in the presence of the council and 
 of the Pope's legate who absolved him. 4 On this occasion 
 he ratified by oath the conditions of the treaty of peace, 
 and promised, as far as lay in his power, to restore to the 
 King the castles of Carmarthen and Cardigan with their 
 respective domains, as well as all other lands and castles 
 
 1 & 2 Rymer's Fsedera. 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 4 The King came from Tewkes- 
 bury to Worcester on that day, and remained there till the 1 7th of the same month 
 (MS. Itinerary of Hen. Ill, at the Salt Library, Stafford).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 95 
 
 which had been taken from Henry's vassals in South 
 Wales during the late war. He engaged himself to use 
 every means in his power to induce all the Welsh Barons 
 to do homage to Henry as their liege lord ; and further 
 pledged himself to receive none of the King's enemies 
 under his protection, and to revenge all injuries done to 
 the King as though they were done to himself. 1 Llewelyn 
 now received from the legate, in the presence of William 
 Mareschal, the castles of Cardigan and Carmarthen to be 
 held by him during the King's minority as the Royal 
 Bailiff. 2 "And then young Res himself, and all the 
 Princes, from South Wales, went" 3 to the court of the 
 King at Woodstock 4 to do their homage. 
 
 I suppose that most of the lands which had been 
 recovered by the Welsh in the late wars were now given 
 up to the English ; so that Kidwelly, Carnwyllion, and 
 Gower would have thus reverted to their Norman lords ; 
 and, assuming the Earl of Pembroke and the Lord of 
 Kemeys to have been re-instated in their former posses- 
 sions, Maelgon will have retained but little of Dyvet, 
 perhaps only the Lordships of Emlyn and Estrolof (or 
 Oysterlof). 
 
 In the following year, namely, on Sunday, April 14, 
 1219, died William Mareschal (I), the great Earl of Pem- 
 broke, 5 who was succeeded by his son William Mareschal 
 (II). In this year also Res Grig married (Joane), daugh- 
 ter of the Earl of Clare 6 (that is, Richard de Clare, 4th 
 Earl of Hertford, who was sometimes called Earl of Clare). 
 And John de Braose married Margaret, the daughter of 
 Prince Llewetyn. 7 
 
 The unhappy feuds between the Welshmen and their 
 border neighbours, which had been fomented during the 
 baronial contests, were by no means extinguished by the 
 treaties of peace which ensued. The English and Welsh 
 
 1 Rymer's Fzedora. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion, and Clark's Earls and Castle of Pem- 
 broke. 3 Bmt-y-Ty wysogion. * "Rot. Pat. 2 Hon. Ill, part 1, m. 3 (Record Office 
 Calendar) . This homage would prohably have been received on the 25th or 26th of May, 
 as these are the only days on which we find the King at Woodstock (MS. Itin. Hen. III). 
 5 Clark's Earls of Pembroke, p. 42. William Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, the guar- 
 dian of King Henry III and Protector of the Realm during the King's minority, was 
 created Earl Marshall of England in his own right and Earl of Pembroke in consequence 
 of his marriage with Isabel daughter and heiress of Richard de Clare, surnamed Strong- 
 bow, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Leinster. By this lady he had six sons, of whom 
 five in succession became Earls of Pembroke, and five daughters, between whose 
 descendants his great estates were eventually divided. 6 & 7 Brut-y-Tywyuogion.
 
 96 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 were continually at variance on the Southern borders, 
 where the chatellany of the castles of Cardigan and Car- 
 marthen would have doubtless been a fruitful source of 
 contention between Llewelyn and the Earls of Pembroke. 
 We may suppose these castles to have been left by the 
 treaty in the hands of Llewelyn as the King's Bailiff. In 
 May, 1220, a truce between Llewelyn and the new Earl, 
 William Mareschal (II), was arranged before the King 
 and his council at Shrewsbury, which was to last until the 
 morrow of St. Michael (Sept. 30) j 1 and I presume that 
 this truce would have left them in the same hands. 
 Whether Cardigan Castle had been at this time entrusted 
 by Llewelyn to the custody of Res ap Griffith or not, I 
 cannot tell ; but my surmise is that these two castles were 
 shortly afterwards taken from the Welshmen by the 
 English or Flemish settlers ; and thus I would account 
 for the attack subsequently made upon the latter by the 
 Welsh Prince. It appears that on the Feast of the Decol- 
 lation of John the Baptist (August 29, 1220), Llewelyn 
 ap Jerwerth summoned to him most of the Welsh Princes, 
 and " collected a vast army to go against the Flemings 
 of Rhos and Pembroke, because of their breaking the 
 peace and treaty, which the men of England had made 
 between the English and the Welsh, by their committing 
 frequent depredations upon the Welsh and harassing them. 
 On the first day he attacked the castle of Arberth, which 
 the Flemings had built after having been formerly des- 
 troyed by the Welsh ; and he obtained the castle by force 
 and threw it to the ground, after killing some of the 
 garrison, burning others, and capturing others. And the 
 following day he destroyed the castle of Gwys and burned 
 the town. The third day he came to Haverford, and 
 burned the whole of the town to the castle gate. And 
 then he went round Rhos and Dungleddau in five days, 
 making vast slaughter of the people of the country. And 
 after making a truce with the Flemings until the calends 
 of May he returned back joyful and happy." 2 
 
 1 Hist. Shrewsbury. The King remained at Shrewsbury from the 6th till the 8th of 
 May in that year (MS. Itin. Hen. III). 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. The account of 
 Llewelyn's invasion, in 1220, is thus recorded in the Annals of Dunstaple. "In the 
 same year thero was a war between Llewelyn, Prince of Wales, and William Mareschal, 
 the younger. And when the said Llewelyn had craftily obtained the King's forces 
 from the neighbouring marches under the pretext of punishing other of the King's 
 rebels, he suddenly invaded the Marshall's lands, destroyed three of his castles killing
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 97 
 
 Llewelyn will at this time have re-occupied the castles 
 of Carmarthen and Cardigan (as stated by the Shrewsbury 
 historians 1 ); and it would seem that he gave over the 
 former to Maelgon, but retained the more important 
 fortress of Cardigan in his own hands. This gave offence to 
 Res ap Griffith, the young Lord of Cardigan, who claimed 
 the said castle as his right, by virtue of the settlement 
 of 1216 ; and when Llewelyn refused to give it up to him, 
 he broke with the Prince of North Wales and formed an 
 alliance with the Earl of Pembroke. Whereupon 
 " Llewelyn with his army came to Aberystwyth, and 
 obtained possession of the castle with the territory 
 attached to it, and placed it under his own dominion. 
 And then young Res repaired to the court of the King, 
 and complained to him of the insult that Llewelyn had 
 offered him. And the King summoned Llewelyn and the 
 Earls and Barons of the Marches to Shrewsbury, and in that 
 council young Res and Llewelyn ap Jerwerth were recon- 
 ciled; and Llewelyn relinquished Aberteivi (or Cardigan) in 
 his favour as he had given Carmarthen to Maelgon ap Res." 2 
 
 I imagine the quarrel between Res and Llewelyn to 
 have taken place in the autumn of 1220, but their recon- 
 ciliation not till the following year. In the meantime 
 the hostile movements of Llewelyn had called forth a 
 letter from the King, bearing date at Westminster on the 
 5th of October (1220), in which he reminds him of the 
 truce concluded at Salop between him and William Earl 
 Mareschal (as he is there styled), and complains of his 
 neglect to appear before him at Oxford on the morrow of 
 St. Peter ad Vincula (Aug. 31), as also at London on the 
 morrow of St. Michael (Sept. 30), in obedience to his 
 summons, for the purpose of adjusting the differences 
 between himself and the said Earl ; instead of which he 
 had, as the King had been informed, in the meantime 
 invaded the land of the said Earl with a great army and 
 destroyed it with fire and sword, having taken two of his 
 
 all that were there, and when he had laid waste the whole province he shut up the 
 cattle and flocks in the houses and then set fire to them all. Moreover h slew a num- 
 ber of armed men who came over from Ireland to the assistance of the Marshall ; so that 
 the loss occasioned by this disgraceful raid is said to have exceeded the price of King 
 Richard's ransom. It is said that the quarrel arose from the Marshall's refusal to pay a 
 certain sum which he had promised for the ransom of some captives taken in war" 
 (Annales de Dunstaplia, p. 61). 
 
 i Owen and Blakeway Hist. Shrewsbury, Vol. I, p. 98. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 
 
 O
 
 98 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 castles and razed them to the ground. He had further 
 put the men of those parts to a tribute (censoriam) of 
 100, having taken security from them that, if it should 
 be required of them, the payment should be made to the 
 King or to Llewelyn within fifteen days of the next 
 coming Feast of All Saints. Moreover he had compelled 
 them to swear that they would never return to the fealty 
 of the said Earl ; and, what the King took most amiss, 
 he had pretended that he was acting under the King's 
 authority and that of the legate against the said Earl, 
 who had given them no cause of offence. The King 
 commands Llewelyn to desist from exacting the tribute 
 of 100 which he has required of the men of the said 
 Earl, to restore, as far as possible, whatever he has taken 
 from the Earl's land, and in no way to prevent his re- 
 building and repairing his said castles or to hinder his 
 men from returning to their allegiance. Moreover he 
 summons the Welsh Prince to appear before him at Wor- 
 cester on the octaves of St. Andrew (Dec. 7) to answer 
 for his excesses ; and orders him to surrender at once 
 those lands which had been previously occupied by 
 Welshmen, and of which Llewelyn had taken forcible 
 possession, to Wplliam] Bishop of London and Ralph 
 Boteler, to whose custody he (the King) has committed 
 them to hold during his pleasure ; and finally the King 
 enjoins him to keep the peace with the Earl and his men 
 and the Magnates of the Marches till the octaves of St. 
 Andrew, taking order to do them no injury ; which 
 injunction the King informs him he has likewise laid 
 upon the said Earl and the said Magnates of the Marches. 1 
 By letter of the same date the King writes to the knights 
 and freeholders of the county of Pembroke, informing 
 them that Llewelyn had not been acting under his sanc- 
 tion or authority in the late invasion, and ordering them 
 to pay fealty to the Earl of Pembroke, as they had done 
 before the said invasion of Llewelyn, notwithstanding 
 the convention they had made with that Prince to place 
 themselves in the King's hands arid under the guardian- 
 ship of Llewelyn. They are further forbidden to answer 
 to the said Llewelyn for the 100 they had bound 
 
 1 Rymer' Fsedera.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 99 
 
 themselves to pay to him ; and are ordered to assist their 
 Lord in repairing his castles of Narberth and Wiz, 
 which Llewelyn had destroyed. 1 
 
 It does not appear that Llewelyn came to Worcester at 
 the time appointed. He probably retained his hold over 
 Dyvet during the winter ; but in 1221 the Welsh Annalist 
 informs us that the Earl of Pembroke returned from 
 Ireland to South Wales, when he took the castles of 
 Carmarthen and Cardigan, and his allies despoiled nearly 
 all the churches of Dyvet. 2 In the summer of that year 
 the English Monarch was again at Shrewsbury, where he 
 remained from June 27 to July 3. 3 It is probable that 
 some general settlement of disputes between the Magnates 
 of Wales and the Marches was there effected before the 
 King and his council, under which these two castles were 
 restored to Llewelyn as Castellan. I further suppose the 
 breach between Res and Llewelyn to have been healed at 
 this time, 4 and the castle of Cardigan to have then been 
 surrendered to Res. 
 
 At the close of the year, namely " about the Feast of 
 St. Nicholas," Dec. 6, 1221, " John de Braose repaired 
 the castles of Abertawy and Senghenyth by the permis- 
 sion and advice of Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, 5 his father-in- 
 law ; and early in the following year the Welsh appear 
 to have again assumed a threatening attitude towards the 
 English. We find the King at Scenfrith from the 4th to 
 the 8th of March, 1222 ; 6 and on April 30 he writes to 
 Llewelyn with respect to the truce which had been made 
 between the said Llewelyn and William Earl Mareschal 
 and Reginald de Braose, and the contentions that had 
 arisen between them ; and tells him that it is necessary 
 that the truce should be extended till the Easter of the 
 ensuing year (1223) ; he enjoins him strictly to observe 
 the said truce according to the form agreed upon at 
 Shrewsbury before the King himself and Pandulph 
 the Lord Bishop elect of Norwich, the legate; and 
 
 1 Rymer's Facdera - Annales Cambriae. 3 MS. Itin. Hen. III. 4 Messrs. Owen 
 and Blakeway, the learned Historians of Shrewsbury, indeed, assert that this recon- 
 ciliation between Llewelyn and Res ap Griffith took place in May, 1220, before the 
 King and his council at Shrewsbury during his visit to that town from May 5 till 8 ; 
 and their general accuracy is such that I am unwilling to differ from them, but as they 
 give no other authority for their assertion but Rymer, who does not bear them out on 
 this point, I am disposed to follow the order of events as they are given by the early 
 Welsh Historians. 5 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 6 MS. Itin. Hen. III.
 
 100 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 further informs him that he has sent to him the Abbots 
 of Shrewsbury and Haghrnon before whom he is to give 
 security for keeping the peace, in the same manner as 
 the Earl and Reginald de Braose have done before the 
 King, bidding him to fix a day for the meeting. No 
 doubt the truce was prolonged accordingly, though it did 
 not last for a whole year. 
 
 During this interval " died Res I vane, the son of 
 Griffith ap Res, being a young man famous for his praise 
 and bravery and sense and wisdom, the sole hope of all 
 South Wales, and that after a long and lingering disorder, 
 in the month of August (1222); and was buried at Strata 
 Florida, after taking penance and communion and con- 
 fession and the habit of religion." 1 
 
 The King lost no time in issuing his writ to Leulimis 
 princeps Norwallice, commanding him to take into the 
 King's hand all the land which Resus filim Griffini deceased 
 held of the King in capite and keep it in safe custody until 
 the King should otherwise order concerning it. This 
 writ was issued at Oxford, on August 11, of that year, in 
 the presence of Hubert de Burgh and others. 2 
 
 The Welsh chronicle informs us that " Owen ap 
 Griffith his only brother obtained part of his territory, 
 and another part Llewelyn ap Jerwerth gave to Maelgoii 
 ap Res." 3 From the subsequent history I should infer that 
 Maelgoii had the Southern portion of Cardigan, including 
 the cantrevs of Syrwen and Castell, commonly called 
 Is Aeron (of which he already had two commots), and 
 Owen the Northern portion. 
 
 It is most propable that the young Lord Res ap 
 Griffith died without issue. Dugdale, who is followed by 
 Collins asserts, indeed, that Gilbert Talbot, one of the 
 Justices Itinerant for the county of Hereford, married 
 Gwenthlian, daughter of Rhese ap Griffith, Prince of 
 South Wales ; but on reference to the document from 
 which he quotes I find that this Gwenthlian was the 
 daughter of Res Vychan, the son of Res Grig, as will be 
 shewn in a subsequent page. 4 
 
 We learn from the Statutes of St. David's that Gervase, 
 Bishop of St. David's, had claimed against Maelgon ap 
 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogioi. 2 Exceipta e Rot. Fin. 6 Hen. Ill, (1222). 3 Jjnit-y- 
 Ty\vjRogion. 4 I>lac. de Banco T. Hil. 19 Ed-vr. Ill, Eot. 132.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WAI lOl 
 
 Kes the land of Llandovery and Kenarth Vawr, for which 
 he impleaded him before Thomas the Dean, Albinus the 
 Chancellor, and Thomas the Treasurer of Hereford, who 
 were delegated by the Pope to adjudicate between them. 
 The litigation was terminated by the following compro- 
 mise, namely, Maelgon and Maelgoii his son and heir 
 acknowledged the right of the Bishop and his church to 
 the whole land of Llandovery, and the Bishop, with con- 
 sent of Maelgon the elder, took the homage of Maelgon 
 the younger for the said land, which he was to hold of 
 the church of St. David by the services of providing a safe- 
 conduct to the Bishop, in going and returning, whenever 
 he should come into those parts, of making his procu- 
 ration in the castle of Llandovery to the Bishop as Lord 
 of that castle at least once a year, and of sending his men 
 of that place to join the Bishop's army, whenever they 
 should be summoned thereto, like the other men of St. 
 David's. And as to the land of Kenarth Vawr the afore- 
 said Maelgon Major and Maelgon Junior agreed to restore 
 to the church of St. David, as her rightful possession, the 
 whole land together with the Mill and the Weir and all 
 other their appurtenances ; and the Bishop, with consent 
 of Maelgoii the elder, conceded to Maelgon the younger, 
 for the term of his life, a moiety of the Mill and Weir 
 together with the service of the sons of Syon and their 
 men of Talebrin, so that after his death the said moieties 
 of the Mill and Weir should revert to the Bishop. With 
 respect to certain other lands which were named in 
 the same compact namely, Maynorteun (Manorteivi ?), 
 Llanarthhayron (Llanercliaeron ?), Gartheley (Gartheli), 
 Merthirgcionant (Merthyr Cynog?), Penbeyr (Penboyrl 
 Kenart Vechan, Cledey (Clydey), Lansuliet (Llaiisilian ?), 
 Llanechren in Gwenoint, Abergwenn, Trefgaithel, Eglois 
 Gorthir, and the commot of Esterlof, except the lands 
 
 which the said Bishop held in Esterlof , the said 
 
 Maelgon and his son acknowledged the right of the 
 Bishop and his church thereto, and upon their surren- 
 dering them to the Bishop, Maelgon Junior, with his 
 father's consent, received them from the Bishop to hold 
 for the term of his life, by the service of paying yearly 
 to the Bishop one sparrowhawk in St. David's town 
 of Kenarth Vawr on the Feast of St. Peter ad vincula.
 
 102 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 The above composition was ratified by the seal of all 
 parties, in the year 1222, and attested by the Abbots of 
 Alba Landa and Thalelech, J . . . , Prior of Brechon, 
 H . . . , Archdeacon of St. David's, Master N . . . , of the 
 chapel, Master Matthias, Canon of St. David's, Philip 
 de Lannays, A ... son of Ithayl, Master Thomas Briton, 
 Roger de Burchall, Walter de Brechon, Clerk, Aaron son 
 of Res, Lewelin son of Cradauc son of Eman, Gossalin 
 son of Gugan, Owen son of Eynean, and many others ; 
 and confirmed by the Pope's Delegates on the Eve of 
 St. Barnabas (June 10) 1239. 1 
 
 The same Bishop Gervase made a similar claim against 
 Res ap Res (i.e. Res Grig) for the Avhole commot of 
 Llanteilow Mawr, the lands between the river Dineleis 
 Luswlith and the Brook of Hilyg, the Manor of Lantarach 
 (Llanddarog?), the town of Kelrnir, and the lands of 
 Aberwili which Gugan Seys and Kedivor ap Enyr and 
 other nobles unjustly withheld from him. The suit 
 was determined before the same Papal Delegates by the 
 following composition, namely, the said Res Junior and 
 Mareduch his son and heir acknowledge the right of the 
 Bishop and the church of St. David to all the said lands. 
 Res and his sons surrender to the Lord Bishop and his 
 church the lands under Dyneleys as far as the bounds 
 of the commot of Keth-eynach (Cethinioc) so that they 
 should belong to the church of St. David as of full right, 
 with the exception of thejands of Kerrie Gwrgeneu and 
 the land of Owen son of Gadug and the land of the Smiths 
 of the court of Dynevor and the lands of the Canons of 
 Talelech which he, or his, had given to the church of 
 Lanteilaw Mawr or the Lord of Talelech in free and 
 perpetual alms with the good will of the Bishop and the 
 assent of the chapter of St. David's. Moreover the afore- 
 said Res and his sons surrender to the Lord Bishop and 
 his church all the lands of Abergwili, which Kedivor 
 ap Enyr and Gogan Seys and other nobles had unjustly 
 withheld from him, as fully belonging to the church of 
 St. David. And the said Res and his sons will warrant 
 
 1 Statitta Eccksice Menevensis, Harl MSS. 1249, compared with a MS. at Stackpole 
 Court purporting to be an abridgement of the same statutes from a copy in the possession 
 of Nicholas, Lord Bishop of St. David's, a 1740, made by E[dward] Y[ardley Arch- 
 deacon of Cardigan].
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 103 
 
 to the Bishop the said lands of Abergwili together with 
 the Mill against the said nobles and all others during the 
 time of the Welsh ascendancy. But the said Res and 
 his sons did homage to the Bishop for the aforesaid lands 
 and swore that they would every-where faithfully main- 
 tain the rights of the Bishop and his church therein, 
 and pay for the said lands an annual rent of one Lance 
 on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, further binding 
 themselves to send their men of those tenements to join 
 the Bishop's army at the summons of the said Bishop. 
 The above composition was mutually ratified by the 
 seals of all parties in the year of grace 1222, and wit- 
 nessed by the Abbots of St. Dogmael's and Talelech, 
 Henry fitz Robert, Walter fitz Bartholomew, Nicholas 
 fitz Meyler, John fitz Asser, William fitz Martin, Nicholas 
 fitz Samuel, canons of St. David's, the Deans of Peby- 
 diauk and Cantre Mawr, G . . . Prior of Talelech, 
 Ph . . . canon of the same House, Gogan the official, and 
 of the laity Owen fitz Kadug, Griffith fitz Elyder, Tra- 
 harn fitz Hoell, Jor . . fitz Gogan fitz Meilas, Gorgenew 
 clerk to the Lord Res, Master John clerk to the Lord 
 Bishop of St. David's, and many others. 1 
 
 These compositions will account for some of the 
 subsequent possessions of the Bishops of St. David's at 
 Abergwili, Llaiidilo, and elsewhere. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1222 the Earl of 
 Pembroke went over to Ireland ; and during his absence 
 the Flemings threw off their allegiance to Llewelyn, and 
 attacked and took the castle of Cardigan. Whereupon 
 Llewelyn raised an army against the Flemings, and, 
 entering Dyvet, spoiled their lands, and took the castles 
 of Cardigan and Kilgerran, where he put the garrisons 
 to the sword, and manned the castles with his own 
 soldiers. 
 
 The two great antagonists with whom Llewelyn had 
 to contend at this period were evidently the Earl of Pem- 
 broke on the Southern, and Reginald de Braose on the 
 Eastern, border, and the constant breaches of the peace 
 on these two frontiers speedily involved the Welsh and 
 English in a more general war. Hostilities were 
 
 l Statuta Eccli'sirt Jfentvcnsis, Harl. MSS. 12-19, compared with a MS. at Stackpole 
 Court.
 
 104 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 continued during the winter, and in January or 
 February, 1223, we find Llewelyn besieging the 
 castle of Whittington near Oswestry. 
 
 In order to chastise the Welsh Prince for these repeated 
 outrages, Henry came with an army into the Marches, 
 from whence, however, he returned to England without 
 performing any military exploit, having been reconciled 
 to Llewelyn at the intercession of the Earl of Chester, 
 who engaged for him that he should make restitution, by 
 a certain day, for the injuries he had committed ; an 
 engagement, however, which he was slow to perform. 1 
 
 In the meantime the Earl of Pembroke " quickly 
 returned from Ireland with a multitude of cavalry and 
 infantry, and came to land with a vast fleet about Palm 
 Sunday. And on Easter Monday he approached Aber- 
 teivi, and on that day the castle was delivered to him ; 
 and on the Wednesday following he drew to Carmarthen, 
 and obtained that castle also. And when Llewelyn ap 
 Jerwerth, the person who had the custody of the castles 
 on behalf of the King, heard that, he sent Griffith his 
 son with a numerous army to oppose the Earl. And 
 when Griffith understood that it was the intention of the 
 Earl to come to Kidwelly, 2 he proceeded towards it, 
 accompanied by the nobility of Wales. And Res Grig 
 was afraid of the treachery of the burgesses and tried to 
 excite the Welsh to seek the safety of the woods ; but 
 they did not give way, for they proceeded to the town, 
 and burned the town and the church to the ground. 
 When the Earl heard of this, he proceeded through the 
 Tywi by the bridge of Carmarthen, and boldly awaited 
 Griffith ap Llewelyn. And after continued fighting for 
 the greater part of the day, each of the two armies sepa- 
 rated and returned to their tents, many having fallen on 
 both sides and many being wounded. And then, for lack 
 of provision, Griffith ap Llewelyn returned back to his 
 country. Then the Earl repaired the castle of Car- 
 marthen ; and began to build the castle of Cilgerran. It 
 was not long after the work commenced before there came 
 letters to him from the King and the Archbishop of 
 
 1 Warrington's Hist. ; Clark's Earls of Pembroke ; and Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 The 
 Earl was specially interested in the lordship of Kidwelly at this time, having purchased 
 from the crown the custody of the lands and the marriage of Hawise daughter and 
 heiress of Thomas de Londres (Clark's Earls of Pembroke).
 
 PKINCES OP SOUTH WALES. 105 
 
 Canterbury, requiring him to come in person to answer 
 before them, and to make satisfaction for what he had 
 done, and to receive satisfaction from the Prince for every 
 wrong he had done him. And the Earl obeyed the com- 
 mand, and sailed with a small retinue in a ship for 
 England, leaving his army at Cilgerran, to carry on the 
 work commenced and to strengthen the place where 
 they might perceive danger. And the Prince and the 
 Earl appeared together at Ludlow before the council of 
 the King and the Archbishop. And since they could 
 not be reconciled, the Earl designed, through the aid of 
 Earl Ferrers and Henry Pictot, Lord of Ewias, to proceed 
 through the territory of that person to his own country ; 
 but he was not able, because Llewelyn ap Jerwerth had 
 sent his son Griffith, and with him a large army, and Res 
 Grig and his men, to Carnwyllion, to intercept the Earl 
 and his men. And Llewelyn himself, with all his power, 
 proceeded to Mabutryd ; and there he waited for tidings 
 from his men, and as to the advance of the Earl." 1 
 
 It would have been during this war between the Earl 
 of Pembroke and Llewelyn that the former made an 
 alliance with Cynan ap Howel, in whose company he 
 entered the land of Cardigan, from which he carried 
 away a great booty ; and having taken the whole country 
 as far as the river Ayron, he committed it to the custody 
 of Cynan, and retired with his own retainers. 2 
 
 On October 8, 1223, the King writes to William 
 Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, from Montgomery, inform- 
 ing him that Res Grig and Maelgon had returned to 
 their fealty, and that he had received their homage; he 
 therefore orders him to do no further injury to their lands, 
 and if he had taken any of their lands since Thursday the 
 Feast of St. Matthew last past (September 21), to restore 
 them immediately. In the same manner it is written to 
 Reginald de Braose and Res Vaughan on behalf of Res 
 Grig, except only the last clause with respect to the res- 
 titution of land. 3 
 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 Annales Cambria) (c) where the transaction is placed, as I 
 believe, under the wrong year, namely 1221. 3 Rot. Lit. Claus. 7 Hen. Ill, memb. 1. 
 I suppose this Res Vaughan (or Vychan) to have been the son of Res Grig ; and he 
 was then seemingly in rebellion against his father. Ho was probably the son who had 
 formerly been given up as a hostage for his father, jointly with two other persons, when 
 Res Grig was liberated from the King's prison about the 13th of June, 1215. 
 
 P
 
 106 PKINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 About this time, namely, in 8 Henry III, 1223-4 , 
 Llewelyn was superseded in his wardenship, and the Earl 
 of Pembroke was made Governor of the castles of 
 Carmarthen and Cardigan in his stead. 1 
 
 Maelgon soon seceded from his English allegiance, 
 as Llewelyn his Welsh Suzerain had already done. And 
 in 1225 we find him claiming a share of territory from 
 his nephews Owen ap Griffith and Cynan ap Howel. 
 In the prosecution of this claim he found a powerful sup- 
 porter in the Prince of North Wales, for whose peaceful 
 behaviour he had, in conjunction with Res Grig and 
 Meredith ap Robert, Lord of Kedewen, become security 
 to the King in the year 1223. 
 
 We have seen that Llewelyn had been superseded in his 
 Bailiwick, which probably carried with it some authority 
 over the whole Honour of Cardigan. In the meantime the 
 Earl of Pembroke, who succeeded him, had already driven 
 Maelgon from the Southern portion of Cardigan and 
 delivered it to the custody of Cynan ap Howel, by whom 
 and by Owen ap Griffith I suppose the whole land of 
 Cardigan to have now been held. Maelgon had probably 
 gained little by his submission to the King, notwithstand- 
 ing the Royal precept to the Earl of Pembroke to restore 
 to him the lands that had been taken from him. He 
 thus betakes himself to Llewelyn, and the Prince, 
 remembering his former services, became his suitor to 
 the King. When treating with Henry for a fresh peace 
 he stipulated that Maelgon should have a share of the 
 possessions of the Princes of South Wales, and the King, 
 being, on his part, desirous of pleasing Llewelyn, and 
 not unwilling to exercise his kingly prerogative of dis- 
 posing of the lands of his Welsh vassals under circum- 
 stances which afforded some probability of his mandate 
 being enforced, readily listened to his request. In a letter 
 concerning a treaty of peace, bearing date April 14, 1225, 
 he accordingly wrote to Llewelyn as follows: "Know 
 ye that we have of our clemency conceded the petition 
 you have made to us, by your chaplain, on behalf of 
 Mailgon son of Res ; to the effect that five discreet men 
 should be chosen on your part, and five on the part of 
 the Mareshal [William M. Earl of Pembroke], whose 
 
 1 Clark's Earls of Pembroke.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 107 
 
 names your said chaplain shall impart to you, for 
 dividing the land between Mailgon himself and his 
 nephews ; which said persons shall meet together, at the 
 Bridge of Kediaul' on the Wednesday before the Ascen- 
 sion of our Lord now coming, to make that partition, so 
 that his nephews may have that which they ought to 
 have, and so that there may remain to the same Mailgon 
 that which ought to remain to him : on condition that 
 you bring with you the said Mailgon, on the day afore- 
 said, that is to say, on the 15th day after the aforesaid 
 day of John the Baptist, at Worcester, to do to us the 
 homage and fealty that he owes to us. Witness the king 
 at Westminster " on the day and year aforesaid. 1 
 
 Within two months afterwards, the King's mandate is 
 issued to Owen commanding him to give up to his uncle 
 the commot of Crewethyn, in the following words ; " It is 
 commanded to Owen son of Griffin that he cause his 
 uncle Maillegon son of Res to have one commot of land, 
 namely Crewethyn, as it was provided by the discreet 
 men deputed by the Lord King and Lewelin prince of 
 North Wales and Earl W. Mareschal, to divide the lands 
 between his said uncle and himself and Kenaun. But let 
 him do this without difficulty or delay holding firm peace 
 with the same Mailgon and other partisans of the said 
 Lewelin, the King's brother, lest it should be necessary 
 for the King to put forth a heavier hand for the accom- 
 plishment of this. Witness the King at Westminster the 
 3rd day of June," 1225. 2 
 
 Llewelyn is called the King's brother as being the hus- 
 band of Joan the illegitimate daughter of King John. 
 If the commot of Crewthyn were at this time given over 
 to Maelgon it is probable that it was afterwards exchanged 
 with Owen for that of Pennarth, which adjoined his 
 former territory of Is Ayron. The commot of Pennarth 
 was certainly in the hands of young Maelgon, the son of 
 Maelgon, a few years later, and then made the subject of 
 a further exchange. We hear no more of Kenaun or 
 Cynan, the son of Howel Sais, in connection with the 
 land of Cardigan, which was henceforward shared by 
 Owen and Maelgon and their respective descendants. I 
 
 l Rot. Lit, Pat, 9 Hen, III, m. 17 d, 2 Rot, Lit. Claus, 9 Hen. Ill, m. 14 <L
 
 108 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 suppose that Maelgon had the land of Is Ayron restored 
 to him at this time, and that Cynan had the Lordships 
 of Emlyn and Oisterlof assigned to him as his share of 
 territory; from which he was subsequently ejected by 
 Walter Mareschal, in the time of his brother Earl Gilbert, 
 about the year 1240, on the pretext of his being found 
 in arms against the King. 1 
 
 In the year 1227 Res Grig was taken prisoner by his 
 son Res Vychan at Llanarth, and only recovered his 
 liberty at the price of the castle of Llandovery. 2 In the 
 same year Meredith, Archdeacon of Cardigan, son of the 
 Lord Res, died in the church of St. Mary at Llanbedr 
 Tal Pont Stephan, and his body was conveyed to Menevia, 
 where he was honourably buried by Jerwerth Bishop of 
 Menevia, in the church of St. David, near the grave of 
 the Lord Res, his father. 3 
 
 The following year, 1228, is remarkable for the cam- 
 paign of Keri, in which the English were worsted and 
 William de Braose taken prisoner by Llewelyn. In that 
 same year I find a grant from the crown of certain land 
 in Cardigan, for which I am unable to account, unless it 
 applies to the town of Cardigan and the adjacent commot 
 of Bisberwern. Adam Robelin and Alexander his brother 
 pay to the King 10 for half a knight's fee with the 
 appurtenances in Kardigan which is called the West 
 Berewic to be held of the King from the Feast of St. 
 Michael 1228 for five years, rendering for the same to 
 the King the annual service of two archers in lieu of all 
 services. 4 
 
 At the close of the year 1230 or early in 1231 died the 
 restless Maelgon at Llannerch Aeron, and was buried in 
 the chapter house at Strata Florida ; 5 when his territory 
 descended to his son Maelgon Vychan. His death was 
 soon followed by that of William Mareschal (II), Earl of 
 Pembroke, the implacable enemy of the Welsh, who died 
 on April 6, 1231. 
 
 At that time Llewelyn was again in arms against the 
 English, on account of some dispute with respect to the 
 land of Buellt and the treatment of his vassal Madoc 
 Vychan ; and, after destroying several castles in those 
 
 i Inq. 16 Ed\r. I, ^ T o. 77. 2 & 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 4 Excerpta e Rot. Fin. 12 
 Hen. Ill, in. 3. 5 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 109 
 
 parts, he marched across South Wales into Gwent and 
 burned the town of Caerleon upon Usk, but failed to take 
 the castle, which was held by Morgan ap Howel who was 
 then in alliance with the English. From thence Llewelyn 
 proceeded to Neath and Kidwelly and levelled with the 
 ground the castles at these places. In the meantime 
 young Maelgon " burned Aberteivi to the gate of the 
 castle, and slew all the burgesses, and returned victo- 
 riously, after obtaining a great booty. And then he 
 returned and broke down the bridge of Aberteivi." 1 He 
 was now joined by his cousin Owen ap Griffith ap Res, 
 and some of Llewelyn's men, who proceeded to storm the 
 fortress, and before many days had passed "they broke 
 the castle with Engines ; and the garrison was compelled 
 to quit the walls and surrender the fortress." 2 
 
 On Nov. 30, 1231, Res Crec (Grig) was included in a 
 temporary peace between England and Wales on the side 
 of Llewelyn. 3 And in this same year, after the death of 
 William Earl of Pembroke, the Honour of Carmarthen 
 and Cardigan was bestowed by the King upon Hubert 
 de Burgh, and his wife Margaret, eldest daughter of 
 Alexander King of Scotland. 4 
 
 The revolt of Richard Earl of Pembroke (brother to 
 the late Earl) and the other discontented Barons, in the 
 year 1233, afforded to the Welsh an opportunity of carry- 
 ing on their warfare with a better prospect of success. 
 These English Lords, withdrawing from the danger that 
 threatened them, retired into Wales ; and entered into a 
 firm league with Llewelyn and the other Welsh Princes ; 
 by which they mutually bound themselves, under the 
 most solemn engagements, not to form any treaty, or 
 conclude a peace, but with the common consent of the 
 confederacy. 6 
 
 Alarmed at this revolt of his Barons, rendered 
 formidable by their union with the Welsh, Henry con- 
 vened his military tenants to meet him at Gloucester, 
 from whence, soon after the feast of the Assumption, in 
 August, he marched to Hereford, and sent on his defiance 
 to the Mareschal by the Bishop of St. David's. 
 
 In the meantime "the Earl of Pembroke and Owen ap 
 
 l & 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 Rym. Faed. < Clark's Earls of Pembroke. 5 War- 
 rington ; quoting Matthew Paris, p. 326, and Polidore Virgil, p. 301.
 
 110 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Griffith assembled a great army and proceeded against 
 St. David's and burned it, slaughtering the King's men 
 who were there in garrison. After which they quickly 
 reduced the following castles, namely, Cardiff and Aber- 
 gavenny, Pen Gelli, Blaen Llyvni, and Bwlch y Dinas, 
 and razed them to the ground, except Cardiff." 1 
 
 The King advanced no further than Hereford ; where 
 finding the country laid waste, and fearing lest his army 
 might perish for want of provisions, he made good his 
 retreat from the enemies' territory, and remained some 
 days at his castle of Grosmont in Monmouthshire. 
 
 It was here that the English army, which lay encamped 
 in the open field, was surprised and attacked in the night 
 by the Earl of Pembroke who took possession of the 
 money, provisions, and furniture, belonging to the King's 
 army, together with five hundred horses, and forced the 
 confused and terrified soldiers to fly for shelter within the 
 walls of the castle ; after which the King retired to 
 Gloucester where he remained until the following spring, 
 in the hope that his presence on the Borders might be 
 the means of keeping the malcontents in awe. 2 
 
 In the same year Owen ap Griffith, and Maelgon 
 Vychan ap Maelgon ap Res, and Res Vychan (or Res 
 Grig), with their sons, and the forces of Llewelyn and 
 the Earl of Pembroke, made an unsuccessful attempt 
 against the castle of Carmarthen. After they had besieged 
 it for three months their efforts were frustrated by Henry 
 de Turberville, who came to the assistance of the garrison 
 with many ships and a large army from Bristol. 
 Turberville ran one of his vessels at high tide against the 
 temporary bridge which had been erected by the besiegers, 
 by which means he succeeded in breaking it down, and 
 thereby caused the death of some 300 of the assailants. 
 When the survivors perceived that their expedition was 
 not prospering they abandoned the siege and returned to 
 their respective homes. 3 Res Grig appears to have been 
 badly wounded on this occasion, and dying soon after- 
 wards at Llandeilo Vawr, he "was buried at St. David's, 
 near the grave of his father." 4 "The same year, Maelgon 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 2 Warrington ; quoting Matt. Paris, p. 328 ; and Polidore 
 Vergil, p. 301. 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion, Annales Cambrise, and Annales de Theokesberia. 
 * Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. Ill 
 
 Vychan completed the building of the castle of Trevilan, 
 which had previously been commenced by his father 
 Maelgon." 1 
 
 The lands of Res Grig were apparently divided between 
 his sons, and chiefly between Res Vychan and Meredith. 
 The former was certainly his eldest son, but the latter is 
 in one place described as his son and heir. 2 I have little 
 doubt that Meredith's mother was Joane, daughter of 
 Richard de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, and sister of 
 Gilbert, Earl of Gloucester and Hertford 3 (called also Earl 
 of Clare), who was married to Res Grig in 1219. I have 
 not been able to discover who was his first wife. In the 
 Salusbury Pedigrees he has two wives assigned to him, 
 namely, Jane, daughter of Richard Earl of Clare, and 
 Elliw, daughter of Thomas ap Gugan ap Bleddyn, Lord 
 of Brecknock. 4 But as the former is called his first wife 
 we cannot place much reliance on this statement. The 
 heralds have also assigned to Res Grig four other sons, 
 besides the two already mentioned, namely Jerwerth 
 (from which they derive the families of Ystefin and 
 Lewis), Howel, and Caradoc. I am unable to verify 
 these statements. With one exception their names do 
 not occur among the Magnates of Wales; but I find 
 a pardon granted to Howel ap Res Grig (Ohelo ap Res 
 Crek) and his men, dated from the Tower of London on 
 January 7, 1278. 5 
 
 After the King's retreat to Gloucester, the Earl of 
 Pembroke and his confederates carried on their depre- 
 dations with renewed vigour ; and in the following year, 
 1234, they extended their inroads as far as Shrewsbury, 
 a part of which they laid in ashes. 6 In the meantime 
 the King remained at Gloucester in helpless inactivity 
 until after the feast of the Epiphany, when he removed 
 to Winchester. 7 But his ministers found means to excite 
 the Earl's vassals in Ireland to a revolt ; so that Pem- 
 broke had to pass over to that country in haste, attended 
 by only fifteen knights. Here, after shewing extraordinary 
 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogion. The castle of Trevilan was situate in the vale of Ayron and 
 modern hundred of liar (South division) in Cardigan, just north of the river Ayron, and 
 7 miles N. by W. from Lampeter (Lewis' Top. Die.). 2 See above page 102. 3 Burke's 
 Dormant and Extinct Peerage. * Salusbury Pedigrees, copy penes the late Mr. J. 
 Morris, of Shrewsbury. 5 Kot. Wall. 6-9 Edw. I, m. 12 (de anno sexto). 6 Warring- 
 ton's Hist. 7 Powel's Hist.
 
 112 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 proofs of valour, he was treacherously wounded and taken 
 prisoner; and, after languishing fourteen days, he died 
 in confinement, not without suspicion of poison, on April 
 16, 1234 ; being succeeded .in all his honours by his 
 brother Gilbert. 
 
 Llewelyn was now induced to listen to terms of peace ; 
 and a treaty was made by which, amongst other things, 
 it was stipulated that all the Barons, as well English as 
 Welsh, who were confederated with Llewelyn in the late 
 war should be received to the King's peace, and re- 
 established in their honours and estates. 1 
 
 This was followed by a period of comparative tran- 
 quillity, and continued renewals of truce, which lasted for 
 some years. 
 
 During this period, in the year 1235, Owen, son of 
 Griffith ap Res, died at Strata Florida, on the Wednesday 
 after the octave of the Epiphany (January 18), and was 
 buried by the side of his brother Res; 2 " being" says 
 Powel " a noble Gentleman, and verie well beloved." 
 He was succeeded in the lordship of Cardigan CJwch 
 Ayron or North Cardigan by his son Meredith ap Owen. 
 
 In this year the Earl of Pembroke had a grant in fee, 
 from the crown, of the Honour of Carmarthen, and of 
 certain lands and castles in that county and in Cardigan. 3 
 It is doubtful whether any of these lands were at this 
 time in the King's hands ; nor do I think that the Earl 
 of Pembroke obtained possession of Cardigan Castle till 
 it was taken from Maelgon by his brother Walter 
 Mareschal in May 1240. 
 
 In the year 1236 died Gwenllian, daughter of Lord 
 Res the great, and wife of Ednyfed Vychan. 4 The 
 same Annalist who records her death, and who was pro- 
 bably a Monk of Strata Florida, incidentally throws a 
 light upon the seigneural rights of the young Lords of 
 Cardigan at this time. He tells us that about the 
 Feast of Michaelmas (1236) Maelgon ap Maelgon went 
 to Prince Llewelyn and, by payment of a heavy fine, 
 procured an exchange of lands between himself and 
 Meredith ap Owen, by which the latter gave to Maelgon 
 the commot of Mevenyth for that of Pennarth. And no 
 
 l "Warrington, compared with Powel and others. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. Clark's 
 Earls of Pembroke. 4 Annales Oambrise.
 
 PKINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 113 
 
 sooner was Mevenyth in Maelgon's hands than he pre- 
 pared to despoil the monks of Strata Florida of their 
 lands at Strata Meuric, which his ancestors as well as he 
 himself had given to the said monks. 1 
 
 The obituary of the year 1237 records the death of 
 Cynwric (or Kenwric); that of 1239 the death of 
 Meredith ddall (or the blind). Both were sons of the 
 Lord Res, and the last was buried at Whitland Abbey. 2 
 These brothers are said to have been blinded as youths 
 by order of King Henry II, in 1165, while helpless 
 hostages in his hands. 3 
 
 i Annales Cambria. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 3 It is worthy of note that thesa per- 
 sons survived their merciless sentence "72 and 74 years respectively ; an observation 
 which suggests that mere infants were given as hostages in the campaign of 1165. 
 
 Q
 
 114 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 In the year 1238, Prince Llewelyn, who was now 
 growing old and infirm, convened a meeting of the Welsh 
 Lords at Strata Florida; where they renewed to him 
 their oaths of allegiance, and likewise did homage to 
 David, his son by the Princess Joan, who was preferred 
 by Llewelyn to his elder son Griffith as his successor. 
 But the King was so jealous of his authority over Wales, 
 that he sent him a summons to appear before him at 
 Worcester, under a safe conduct, to answer for this pro- 
 ceeding. And Matthew Paris informs us that Prince 
 Llewelyn, being impotent by reason of a palsy, and sore 
 disquieted by his son Griffith, sent ambassadors to the 
 King of England, signifying to him, that forasmuch as 
 he could not expect to live long, by reason of his age, he 
 was desirous to lead the remainder of his days in peace 
 and quietness ; and therefore he now proposed to submit 
 himself to the government and protection of the King, 
 of whom he was willing to hold his lands ; promising 
 withal that, whenever the King required his assistance, 
 he would serve him, botli with men and money, to the 
 utmost of his power. 1 
 
 Such a peace was afterwards concluded, though in fact 
 it was nothing more than a continuation of the truce for 
 another year. Prince Llewelyn died in April, 1240 ; 2 
 and was succeeded by his son David, who at this time 
 had his brother Griffith in prison. 
 
 In May, 1240, David ap Llewelyn, Prince of North 
 Wales, attended by his Barons, made his submission to 
 the King at Gloucester; where a peace was concluded 
 on the following conditions, namely, that David should 
 surrender his claim to the independency of North Wales 
 as well as to such territories as had been claimed by 
 Griffith ap Wenunwen and other of the King's vassals. 
 Moreover by this treaty the homages of all the Barons of 
 
 1 "Warrington, and Powel. 2 Annalea de Theokesbcria.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 115 
 
 Wales were to remain to the King and his heirs, and all 
 homicides and other injuries were to be mutually forgiven. 1 
 
 In this same month Walter Mareschal, who seems to 
 have been acting for his brother, Earl Gilbert, brought a 
 great army to Cardigan and strengthened the castle by 
 building the tower. 2 And about this time he took pos- 
 session of certain lands pertaining to the Honour of 
 Carmarthen in the name of his brother Gilbert. 3 These 
 lands were, doubtless, the Lordships of Emlyn and 
 Oisterlof, from which he ejected Cynan ap Howel the 
 Welsh Lord thereof ; 4 a fuller account of which lawless 
 transaction will be given in a future page. 
 
 During this time the Lords of South Wales were left 
 to defend themselves as best they could against the attacks 
 of their English neighbours ; and we find Maelgon shortly 
 afterwards complaining to the King and his council of 
 the treatment he had received at the hands of Gilbert, 
 Earl of Pembroke, with whom he seems to have been at 
 one time in treaty. 
 
 We have a full account of this transaction in the Plea 
 Roll for the morrow of St. Michael 25 Hen. Ill (Septem- 
 ber 30, 124 1), 5 from which we learn that G. Marescall 
 Earl of Pembroke was summoned to appear before the 
 King to answer to the said King and to Meylgon son of 
 Melgon why he took the homage of the said Meylgon, 
 against his will, for all his lands between the rivers of 
 AY run and Tywy which the said Meylgon ought to hold 
 of the King in capite, as all his ancestors had held them 
 of the King's ancestors, being Kings of England, and for 
 which the same Meylgon had already done homage to the 
 King himself. 
 
 To which summons the Earl appeared and made 
 answer, that he and Meylgon had entered into confedera- 
 tion, and he proffered a certain writing in which it was 
 contained that a certain compact had been made between 
 the said Earl and the aforesaid Meylgon, to the effect that 
 Res the son of Meylgon should marry Isabella daughter 
 
 l Warrington ; Appendix to Towel's Hist. (ed. of 1774). On this occasion 
 Henry girded his nephew David ap Llewelyn with a knightly sword, and conceded to 
 him all the lands which his father had lawfully held ; and David wore the lesser Diadem, 
 which is called "garlonde," the "insigne" of the Principality of North Wales, 
 subjecting himself for all that he held, however, to the King of England (Annales 
 de Theokesheria) ; Rymer's Faedera. 2 & 3 Annales Cambriae. 4 Inq. 16 Edw. I, 
 Is'o. 77. 5 Abbreviatio Placitorum, p. 108.
 
 116 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 of the said Earl, and that as well the said Meylgon as the 
 aforesaid Res and his heirs should hold all the aforesaid 
 lands, except the Castle of Kardigan and the commot of 
 Hishirwen, which the said .Earl had of the King's gift, 
 of the said Earl and his heirs, saving the fealty of both 
 towards King Henry himself, for ever, and thereupon 
 he received his homage. 
 
 He was asked by what warrant he did this. He replied 
 that he did it by virtue of the King's gift of the castle of 
 Kardigan and the commot with the appurtenances. And 
 he said that when the King gave him the aforesaid castle 
 neither the King himself was in seizin thereof nor yet the 
 said Earl. But after Llewelyn was dead, the aforesaid 
 Meylgon being not at that time in the King's fealty, 
 the said Earl, by virtue of the aforesaid gift, sent his 
 brother Walter with an army against Meylgon, who took 
 from him all the said lands. And he said it was true that 
 the King and his ancestors had always been accustomed 
 to hold the aforesaid lands in the same way that he now 
 held them, and even in time of peace. And moreover he 
 said that when he delivered up to the King the Honour of 
 Aquila the King conceded to him all his castles, lands, 
 and tenements, and all his tenures with their appur- 
 tenances which he held 011 that day, namely, on the 
 Vigil of Saint Botolph, as well in England as in Wales. 
 And to this the Roll of the Chancellor bore witness, in 
 which was recorded the King's charter which the Earl 
 then received. And he affirmed that he was in possession 
 of the aforesaid castle of Kardigan and the commot and 
 all the aforseaid lands on the aforesaid Vigil of St. 
 Botolph. And he sought that this might be allowed him. 
 And if that plea would not avail he had more to say. 
 
 And Meylgon appeared and said it was true that he had 
 done homage to the Earl for the aforesaid lands, and 
 that it had been so arranged between them under the 
 aforesaid compact, as it had been stated, but that he 
 did it under the force and compulsion of the Earl. He 
 urged that, whatever he might have done under force 
 and compulsion, he ought nevertheless to hold all the 
 aforesaid lands, except the castle of Cardigan and the com- 
 mot, of the Lord King in capite. And he proffered a charter 
 of King John, the father of the King that now is, which
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 117 
 
 testified that the said King John conceded, and by his 
 charter confirmed, to Meylgon the son of Res the iiij can- 
 treds which are called Kardigan, except the castle of Kar- 
 digan and the commot called Jiishirwen which the afore- 
 said Meylgon gave up to the said King John for two hun- 
 dred marks which he paid him ; and that he conceded 
 and confirmed to the same Meylgon the castle of Kilgaren 
 and Emelin to have and to hold to the aforesaid Meylgon 
 and his heirs, &c. He also proffered another charter of 
 the same .King which testified in like manner that the 
 same King conceded and confirmed to the aforesaid Meyl- 
 gon son of Res the aforesaid iiij cantreds, as well those 
 that were his of right as the others that he had acquired 
 or should acquire from the King's enemies, to hold of the 
 same King and his heirs ; and that the same Meylgon 
 gave up to the King and quitclaimed to him for ever the 
 said castle of Cardigan and the commot. Wherefore the 
 said Meylgon says that the aforesaid Meylgon son of Res, 
 his father, was enfeoffed by the said King John in all the 
 aforesaid lands (except the castle of Cardigan and commot 
 of hishirwen), and that he, after the death of the said 
 MVylgon his father, was seized of them until the said Earl 
 occupied them against him by force, and that by that 
 occupation he is injured to the amount of ten thousand 
 marks. 
 
 The Earl repudiated the force and injury, &c., as sup- 
 ported only by the word of Meylgon himself. And as to 
 the matter, with which the aforesaid Meylgon charges him, 
 of having imprisoned him at Kilgaren and compelled him 
 to make his homage and the aforesaid compact, namely 
 on the morrow of the birthday of our Lord (December 
 26, 1240), the Earl was then at Haverford in Wales ; 
 and he affirmed that Meylgon made his homage and the 
 aforesaid compact willingly and not by compulsion, 
 and thereupon he proffered evidence fproducit sectamj. 
 
 The Earl also asserted that the said King which now is 
 gave him the aforesaid castle of Kardigan and commot 
 with all their appurtenances by his charter of many years 
 since, and besides he placed himself in seizin of the afore- 
 said lands as those which were appurtenant to the afore- 
 said castle and commot, and which the King's bailiffs were 
 always accustomed to hold as appurtenances to the
 
 118 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 aforesaid castle except when the aforesaid Meylgon and his 
 ancestors had occupied them against the King, as they 
 had many times done; and so had the King in like 
 manner (frequently) occupied them against them. 
 
 He said moreover that the charters of King John which 
 the aforesaid Meylgon had produced were void because 
 neither the aforesaid Meylgon nor his ancestors had 
 ever, since those charters were made, had seizin of the 
 aforesaid lands for which he had taken the homage of 
 Meylgon, except by a violent occupation against the King 
 and in time of peace, wherefore it seemed to him that 
 those charters ought not to hurt him. 
 
 Meylgon now said that he knew not how to plead 
 according to the English custom nor had he any counsel 
 to assist him ; and therefore a day was given him to 
 deliberate until the morrow. And the same day was 
 given to the Earl so that he could say anything- else that 
 he wished on the morrow. 
 
 On the morrow the Earl appeared and was asked 
 whether he wished to say anything else ; and he had 
 nothing further to say, but he recited what he had before 
 said. Meylgon also said again that he knew not how to 
 plead nor had any counsel, but he truly affirmed that his 
 ancestors had held the aforesaid lands except the castle of 
 Kardigan and commot of the King in capite and that he 
 ought to hold them in like manner. And he said that he 
 was now in seizin of the aforesaid lands, for which he 
 had done homage to the King, and he sought to hold them 
 peaceably and desired that the King should take them 
 into his own hands. 
 
 Afterwards the King appeared and said that when he 
 gave the aforesaid Earl the said castle, &c., he was him- 
 self in seizin of the homage of the said Meylgon for the 
 other lands in which he had been previously enfeoif ed by 
 King John his father, and he sought judgment in his 
 favour because the Earl had acknowledged that he had 
 taken the homage of Meylgon for the same lands. More- 
 over he said that by the forcible occupation which the 
 Earl had made of the said lands against Meylgon he 
 had been injured in a manner that he would not have 
 taken ten thousand marks for the injury and disgrace, 
 for which he also sought judgment.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 119 
 
 The Earl denied that the force, &c., which he had used 
 or whatever he had done against the King's peace and 
 fealty had been done by him as against his lord ; and said 
 that it did not appear to him that he ought to make any 
 further answer inasmuch as he had already answered as 
 well the King as the aforesaid Meylgon in all things &c., 
 and nothing now remained but to pronounce judgment 
 fet nichil remansit ulterius faciendum nisi solummodojudiciumj. 
 
 Judgment was accordingly pronounced, as follows, 
 by the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Hereford, 
 and other of the lords spiritual and temporal. It 
 seemed to them that if those lands for which the Earl had 
 taken Meylgon's homage were appurtenances to the castle 
 of Kardigan and the commot, the Earl had then committed 
 trespass against the King because he had taken it without 
 the King's license, and because the King had not given him 
 the said castle with the appurtenances except for a term 
 which might come to an end, namely until he should res- 
 tore to him or his heirs his lands in Normandy, where- 
 fore, through such a donation, he could not take the per- 
 petual homage of the said Meylgon for the aforesaid lands. 
 Moreover if the said lands were not appurtenances to the 
 said castle and commot the Earl had nevertheless com- 
 mitted trespass against the King in taking the homage of 
 the said Meylgon, the King's Baron, for the lands which he 
 ought to hold of the King in capite. And so it was adjudged 
 that the King should receive the homage of Meylgon, his 
 Baron, and the Earl for his trespass was in misericordid. 
 
 Again, since the Earl had been summoned to appear 
 before the King at Wodestock at the instance and com- 
 plaint of Meylgon and the Earl had sufficiently defended 
 himself against the said Meylgon, it was adjudged that the 
 Earl might retire sine die and that the said Meylgon was 
 in misericordid. Touching the other matter of which the 
 King had accused the Earl, as to the damage he had 
 received often thousand marks (although the King had not 
 stated how or in what way), the Earl had sufficiently 
 defended himself against the King, and it was adjudged 
 that he should be acquitted thereof "juxta illud mamelcs. 
 fremeles." It was moreover to be understood that both he 
 and Meylgon renounced the compact into which they 
 had entered, and conceded that if any instrument for the
 
 120 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 same consideration should thereafter be made it should 
 be altogether null and void. 
 
 Not long after this, namely, on the 27th of June, 1241, 
 Gilbert, Earl of Pembroke, came to an untimely end. 
 He had advertised a tournament to take place " a cross- 
 bow shot" from Hertford, before taking his departure for 
 the Holy Land. The tournament he called "a fortune" 
 in order to evade the Royal Proclamation. 1 While 
 spurring and checking his powerful unbroken Italian 
 war horse, the bridle snapped at the bit, and the animal 
 raised his head and struck his rider sharply on the breast. 
 The Earl was heavily armed, and much fatigued; he fell 
 senseless, and was dragged with one foot in the stirrup 
 and severely injured. He died that same evening in the 
 priory at Hertford, where his bowels were buried before 
 the high altar ; and, on the day following his death, his 
 body was conveyed to the Temple in London, his brother 
 Walter leading the procession. 2 
 
 Upon the death of Earl Gilbert, John de Monmouth 
 was made chief Bailiff of the counties or honours of Car- 
 digan and Carmarthen ; and the Earldoms descended to 
 Walter brother of Gilbert, to whom the custody of these 
 castles was afterwards restored. 3 
 
 In the meantime David ap Llewelyn had taken up 
 arms in the spring of the year 1241, and invaded the 
 territories of Ralph de Mortimer; but before the year 
 ended he was constrained to accept of more stringent and 
 humiliating terms, whereby he consented to give up his 
 brother Griffith to the King, to restore to the Barons all 
 such lands, lordships, and castles, as had been taken from 
 them since the commencement of the war between King 
 John and Llewelyn, to make satisfaction for all injuries; 
 and to defray all the charges of King Henry in the late 
 expedition, to restore to him all the homages which King 
 John had received or ought to have received, especially 
 from the noblemen of Wales, and lastly to pledge him- 
 self under the penalty of forfeiture, that he would never 
 again recede from the King's service or disobey his com- 
 mands, for which he gives hostages. 4 
 
 1 The classical usage of the Latin word !' discrimen " exactly illustrates the Earl's 
 idea. 2 & 3 Clark's Earls of Pembroke. 4 Warrington, and Appendix to Powel's 
 Hist.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 121 
 
 On May 15, 1242, the King embarked at Portsmouth 1 
 on his unfortunate expedition to Gascony, from whence 
 he returned in September 1243, reaching Portsmouth 
 about the 27th of that month. 2 
 
 In the year 1244 Res Mechyll (otherwise called Res 
 Vychan), son of Res Grig died. 3 And in that same year, 
 before the end of April, 4 Griffith ap Llewelyn broke his 
 neck in attempting to escape from the King's prison in 
 London. 5 Whereupon the King gave to his eldest son 
 Edward the title of Prince of Wales ; a measure which 
 so exasperated Prince David that he took up arms again 
 at once. He was joined by all the Welsh Princes except 
 Griffith ap Madoc, Griffith ap Wenwynwyn, and Morgan 
 ap Howel, who were afterwards compelled to join the 
 confederacy. 
 
 The Welshmen were supported by Pope Innocent IV, 
 who released them from their oath of allegiance to the 
 King. And David, encouraged by so powerful an 
 alliance, invaded the Marches and ravaged the estates of 
 the English Lords. Henry was in the North when the 
 war broke out, and though he returned from the Scottish 
 border with a powerful army, he did not then think it 
 expedient to keep together his army or to visit the Welsh 
 border in person. The Earl of Hereford and the most 
 powerful of the Lords Marchers were commissioned to 
 check the depredations of the Welsh, but they were 
 unable to make head against them, and after one or two 
 ineffectual attempts to negotiate a peace, the King caused 
 David and his adherents to be excommunicated by the 
 English Bishops, and prepared to invade Wales in person 
 in the following year. 
 
 On January 6, 1245, the King expedites his letters to 
 John de Monrnouth, commanding him to summon the 
 following Barons of South Wales to appear before him 
 at his court at Westminster on the morrow of Ash Wed- 
 nesday, to answer, and to receive judgment, concerning 
 
 1 Introduction to Record Edition of Excerpta e Rot. Fin., by C. Roberts. 2 MS. Itin. 
 Hen. III. It is stated in the Brut that in 1242 Maelgon Vychan strengthened his 
 castle of Garthgrugyn. I have not been able to identify this castle, nor do I know 
 to whom the statement refers. There was another Maelgon Vychan or Maelgon 
 ap Maelgon living at this date, who was one of the Lords of Melenith or Keri, and 
 since it is recorded at the same time that the castle of Buellt was strengthened by John 
 de Mynou, and that of Melenith by Roger Mortimer. I think it probable that this 
 notice may refer to Maelgon Vychan of Melenith. 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. * Rymer's 
 Fnedera. 5 Brnt-y-Tywysogion, W.irrmgton. &r. 
 
 B
 
 122 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 the homicides, burnings, depredations, and other trans- 
 gressions and injuries which they have perpetrated 
 against the King's peace, namely Maelgun fil. Maelgun ; 
 Mereduk fil. Oweyn ; Mereduk fil. Res Screk ; Filii Res 
 Wachan ; Res fil. Griffin fil. Morgan Gam ; and Howeil 
 Amereduk (i.e. Howel ap Meredith). 1 
 
 This will give us an approximate representation of the 
 chief lords of South Wales at this period, Maelgon and 
 Meredith ap Owen being the lords of Cardigan, Meredith 
 ap Res, and his nephews the sons of Res Mechyll ap Res 
 Grig, being the lords of Carmarthen, and Res ap Griffith 
 ap Morgan Gam and Howel ap Meredith being the con- 
 temporary lords of Gwent. 
 
 Similar instructions were at the same time issued to 
 John le Strange, Justice of Chester, with respect to the 
 Barons of North Wales. 
 
 On January 10 the King sent orders to Maurice fitz 
 Gerald, the Justiciary of Ireland, to invade the Welsh 
 coasts and to give the King's army of Wales such assistance 
 as he could. During the ensuing month, constant hostilities 
 were carried on between the English and Welsh, and 
 repeated engagements took place, in one of which the 
 brave Herbert fitz Matthew was slain by the Welshmen 
 near Montgomery. 
 
 It was not till after Midsummer, however, that the 
 King reached Wales in person. He summoned all his 
 nobles and military chiefs to assemble on the Border 
 about the beginning of July, and arrived at Gloucester 
 himself on July 20. On the 1st of August he was at 
 Worcester, on the 5th at Bridgenorth, on the 6th at 
 Wenlock, on the 8th at Shrewsbury, and on the llth at 
 Chester, where he remained till the 21st, after which he 
 joined the camp at Gannok 2 (the name given by the 
 English to Diganwy in Caernarvonshire). Here he 
 remained for more than two months fortifying the castle 
 and strengthening his position in those parts. During 
 this time his soldiers had constant engagements with the 
 Welsh, who had the advantage of being in their own 
 country, but the King's army does not appear to have 
 been able to penetrate the interior of Wales. 
 
 The situation of the English at this time must have 
 
 1 Rymer's Frcdera. 2 MS. Itin. Hen. III.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 123 
 
 been a very trying one. Matthew Paris has preserved 
 an interesting letter written by a nobleman in the English 
 army, which is dated on Sept. 24, from the King's 
 camp at Gannok, describing the want of necessaries which 
 prevailed there. It gives an account of an engage- 
 ment between a detachment of Welsh, on the one side, 
 and 300 Welshmen, Marchers of Cestreshire and Salopes- 
 buryrsbire, on the other, the object of which was to gain 
 possession of an Irish vessel laden with provisions which 
 had been stranded. "We lie here," says the writer, 
 " watching, praying, fasting, and freezing. We ivatch in 
 defense against the Welsh, who beat up our quarters 
 every night ; we pray for a safe passage home ; we fast 
 because we have no food left, the half-penny loaf being 
 raised to five pence ; and we freeze because we have no 
 warm clothing and only linen tents to keep out the cold." 
 
 The King remained in camp at Gannok from August 
 25 to October 28. On that or the following day he moved 
 to Chester where he stayed till November 3. It is difficult 
 to estimate the exact results of this campaign. The 
 English, less accustomed to cold and privation than the 
 hardy Welshmen, suffered severely from these causes, and 
 large numbers of them perished besides those who were 
 slain by the Welshmen. On the other hand the Welsh- 
 men were hardly pressed by the English and Irish and 
 lost numbers by starvation besides those who fell by the 
 sword. The war must have been very disastrous to 
 them, and unquestionably left them in a crippled and 
 impoverished state. 
 
 We hear but little of how this war was conducted in 
 South Wales, but the siege of the castle of Deresloyn 
 (Drosslwyn) by Nicholas de Moels, the Seneschal of Car- 
 marthen, is mentioned by one of the Annalists. 1 
 
 Towards the close of the war the King renewed his 
 overtures to the several Welsh Lords, and on November 1 
 he declares by his letters patent, dated from Chester, 
 that if Nicholas de Moels and Robert Walerand should 
 happen to receive to the King's peace the sons of Res 
 Junior, the King would remit to them all the indignation 
 he had conceived against them for having receded from 
 his fidelity and adhered to David ap Llewelyn, and 
 would receive them back to his favour. 2 
 
 l Annales Cambria- (c). 2 Pat. 30 Hen. Ill, m, 10.
 
 124 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 The King left Chester two days afterwards and pro- 
 ceeded by Combermere, Lilleshali, Roddington and Wor- 
 cester, to Windsor, which he reached on November 29. l 
 
 In the course of this month, by means of large bribes, 
 he had won over the Pope to his side, who now consented 
 to the excommunication of David and his adherents. 
 And on November 10 the King issued a new proclama- 
 tion from Worcester forbidding his subjects to hold any 
 communication with his enemies the Welsh. 2 
 
 We must not omit to notice the death of Walter, Earl 
 of Pembroke, which occurred on November 24, and was 
 quickly followed by that of his last surviving brother, 
 Anselm Mareschal, who died eleven days later, when the 
 great inheritance of the family was divided between his 
 sisters or their representatives. The estates, in Dy vet or 
 West Wales alone, comprised the Lordships of Tenby, St. 
 Florence, Pembroke, Haverford, Castle Martin, and 
 Narberth, with lands, &c., in Kilgerran. Isabel, wife of 
 David ap Llewelyn was one of the Earl's nieces and 
 co-heirs ; and it is observable that the King's Bailiff was 
 ordered to retain the castle of Haverford and 66 16s. 8d. 
 of rent in Haverford which fell to her share. 3 
 
 Prince David ap Llewelyn died at Aberconway in 
 March, 1246; and as he left no issue, he was succeeded 
 by his two nephews, Owen Goch and Llewelyn, who 
 divided his dominions between them. 4 
 
 It is probable that Meredith ap Owen, and Meredith ap 
 Res Grig had ere this returned to the King's peace, and 
 been confirmed by him in the possession of their lands ; 
 for in this year, after the death of David, they were com- 
 missioned, in conjunction with Nicholas de Moels, 
 Justice of Carmarthen, to dispossess Maelgon Vychan of 
 his lands. Maelgon was thereupon compelled to flee into 
 North Wales, to Owen and Llewelyn, the sons of Griffith 
 ap Llewelyn, and leave his territory to strangers; 
 " because the royal power summoned all that adhered to 
 the King against Owen and Llewelyn, and Maelgon 
 Vychan, and Howel ap Meredith of Glamorgan, who 
 were then along with them in Gwyneth, being entirely 
 
 l MS. Itin. Hen. III. 2 Kymer's Fseclwa. 3 Clark's Earls of Pembroke. 4 Brut- 
 y-Tywysogion.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 125 
 
 dispossessed by the Earl of Clare. 1 And when they 
 became acquainted with that they kept themselves in the 
 mountains and wilds." 2 
 
 On August 20, 1246, the King took the homage of 
 Res the son of Res Wachan (or Vaughan) at Woodstock. 
 And because the same Res and his brothers and their men 
 had returned to the King's fealty, the King's lieges are 
 commanded to suffer the said Res and his brothers to pass 
 hither and thither freely where they will. 3 
 
 On August 27, 1246, the King issues his letters patent, 
 dated at Woodstock, ratifying and confirming the assign- 
 ment of Gwonhonithe (Gwynnionith) which his beloved 
 and faithful Mereduk son of Owen had made to his wife 
 Elen in dower, at the door of the church, when they were 
 married. 4 
 
 On the 25th of November of that year, the King, by his 
 letters patent dated at Clarendon, notifies that he had 
 received to his favour, homage, and fealty, Mailgon son of 
 Mailgon, and by his favour conceded to him two corn- 
 mots of land with the appurtenances in the county of 
 Kaerdigan, namely the commot of Goneyrglyn, and the 
 commot of Yscoeyt, which "Mereducus films Oweyn" 
 formerly held, to be held by the said Mailgon and his 
 heirs of the King and his heirs, so long as they should 
 adhere to his fealty and service. 5 
 
 From a subsequent inquisition, which will be more 
 fully quoted in due course, it appears that Maelgon had 
 made an exchange of territory with Meredith ap Owen 
 about the year 1245, by which the dominion of the 
 former had been transferred to Uch Ayron, and that of 
 Meredith to Is Ayron in which the commot of Iscoed was 
 situate. 6 It is probable that when Maelgon was driven 
 from his lands, in 1246, some portion of them were trans- 
 ferred to Meredith ap Owen, who acted at that time in 
 conjunction with the King's Justiciary of Carmarthen 
 against Maelgon ; and on Maelgon's submission to the 
 
 l This dispossession by the Earl of Clare must be understood to apply to Howel ap 
 Meredith, of Glamorgan, only. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion. The Princes of Gwyneth held 
 their own against the King through the winter but were compelled to make their peace 
 with him in the following spring under very rigorous conditions, whereby they sur- 
 rendered to the King the whole country between the frontier of Cheshire and the river 
 Con way together with the homage of all the Barons of Wales (Ilymer's Faedera). 
 3 Rot. Pat. 30 Hen. Ill, m. 2. * Ibid. 5 Rot. Pat. 31 Hen. Ill, m. . 6 Inq. p.m. 
 . I. No. 7<5.
 
 126 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 King in November, 1246, there were only given to him 
 for his dominion the cornmots of Geneurglyn and Iscoed- 
 Ucherwern, which formed the two extremities of the land 
 of Cardigan, and which (as we are informed by the Welsh 
 Annalist) were all that he could obtain of his inheritance. 1 
 He was afterwards allowed to exchange the commot of 
 Iscoed for that of Crewthyn f under which arrangement 
 his territory will have consisted of the two Northern 
 commots. 
 
 On January 27, 1247, the King by his charter dated at 
 Windsor, conceded to Mereduk son of Res the land of Iken 
 [or Iscennen], which he claimed as his by right of inheritance 
 (jure hereditarioj , to have and to hold to himself and his 
 heirs according to the law and custom of Wales so long 
 as they shall continue faithful to the King's service : and 
 if the King or his heirs should wish to take the said land 
 into their own hands they will give to Meredith or his 
 heirs a reasonable exchange for it. 3 It is probable that he 
 never obtained seizin of this commot ; for we learn from 
 the Liberate Roll of the same year that Mereduc fil. Res 
 had lost his lands on account of his service to the King ; 
 and, on August 20, 1248, the Sheriff of Salop and Staf- 
 ford is ordered to allow him 20 out of the revenues of 
 the said counties to support him in the King's service. 4 
 In a subsequent order to the same sheriff, in the year 
 1250, it is stated that he receives this sum annually ; 5 and 
 we find by repeated entries in the said Roll that he con- 
 tinued to receive it by half-yearly instalments until the 
 41st of Henry III, Nov., 1256, inclusive; after which no 
 such entries occur on the Liberate Roll. 
 
 While Meredith ap Res was thus taking part with the 
 King, his nephew Res Vychan and his cousin Maelgon 
 Vychan had once more fallen away from their allegiance. 
 Under the year 1248 we are told that Owen [ap Meredith] 
 ap Robert obtained Cedewen his right ; 6 and Res Vychan 
 ap Res Mechyll recovered the castle of Carreg Cennen, 
 
 1 Annalos Cambria;. 2 Inq. p.m. 7 Edw. I, No. 76. 3 Pat. 31 Hen. Ill, m. 8. 
 4 Lib. Rot. 32 Hen. Ill, m. 3. 5 In the Pipe-Roll of Michaelmas 1250, the Sheriff of 
 Shropshire states the cognate payment. Et Mereduc fil. Rid 10 de termino Sti Jlich. 
 hoc anno, per breve Regis de 20 quas percipit per annum per manus Vieecomitis Salopia 
 ad sustentandum se in servitio Regis. 6 Brut-y-Tywysogion. The Lordship of 
 Cedewen, which formed an ancient cantrev situate in the present county of Montgomery, 
 was held by Meredith ap Robert in 1210. He was one of the chief supporters and con- 
 federates of Llewelyn ap Jerwerth in 1211 and during the period of his triumphs in 
 1215-16. When the castle of Kinnerley, co. Salop, had been ransacked and demolished
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 127 
 
 which his mother had deceitfully given over to the 
 English out of ill-will towards her son. 1 On September 
 26, 1250, Henry, by his charter, dated at Windsor, 
 commits to Robert Walerand the custody of the castles of 
 Carmarthen and Cardigan, and the lands which belonged 
 to Mailgon son of Mailgon, and likewise the island of 
 Lundy, to hold during the King's pleasure, he paying for 
 them, during time of peace, 40 marks, and covenanting 
 to give up the island in its present state as to farming stock 
 and utensils. 2 We cannot assume from this that these 
 lands were then actually in the King's hands: but it is 
 not easy to follow the many changes of ownership which 
 took place during this period in which Prince Edward 
 was assuming to himselt' the jurisdiction as well as the 
 title of Prince of Wales. 
 
 At the close of the year 1251 we have to record the death 
 of Morgan son of the Lord Res, after taking the religious 
 habit at Strata Florida. 3 And in the following year, 1252, 
 Res junior, the son of Res Vaphan (or Vychan), gives the 
 King 20 marks to hold the same liberties and customs, for 
 his lands in Keyrmardin, which he and his ancestors had 
 held in the time of Llewelyn formerly Prince of North 
 Wales. 4 At this time Wales was tolerably quiet; and 
 William de Valence and the Bishop of Bangor declared 
 officially that the Marches were subdued to the English law. 6 
 
 by the forces of Llewelyn, during the minority of Henry III, in 1222-3, Llewelyn 
 bound himself to make satisfaction for the damage done. On this occasion Mereduc fil. 
 Roberti was one of his securities for the performance of the agreement (Pat. 7 Hen. Ill, 
 m. 2 in dorso). He was also one of those Welsh Barons who, in 1211, petitioned the 
 King in behalf of Griffith ap Llewelyn the brother of David Prince of North Wales. 
 The Brut records the death of Meredith ap Robert, chief counsellor of Wales, after 
 taking the religious habit at Strata Florida, in 1244. The death of Owen ap Meredith 
 ap Robert, of Cedewen, in 1236, is previously recorded. I know not to whom this last 
 mentioued notice refers. But in 1248 the chronicler states that "Owen ap Robert 
 obtained Cedewen his right." This statement is somewhat inaccurate and calculated 
 to mislead. It was Owen ap Meredith, and not Owen ap Robert, who thus recovered 
 11 in 1248 ; for in that year, on July 30, Oweyn fil. Mereduc paid 300 marks to 
 the King that he might hold the land of Kedewy which had belonged to the said 
 Meredith ; and the Bailiff of Montgomery had orders to put him in seizin thereof after 
 taking his security for the said 300 marks (Rot. Fin 32 Hen III, m. 3). But this is 
 not the only instance in which I find the term " ap " applied to the lapse of more than 
 one generation. Owen ap Meredith, Lord of Cedewen, died in 1261 (Brut-y-Tywy- 
 sogion). In 1278 Owen son of Madoc complains to the King to whom he addresses 
 himself as " homo tester de Krdewein" that, after he hud come to the King's peace, his 
 men had been spoiled of their goods by the men of Griffin son of Gwenoewey (Rot. 
 Parl. 6 Edw. I, No. 26). This Owen ap" Madoc may, not improbably, have been the 
 grandson of Owen ap Meredith ; but of this I have no evidence. 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywysogion. '! Rot. Fin. 34 Hei. Ill, m. 2. 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 
 According" to the" Golden Grove MS. Morgan ap Res was Lord of Llangyby and own 
 brother to Maelgon Mawr. 4 Rot. Fin. 36 Hen. Ill, m. 1 . 5 Clark's Earls of Pembroke.
 
 128 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 In August, 1253, Henry sailed for Bordeaux, leaving 
 the care of the Kingdom to Prince Edward, Richard Earl 
 of Cornwall, and the Queen. After his success in Gascony, 
 in 1254, a marriage was arranged between Prince Edward 
 and Elianor, sister of the King of Castile, which was 
 solemnized in October of that year ; and the King made 
 over to Prince Edward his rights in Ireland, Wales, and 
 Gascony. 
 
 In this year, on the Feast of St. Katherine (Nov. 25, 
 1254) Gwenllian or Gwenthlian, daughter of Maelgon 
 Vychan, died at Llanvihangel Gelynrod, and was buried 
 in the Chapter House of the Monks at Strata Florida. 1 
 
 The King and Queen kept their Christmas at Boulogne, 
 and embarked for England on the night of St. John the 
 Apostle (Dec. 26). 2 
 
 In the following year 1255, died Meredith ap Llewelyn, 
 the widower of Gwenthlian, whose death we have just 
 recorded, by whom he left an only son and heir. 3 And 
 soon afterwards, about the Feast of St. John the Baptist, 
 died Res, the only son of Maelgon Vychan, a young 
 man of high promise, after taking the habit of religion 
 at Strata Florida, and there he was buried, near his 
 sister, in the Chapter House of the Monks. 4 
 
 The same year there was a quarrel between the sons 
 of Griffith ap Llewelyn, the Princes of North Wales. 
 Owen Goch, the eldest brother, not enduring a rival in 
 the government, induced David his younger brother to 
 take part with him against Llewelyn. A battle ensued 
 in which Llewelyn was victorious, his brother David fled, 
 and Owen was taken prisoner ; whereupon Llewelyn took 
 possession of their territories, and from this time forward 
 held an undivided sway in North Wales. 
 
 The obituary for this year records the death of 
 
 1 Brut-y-Tywrsogion ; Annales Cambriae. 2 Florence of Worcester. The Festivals 
 of that period were deemed to commence at sunset of the previous day. St. John's 
 night would thus be the night of December 26. 3 & 4 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 129 
 
 Margaret, daughter of Maelgon, the wife of Owen ap 
 Meredith, Lord of Kedewen, who died on the Saturday 
 next before the Feast of St. Michael (Sept. 25, 1255), and 
 was buried by the side of her brother, at Strata Florida. 1 
 
 In the following year, 1256, Prince Edward came into 
 Wales to take a survey of his newly acquired castles and 
 lands. The English Prince took no pains to conciliate 
 the Welshmen over whom he now claimed jurisdiction, 
 and whom he affected to treat as a conquered race. The 
 tyranny and oppression which they endured at his hands 
 and those of his Lieutenants, the alterations he effected 
 in their ancient laws, and the cruel manner in which they 
 were made to feel their galling yoke lashed the Welshmen 
 into frenzy, and induced them to rise against their foreign 
 oppressors. After Prince Edward had returned to 
 England, and about the calends of August (July, 1256), 
 the Welsh nobles repaired to Llewelyn ap Griffith and 
 complained of the treatment they had received, how that 
 they had many of them been deforced of their lands, 
 " and if at anie time they did offend, they were punished 
 with extremetie, but where they were wronged they 
 found no rernedie. Therefore they protested, before God 
 and him, that they would rather die in the field in defense 
 of their right than be made slaves by strangers : where- 
 upon the Prince pitieing his own estate and theirs deter- 
 mined, together with them, utterly to refuse the rule of 
 the Englishmen, and rather to die in libertie than to live 
 in thraldome, shame, and approbie." 2 And so, by their 
 incitement and advice, Llewelyn invaded the Midland 
 country [now Denbighshire and Flintshire, which had 
 been given to Prince Edward by the King] and subdued 
 the whole of it before the end of the week, except the 
 castles of Diganwy and Diserth. In this expedition he 
 was accompanied by Meredith ap Res Grig, who had been 
 kt ]t out of his lands !>v the machinations of his English 
 neighbours and his nephew Res Vychan. 
 
 Having thus completed his conquest of the Midland 
 country, Llewelyn occupied the land of Merioneth, which 
 
 l Annales Cambria;. In the Brut he is called Owen ap Robert (see note to page 127). 
 In the same chronicle it is next recorded that the great hell of Strata Florida was 
 bought for three score and thirty-seven marks and two kine ; and it wa immediately 
 put up, and consecrated by the Bishop of Bangor. n Powel's History.
 
 130 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 he appropriated to himself. 1 And from thence marching- 
 Southwards he passed the night of the first Monday in 
 Advent (Dec. 4) at Llampadarn Vawr, and the night 
 following at Morvamaur. Here he was met by Meredith 
 ap Owen, whose fealty he received and to whom he con- 
 ceded those parts of Cardigan which had been usurped 
 by Prince Edward, together with all the land of Buellt, 
 of which he had taken forcible possession. Meredith ap 
 Res was also reinstated by him in the lands of which he 
 had been deprived, and Llewelyn further conferred upon 
 him, with an hereditary title to their possession, the lands 
 of his nephew Res Vychan, from which the latter was 
 ejected. 2 The Prince concluded his campaign by wrest- 
 ing from Roger Mortimer the territory of Gwrthryneon, 
 which he kept in his own hands, and prosperously returned 
 home after Christmas Day. 3 
 
 In the meantime Prince Edward, having failed to 
 obtain assistance from the King, whose coffers were now 
 empty, repaired to his uncle Richard, Earl of Cornwall, 
 from whom he borrowed 4000 with the intention of 
 punishing the presumption of the Welsh, and waging a 
 war of extermination against them. But the winter of 
 that year was so wet and stormy that the whole country 
 of Wales, being without roads, was quite inaccessible to 
 the English, and thus Edward's labour and expenditure 
 of money were altogether in vain. 4 
 
 The events of the next year (1257), during which the 
 Welsh successfully maintained their independence and 
 kept their enemies at bay, shall be told, for the most part, 
 in the words of the Welsh Annalist, who records their 
 exploits at some length. 
 
 1 Llewelyn ap Meredith, Lord of Merioneth (whom I take to have been the only son 
 and hair of that Meredith ap Llewelyn, whose death is recorded as having occurred in 
 the previous year), was at this time serving on the King's side, as was also his neigh- 
 bour Griffith ap Madoc, Lord of Bromfield. Mr. Shirley the Editor of " Royal and 
 other letters illustrative of the reign of Henry III," gives a letter, which was 
 apparently written at this time, from Llewelyn tip M aredud to the King, in which he prays 
 the King to make some provision for him until he can recover his land of Meyrcnnid, 
 from which he had heen ejected by Llewelyn ap Griffith. His death is recorded in 
 the Welsh Annals as having been slain at the battle of Clunow on April 27, 1263. 
 2 & 3 Annales Cambrise. It is worthy of remark that the half-yearly allowance 
 which Meredith ap Res had for many years been receiving from the Sheriff of Shrop- 
 shire and Staffordshire was paid up to November 3, 1256 ; after which date no such 
 entry occurs in the Sheriffs accounts. This gives an independent testimony to the date 
 of the outbreak, which is spoken of by Matthew Paris as Laving occurred about All 
 Saints' Day. * Matthew
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 131 
 
 "After the Feast of the Epiphany Llewelyn entered 
 the territory of Griffith ap Wenwynwyn (the Lord of 
 Upper Powis, who sided with the English at this period 
 of the war), and taking up his quarters at Trallwng 
 (Welshpool) he burned the town, having summoned to 
 jfiis assistance two of the Lords of South Wales, namely 
 Meredith ap Owen and Meredith ap Res Grig. On the 
 other side of the Severn were assembled many English 
 Barons, namely John 1'Estrange, Griffith ap Wenwynwyn, 
 (Walter) Malefant, and many others, with the standard 
 of Prince Edward and a large host of armed men. The 
 English army now crossed the river and drew up in battle 
 array on a great field between the Severn and Eberriw. 
 The Welshmen seeing them prepared for action were 
 greatly enraged and marched on to the plain with an 
 innumerable force. And when the English perceived a 
 strong Welsh army resolutely occupying the field they 
 were seized with a sudden panic, and, without waiting to 
 confront the enemy, they ignominiously fled to the town 
 of Montgomery." Here the Annalist records a disgrace- 
 ful raid upon the Monks of Alba Domus by Stephen 
 Bauzan and other English Knights on the Monday next 
 after the Feast of the Purification, and then proceeds to 
 inform us that " in the ensuing Lent Llewelyn came with 
 a great army to the land of Kidwely, Carnwallaon, and 
 Gower, where he burned all that belonged to the English 
 in the aforesaid lands, as also in Abertawy, and having 
 subjugated all the Welshmen thereof he joyfully returned 
 
 home before Easter (which fell on April 8 in that year) 
 
 In those days certain nobles of Cardigan, namely the two 
 sons of Eineoii, and William, and the two sons of William 
 Goch, were killed by the Englishmen of Carmarthen at 
 Oisterlof." 1 
 
 It appears that Res Vychan ap Res Mechyll, on being 
 ejected from his lands, repaired to the English and sought 
 their aid to recover his lost possessions. The English 
 readily availed themselves of this opportunity of pro- 
 secuting their own aims ; and having raised an army 
 which was commanded by Stephen Bauzan, they set forth 
 under the guidance of Res Vychan, and passed the night 
 
 l Annalw Cnmhri*.
 
 132 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 of the "Wednesday after Pentecost (May 30) at Carmarthen. 
 From thence " they proceeded on the morrow with many 
 accoutred horses and implements of Avar prepared to 
 devastate the land of Stratewy ; and having with some 
 difficulty reached Llandeilo Vawr they there encamped 
 for the night under no apprehension of evil. But Mere- 
 dith ap Owen and Meredith ap Res Grig, the Lords of 
 Cardigan and Stratewy, assembled with all their forces, 
 and with great clamour surrounded the English in the 
 woods and groves and dingles, and annoyed and harassed 
 them, during the whole of the following day, with arrows 
 and other weapons of offence. On the Saturday, namely 
 on the Vigil of the Holy Trinity, being the 2nd of June 
 (iv. Nonas Junii), Res ap Res Mechyll, who had conducted 
 the English forces thither, deserted them in their perilous 
 situation, and secretly fled to the castle of Dynevor with 
 a few of his own retainers. The English knights, nothing 
 daunted, defended themselves under their coats of mail 
 (though such armour could 110 more protect them than 
 woollen garments, seeing that they placed their trust in 
 these rather than in God), and having held a council of 
 war they boldly turned their steps towards Cardigan. 
 The Welshmen now issued from the woods on every side 
 and vigourously assailed them from the first hour of the 
 day until noon. At Coeth Lathen the English lost all 
 their provisions with their baggage horses and palfreys, 
 to the great joy of their assailants. And about noon the 
 Welshmen, having skirmished with the retreating enemy 
 as far as Kemereu in Stratewy, rushed upon the English 
 soldiers and manfully cut them down from their armed 
 steeds, causing them to be trampled under the feet of 
 the cavalry, infantry, and horses in the marshes, dikes, 
 and trenches ; so that more than 3000 Saxons fell in that 
 day. Few, indeed, if any of the armed knights escaped 
 from that battle, and the Welshmen, safe and unharmed, 
 returned victoriously home with great spoils, including 
 many caparisoned horses and much armour, for which 
 they gave thanks to God." 1 
 
 We must always make some allowance for exaggeration 
 in the numbers given as killed and wounded on these 
 
 i Annales Cambriae. Sir Stephen Bauzan, Bazun, Bawson, Bawcen, Bacon, or 
 "Baiocis (for his name is thus variously spelt), who was slain at the battle of Kemereu,
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 133 
 
 occasions. Powel, who follows the Brut, places the 
 English loss at upwards of 2000 ; and calls the engage- 
 ment as " bloody a battle as ever was fought in Wales of 
 so many men." We learn from the Brut that Res 
 Vychan was seized by the garrison on reaching the castle 
 of Dynevor. 
 
 On the day after the battle, being Trinity Sunday, there 
 were slain of the English at Gower 1 94 men and six women. 1 
 
 After this the Welsh Princes marched to Dyvet and 
 destroyed the castles of Abercoran, Llanstephan, Nar- 
 berth, and Maenclochog, and set fire to the towns. 2 
 
 I have some difficulty here in verifying the dates of 
 the Brut, but I suppose it must have been during this 
 series of successes on the part of the Welsh that some 
 kind of reconciliation was effected between Meredith ap 
 Res and his nephew Res Vychan, which is said to have 
 taken place about the Feast of St. John the Baptist, after 
 which they jointly attacked Trevdraeth (or Newport) ; 
 and then, taking Meredith ap Owen along with them, 
 they invaded Rhos, and burned all the country except 
 Haverford. From thence they marched to Glamorgan, 
 and after reducing and taking the castle of Llangeneu 
 they returned home, having killed many and captured 
 others. And then Maelgon Vychan died, and was buried 
 in the chapter house of Strata Florida. 3 
 
 This Maelgon (II) and his father had both of them 
 been patrons and supporters of this Fraternity. Maelgon 
 (I), as " Mailyun fil. Resi principis South Wall." confirmed 
 the donations of his father Res, the founder, by his 
 charter dated 11 KV Fcbritarii 1198 ; to which confirma- 
 tion young Res ap Griffith, his nephew, was the first 
 witness " qui hanc donationem nostrum sua donations robo- 
 ravit" The monks had already had a previous confirm- 
 ation from Res ap Res (the brother of Maelgon) dated 
 
 was the eon of Hugh de Baiocis, Lord of that Barony in the county of Lincoln, and 
 hrother and heir of John de Baiocis who died in 1248. Besides his lands in Wales he 
 held of the King in eapite landrin the counties of Lincoln, Dorset, and Northampton. 
 Meyrick says that Sir Stephen Bawson had a grant of Brigan, in Llausannor, from 
 Richard, Earl of Gloucester, and built a house there. He certainly held one and a half 
 knight's fees in Hemingstrasse, co. Pembroke. After his death, in 1257, Agues, hia 
 widow, had a lease from the King in that year, for a term of six years, of the vill and 
 hundred of Wolton, co Oxon (Anh. Camb. 4th series, Vol V. Original documents). In 
 the Annals of Tewkesbury it is stated that the only two who survived this battle were 
 Nicholas de St. Martin and Itoger de Leyboune, of whom the former was taken prisoner. 
 
 1 Annales Cambria?. 2 & 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 134 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 19 KV JanuariillQS ; and with a commendable prudence 
 they also obtained a similar charter from the young Lord 
 Res in 1202, who as " Resus filius Griffini filii Resi Magni" 
 confirms the donations of his father Griffith, and those of 
 his grandfather Res and all his sons, to which deed his 
 mother Matilda and others are witnesses. In the deed 
 he states that he has confirmed this gift with the first seal 
 that he has ever used, and that before this charter he had 
 never given another to any man, neither had he had any 
 seal before this with which he had confirmed this charter. 
 The charter of Maelgon Junior, son of Maelgon ap Res 
 is witnessed by the Lord Maelgon (his father) and Morgan 
 ap Res. 1 
 
 Maelgon Vychan, the son of Maelgon ap Res, is said 
 by the heralds to have married Angharad, daughter of 
 Prince Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, by his wife Joan, illegiti- 
 mate daughter of King John. 2 He was succeeded in his 
 possessions by his grandson Llewelyn ap Res ap Maelgon. 3 
 
 The ravages of the Welsh had now become so serious 
 as to rouse the King to a mighty effort for their repres- 
 sion. On July 18, 1257, he summons his military 
 tenants to appear with horse and arms at Bristol on the 
 octaves of St. Peter ad Vincula (Aug. 8), informing them 
 that one part of his army would have to meet him at 
 Chester and the other part to proceed from Bristol against 
 the Welshmen of South Wales for the purpose of putting 
 down the enemy in that quarter ; 4 and on August 6 we 
 find the King himself at Chester, where he remained till 
 the 18th. On the 23rd he was in camp at Rhuddlan, on 
 the 25th at Abergele, on the 27th at Gannok, where he 
 remained till the 4th of September, and on September 1 1 
 he was in camp at Disserth in Flintshire. 5 
 
 This costly expedition, however, brought no honour to 
 the English arms. During all this time the Welshmen 
 of the North held their own against the King ; and Henry 
 disgusted with the campaign returned to Chester on the 
 12th of September, leaving the field to Llewelyn. 
 
 The army which had been despatched into South 
 Wales, under the command of the Earl of Gloucester 
 appears to have met with no better success ; but the 
 
 1 Harl. MS. 6068, fo. 10. 2 Her. Vis. Wai., Vol. II, p. 99. 3 Inq. p.m. 7 Edw. I, 
 No. 76. 4 Kymer's Ffedera. 5 MS. Itin. Hen. III.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 135 
 
 diplomacy of Henry's Ministers was more effective, for 
 they succeeded in seducing- Meredith ap Res from his 
 Welsh allegiance. It is probable that Res Vychan, his 
 nephew, who had been taken prisoner by the garrison of 
 the castle of Dynevor, whither he had fled on the night 
 before the battle of Kemereu, had since made his peace 
 with Llewelyn, who may have allowed him to re-enter 
 upon some of the lands of which he had been despoiled 
 in the previous year in favour of his kinsman Meredith. 
 Such an arrangement, though seemingly acquiesced in at 
 the time, would have naturally been unacceptable to 
 Meredith ap Res and probably produced a feeling of 
 resentment against Llewelyn. At any rate we find him 
 at this time in treaty with the English ; and on October 
 18, 1257, he had a pardon conceded to him, by charter 
 dated at Westminster, wherein the Bang promises that 
 he will not receive to his peace either Llewelyn ap Griffith, 
 or Meredith ap Owen, or Res junior, until Res ap Mere- 
 dith shall have been first consulted with. 1 
 
 On the same day, for his faithful service, the King con- 
 cedes to him the two commots of Mebeweniaun and 
 Wenionith in Cardiganshire, which belonged to Meredith 
 ap Owen. 2 By a second charter of the same date the 
 King also concedes to Meredith ap Res all the land which 
 he now holds, namely, Hyrhrin, and Matheyn with the 
 castle also of Lanemdeyry(Llandovery), commot Pertieth, 
 and Ikenn (Iscennen) with the castle of Droysleyn, 
 Emelyn, and Estrelef, with the new castle, and Maynahur 
 Lonsawil, and Maniaur inter Turth and Kothy, and the 
 whole land of Kayo. He also concedes to him all the land of 
 Res junior, namely Mabuderith, and Mabelneu (Mabelfed), 
 and Meynaur Teylau ( Manor Deilo), Ketheynauth (Ceth- 
 inioc), and Meynaur filiorum Seysild (Widigadaf?) with 
 the castles of Dinevor and Karrekemien (Carregcennen) 
 witli all their appurtenances for ever. 3 
 
 Proposals for peace were now made by the Welsh 
 Princes on the following terms, namely, that they should 
 retain their own laws and customs, and pay a sum of 
 money to the King and acknowledge his sovereignty, but 
 
 l Cal. Rot. Pat. 41 Hen. Ill, m. 1. Res ap Meredith was the name of the son of 
 Meredith ap lies ; but it is doubtful whether the name should not be read as Meredith 
 ap Res, who would have been the party more immediately concerned. & 3 Rot. 
 Chart. 41 H>n. Ill, m. 1.
 
 136 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 that no allegiance should be due to Prince Edward. 
 These proposals were rejected by the King; and hostili- 
 ties were continued through the winter. 1 
 
 A contemporary writer describes the Marches of Wales 
 at the beginning of the following year as being literally 
 reduced to a desert. 2 It would seem that Meredith ap 
 Res kept his own counsel with respect to his dealings 
 with the English, and that he was at this time acting a 
 double part ; for on March 8, 1258, was formed the 
 famous convention between the magnates of Scotland and 
 Wales, by which they all bound themselves, under the 
 most solemn vows, never to forsake one another or to 
 make their peace with the King of Elngland unless by 
 mutual consent; and to this compact " Maredud fil. Res" 
 was a party as well as his relations " Maredud fil. Ovener" 
 and " Res Junior." 3 But oaths appear to have imposed 
 but little restraint upon this fickle chieftain. Meredith 
 ap Res was the first to desert the confederacy, and before 
 the close of the same year we find him employed on 
 behalf of the English as a commissioner to settle terms of 
 peace with the Welsh. 
 
 In the meantime both Welsh and English took every 
 opportunity that occurred of annoying and harassing 
 each other. On the Monday after the Octaves of Easter 
 (April 1, 1258), the Englishmen of Pembroke and Ros 
 had the temerity to enter Kemmaes from whence they 
 took a great booty and slew there two Welsh nobles, 
 namely William Techo and Henry Goeth (or Gorh). 
 Whereupon the men of Kemmaes and Plumauc surrounded 
 the English with great noise, and having strenuously 
 attacked them compelled them to retire with the loss of 
 many lives and much spoil. Henry Wingan, the constable 
 of Narberth, and the son of Philip de Brut (le Bret?) 
 were among those who were slain on this occasion. 4 Soon 
 after this time Meredith ap Res Grig did homage and 
 fealty to the King, thus openly repudiating his allegiance 
 to Llewelyn. 
 
 The defection of Meredith vas deeply resented by the 
 Welsh Princes. Llewelyn anrl the Lords of South Wales 
 immediately repaired to Istradtywi and reduced all his 
 
 l Warrington'i Hist, i Matthew Paris, s Ry m . Faed. 4 Annales Cambria?.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 137 
 
 lands to subjection with the exception of the castles. 
 After which they encamped at Kid welly, and when they 
 had set fire to all the houses but the castle they were 
 surprised by Meredith ap Res and the Lord Patric 
 (de Chaworth) who suddenly came down upon them with 
 a body of Englishmen from Carmarthen. A vigorous 
 battle took place, in which several were killed and 
 wounded on either side, and Meredith received a severe 
 wound near to the Bridge. The Welshmen were even- 
 tually victorious, and Meredith and his English allies 
 were constrained to make their escape to Carmarthen, 
 leaving their killed and wounded behind them. Amongst 
 those who were slain on the Welsh side was David ap 
 Howel, a nobleman of Arustli, who was honourably 
 interred at Strata Florida. 1 
 
 The time was now come when the English Barons 
 deemed it necessary to make open resistance to the King 
 and his foreign favourites ; and the supposition that the 
 Barons were in secret league with the Welsh is strength- 
 ened by the circumstance that the latter now made 
 eager proposals for peace. It may be observed that their 
 ravages had been for the most part restricted to the lands 
 and possessions of Prince Edward and some of the Lords 
 Marchers who were zealous Royalists. In the spring of 
 1258 Henry again summoned his Barons to attend him. 
 into Wales. They answered with complaints of the 
 fatigues and losses which they had already sustained in 
 this service ; yet after a brief and stormy meeting at 
 Westminster they all came in warlike array to the 
 Parliament held at Oxford in July, with the excuse that 
 they must necessarily be in readiness to march against 
 the Welsh. This Parliament may be considered as the 
 proclamation of war on the part of the Barons. The 
 messengers of Prince Llewelyn were conducted to it by 
 Peter de Montfort, and a truce for one year was concluded 
 on the 17th July.' 
 
 In order to confirm or enlarge this truce, or to conclude 
 a peace on a more solid basis, Prince Edward sent Patric 
 de Chaworth, the King's Seneschal at Carmarthen (to 
 whom the Lordship of Kidwelly had been confirmed by 
 the King, provided that he could win it and keep it for 
 
 l Annales Cambriae. 2 Wright's History of Ludlow. 
 
 T
 
 138 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 himself), and with him Meredith ap Res, to treat with 
 the Welsh commissioners at Emlyn. 1 
 
 According to Powel, who refers to Matthew Paris as 
 his authority, Llewelyn, " meaning good faith, sent his 
 brother David, with Meredith ap Owen and Res ap Res, 
 to entreat with them of peace, but Patrrc, meaning to 
 entrap them, laid an ambushment of armed men by the 
 waie, and as they should have met, these men fell upon 
 the Welshmen and slew a great number of them ;" but 
 the Lords who escaped raised the country forthwith and 
 amply revenged themselves upon the perpetrators of this 
 treacherous deed. 
 
 We learn from the Welsh Annals that David ap Griffith, 
 with a few followers from North Wales, and Meredith ap 
 Owen and Res ap Res Mechyll, with a considerable army, 
 having encamped for two nights at Maynour (May nor inter 
 Turth and Cothy ?), pitched their camp on the following 
 night, being the Wednesday next before the Feast of the 
 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (Sept. 4), near to Kilgerran. 
 On the same day Meredith ap Res Grig, and Patric, the 
 King's Seneschal, with a large army from Kidwelly, Car- 
 marthen, Pembroke, Ros and Kemmaes, mustered at 
 Cardigan in all their pride. In the afternoon the English 
 army marched to Kilgerran in battle array, and near to 
 the town of Kilgerran a fierce engagement took place, in 
 which the English were routed and fled, leaving their 
 slain, with many caparisoned horses, behind them. In 
 that battle the Lord Patric de Chaworth, Walter Malefant, 
 a stout and valiant knight from Pembroke, and other 
 knights who had lately arrived from England, were slain; 
 and Meredith, whose infidelity had troubled all Wales, 
 barely escaped with his English allies to Kilgerran castle. 2 
 
 1 Powel' 8 History. 2 Annales Cambriae. The writ for the inquest after the death 
 of Patric de Chaworth was issued on September 23, 1258 (Inq. p.m. 42 .Hen. Ill, 
 No. 26). Patric de Chaworth, Chaurtes, Chaurcis or Cadurcis was the son of Pain de 
 Chaworth. In 23 Hen. Ill, being then under age, ho compounded with the King for 
 hi own wardship and marriage, for which he paid 500. On Dec. 19, 28 Hen. Ill, 
 with Hawis his wife, he was fined 100 marks to the King for seizin of the land of 
 Kidwelly, which was of the inheritance of Hawis his wife (Excerpta e Hot. Fin.). In 
 29 Hen. Ill he received a precept from the crown to use all his power and diligence in 
 annoying the "Welsh, who were then in hostility to the King. His wife Hawis was the 
 daughter and heiress of Thomas de Londres, Lord of Kidwelly and Ogmoro. He was 
 succeeded by his son Pain de Chaworth, who was 14 years of age at the time of his 
 father's death (Inq. p.m. 42 Hen. Ill, No. 26). Pain died, without issue, in 1278, and 
 was succeeded by his brother Patric de Chaworth, who died in 1282, leaving an only 
 daughter and heiress, Maud, wife of Henry, Earl of Lancaster, to whom she brought 
 the Lordship of Kidwelly.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 139 
 
 In the spring of the year 1259 the Welsh magnates 
 were summoned by Llewelyn to a Parliament at Arustly, 
 and there, on the Wednesday next before the Feast of 
 Pentecost (May 28), Meredith ap Res was convicted of 
 treason, and, being taken by Llewelyn, was imprisoned 
 at Crukeid (Criccieth) until the following Christmas. He 
 was then liberated on giving up his eldest son as a hostage 
 and surrendering his two castles, namely that of Dynevor 
 and the new castle, with the two adjacent provinces. 1 
 
 It would seem that Meredith ap Owen, at this time, 
 conceded to Llewelyn his right to the Lordship of Buellt, 2 
 which had been made over to him in 1256 ; and hence- 
 forward this territory became a constant bone of conten- 
 tion between Llewelyn and Roger Mortimer. On June 
 11, 1259, Mortimer was appointed one of the commis- 
 sioners to demand satisfaction from Llewelyn for breaches 
 of the truce, with power to prolong the truce and to treat 
 with him of peace. A truce for one year was accordingly 
 concluded, which was ratified by the commissioners at 
 the Ford of Montgomery on June 25. 3 This truce was 
 renewed at Oxford in the Spring of the following year, 
 1260 ; 4 but it was quickly broken by Llewelyn, who re- 
 occupied the territory of Buellt, with the exception of the 
 castle; and the castle itself was subsequently sold to 
 Llewelyn's retainers by the English garrison, on July 17, 
 during Mortimer's absence in London, 5 and afterwards 
 razed to the ground by Res Vychan and the men of 
 South Wales. 6 
 
 In order to punish Llewelyn for his temerity, an army 
 was raised to act against the Welsh, of which the com- 
 mand was taken by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester ; 
 but owing to the lateness of the season, or some other cause 
 which made it inadvisable to proceed against Llewelyn 
 at that time, an extension of the truce for two years was 
 concluded, at the Ford of Montgomery, on the octaves of 
 the Assumption (Aug. 22) 1260, to last from that date until 
 the Feast of the Nativity of St. John Baptist (June 24) 
 1262 ; by which it was stipulated that each party should 
 retain possession of their estates, vassals, and castles. 7 
 
 l & 2 Annales Cambrise. The words " eldest son " would seem to imply that Mere- 
 dith ap Res had more than one son at this time, but we never hear of any other son than 
 Res ap Meredith even in the Heraldic Pedigrees which are usually exuberant in such 
 respects. 3 Warrington's Hist. ; Eyton's Ant. of Shropshire, Vol. IV., p. 218. * Rymer's 
 Fiedera. 5 Ant. Shropshire, Vol. IV., p. 219. 6 Annal8 Cambrise. 7 Rymer's Fader*.
 
 140 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 " The ensuing year (1261) died Gladys, daughter of 
 Griffith ap Llewelyn, the wife of the Lord Res ap Res 
 Mechyll." 1 
 
 On July 19, 1262, the King crossed over to France, 
 and a few days afterwards, namely on July 22, he writes 
 from Amiens to Philip Basset, Justiciary of England, to 
 say that a rumour of the death of Llewelyn has reached 
 him, and, although he has not been assured of the cer- 
 tainty of this, he encloses letters to Humphrey, Earl of 
 Hereford, Roger Mortimer, Reginald fitz Peter, John 
 1' Estrange, John fitz Alan, Thomas Corbet, Griffin fitz 
 Wenunwen, and others, which Basset is instructed to 
 forward in the event of the rumour proving true. 
 
 The instructions contained in these letters were as 
 follows, namely, that since Llewelyn himself was not the 
 rightful heir of Wales so neither could David his younger 
 brother be, because their elder brother (Owen) was still 
 alive. Hence David could have no claim to the land of 
 Wales, and the homage of the Nobles of Wales devolved, 
 of ancient right, upon the King. They were therefore 
 to take counsel among themselves, their friends, and 
 fellow-marchers, for the purpose of depriving David of his 
 pretended rule, and transferring it to the King. He 
 further informs his Justiciary that he has also written to 
 Meredith ap Res commanding him not to enter into 
 alliance or friendship with David from South Wales, 
 unless the said David should come to the King's peace. 2 
 This seems to imply that Meredith ap Res was at that 
 time held to be loyal to the King. 
 
 It is needless to say that the report of Llewelyn's death 
 was unfounded. 
 
 On August. 4 of the same year the King writes to 
 Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, Roger, Bishop 
 of Coventry and Lichfield, James de Audley and others, 
 informing them that Llewelyn had complained of the 
 breaches of the truce by Roger de Mortimer, John 
 1'Estrange, and others, and enjoining them to meet 
 Llewelyn, or those whom he should send to confer with 
 them, at the Ford of Montgomery, on the morrow of St. 
 
 l Brut~y-Tywysogion. 2 Eymer's Fsedera.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 141 
 
 Michael (Sept. 30), for the purpose of adjusting the 
 differences between them. 1 
 
 About this time ];Iumphrey de Bohun writes to Walter 
 de Merton, the King's Chancellor assuring him that the 
 lands of the .late Earl of Gloucester were as yet in peace 
 and quietness,. and that he had caused his castles in South 
 Wales to be victualled. 2 
 
 It will be seen that this tranquility in the South did 
 not last much longer ; for we have a letter from Peter de 
 Montfort, to whom the custody of the castle of Bergaveny 
 was committed to Roger le Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, and 
 others written in Norman French and apparently 
 indited on October 2, 1262, 3 which gives a very different 
 account of the state of affairs on the borders. 
 
 "To the noble brothers and his very dear lords and friends (as 
 
 nobles frers e a ses tres chers seigneours e amis), my lord Roger le 
 
 Bigod, Earl of Norfolk and Marshal of England, my lord Philip 
 
 Basset, Justiciar of England, Sir John Mauncel and Robert 
 
 Waleraund, Peter de Montfort health and all honour. 
 
 Know that the Thursday next after the F. of St. Matthew the 
 
 Apostle (Sept. 28) Wienoch ap Edenavet, Llewelyn's Seneschal, Meredut 
 
 ap Res, Res Yuchan, and Meredut ap Owein, with all the pride of 
 
 Wales, save the person of Llewelyn and his brother, aud with a very 
 
 great host from the South, went to the land of Went (Gwent) of my 
 
 lord the King and of my lord Edward, which is in my keeping, to 
 
 pillage and destroy ; and We with our people and the aid of friends 
 
 from the neighbouring lands, of which I defended the 
 
 waters of Esk- Water the two days until the Saturday about noon ; and 
 then came my lord John de Grey, Sir Roger de Mortemer, my lord 
 Renald fitz Peter, and my lord Humphrey de Bonn, and I led them to 
 a guard-house above the town of Btrgaveny, where we crossed to 
 encounter these Welshmen, who had already burnt a part of the land 
 of Bergaveny below Bloreis ; and when they saw us approach them, 
 they dismounted their horses and fled across the mountain of Bloreis, 
 in a place which is by no means suitable for men on horseback to pass. 
 And since we saw well that we could never reach them, we turned 
 along the valley to their plunderers and foragers, who were there in 
 great numbers, so that there perished, God be praised, in the day, 
 between killed and taken, more than three hundred. And still on the 
 Monday following, when this letter was written, there was the greater 
 
 l Eoyal and other historical letters temp. Hen. III. 2 Ibid. This referred to 
 Richard do Clare, Earl of Gloucester, who had been poisoned in the previous June of 
 July at the house of Peter de Savoy, the Queen's uncle. 3 This letter and that which 
 follows it in the text are by Rymer attributed to the year 1256, and are placed by him 
 among the ftedera of that year ; but Mr. Shirley, the Editor of Royal and other letters 
 illustrative of the reign of King He*nry III, more correctly places them in the year 
 1262, conclusively shewing that the mention of Philip Basset as Justiciar, in itself 
 limits the date to the years 1261, 1262. It might moreover be shewn that Meredith 
 ap Res, who is engaged in this expedition on the side of the Welsh, was in the King's 
 service and receiving his pay till .November 12u6; neither, I am assured, would Peter 
 de Montfort have been eligible for so important a post at the earlier date.
 
 142 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 part of them, both on foot and on horseback scattered over the 
 monasteries of the country and the moors everywhere, and men are 
 searching them out constantly. And know, fair lords, that now and 
 heretofore full five times we have met there and kept all at our cost as 
 many as three thousand and four thousand at one time of men on foot, 
 and as many as eighty horses mounted, to guard and defend the men 
 of the King and my lord Edward. Wherefore I pray and request you, 
 fair lords, since you are of the council of our lord the King, that you 
 will tender counsel to the King and the Queen and my lord Edward, 
 or one of them, that these expenses be repaid to me, and that counsel 
 be taken how the land is to be defended henceforth; for know 
 assuredly, that if counsel be not taken thereon, it behoves me to leave 
 my castle furnished and go away, and leave the land to make terms 
 and perish ; for if all the land was in good peace and were it all mine, 
 besides the three lands which I have, I should not have power to main- 
 tain the great expense which I have on it. And know that if they 
 descend another time, as I know well that they will do before long in 
 very great force to revenge themselves . . . . , and if they are not 
 stopped, they will destroy all the land of our lord the King as far as 
 
 the Severne and W and they ask nothing but to have the 
 
 land of Went. Farewell in God."* 
 
 In another letter from Peter de Montfort to the King, 
 which was probably written in December of that year 
 and intended to meet the King on his landing from 
 France (where he had been since July 19), he says, that 
 when he reached the castle of Bergaveny he found the 
 whole March greatly disturbed; the Welshmen had 
 burned a certain village pertaining to Bergaveny called 
 St. Michael's, with the barns and stores of grain, and 
 inflicted other losses on him and his men. Moreover all 
 the men of the Welsh tongue belonging to the lords 
 Humphrey de Bohun, Reginald fitz Peter, and many 
 other Magnates of the Marches, and in short the whole 
 of Walescheria even to the borders of Bergaveny had 
 gone over to Llewelyn ; so that the quarters (marchia) of 
 Llewelyn's men were not above a league and a half 
 distant from the castle of Bergaveny. He complains of 
 want of means to carry on the war, and says that he is 
 unable to hold his own without further help, for that 
 there is no other noble of that country left there except 
 Gilbert Talbot, who still holds three of Prince Edward's 
 castles in those parts ; and concludes by intimating that 
 unless the needful assistance is forthcoming the men of 
 Bergaveny will go over to Llewelyn. 2 
 
 The English must have been hard pressed in South 
 
 l & 2 Royal and other letters temp. Hen. III.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 143 
 
 Wales at this time, for before the close of December, the 
 Bishop of Hereford, one of the King's foreign favourites, 
 wrote in haste to the King to inform him that Hereford 
 itself was in danger, unless the garrison were strengthened. 1 
 
 In the meantime Llewelyn himself had been equally 
 busy in the North. Towards the close of September he 
 complains to the King of the breaches of the truce by 
 Roger Mortimer and other English Barons; 2 as he did 
 also in December, after the King's return to England on 
 December 20 ; 3 and in a letter of about the same date he 
 repudiates the charge which Roger Mortimer had made 
 against him, of having broken the peace himself. 4 But 
 wherever the fault lay Llewelyn seems to have fully held 
 his own against Mortimer at this period. He took the 
 homage of the men of Melenith and, having ravaged the 
 country as far 'as Wigmore and taken possession of two 
 of Roger Mortimer's castles (from one of which he allowed 
 Mortimer to retire), he received the homage of the men 
 of Brecknock and thence returned to Gwyneth. 
 
 During the two preceding years the King's disputes 
 with his Barons had prevented him from taking decisive 
 measures against the Welsh, and towards the close of the 
 year, while the King was yet in France, Simon de Mont- 
 fort, Earl of Leicester, who headed the baronial faction, 
 will have greatly strengthened the hands of the Welsh 
 Prince, thus laying the basement of that confederacy 
 which long afterwards subsisted between them. 6 
 
 On February 1, 1263, the King informs Humphrey de 
 Bohun that he has sent John de Grey to Hereford to 
 supersede him in the command of his army in South 
 Wales. He writes also to Reginald fitz Peter, Humphrey 
 de Bohun, Peter de Montfort, and Gilbert Talbot, whom 
 he had ordered to be at Hereford on the Monday next 
 after the Feast of the Purification (Feb. 5), to let them 
 know that he had sent John de Grey to take command 
 of the army, and to appease the dissensions that had 
 arisen between them. Roger Mortimer, John fitz Alan, 
 Thomas Corbet, and other Lords Marchers were summoned 
 to Ludlow on the octaves of the Purification (Feb. 9). 
 
 Of the actual hostilities in South Wales we hear but 
 
 i Wright's Ludlow ; Rymer's Faedera. 2, 3 & 4 Royal and other letters temp. 
 Hm. III. 5 "Warrington's History.
 
 144 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 little at this time; but Prince Edward himself took 
 command of the army in North Wales. About April he 
 invaded the territories of Llewelyn, who, after a severe 
 contest, was forced to retire to the heights of Snowdon ; 
 and Edward was soon afterwards suddenly recalled to 
 England to assist his father against the English Barons. 
 
 The revolt of the Barons had now reached its height, 
 and Llewelyn, who was joined by the two sons of De 
 Montfort, was enabled to renew his victorious attacks 
 upon the English Marches. 
 
 Reprisals were made by Prince Edward, who took the 
 castles of Hay and Brecknock, which he committed to 
 the custody of Sir Roger Mortimer. After this the 
 operations on both sides were suddenly interrupted by a 
 truce ; during which a treaty for peace was to be nego- 
 tiated between the King and his Barons, in the presence 
 of the French Ambassador. In this treaty a remission of 
 offences was made, in which Llewelyn and probably the 
 other Welsh Princes were included as confederates of 
 Simon de Montfort. This truce however was of but 
 short duration and brought about no real peace. 
 
 The chances of war at the battle of Lewes, which was 
 fought on May 14, 1264, threw the King and Prince 
 Edward into the hands of De Montfort as prisoners ; and 
 he and Llewelyn continued their successes during the 
 following year until the Lords Marchers submitted them- 
 selves to De Montfort and made their peace with him by 
 agreeing to surrender their estates and their castles and 
 to leave the kingdom for one year. 
 
 On May 28, 1265, however, being the Thursday in 
 Whitsun week, Prince Edward effected his escape from 
 Hereford. 1 He was immediately joined by the Lords 
 Marchers, who soon recovered their castles, and made 
 themselves masters of all the country between Hereford 
 and Chester. 
 
 Llewelyn and the Welsh Princes were at this time in 
 treaty with the Earl of Leicester for a more durable 
 peace. By his letters patent dated from the camp at 
 Pyperton on the Day of Saints Grervasius and Prothasius 
 (June 19, 1265), the Prince of Wales and Lord of Snowdon, 
 
 1 Rymer's Faedera.
 
 PRINCES OP SOUTH WALES. 145 
 
 by and with the advice and consent of his Magnates, 
 in consideration of the King's remission of all the rancour 
 which he has conceived against the said Prince, his 
 Magnates, and allies, on account of all that they have 
 done against him in time past, and for his concession 
 of certain of their castles, lordships, liberties, and 
 other rights which are more fully enumerated in the letters 
 appended to this convention, binds himself to pay to 
 the King a sum of 30,000 marks, to be paid by yearly 
 instalments of 3000 marks. He further acknowledges 
 that he holds his principality and all his other possessions 
 of the King, and promises to render for them, to the King 
 and his heirs, such services as his predecessors have ren- 
 dered, or ought to have rendered, to the King and his 
 ancestors. Moreover Llewelyn and his Magnates pledge 
 themselves to observe and maintain the ordinance lately 
 set forth in London, and sealed with the King's seal and 
 those of many prelates of the realm, concerning the 
 liberation of Prince Edward. To this convention are set 
 the seals of Llewelyn himself and those of the following 
 Welsh Magnates, namely, Griffin son of Wenunwen, 
 Griffin son of Madoc, Howel and Madok his brothers, 
 Res Vychan, Howel son of Maredut, Howel son of Res, 
 Goron son of Etdenavet, Howen son of Blethyin, and 
 many others. 1 
 
 But the events of the next few days, in which Prince 
 Edward and his loyal adherents were making rapid 
 advances against De Montfort and cutting off his needful 
 supplies, rendered the support of the Welsh Prince of 
 still greater importance to De Montfort ; and Llewelyn, 
 taking advantage of the occasion, now demanded, as the 
 price of his protection and assistance, no less than a full 
 restitution to the inheritance and dignity of his ancestors. 
 Accordingly, by letters patent, dated at Hereford on 
 June 22, 1265, the captive King is made to " remit 
 his anger" against the British Prince, whom he dis- 
 tinctly terms " Prince of Wales;" wills that all " literal 
 obligations " which the said Prince, or David his prede- 
 cessor, may have made to the King against their rights and 
 liberties be annulled ; grants to the Prince of Wales the 
 " lordship" of all the great men of Wales, with the 
 
 1 Royal and other letters illustrative of the reign of Henry III. 
 
 U
 
 146 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 " principality ;" also castle Matilda, the hundred of Elles- 
 mere, the castle of Hawardin, and that of Montgomery 
 when it shall have been conquered from the enemies of 
 the King and Llewelyn (to which the King promises his 
 assistance). The lordship of Wytinton Castle is also to 
 be made over to him, so that the heir of the said castle 
 shall do to the Prince the service which his ancestors have 
 been accustomed to perform and ought to have performed 
 to the predecessors of the said Prince. 1 
 
 The battle of Evesham, fought on August 4, 1265, and 
 the death of De Montfort, completely altered the state of 
 affairs. The King now declared the letters and conces- 
 sions, which had been issued by De Montfort, under the 
 King's name and seal, to be null and void. The Barons 
 laid down their arms and submitted themselves to the 
 King; and Henry turned his forces against Llewelyn 
 with the intention of chastising him for his late presump- 
 tion ; but Llewelyn appeased him by a timely submission, 
 and, through the mediation of Ottobonus the Pope's 
 Legate, a peace was agreed to, which was by no means 
 unfavourable to Llewelyn and the Welsh. According to 
 the terms of this treaty which was agreed to at Mont- 
 gomery on September 29 and finally concluded on the 
 Feast of Pope Calixtus 2 (October 14, 1267), all offences 
 and injuries were mutually forgiven, and, amongst other 
 things, it was stipulated that Llewelyn and his vassals 
 should restore to the King and his tenants all the lands, 
 &c., which they had taken from them during the late 
 war, except the lands of Brecon and Wercrennon (Werthry- 
 neon) which should remain to Llewelyn and his people ; 
 but that as to all such lands, whether they were given up 
 by Llewelyn or retained by him, justice should afterwards 
 be done according to the laws and customs of those parts ; 
 that Llewelyn and his heirs should be styled Princes of 
 Wales, and that they should " receive the fealty and 
 homage of all the Barons of Wales, of the Welsh (blood), 
 so that the said Barons should hold their lands in capite 
 of the said Prince and his heirs ; except the homage of 
 the nobleman Mereduc son of Ees, whose homage and 
 rassalage the King reserves to himself and his heirs, 
 together with his whole land, which the same Prince 
 
 i Rymer's Faedera. 2 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 147 
 
 shall restore to him and cause to be restored by his 
 people immediately ; with respect to which lands those 
 claiming any right therein may have justice done to 
 them afterwards, as is customary, by their peers. And 
 whensoever it shall please the King to concede to the 
 said Prince the homage of the said Mareduc, the said 
 Prince shall give and pay to the said King and his heirs a 
 sum of 5000 marks." 1 In thus reserving the homage and 
 vassalage of Meredith ap Res, the King virtually reserved 
 authority over a great part of the lands of Cardigan and 
 Carmarthen, for most of them had, at one time or other, 
 been nominally granted to either Prince Edward or 
 Meredith ap Res ; and by this treaty those who were 
 then in possession would have to establish their rights in 
 the King's courts as soon as his power should be actually 
 acknowledged in those parts. The homage and vassalage 
 of the said Meredith ap Res were subsequently purchased 
 by Llewelyn in the course of a few years, for the stipu- 
 lated sum of 5000 marks, and conceded to him by the 
 King's letters patent dated at Merlebergh, on August 30, 
 1270. 2 
 
 In the meantime Meredith ap Res had, once more, been 
 taken into the pay of the King, who, by his letters patent 
 in the year 1265-6, had conceded to him a pension of 
 100 for his life. 3 
 
 During the continuance of this war Llewelyn ap Res 
 ap Maelgon died on the octave of the Epiphany, 4 appa- 
 rently in the year 1264 ; and was succeeded by his 
 brother Res. 5 
 
 And in 1265, in "the month of March, Meredith ap 
 Owen, the defender of all South Wales and counsellor of 
 all Wales, died at Llanbadam Vawr, and was buried in 
 the Chapter House of the Monks at Strata Florida." 6 
 From the accession of Llewelyn ap Griffith as sole Prince 
 of North Wales this Meredith had been consistently 
 true to the cause of his country's freedom ; and with him 
 may be said to have ended the independence of his 
 family. His country was finally subjugated during the 
 succeeding reign of Edward I, and his sons and their 
 issue either forfeited their estates for rebellion or became 
 
 1 Rym. Fred. 2 Cal. Rot. Pat., 50 Hen. Ill, m. 3. 3 Cal. Rot. Pat., 54 Hen. Ill, 
 m. 5. 4 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 5 Inq. p.m., 7 Edw. I, No. 76. 6 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 148 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 petty vassals of the English crown. By the name of 
 "Dominus Maered' filius Oweyn" he made donations to 
 the Abbey of Strata Florida, which were confirmed by 
 charter, without date, of his son Conan. 1 
 
 I cannot say positively who was the wife of Meredith ; 
 but we know that her name was Elena and that he 
 assigned her her dower in the commot of Gwynnionith. 
 The heralds call her Eleanor daughter of Maelgon Vychan 
 ap Maelgon ap Lord Res, by his wife Angharad, daughter 
 of Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, Prince of North Wales. 
 
 In speaking of this period Mr. Wright, in his history 
 of Ludlow, wisely remarks that, while the fatal conflict 
 at Evesham closes a distinctly marked period of English 
 history, its effect on the history of Wales was still more 
 remarkable. Since the reign of William the Conqueror 
 the Welsh had enjoyed a precarious independence, which 
 was equally useless and equally injurious to both parties, 
 English as well as Welsh. Wales, as the smaller power, 
 lived only by the internal quarrels of the greater. When 
 the power of the English Barons was broken, the fate of 
 Wales was decided. From the time of the Norman con- 
 quest to the battle of Evesham, Wales had an historical 
 importance which probably it had never had before. 
 But in that battle its importance was lost. It made a 
 fruitless struggle in the following reign, which ended in 
 the extinction of its native Princes. 
 
 We cannot help admiring the gallantry of this com- 
 paratively insignificant people which enabled them, even 
 under the most favourable circumstances, to hold their 
 own so long against their powerful neighbours. 
 
 1 Harl. MS., 6068.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 149 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 In the absence of any inquisition post mortem it is not 
 easy to ascertain clearly what lands were held by Mere- 
 dith ap Owen at the time of his death ; but the greater 
 part of Cardigan was certainly then in his hands. His 
 territory was divided between his sons Owen, Griffith 
 and Cynan (or Canan), and the lands which they inhe- 
 rited would have been generally confirmed to them by 
 the treaty of peace which was made between the King 
 (or rather the Earl of Leicester) and Llewelyn on June 
 22, 1265, within a few months of the time of their 
 father's death. Under this treaty their homage would 
 have been conceded to Llewelyn ; and it was probably at 
 this time that Llewelyn ap Griffith, of his own sponta- 
 neous will, deforced them of the commots of Geneurglyn, 
 Crewthyn and Perveth, which he gave to Res the son of 
 Res ap Maelgon, as we learn from the evidence of one of 
 the witnesses who were summoned before the Royal com- 
 mission at Lampadarn Vawr on February 5, 1282. 1 
 
 After the conclusion of the more effective peace which 
 was finally agreed upon in October 1267, we find the King 
 sending his commissioners into Wales for the purpose of 
 hearing and determining all disputes concerning the tenure 
 of lands and other grievances.* I assume that the result of 
 these commissions, with respect to the land of Cardigan, 
 would have been to vest the castles of Cardigan and 
 Aberystwith, together with the respective lordships 
 attached to them, in the hands of Prince Edward, who 
 seems to have also claimed and entered upon the commots 
 of Anhunog, Perveth and Crewthyn, as appurtenances of 
 his castle of Cardigan. 3 
 
 We learn from the Plea-Rolls of a later date that the 
 commot of Mevenyth was likewise held to have been 
 forfeited by Meredith ap Owen, 4 though I doubt if it was 
 
 1 Certificatio et aprisa capte apvd Lamperder Voter die Mercurii proximo pott festum 
 J'unfieationis Beate -Virginia (Feb. 5J ; Rot. Wall. 9. Edw. I. 2 Rymer's Fsedera. 
 3 Inq. p.m. 4 Edw. I, No. 84. * Abbreviatio Placitorum pp. 227, 284, (Hil. Term.) 
 19 Edw. I.
 
 150 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 ever actually in the King's hands until many years after 
 the death of Meredith ap Owen. Hence it would seem 
 that only the Southern commots of Iscoed Uchirwern, 
 Gwynnionith, Mabwynneon, Caerwedros and Pennarth 
 were absolutely conceded to the sons of Meredith ap 
 Owen and acknowledged as their right, and only that of 
 Geneurglyn to Res ap Res ap Maelgon. 
 
 Such a dismemberment of their ancient patrimony was 
 not likely to be satisfactory to the Lords of South Wales ; 
 and when, in 1270, Prince Edward engaged in a crusade 
 to the Holy Land, we find them taking advantage of his 
 absence to rectify their grievances and recover their 
 possessions for themselves. We are told that Griffith and 
 Owen, the sons of Meredith, and Res Vychan ap Res ap 
 Maelgon, recovered to themselves the commots of Anhunog, 
 Perveth, and Orasson (or Crewthyn). 
 
 In that year there was a general interruption of the 
 peace ; and in the month of October Llewelyn ap Griffith 
 possessed himself of the castle of Caerphili. 1 Moreover 
 on October 16 the King writes to Llewelyn ap Griffith, 
 who is now allowed the title of Prince of Wales, concern- 
 ing peace. He informs him that Gilbert de Clare, 
 who is deputed by the King to meet Llewelyn, has inti- 
 mated to the King that a certain Mereducus Resy, his 
 lawful vassal, had receded from his homage, and placed 
 himself, contrary to the fealty and homage which he owed 
 the King, under the power of the said Llewelyn, and pur- 
 posed to besiege the castle, which he held of the said 
 Earl and not of Llewelyn. 2 These differences and dis- 
 turbances appear to have been amicably settled. " And 
 in the ensuing year, the sixth day after August" (? of the 
 kalends of August, that is July 27, 1271) "died Meredith 
 ap Res Grig, in the castle at Dryslwyn, and was buried 
 at Whitland in the great church, on [under ?] the" steps 
 in front of the high altar. At the end of three weeks 
 afterwards, on the octave of the Feast of St. Lawrence 
 (August 17), Res Vychan, the son of Res Mechyll ap Res 
 Grig, died in the castle of Dynevor, and was buried at 
 Tal y Lychau." 3 
 
 King Henry III died on November 16, 1272. Prince 
 Edward was then abroad, and did not return to England 
 
 l & 3 Brut-y-TywTSOgion. 2 Rym. Faed.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 151 
 
 until the summer of 1274. He landed at Dover on 
 August 2, and was crowned at Westminster on Sunday 
 after the Feast of the Assumption (August 19, 1274). 
 The King of Scotland had already done homage to 
 Edward upon his arrival in England. Prince Llewelyn 
 was also summoned to do homage at Shrewsbury after 
 the King's coronation ; but he refused to attend unless 
 hostages were given for the safety of his person ; nor 
 could he be prevailed upon to alter his determination. 
 
 It has been already stated that, in or about the year 
 1270, the sons of Meredith ap Owen and Res ap Maelgon 
 recovered their lands from the English; and in 1273 
 " Owen ap Mereduc ap Owen " granted in frank marriage 
 to his wife l l Agaret fil. Owen " the commot of ' ' Annunaut." 1 
 In the same year we are told that " Owen and Griffith, 
 the sons of Meredith ap Owen, restored the middle 
 commot to their brother Cynan, about Candlemas day;" 2 
 that is, the commot Perveth. And in the following year, 
 1274, "there was an exchange of commots between 
 Cynan ap Meredith ap Owen and young Res [the son of 
 Res ap Maelgon]; and thus Pennarth came to Cynan, 
 and the middle commot to Res Vychan." 3 
 
 It is probable that some general readjustment of 
 lands between the Lords of South Wales took place at 
 this time, under which Anhunog was retained by Owen, 
 Mevenyth by Griffith, and Pennarth by Cynan, while 
 Res Vychan will have had the cantrev Penwedic con- 
 taining the commots of Geneurglyn, Crewthyn; and 
 Perveth (or the middle commot). 
 
 In this same year, namely on April 15, 1274, William de 
 Beauchamp, Roger de Clifford, The Prior of St. Thomas' 
 Extra Stafford, William Bagod and Odo de Hodenet, 
 were commissioned to take cognizance of all wrongs and 
 injuries which had been perpetrated in all parts of the 
 Marches of Wales contrary to the form of peace between 
 the late King and Llewelyn. 4 This commission appa- 
 rently led to more general measures ; and in the following 
 year, 1275, " a little before Ascension Thursday, King 
 Edward appointed a council in London ; and then he estab- 
 lished new institutions over the whole Kingdom." 5 The 
 
 l Report of Deputy Keeper of Records, Appendix No. 2, pp. 22, 39, & seq. 
 2 & 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 4 Eymer's Ftcdera. 5 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 152 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 mention of this by the Welsh Chronicler implies that these 
 institutions affected the Principality of Wales ; and accord- 
 ingly we find that in that year, on the Feast of Saints 
 Peter and Paul, 3 Edw. I (i.e. June 29, 1275), an extent of 
 the Manor of Cardigan was taken before Howel ap 
 Meur' and Henry de Bray, when the jury found that King 
 Edward, during the reign of King Henry his father and 
 in time of peace, was seized of three commots, namely 
 Annemok [Anhunog] comniot-pervet [Perveth] and Orasson 
 [Crewthyn] belonging to the castle (or Honour) of Car- 
 digan, 1 and that he had delivered them oftentimes to farm 
 for 80 per annum until Griffin and Owen, the sons of 
 Meredith ap Owen, and Resius Vathan son of Res ap 
 Maylgon had deforced him by war, which same persons 
 were still seized of the aforesaid three commots, namely 
 Griffin and Owen of Anhunnok and commot-pervet, and 
 Resius Wathan of Oresson. 2 It would seem from this 
 inquest that there had been a second exchange of territory, 
 in 1274-5, between the Lords of South Wales, and that 
 the commot of Perveth, which Res Vychan had received 
 from Cynan in 1274, had been subsequently given up to 
 Owen and Griffith, in consideration perhaps of his being 
 allowed to keep Orasson (or Crewthyn) to himself. We 
 are not directly informed. of the immediate result of the 
 " Extent" of Cardigan; but from what follows it would 
 seem that the Welsh Lords were not at that time ejected 
 from their recovered possessions. Owen ap Meredith ap 
 Owen died shortly afterwards, namely on August 15, 
 1275, and was buried near his father in the chapter 
 house at Strata Florida. 3 It was found at an inquest 
 held many years later, namely in October, 1328, that he 
 died seized of this commot of Hanunyauk, which he held 
 of the King by the Welsh law, and that he died seized of 
 it in time of peace, as well as of a moiety of the commot 
 of Gwynneonyth Uchkerdyn and of the whole commot of 
 Kerwedros, besides (or except) one Westua called 
 Drefreyr. 4 The commot of Anhunog, however, appears 
 to have been forcibly taken into the King's hands by 
 Pain de Chaworth in 1277, during the minority of his 
 
 1 The first mention that I meet with of the Honour of Cardigan was in King John's 
 charter to Ees ap Griffith in 1212. 2 Inq. p.m. 4 Edw. I, No. 84. 3 Brut-y- 
 Tywysogion. 4 Inq. 2 Edw. Ill, 1 Nrs. No. 47.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 153 
 
 infant son Llewelyn ap Owen, on account of the rebellion 
 of his uncles Griffith and Canan, and was never afterwards 
 restored to either Llewelyn or his children, although it 
 was shown, by repeated inquests to have been their 
 lawful inheritance. It has been already stated that 
 Owen ap Meredith, in 1273, granted in frank marriage to 
 his wife Angharad the daughter of Owen the commot of 
 Anhunog. 1 At the conclusion of the war which followed 
 Owen's death his widow petitioned for her dower, 
 and on January 4, 1278, the King issued his writ to 
 enquire into her claims in the following terms, " The 
 King to the venerable father G[odfrey] Bishop of Wor- 
 cester, and his associates, the Justices appointed for the 
 purpose of hearing and determining the complaints, 
 transgressions and inroads made in the Marches of Wales 
 and adjacent parts, greeting. Whereas Angarad who 
 was wife of Owen son of Maraduc ap Owyen claims to 
 have a right in the commot of Anhunaut within the land 
 of Kardigan as that which the aforesaid Owen had 
 assigned to her in dower, as she says, and which is now 
 in our hands, we enjoin you to make full enquiry into 
 the truth of the matter, and cause proper justice to be 
 done to the same Angarad according to the form of peace 
 and according to the law and custom of the aforesaid 
 parts, saving our own rights, if we should have any in 
 the aforesaid commot. Witness the King at the Tower of 
 London on the 4th day of January." 2 I am unable to say 
 whether or not she succeeded in recovering any part of 
 her dower ; but as to this commot of Anhunog it is certain 
 that the King kept a fast hold upon it from this time 
 forward, and never afterwards allowed it to fall back into 
 the hands of its rightful owners. The claim which he 
 had formerly preferred to it in the lifetime of his father 
 would probably have served as a pretext for retaining it 
 in his own hands. Angharad (or Anchoret) the wife of 
 Owen ap Meredith is said to have been the daughter of 
 Owen ap Meredith ap Robert, Lord of Cedewen ; 3 and by 
 her he had a son Llewelyn, who was but an infant at the 
 time of his father's death. 
 
 In the meantime the war had broken out again. After 
 
 i Report of Deputy keeper of Records, Appendix Xo. 2, pp. 2239 & seq. 2 Rot. 
 Wall., 6-9 Edw. I, m. 12 in dorso. de a sexto. 3 Her. Vis. Wai., Vol. II, p. 53. 
 
 V
 
 154 PHINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 the death of Owen ap Meredith, which took place in August 
 1275, Edward, who had been previously engaged in 
 making laws and correcting abuses, repaired to Chester 
 in the September of that year, and again summoned 
 Llewelyn ap Griffith to do homage for his lands. But 
 Llewelyn called together the Barons of Wales, who 
 counselled him to refuse compliance with the summons, 
 because the King had broken the terms of peace and 
 harboured many of the Prince's enemies, especially his 
 brother David and the Lord of Powis who had purposed 
 his destruction. At this time Llewelyn justified his 
 conduct in a letter addressed to the Archbishops and 
 Bishops assembled in convocation at London, and dated 
 at Talybont on October 6, 1275, 1 
 
 Early in the following year, 1276, the capture of 
 Eleanor de Montfort by some English ships, while she 
 was on her way from France to be married to Llewelyn, 
 and her subsequent detention at the court of the English 
 King, further exasperated the Welsh Prince and endan- 
 gered the continuance of peace. 
 
 Negotiations were carried on throughout the summer, 
 but the Prince's terms were finally rejected in November; 
 Llewelyn was pronounced to be a rebel, and it was agreed 
 that he should be treated as such. The Welsh now took 
 up arms and ravaged the English borders; and on 
 December 12, 1276, Edward summoned his military 
 tenants to muster at Worcester, on the octave of St. John 
 the Baptist (July 1, 1277), with horses and arms prepared 
 for an expedition into Wales. 2 
 
 In the spring of 1277 Edward himself left London to 
 take the command of his army, and to make every effort 
 for a vigorous prosecution of the war, with the full deter- 
 mination of completely subjugating the Welsh people. 
 But before leading his army into North Wales against 
 Llewelyn he ordered his fleet to cruise on the Welsh 
 coast in order to cut off the enemy's provisions, and des- 
 patched a body of troops into South Wales to reinforce 
 the army under the command of Pain de Chaworth, so 
 as to distract the enemy's attention and reduce that 
 country to submission. 3 
 
 l Warrington's Hist. Wai. appendix Vol. II, p. 408, from Register Peckham, f. 242. 
 2 Eymer's Fwdera. 3 Warrington's Hist.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 155 
 
 The Lords of South Wales appear to have sided at first 
 with Llewelyn, but they were unfortunately seduced from 
 their Welsh allegiance, and gradually fell away to the King. 
 
 With a view to encourage a dissension amongst the 
 Welsh Lords the King had given orders to Pain de 
 Chaworth to receive into the King's favour such of 
 Llewelyn's adherents as were willing to submit to his 
 authority and become his vassals. Res ap Meredith was 
 the first to secede from the cause of his countrymen, and 
 on Sunday in the quindene of Easter (April 11,) 1277, 
 he entered into a convention, at Carmarthen, with the 
 Lord Pain de Chaworth, with the consent of the lords 
 and knights of the King's forces in West Wales and other 
 knights and faithful subjects of the King in those parts, 
 whereby the said Lord Pain contracts, on behalf of 
 the King, that the said King shall do full justice to the 
 said Res with respect to the castle of Dynevor and the 
 land of Maynertylau, the land of Methlaen, the land of 
 Cayo, and Mabelven, when he shall have obtained power 
 over the said castle and lands. And the aforesaid Res 
 covenants to do his homage to the King, wherever the 
 King shall please, at the King's command, and his fealty 
 to the Lord Pain de Chaworth, in place of the King, as 
 being his Lieutenant in those parts. The King pledges 
 himself never to remove the said Res from his homage 
 without his own free will, and never to compel him, or 
 suffer him to be compelled, to do suit at any county or 
 court unless the King shall hold the said county in his 
 own possession. And the said Res, for his part, concedes 
 to the knights and others of the King's forces a free 
 shelter in his castles to go in and out as they please and 
 as need shall require ; also permission to lay up their 
 provisions there, for which he will find them fit places. 
 He likewise grants them leave to make roads, engages to 
 give them his advice in the making of them, as well in 
 his own land as in that of others through which the King's 
 army may march, and promises to assist them witli his 
 own men to the best of his power. And, as often as need 
 shall be, he will attend the King's war expeditions with 
 all his forces, as well horse as foot, whenever he shall be 
 reasonably summoned and required to do so. And if it 
 shall happen that Griffin the son of Mereduc Ap-owayn
 
 156 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 shall come to the King's peace, by his advice and pro- 
 curement, on condition that the said Res shall give up 
 to him his right which he claims in Gunyonnith and 
 Mebunnaun, the King will make reasonable satisfaction 
 to the said Res elsewhere, according to the demands 
 of justice, when it shall have been declared to him. 1 
 
 The defection of Res ap Meredith must have struck 
 a fatal blow to the Welsh cause. His example was 
 soon followed by Res Wendout, son of Res Vychan 
 ap Res Mechyll ap Res Grig, and nephew (sister's son) 
 to Prince Llewelyn. 2 " Llewelyn, brother of Res Wen- 
 dout, and Howel ap Res Grig, quitted their territory, 
 and went to Gwyneth to Llewelyn; Res [ap Res] ap 
 Maelgon went to Roger Mortimer and made his sub- 
 mission to the King " through means of the said Roger. 3 
 " And last of all from Deheubarth, Griffith and Cynan, 
 the sons of Meredith ap Owen, and Llewelyn ap Owen 
 their nephew became reconciled to the King. Then 
 Pain son of Patrick [de Cha worth] subjugated to the King 
 three commots of Uch Aeron, (namely) Anhunog and 
 Mevenyth and commot Perveth (or the middle commot) : 
 and Res ap Meredith, Res Wendot, and the two sons of 
 Meredith ap Owen went to the court of the King to offer 
 their homage and oath of allegiance. But the King 
 delayed receiving their homage until the next council ; 
 sending home Res ap Meredith and Griffith ap Meredith, 
 and retaining with him Cynan ap Meredith ap Owen and 
 Res Wendot. And then Pain placed Llewelyn ap Owen, 
 as a youth in guardianship, because he was under age. 
 After that, on the octave of the Feast of St. John (pro- 
 bably July 1, 1277) Res [ap Res] ap Maelgon and the 
 four above named Barons did homage to the King in the 
 council at Worcester." 4 As the first-fruits of their sub- 
 mission the venerable castle of Straty wy or Dynevor with 
 the adjacent country had been already delivered up to 
 Pain de Chaworth, the King's Lieutenant. 5 " The same 
 year, on the Feast of St. James the apostle (July 25), 
 Edmund [Earl of Lancaster], the King's brother, came 
 with an army to Llanbadarn, and began to build a castle 
 at Aberystwyth. And then the King with his forces 
 
 1 Rym. F0ed. an. 5 Edw. I. 2, 3 & 4 Brut-y-Tywysogion. 6 Po\vel's History; 
 Hist. Thorn. Walsingham ; Chron. Wil. Rishanger.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 157 
 
 came to the Midland District [of North Wales], and 
 fortified a castle at Flint, surrounded with vast dykes. 
 From thence he proceeded to Rhuddlan, and this he also 
 fortified by surrounding it with dykes; and there he 
 tarried some time. That year, the Saturday after August 
 [after the calends of August ?], Res [ap Res] ap Maelgon 
 retired to Gwyneth to Llewelyn, for fear of being taken 
 by the English that were at Llanbadarn ; and thereupon 
 the English took possession of his whole territory. And 
 along with him the men of Genaurglyn all retreated to 
 Gwyneth, leaving the whole of their corn and land waste. 
 On the eve of St. Matthew (August 8) Edmund [Earl of 
 Lancaster] and Pain [de Chaworth] went to England, 
 and left Roger Myles (or de Moels) to be Constable at 
 Aberystwyth and to protect the country. The day after 
 the Feast of St. Ynys [? the morrow of St. Denys, i.e. 
 Oct. 10] Res Wendout and Cynan ap Meredith returned 
 from the court of the King to their own country. That 
 year, in the beginning of harvest, the King sent a great 
 part of his army into Mona, which burned much of the 
 country and took away much of the corn. And after 
 that Llewelyn came to the King at Rhuddlan and made 
 his peace with him." 1 
 
 By the treaty of peace which was concluded with 
 Llewelyn at Aberconway on the Tuesday next before the 
 Feast of St. Martin (November 9, 1277), before the King 
 left Wales, Llewelyn was forced to cede the cantrevs of 
 Rhos, Rhyvonioc, Tegengl and Dyffryn Clwyd to the 
 King ; and though he was permitted to retain the homage 
 of the five Barons of Snowdon, together with the title of 
 Prince of Wales, for the term of his life, they were after- 
 wards to revert to the King and his heirs. 2 The Barons 
 whose homage the King conceded to Llewelyn for his 
 life, were David ap Griffin ap Owen, Elisse, the two sons 
 of Owen ap Blethyn, and Res Vachan ap Res ap Maelgun, 
 " together with the land which he now holds; for, as to 
 the land which the said King or those acting in his name 
 have seized, none of it is conceded to him, but it will 
 remain for ever in the King's hands." 3 
 
 This decisive triumph on the part of the English King 
 was followed by an interval of peace which lasted for 
 
 l Brut-y-Tywysogion. Warrington'B Hist. 8 Kym, Fwd. an. 5 Edw. I.
 
 158 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 about four years. But it must have been a time of bitter 
 humiliation for the Lords of South Wales; for Edward 
 now treated them as a conquered people, and seems to 
 have paid but little heed to the terms of peace which had 
 been made with them. This is substantiated by the 
 list of grievances which they afterwards laid before 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1282, 1 and which will 
 be mentioned in due order. 
 
 The King's officers appear to have retained the com- 
 mots of Anhunog, Mevenyth, and Perveth, in addition to 
 those of Crewthyn and Geneurglyn, as lands conquered 
 into the King's hands ; moreover he deprived the sons of 
 Meredith ap Owen of many of their ancient rights and 
 liberties, such as those of " wreck " and supreme power 
 of judgement in their own courts, where they were after- 
 wards made to deliver judgment upon themselves. A 
 strong castle was formed at Lampader Vaur to repress 
 the irruptions of the Welsh ; 2 and this castle was attached 
 to the Honour of Cardigan, as was the castle of Dynevor 
 to that of Carmarthen. 
 
 On January 7, 1278, Pain de Chaworth is ordered to 
 do no injury or hurt to the persons of Howel ap Res Crek 
 or his men as being entitled to enjoy the benefit of the 
 peace, and that for the space of one year. 3 
 
 By charter of the same date, the King notifies that he 
 has admitted to his peace Res the son of Meredith and 
 his men, and forbids their being molested on account of 
 any transgressions which they may have committed before 
 that time. 4 
 
 A few days later, namely on January 10, 1278, Pain 
 de Chaworth and Master Henry de Bray are appointed 
 to hear and determine pleas and complaints in the parts 
 of West Wales ; and the King apprises them that he has 
 ordered his Bailiffs of Lampader Vaur, Careukemuth 
 (Carreg Cynen?), Dumanor (Dynevor), Gilgaran (Cil- 
 garran), and Llanadever (Llandovery), the Bailiffs of his 
 uncle William de Valence of Pembroke, the Bailiffs 
 of Humfrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford ..."... of 
 Haverford, the Bailiffs of Nicholas fitz Martin of Cammays, 
 
 1 Warrington's Hist. Wai. appendix Vol. II, p. 427. 2 Hist. Thorn. "Walaingham. 
 3 Rot. Wall., 6-9 Edw. I, m. 12, de a<> sexto. 4 Ibid, privately printed for Sir T. 
 Phillipps.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 159 
 
 the Bailiffs of Res the son of Mereduc of Dehuberd 
 (Dehubarth), the Bailiffs of the Bishop of St. David's of 
 West Wales, the Bailiffs of Griffin and Canan of the 
 county of Kardygan, the Bailiffs of Res Vaghan of 
 Dehuberd, of Guy de Brienne, of Thomas de la Roche 
 and of William de Bonville, to cause to appear before 
 them, at such times and places as they (the said Pain 
 and Master H. de Bray) shall appoint, a sufficient num- 
 ber of good and lawful men from their bailiwicks and 
 lands in those parts, through whom the truth may be 
 best ascertained. 1 
 
 On the same day Res ap Meredith has orders to enlarge 
 the roads through his woods between Kermardyn and 
 Breckennen according to the order and provision of Pain 
 de Chaworth and Master Henry de Bray. 2 And at the 
 same time similar orders are issued to Griffin and Kanan 
 sons of Mereduc, the Abbot of Thalachlawyan, Howel 
 ap Griffin ap Edenavet, Res Vaghan, John Geffard, 
 Humfrey de Bohun Earl of Hereford and Essex, and the 
 Abbot of Strata Florida, with respect to the roads in their 
 woods where they are too narrow. 3 
 
 In the same year, 1278, Griffith ap Meredith complains 
 to the King and his parliament that when he had come to 
 the King's peace and placed himself and his land at the 
 King's will and favour, on the very first day, he was de- 
 prived of one half of all his land which he then held, namely 
 of the commot of Maywenet, which is considered to be 
 worth two other commots. And since the said Griffith is 
 unable to live on the other half of his land he prays the 
 King's majesty that some compensation may be made to 
 him wherefrom he may derive support, lest it should 
 seem to be the case, when favour was being shewn to 
 all, that he, who took the greatest pains to assist the 
 King's expedition at his own private cost, as he is bold to 
 assert before the King's bailiffs, and who was the person 
 of most power in the land of Cardigan when the war 
 broke out, should be, as it were, left destitute of all good.* 
 
 The answer was that the King had made him a com- 
 pensation in money (curialitem de denariis) at the Tower 
 (of London). 
 
 i Eot. Wall., 6-9 Edw. I, m. 12, de a sexto, privately printed for Sir T. Phfflipps. 
 2 & 3 Rot. Wall., 6-9 Edw. I, m. 12. doreo, de a<> sexto. * Rot. Part. 6 Edw. I, No. 20.
 
 160 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 On July 27 of that year Roger de Molis and Howel ap 
 Meuric were appointed to hear and determine the com- 
 plaints which had been laid against Canan ap Meredith 
 ap Owen and his tenants for injuries done to the Abbot 
 and convent of Strata Florida. 1 
 
 We have seen that the Widow of Owen ap Meredith 
 had sued for her dower in the commot of Anhunog in the 
 January of the same year. 
 
 On February 15, in the following year, 1279, the King 
 took the homage of Llewelyn ap Owen, at Woodstock, 
 he being still a minor and in the King's guardianship, 
 for all the lands and tenements which he claims to hold 
 of the King and which belonged to Owen his father at the 
 time of his death, to be held by the said Llewelyn so 
 long as he should continue faithful to the King and his 
 heirs. And Roger de Moeles the King's bailiff of 
 Lampader Vaur had orders to put him immediately in 
 seizin of all the aforesaid lands and tenements which 
 belong to the said Llewelyn of the inheritance of Owen 
 his father and which were then in the King's hands, 
 saving the King's rights and those of others. 2 
 
 A few months later the lords of Cardigan, Griffith, 
 Canan, and Llewelyn, were directed to hold an inquisition 
 for the King concerning the justice of certain customs 
 which had been exacted by the King's officers in those 
 parts ; and also concerning another matter more nearly 
 affecting their own interests, 3 which will be given on a 
 future page. 
 
 The former portion of this inquisition is full of interest 
 as recording the interchange of territory between 
 Meredith ap Owen and Maelgon, by which the territory 
 of Meredith was transferred to Cardigan Is Ayron and 
 that of Maelgon to Uch Ayron. We have seen that this 
 was followed by further exchanges after the re-conquest 
 of the central commots of Cardigan by the native Lords 
 about the year 1270. By these exchanges the cominot of 
 Pennarth had devolved upon Canan ap Meredith instead 
 of the commot-Perveth. Owen ap Meredith had died 
 seized of Anhunog in 1275, and, jointly with his brother 
 Griffith, he had also been once more in possession of 
 
 i Rot. Wall, de a<> septimo Edw. I, m. 9 (Sir T. Phillipps). 2 Rot. Wall., 6-9 Edw. 
 I, m. 9. dorso de a septimo. 3 Inq. p.m. 7 Edw. I, No. 76.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 161 
 
 commot-Perveth a few weeks before his death. I con- 
 jecture that the coinmot of Mevenyth was likewise 
 recovered by the native lords about this time, and that 
 this, the richest, comniot was retained by Griffith, who 
 may perhaps have thereupon handed over Perveth to Res 
 Vychan ap Ees ap Maelgon. 
 
 We have seen that these re-conquered commots were 
 again reclaimed by the King after the peace of 1277, 
 whereby the territories of the sons of Meredith would 
 have been reduced to Cardigan Is Ayron, and the com- 
 niot Pennarth : while Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon 
 was only allowed to retain a portion of the commot of 
 Geneurglyn, which he was to hold of the Prince of North 
 Wales; so that the whole country of Uch Ayron, with the 
 exception of the commot of Pennarth, was probably at 
 this time in the King's hands. 
 
 It is more difficult to follow the changes which had 
 taken place in Carmarthenshire. 
 
 On January 3, 1279, the King informs Walter de 
 Wymborne that he has appointed him, conjointly with 
 Walter de Hopton and his associates, to hear and deter- 
 mine the petitions and complaints preferred by John 
 Giffard of Brimesfeld, Res Vaghan, and other Welshmen, 
 with respect to the castle of Lanandevery and its appur- 
 tenances. 1 
 
 On January 11, 1279, Res Vaghan, whom we know 
 better as Res Wendot, received the King's pardon, to him 
 and his men, for all the transgressions and excesses which 
 they are said to have committed, up to the day of their 
 submission to the King's will ; and the King notifies his 
 unwillingness that the said Res or his men should be 
 molested, as far as their own persons are concerned, on 
 account of those transgressions and excesses. 2 
 
 It would seem that Res Wendot was also reinstated in 
 a portion of his inheritance, such as the land of Cayo, and 
 Methlaen including Llangadoc, and the lordship of 
 Hiruryn. I suppose that the lands he formerly held in 
 the commot of Maynor Teilo had been given up to the King 
 together with the castle of Dynevor; and some portion at 
 least of this comniot appears to have been ceded to Res ap 
 
 l Rot. Wall, de a<> septimo Edw. I, m. 9 (Sir T. Phillipps). 2 Rot. Wall. 6-9 Edw. 
 I, m. 9. de a" septimo. 
 
 W
 
 162 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Meredith ; for on January 5, 1280, the King gives authority 
 to Patric de Chaworth (who had succeeded his brother 
 Pain in 1278) and Bogo de Knovill to make an exchange 
 with Res ap Meredith for his portion of Dynevor.| 
 
 In furtherance of this object Bogo de Knovill and 
 Master Henry de Bray were ordered, by the King's 
 letters dated at Westminster on June 10 of the same 
 year, to make an extent of the commot of Manordelow 
 and the wood below the King's castle of Dynevor which 
 belong to Res ap Meredith, for the purpose of giving him 
 in exchange for them, some other of the King's land in 
 the county of Carmarthen or elsewhere as shall appear to 
 them most expedient for the King's advantage. 2 
 
 On the same day the King's Justiciary of West Wales 
 received the following instructions from the King with 
 respect to the woods within his jurisdiction ; " Since we 
 are given to understand that it is expedient, for the pre- 
 servation of the peace in West Wales and for the safety 
 of travellers, that the thick coverts in the woods of Res 
 ap Meredith, Griffin ap Meredith, Canan ap Meredith, 
 Llewelyn ap Owen, the Abbot of Strata Florida and the 
 Abbot of Alba Landa, where robberies, homicides, and 
 other enormities against the King's peace have been 
 wont to be committed, should be cut down and assarted, 
 we have ordered each of them to cause their woods to be 
 cut down and assarted in such places as you shall point 
 out to them, under your supervision and according to your 
 directions ; and we hereby require you to give sufficient 
 notice to each of them, and to see that our orders are 
 carried out by them without delay." 3 
 
 At this date the King committed to Bogo de Knovill 
 his castles and counties of Carmarthen and Cardigan, and 
 the castles of Lampader, Dynevor, Karakenny, and 
 Landovery, with all the lands and tenements and other 
 
 1 Rot. Wall. 6-9 Edw. I, m. 8. de a octavo. From the same Roll it appears that 
 Bogo de Knovill had been made Justiciary of West Wales on this same day ; and the 
 King committed to his custody the castle of Lampader Vawr and all the castles, lands 
 and tenements which were then in the custody of Roger de Molis in West Wales, to 
 hold during the King's pleasure, as also the castles of Cardigan, Carmarthen, Dynevor, 
 and Karakenny, the respective castellans of which were commanded to deliver them up 
 to him. By charter of January 7, the King empowers Patric de Chaworth and Bogo 
 de Knovill to assign to Roger de Mortimer of West Wales 50 librates of land in the 
 King's wastes according to the valuation of Richard de Exon and Master Henry de 
 Bray. This land was assigned to him in the commot of Geneurglyn. Its boundaries 
 are described in an inquest of 13 Edw. I (No. 41). 2 Rot. Wall. 6-9 Edw. I, m. 7 de 
 a<> octavo. 3 Rot. Wall, deao octavo Edw. I (Sir Thomas Phillipps).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 163 
 
 goods which were in the hands of the King in West 
 Wales, to keep at his own expense as long as the King 
 shall please, except the bailiwick of Buelt, by the service 
 of paying to the King's treasury the sum of forty marks 
 per annum, so that the said Bogo should receive all the 
 profits beyond the said 40 marks. 1 
 
 It would seem that the peace conceded to Howel ap 
 Res Grig in January, 1278, did not produce any solid 
 reconciliation ; for on June 10, 1280, the King grants to 
 Richard de la Mote, for the laudable service which he 
 has rendered to the King, all that land with the appur- 
 tenances in Landarak which belonged to Owel son of Res, 
 a fugitive and outlaw, to be held during the King's plea- 
 sure by the service of finding one horse caparisoned for 
 war in the King's armies, whensoever he shall be sum- 
 moned by the King's bailiffs in West Wales. 2 
 
 On July 7, 1281, Thomas, Bishop of St. David's and 
 Robert de Tybetot are appointed to make enquiries into 
 any transgressions and injuries of which the men of the 
 parts about Lampader Vawr may complain, and to do 
 justice thereon. And at the same time they were commis- 
 sioned to let the King's lands in those parts in fee at such 
 rents as shall seem expedient to them. 3 
 
 On July 12, 1281, the King concedes to Res ap Mere- 
 dith permission to hold an annual fair at his manor of 
 Drosleyn ; to be held on the Festival of St. Bartholomew 
 and the three following days. 4 
 
 On December 3, 1281, the above named Thomas, 
 Bishop of St. David's, Reginald de Grey and Walter de 
 Hopton are appointed to hold an enquiry as to the man- 
 ner in which the King's ancestors, the Kings of England, 
 were wont to govern the Welshmen ; which enquiry was 
 accordingly held at Chester. Rhuddlan, Oswestry and 
 Montgomery in January, and at Lampader Vawr on 
 February 5, of the following year, 1282. 5 
 
 The political horizon was now darkening over; the 
 clouds were gathering for a storm, which was soon to 
 burst forth with renewed force and all the violence of 
 desperation. 
 
 l Rot. Wall, de ao octavo Edw. I (Sir Thomas Phillipps). i Rot. Wall. 6-9 Edw. I, 
 m. 7 de a<> octavo. 3 & 5 R o t. Wall, de a nono (Sir T. Phillipps). * Rot. chart., 
 i) Edw. I, No. 34.
 
 164 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 After the submission of Prince Llewelyn in 1277, he 
 had been forced to go to London, accompanied by his 
 Barons, to do homage to the King. During the fortnight 
 that he remained there the large retinues of the Welsh 
 Barons were lodged in Islington and the neighbouring 
 villages. Their foreign manners, their unintelligible 
 language, and the fashion of their garments, were made 
 the subject of ridicule by the Londoners who treated 
 them with scorn and derision. Such treatment was 
 warmly resented by the proud and irascible Welshmen, 
 who longed to revenge themselves for the insults they 
 received, and returned to their country with the full 
 determination of revolting on the first opportunity. This 
 spirit of enmity and dissatisfaction was quickly diffused 
 amongst their countrymen at home, who soon began 
 to feel for themselves the bitter consequences of their 
 submission. Dr. Powel, in speaking of this period, 
 says that "the peace concluded between the Prince 
 of Wales and the King of England did not long 
 continue, by reason of the severe and strict dealing of 
 such officers as the King appointed rulers in the Marches 
 and the inland countrie of Wales ; who, hunting after 
 their owne gaines oppressed the inhabitants, burthening 
 them with new exactions contrarie to the custom es of the 
 countrie ; and also shewing themselves too much affec- 
 tionate in matters of controversie between partie and 
 partie, especiallie when anie Englishman had to doo in 
 the matter : which poling and imparcialitie did altogether 
 alienate the harts of the people from the King of England, 
 so that they had rather die than live in such thraldome." 
 Edward, impatient of the fruits of his late successes, had 
 at once revived the hated English Institutions, which he 
 had formerly endeavoured to introduce into Wales when 
 he held the Earldom of Chester and the Honour of 
 Cardigan in the time of King Henry his father. It was 
 his design, by one decisive blow, to sweep away all 
 traces of their ancient jurisprudence. During the time 
 of his former occupation he had divided the Welsh dis- 
 tricts into counties, like those of the English shires, 
 appointing Sheriffs, with power to hold courts, and 
 English Justiciaries to administer justice. These institu- 
 tions were immediately re-introduced. The Welsh, as
 
 ntlNCES OF SOUTH WALES. 165 
 
 was natural, surveyed the design with jealousy and 
 indignation. Attached to the customs of their fathers, 
 they determined to receive neither laws nor manners 
 which were derived from the English ; and at the com- 
 mencement of the year 1282 the smouldering fire burst 
 out. David ap Griffith, now reconciled to his brother 
 Prince Llewelyn was the first to commence hostilities. 
 On the Feast of St. Benet the Abbot (March 21, 1282) he 
 surprised and took the castle of Hawarden and slew 
 the whole of the garrison except Roger de Clifford and 
 Pagan Gamage, whom he took and imprisoned. 1 After 
 this the two brothers, Llewelyn and David, having joined 
 their forces, invested the castles of Flint and Rhuddlan, 
 the only fortresses which were then in possession of the 
 English. 2 These exploits were regarded as the signals 
 of revolt. The Welsh, rising from every quarter, were in 
 arms in a moment ; and the spirit of their fathers 
 seemed to animate every bosom. 
 
 On the Feast of St. Mary of the Equinox (March 25, 
 1282) Griffith ap Meredith ap Owen, and Res ap Res ap 
 Maelgon possessed themselves of the town and castle of 
 Lampader Vawr ; and having burnt both the town and 
 the castle, they destroyed the rampart that surrounded 
 them, sparing the lives of the garrison because the days 
 of the passion were near at hand. 3 The cantrev Penwecfrc 
 was at this time conquered by Res Vychan ap Res ap 
 Maelgon, and the commot of Mevenyth by Griffith ap 
 Meredith. 4 At the same time the castle of Llandovery 
 and the castle of Carregcennen were taken by David ap 
 Griffith, the brother of Llewelyn Prince of North Wales, 
 Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon, Griffith and Canan the 
 sons of Meredith ap Owen, and Griffith and Llewelyn the 
 sons of Res Vychan and Lords of Deyskennen(orlscennen), 
 namely on the morrow of the Annunciation of our Lady 
 (i.e. on March 26). 5 
 
 In this war it would appear that all the lords of South 
 Wales joined the insurrection with the exception of 
 
 1 Bnit-y-Tywysogion, compared with Warrington, Walsingham and Eishanger. 
 2 Warrington' s Hist. 3 & 4 Brut-y-Tywysogion, < ompared with T. Walsingham and 
 W I;i.-hanger. The Brut, from which I have hitherto quoted closes at this period, the 
 Version which I have called the Gwentian Chronicle having concluded at an earlier 
 date with the death of the Lord Bes ap Griffith in 1197. & Annales Camhrise, compared 
 with Waleingham and Rishanger.
 
 166 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Res ap Meredith ap Res Grig. This chieftain, the son 
 of an English mother, and soon about to ally himself 
 with the daughter of an English House, had never 
 been a true friend to his country's cause. The first to 
 desert the Welsh confederation at the commencement of 
 the last war, as his father before him had done in earlier 
 days, he largely partook of the Royal favour ; and upon 
 him were bestowed a considerable portion of the confis- 
 cated estates of his unfortunate kinsmen. 
 
 On the outbreak of this last great struggle for indepen- 
 dence on the part of the Welsh, King Edward was keep- 
 ing his Easter at Devizes ; and great was his fury when 
 he heard of the revolt of those whom he had believed to 
 be fully and hopelessly subjugated beneath his yoke. 
 Instead of awaiting the slow issue which time and milder 
 measures might yet produce to bring them to submission, 
 he once more determined to crush the whole Welsh 
 nation, and totally extinguish that spirit of freedom which 
 all his previous efforts had as yet been unable to subdue. 
 
 While preparing for his military operations he sent a 
 letter to the two archbishops, desiring them to issue 
 spiritual censures against Llewelyn and his adherents. 
 But before proceeding to this extremity, John Peckham, 
 Archbishop of Canterbury, of his own accord undertook 
 a journey to Wales with the hope of conciliating the 
 Welsh Prince. 
 
 In the meantime the King raised large subsidies and 
 sent to all the trading towns in England to borrow money, 
 desiring a like loan from Ireland. The Barons of the 
 Exchequer and the Judges of the King's bench repaired to 
 Shrewsbury, with orders to hold their courts in that place 
 during the continuance of the war. A people like the 
 Welsh, small in number, and scattered over a compara- 
 tively barren district, rise in importance as we view these 
 mighty preparations. 
 
 As soon as the King had concerted his measures he set 
 out for the Marches ; having issued his summons, from 
 Worcester, on May 20, to all his military tenants to meet 
 him at Rhuddlan in the ensuing June. After remaining 
 a fortnight at Chester, to refresh his troops, he invested 
 the castle of Hope about the middle of June. On the 
 King's advance the Welsh Princes retired from before
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 107 
 
 Rhuddlan, and retreated slowly towards Snowdon. 
 During this retreat, however, an engagement took place 
 with a detachment of the English army in which fourteen 
 Ensigns were taken by the Welsh, William de Audlev, 
 Eoger de Clifford Junior, Luke de Tany, William cle 
 Lindsey, and many others were slain, and the King him- 
 self was obliged to retire for protection into Hope castle, 
 the fortress he had lately taken. 1 
 
 While Edward was thus prosecuting the war in person 
 in the North, Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, had 
 been sent into South Wales to reduce that country to sub- 
 mission and to check the ravages of Griffith ap Meredith 
 and the other Welsh Lords, with whom he fought a great 
 battle near Llandeilo Vawr on July 17. In this battle 
 many of the Welsh were slain, and of the English five 
 knights, of whom one was young William de Valence, Lord 
 of Montignac, the eldest son of the Earl of Pembroke. 2 
 
 The King was at this time residing at Rhuddlan castle, 
 and from thence he bestowed many grants of lands in 
 Wales upon the English Barons who served him in these 
 wars. It was from here too that he conceded to Res 
 ap Meredith a portion of the confiscated estates of Res 
 Vychan, of Ystradtywi, and the sons of Meredith ap 
 Owen. By his charter, dated at "Rothelaun" on July 
 28, 1282, after reciting that King Henry his late father 
 had given to Meredith ap Res two commots with 
 their appurtenances in the land of Cardigan, namely 
 Mebueniaun and Weynionyth which Griffin ap Meredith 
 and Kanan his brother the King's enemies and rebels now 
 hold, and which belong to the King by their forfeiture, 
 of which said commots neither the said Meredith nor yet 
 his son Res could ever obtain seizin, the King, in con- 
 sideration of the faithful service which the said Res ap 
 Meredith alone of all the nobles and magnates of West 
 Wales had rendered to him in the time of the late war 
 and wishing to shew him the more abundant favour he 
 so well deserves, concedes to him the said two commots, 
 except the lands which Lewelin ap Oweyn held in the 
 said two commots at the time of the commencement of 
 the last war; he also concedes to him all the land of 
 
 l Warrington's Hist., compared with Rishanger, and Florence of Worcester. 
 2 Nic. Triveti Annales, Rishanger, Walsingham, and Annalea Cambriw.
 
 168 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Methlaen and Kay on with their appurtenances which 
 Res Vaghan the King's enemy and rebel now holds and 
 which by reason of his forfeiture similarly belongs to the 
 King ; to hold to the said Res ap Meredith and his heirs 
 for ever as fully and freely as the said Griffin, Kanan, 
 and Res Vaghan held them at the beginning of the said 
 insurrection. 1 
 
 Two days later, on July 30, 1282, authority is given 
 to Res ap Meredith to receive in the King's name the 
 Welshmen of the said Res' own lands and also such 
 Welshmen of the commots of Mebweynon, Weynonith, 
 Melaten and Kayon as have not taken up arms against 
 the King in the present war and are willing to come to 
 the King's peace. And William de Valence and Robert 
 de Tybotot are accordingly commanded to permit the 
 said Res so to receive them. 2 
 
 During these transactions the Archbishop came a 
 second time into Wales with offers of his assistance as a 
 mediator. In answer to which Llewelyn and his council 
 sent a memorial dated from Garthcelyn on the Feast of 
 St. Martin (November 11). In a strain of eloquence, mild 
 and persuasive, which might do honour to a more polished 
 age, he recited the various evils which he himself and his 
 country had suffered from Edward's ambition and the 
 rapine of delegated power, and, with a firmness softened 
 by piety and meekness, he demanded that justice from 
 the rights of nature, and the spirit of the treaties subsist- 
 ing between them, which the unjust conduct of the King 
 of England had hitherto denied him. 3 Amongst other 
 wrongs he complains that, whereas it was contained in 
 the form of peace that Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon 
 should retain all the land that he then had in possession, 
 after the peace was concluded he was spoiled of all his 
 lands of Geneurglyn which he then held together with 
 the men and cattle thereof. Also that when certain men 
 of Geneurglyn had taken certain goods of some of their 
 neighbours of Geneurglyn, when they were in the 
 dominion of the Prince in Meyreon, the King's men of 
 Llanbadarn did take away the said goods out of the land 
 of the Prince from Meyreon ; and when the Prince's 
 
 l Rot. Wall., 10 Edw. I, m. 4 in schedula. 2 Rot. Wall., 10 Edw. I, m. 4. 
 3 Harrington's Hist.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 169 
 
 men went there to ask wliy they took the said prey, the 
 King's men killed one of them, and wounded others, and 
 some they imprisoned. And whereas it was contained 
 in the said form of peace that those things which were 
 committed in the Marches should be remedied in the 
 Marches, yet the said King's men refused to listen to the 
 Prince's men elsewhere than in the castle of Llanbadarn 
 contrary to the said form of peace, for which they could 
 never obtain justice up to this day. 
 
 In like manner memorials of the injuries they had 
 received were sent by the sons of Meredith ap Owen, as 
 also by Res Vychan of Ystradty wi and others. 
 
 11 These are the grievances, wrongs, and molestations, 
 done by the Englishmen to the sons of Meredith ap Owen. 
 The first is that, although the King conceded to the afore- 
 said Nobles their own inheritance after the form of peace, 
 namely Geneur'glyn and Creudhyn ; yet the said King, 
 contrary to his own donation and the form of peace, 
 disinherited the aforesaid Nobles of the lands above 
 mentioned, denying them all the laws and customs of 
 Wales, and of England, and of the county of Caermardhyn. 
 The second is, that the aforesaid King in his county of 
 Cardigan by his Justices compelled the aforesaid Nobles 
 to administer justice, and to deliver judgement against 
 themselves, according to the verdict of low-born men and 
 serfs of the land, where their ancestors never suffered the 
 like of Englishmen. The third is, that the Justices of the 
 Lord King have taken away the court of the said Noble- 
 men, compelling their own men to make satisfaction 
 before the said Justices, where they ought of right to 
 make satisfaction before the aforesaid Nobles. The fourth 
 is, that there had been a certain shipwreck in the lands of 
 the said Nobles, which said Nobles had received the goods 
 of the shipwreck, as their ancestors before them had been 
 accustomed to do, and they had never been prohibited 
 from doing so by any on the King's behalf; but the afore- 
 said King, contrary to their law and custom, had fined 
 them to the amount of eighty marks sterling on account 
 of that shipwreck, and carried off all the goods which 
 were contained in that shipwreck. The fifth is, that 
 none of our men in the county Uffegd (sic) of Cardigan 
 dare come among the English for fear of imprisonment ;
 
 170 PBINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 and if it had not been for danger which threatened the 
 aforesaid Seigneural Lords they would not have moved 
 against the King's dignity. They further declare that 
 all Christians have laws and customs in their own proper 
 lands; the Jews indeed have laws among the English, 
 and they themselves and their ancestors had fixed laws 
 and customs until England took away their laws from 
 them after the last war." 
 
 " These are the grievances done by the Lord King and 
 his Justices to Res Vychan of Ystrad Tywi. The first is, 
 that after the said Res had given and conceded to the 
 Lord King his castle at Dynevowr in accordance with 
 the last form of peace, the said Res being then in the tent 
 of the Lord Pagan de Gadfry [de Cadurcis or Chaworth], 
 there were slain six Noblemen of the Lord Res, which 
 was a great loss and grievance, and for which he has never 
 had satisfaction or justice. Also that John Giffard claimed 
 against Res his (the said Res's) own inheritance at 
 Hirwryn, as to which Res requested of the King the law 
 of his country, or the law of the county of Caermardden, 
 in which county the ancestors of the said Res were 
 accustomed to have law when they were at one with the 
 English and under their dominion; but the said Res 
 received no law, and altogether lost the aforesaid land. 1 
 They wished him to go to law in the county of Hereford, 
 where his ancestors had never answered. Further in 
 the lands of the said Res such grievances were committed 
 by the English as do most appertain to the Ecclesiastical 
 courts ; that is to say in the church of St. David which is 
 
 1 It would seem that litigation was pending in the King's courts, between Ees 
 Vychan and John Giffard (whose title was in right of his wife Matilda de Clifford, the 
 widow of William Longespee) with respect to the town of Llandovery and the commots 
 of Hyrfryn and Derfedd or Pertieth, when the war broke out in the winter of 1282. 
 In the Hilary term of that year " John Gyffard and Matilda his wife, in right of the 
 said Matilda, who affirms that she is the heir of her ancestor Walter de Clyfford, who 
 had issue a son Walter, from which Walter the right of inheritance descended to 
 Walter the father of the said Matilda, implead Res Vathan for a moiety of the vill of 
 Lannandevery, except the castle, and a moiety of a third part of the commot of 
 Hyrefryn" (Abb. Plac. 10 Edw. I, rot. 17). They had another plea against him for 
 the whole commot of " Perenyz." The castle of Llandovery had now become a Royal 
 castle, but the lands appear to have remained with Walter de Clifford's heirs at such 
 times as they were not occupied by the Welsh, or else to have been subsequently 
 granted to them by the King. John Giffard of Brumesfield apparently died siezed, in 
 1299, of the commots of Irefryn, Iscennen and Perneu, with the castle of Llandovery, 
 which he probably held for his life by the courtesy of England (Cal. Inq. p.m. 27 
 Edw. I, No. 35). On November 6, 1280, this John Giffard had a licence from the 
 King to bunt wolves with dog and nets in all forests in England (Rymer's Faedera).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 171 
 
 called Llangadawc they made stables, and brought harlots, 
 and entirely carried away all the goods that were con- 
 tained there, and burned all the houses ; and in the same 
 church near the altar they struck the chaplain on the 
 head with a sword and left him half dead. Again, in the 
 same country they spoiled and burned the church of 
 Dyngad and the church of Llantredaf ; and other churches 
 in those parts they altogether spoiled of chalices, and 
 books, and all their other ornaments and furniture." 
 
 " The grievances of Lewelyn ap Res and Howel his 
 brother done to them by the Lord King are these. After 
 that, in the form of peace between the Lord Henry at that 
 time King of England and the Lord Prince at Rydchwnna, 
 the said King then conceded, and by his charters con- 
 firmed, to the said Prince the homage of the said Nobles 
 so long as they remained faithful and constant to the said 
 Prince according to their deed and confirmation by their 
 charters, Edward now King of England disinherited the 
 aforesaid Noblemen, denying them all the laws and cus- 
 toms of Wales; so that they could not have their own 
 lands either by law or favour." 1 
 
 Similar complaints and grievances were also brought 
 forward from other parts of Wales. And it was further 
 declared by Llewelyn and his adherents that if their 
 grievances were redressed, their native laws preserved to 
 them, and if their personal safety for the future might 
 depend upon the tenor of the late treaty, they were ready 
 to enter into a lasting peace with England. There is a 
 force in these recitals, thus arranged and authenticated, 
 expressive of the situation of the Welsh : all of them 
 complaining of injuries, of the violation of treaties, and 
 of the power of the mighty over the weak. 
 
 The Archbishop's mediation, however, appears to have 
 been altogether ineffectual. The King and his Barons 
 were determined to treat with Llewelyn on no other terms 
 than those of the actual surrender of his person and 
 Principality ; and to such terms {he Welsh were equally 
 resolved to turn a deaf ear. 
 
 In November the English met with a severe check at 
 the battle of Menai Bridge, which forced them to retire 
 
 l Appendix to Warrington's Hist. ; Extracted from Begister Peckham, f. 242.
 
 172 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 again to Rhuddlan ; from whence, on November 24, the 
 King issued fresh summonses to the sheriffs of all the 
 English counties to raise further contingents for the war. 
 
 On the departure of the Earl of Gloucester from Ystrad 
 Tywi the Princes of South Wales were joined by Llewelyn, 
 who, triumphant with the late success of his countrymen 
 at Menai, left his brother David to guard the passes of 
 Snowdon, and came to reanimate the spirits of his allies 
 in the South, where he overran the territories of Cardigan 
 and Carmarthen, and specially ravaged the lands of Res 
 ap Meredith. The History which follows is too well 
 known to need recapitulation here. It was during this 
 visit of Llewelyn to South Wales that he was surprised 
 and slain near Pont Orewyn in the lordship of Buellt on 
 December 10, 1282, while proceeding unarmed and 
 accompanied only by a single esquire to attend a con- 
 ference with some of the English Barons of that district, 
 by whom he was in all probability betrayed. Letters 
 were found upon him which implicated several of the 
 English Lords in his rebellion and rendered them liable 
 to the charge of treason, but they were prudently over- 
 looked by the English monarch. 
 
 The head of Llewelyn was sent to London to feast the 
 eyes of his enemies. Edward took advantage of his fall 
 to prosecute the war with renewed vigour, and the fate 
 of it was decided in the course of the winter months. 
 David, who had assumed the chief rule upon the death of 
 his brother, still held out against the King with a great 
 number of Welshmen ; but Edward pursued him even to 
 the heights of Snowdon, keeping his Easter at the Abbey 
 of Aberconway, so that David and his followers were 
 obliged to hide themselves in the mountains and marshes 
 near to the castle of Bere in which he had placed a 
 garrison, and his army was daily diminished in numbers. 
 The King now made an easy conquest of the castles of 
 Snowdon except that of Bere, which was eventually 
 surrendered to him. He also took many hostages from 
 the Nobles of Wales and prepared to return to England. 
 
 It appears that Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon, having 
 been with the King (either as a hostage or as having 
 voluntarily surrendered himself) made his escape to David, 
 and being taken by the King was imprisoned in the
 
 FRINGES OF SOUTH WALES. 173 
 
 Tower of London. 1 Many of the "Welsh Nobles now 
 came to the King's peace ; and those who would not were 
 consumed by hunger and want. At length Prince David 
 himself, who had been for months a fugitive hiding 
 himself where he could, was taken by some of his own 
 retainers on June 21, 1283, and delivered up to the 
 English at Rhuddlan, where he was first confined as a 
 close prisoner and afterwards sent in chains to Shrewsbury. 
 Here as an English Baron he afterwards underwent tne 
 form of a trial ; for which purpose a parliament was sum- 
 moned on September 30, which was very fully attended. 2 
 He was condemned to die as a traitor and to suffer five 
 different kinds of punishment, namely, to be drawn at 
 the tails of horses through the streets of Shrewsbury to 
 the place of execution, because he was a traitor to the 
 King who had made him a knight: to be hanged for 
 having murdered Fulk Trigald and other knights in the 
 castle of Hawarden : his heart and bowels to be burnt, 
 because those murders had been perpetrated on Palm 
 Sunday : his head to be cut off: his body to be quartered, 
 and to be hung up in four different parts of the kingdom. 
 This cruel sentence was executed in all its rigorous 
 severity, and the citizens of York and Winchester actually 
 contended with savage eagerness for the right shoulder 
 of the unfortunate Prince, which was sent to Winchester. 8 
 In the meantime, whilst Edward was thus engaged in 
 North Wales, a body of forces, under the Earl of Pembroke, 
 had successfully carried on the war in South Wales ; 4 so 
 that Griffith and Canan, the sons of Meredith, Griffith 
 and Llewelyn, the sons of Res Vychan, and Howel ap 
 Res the brother of Meredith ap Res, as well as Res Vychan 
 ap Res ap Maelgon, were all taken and imprisoned in 
 London. 5 And, as Powel informs us, there was none that 
 
 1 My only authority for this flight and capture of Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon ia 
 the following equivocal passage from Annales de Dunstaplia which I think most likely 
 to refer to him. " Resum filiwn Waluani, qui cum domino rege steterat et ab eo ad 
 dictum David confugerat, cepit rex, et in Turn Londiniae incarceravit. Tune multi 
 nobiles de Walensibus ad pacem regis venerunt; et qui nolebant, fame et inedia 
 miserabiliter sunt consumpti." 2 This was the first national parliament in which the 
 commons had any share by legal authority ; for that summoned by Do Montford cannot 
 he called such. Besides 110 earls and barons there were two knights from each county 
 and two burgesses from certain of the principal towns. The omission of writs to the 
 Bishops and Abbots on this occasion can only be accounted for on the supposition that 
 the parliament was summoned for the sole purpose of passing sentence upon David, 
 inasmuch as spiritual peers have no votes in cases of blood. 3 & 4 Warrington's Hist. 
 6 Annales Cauibriaj.
 
 174 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 stood out but Res Vychan of Ystratywy. This " Res a 
 Vawhan, the richest and most powerful of the Welsh 
 chieftains, who had opposed the King during the whole 
 period of the war, and who, moving from province to 
 province, had committed great slaughter and ferociously 
 devastated the King's lands, being discouraged in spirit 
 when he heard of the death of Llewelyn and the capture 
 of David, and being himself closely pursued by the King's 
 forces, at length repaired with his accomplices to Humfrey 
 de Bohun, Earl of Hereford, and surrendered to him. 
 The Earl of Hereford sent him forthwith to the King, 
 who sent him on to London with orders to bind him with 
 fetters and to keep him carefully guarded in the Tower." 1 
 " And so the King passed through all Wales, and brought 
 all the countrie in subjection to the crown of England." 2 
 
 Chronicon Thomse "Wykes, p. 293. 2 Powel's Hist*
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 175 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Up to this period the fortunes of the respective Princes 
 of South Wales are so closely interwoven that it has been 
 almost impossible to treat of them separately. 
 
 During the late " wars of Llewelyn and David," as they 
 were called in the records of the time, these Lords were 
 represented by Llewelyn ap Owen, a minor, and his 
 uncles Griffith and Canan ; Res Wendot of Ystrad Tywi, 
 who was the son of Res Vychan ap Res Mechyll ap Res 
 Grig, and his brothers Llewelyn, Howel, and Griffith ; 
 Res ap Meredith ap Res Grig ; Howel ap Res Grig ; and 
 Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon. 
 
 In order to shew more clearly what lands were held by 
 each of them at this time, I shall have to repeat much of 
 what has been already said ; but what with the King's 
 grants and those of the Princes of North Wales, and their 
 own acquisitions and deforcements, it requires some care 
 to trace the many changes which took place in the tenure 
 of their lands. 
 
 I shall begin with the younger branches ; and first with 
 the 
 
 DESCENDANTS OF RES GRIG, 
 (l) RES MECHYLL. 
 
 When Res Grig, alias Res Vychan (I), died in 1233, 
 his territory is said to have been divided between his 
 sons Res and Meredith ; but Res Vychan the eldest son, 
 succeeded to the greater portion. He must have been 
 many years older than his brothers Meredith and Howel ; 
 and his son was styled Argloith or Lord, a title not given 
 to Meredith or his son; yet Meredith is in one place 
 called the son and heir of Res Grig during the lifetime 
 of his father. 1 This was in 1222, and it may perhaps be 
 accounted for by the fact that Res Vychan and his father 
 
 i See page 102.
 
 176 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 were constantly at enmity. In 1226 we find Res Vychan 
 wresting from Res Grig his father, the castle of Llan- 
 dovery, and it is not unlikely that his father may have 
 intended to make Meredith his heir. On the death of 
 Res Grig, however, Res Vychan (II), who is better 
 known as Res Mechyll, inherited the castle of Dynevor 
 and the greater part, at least, of the cantrev Mawr. 
 
 Res Mechyll ap Res Grig died in 1244, and was suc- 
 ceeded by his sons, of whom there must have been three 
 at least living at the time of his death j 1 but we never 
 hear of more than one, namely Res Vychan (III), after 
 the year 1245, and for reasons which will be given here- 
 after it is probable that the others died without leaving 
 issue. 
 
 Res Vychan (III) and his uncle Meredith ap Res Grig 
 were at variance during the greater part of their lives, 
 and generally took opposite sides in the wars between 
 the Welsh and English. In 1248 Res Vychan recovered 
 the castle of Carregcennen which his mother had surren- 
 dered to the English out of ill-will towards her son. In 
 the same year he probably took possession of the land of 
 Iscennen, which would seem to have been the inheritance 
 of his uncle Meredith ap Res. And in 1252 he gives the 
 King 20 marks to hold the same liberties and customs 
 for his lands in Keyrmardin as he and his ancestors 
 had held in the time of Llewelyn formerly Prince of 
 Wales (i.e. Llewelyn ap Jerwerth). But in 1256 he was 
 ejected from his territory by Prince Llewelyn ap Griffith, 
 who gave it to Meredith ap Res ; whereupon Res Vychan 
 betook himself to the English. The English, however, 
 were unable to re-instate him in his possessions, and in 
 the following year, during the period of the Welsh suc- 
 cesses, a temporary reconciliation was patched up between 
 the uncle and nephew, which was probably effected 
 through the instrumentality of Llewelyn; and at this 
 time we may assume that a fresh division of lands was 
 made between them. 
 
 l The sons of Res Wachan were summoned by King Henry on January 6, 1245, with 
 the other Barons of South Wales, to answer for their transgressions against the King's 
 peace (Rymer's Faedera) ; and in August of the same year the King took the homage 
 of Res, the son of Res Wachan, and because the said Res and his brothers had returned 
 to the King's peace, the King's lieges are commanded to suffer the said Res and his 
 brothers to pass hither and thither freely at their will (Rot. Pat. 30 Hen. III., m. 2).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 177 
 
 Before the close of that year Meredith broke his faith 
 with the Welsh Princes and went over to the King, who 
 conceded to him all the lands which he then held, namely 
 Hyrhrin and Matheyn with the castle of Llandovery, 
 comrnot Pertieth and Iscennen with the castle of Droys- 
 leyn, Emelyn and Estrelef with the New Castle, Maynahur 
 Lonsawil and Maniour inter Turth & Kothy and the 
 whole land of Kayo, as well as all the land of Res 
 Vychan, namely Mabuderith, Mabelneu, Meynaur Teylau, 
 Ketheynauth and Meynaur filiorum Seysild with the 
 castles of Dynevor and Carregcennen, with all their appur- 
 tenances for ever. But the lands of Res Vychan, which 
 were thus granted by the King to Meredith as escheats 
 to the crown, nevertheless remained in Res Vychan's 
 possession, and were at his death transmitted to his sons. 
 
 During the remainder of his life Res Vychan was true 
 to his Welsh allegiance and he and his uncle were hence- 
 forth almost invariably engaged on different sides, 
 although Meredith, as well as Res, appears to have sided 
 with the Welsh in 1261 and may have continued with 
 them till the year 1265-6, when he was once more taken 
 into the King's pay. How far the territorial holdings of 
 these two chieftains may have been affected by the peace 
 of 1267 I am unable to say, but from an inquest taken in 
 1318, which will be given hereafter, it would appear that 
 some further arrangement of lands was made between 
 them at some period before the time of their deaths. 
 Meredith ap Res Grig died at his castle of Droslwyn on 
 July 22, 1271, and Res Vychan ap Res Mechyll at his 
 castle of Dynevor on August 17, of the same year. Res 
 Vychan's wife, who died in 1261, was Gladys, the 
 daughter of Griffith ap Llewelyn and sister of Llewelyn 
 and David the last native Princes of North Wales. Res 
 Vychan was succeeded in the greater part of his lands by 
 his sons Llewelyn ap Res and Res Vychan (IV) other- 
 wise called Res Wendot. 
 
 From an inquest held about 35 years after the close of 
 the wars of Llewelyn and David we gather much informa- 
 tion respecting the Princes of this line. The said inquest 
 was taken at Carmarthen, on the Feast of Saints Philip 
 and James, 11 Edw. II (May 1, 1318), for the purpose of 
 testing the truth of certain complaints which were made, 
 
 Y
 
 178 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 by the tenants of the Bishop of St. David's at Llandeilo 
 Vawr, against the King's officers in those parts. The 
 jurors were instructed to enquire whether the said Bishop's 
 tenants were compelled by Res Vaughan, the then Lord 
 of Dynevor, in the time of the Welsh war, to sell to the 
 said Res and his men 8 flagons (lajence) of beer for six 
 pence, and whether the King's Bailiffs of the said manor 
 had since required it of them. The jury found that Res 
 Argloith (i.e. Res Vychan III) had formerly been Lord 
 of Dynevor, and Meredith ap Res Lord of Drosslan, and 
 they divided the whole cantrev Mawr between them and 
 went to war with each other, and this was some 44 years 
 since. 1 The Bishop at that time held the vill of Lanteylon 
 Vawr of the King in capite, and that vill was within the 
 precincts of the Lord Res' portion of the cantrev. In 
 the time of the said war the men of the said Lord Res 
 had first begun to take from the Bishop's tenants in the 
 said vill seven flagons of beer from each brewery without 
 payment, and he did so contrary to justice and against their 
 ancient liberties. That war lasted throughout the whole 
 life of the same Res ; and his men continued to levy the 
 said custom. After the death of the said Lord Res, his sons 
 Llewelyn ap Res and Res Wendout divided all the land of 
 the said Res between them, and the said vill of Lanteylon 
 Vawr was within the precincts of the portion which fell to 
 Res Wendot. During the time that he was Lord there, 
 neither he nor his Bailiffs in time of peace ever received 
 anything under the pretext of this custom. The same 
 Res Wendot afterwards took part with Llewelyn Prince 
 of Wales in his war against the King, but neither was 
 the aforesaid custom exacted at that time. The said Res 
 Wendot was taken captive in the same war, and died in 
 the King's prison in England, and his lands were forfeited 
 to the King. Immediately after which the whole lands 
 of the said Res Wendot were granted by the King to Res 
 ap Meredith, except the castle of Dynevor and a certain 
 vill named Dref Scoleygyon. Neither Res ap Meredith 
 or his Bailiffs had ever exacted that custom either in the 
 
 l The presentment of the jurors is not strictly accurate, for according to it the par- 
 tition of the Cantrev Mawr between Res Vychan ap Res Mechyll and Meredith ap Rea 
 Grig would have taken place about 1274, whereas they were both dead in 1271 ; but 
 we may understand it to mean that it took place as much as 44 years since, probably 
 towards th close of their lives.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 179 
 
 time of peace or yet in the time of the war that he waged 
 against the King. After this the said castle of Dynevor 
 was in the King's hands for three years without any such 
 exaction being made, until a certain Henry Loundres, 
 who was appointed constable of the said castle by the 
 Lord Robert Typetot then Justice of South Wales, dis- 
 trained the men of the said Bishop at Lanteylon Vawr 
 for the aforesaid custom : whereupon they complained to 
 the King, who commanded the said Lord Robert to see 
 that justice was done to them ; and Robert ordered him 
 to desist. And so that exaction ceased until the time of 
 a certain William Clifford, who was appointed constable 
 of the said castle under the Lord John Grffard, father of 
 the Lord John that now is, to whom the custody thereof 
 had been committed by the King ; namely, twenty-one 
 years since ; which William levied that custom by force 
 and extortion. And ever since that time the men of the 
 constable of that castle have levied that custom and dis- 
 trained for it, for which they have paid nothing. 1 
 
 From this inquest we learn that Res Wendot succeeded 
 to that portion of his father's territory which included 
 the castle of Dynevor and Llandeilo Vawr, although the 
 manor of Llandeilo Vawr was held of the King by the 
 Bishop of St. David's : and we learn from another source 
 that his brother Llewelyn ap Res had the commot of 
 Iscennen and the castle of Carregcennen for his portion. 
 From wilich we may infer not only that the King's grant 
 to Meredith ap Res, in 1257, of the lands of Res Vychan 
 ap Res Mechyll had been inoperative to transfer them to 
 the grantee, but also that Res Vychan had subsequently 
 acquired some part at least of Meredith's lands, during 
 the wars between Llewelyn and Henry III, which he 
 retained after the peace of 1267. 
 
 From this inquest we also learn that Res Wendot (or 
 
 1 Inq. ad quod dammim, 11 Edw. II, No. 102. There is an endorsement on the 
 inquisition to the following effect, namely, that Edward Hackelut, constable of Dynever 
 Castle, was examined on July 12, 1318, with respect to the contents of this inquisition, 
 and he said th;it the inquisition was taken solely on the oath of Welshmen and waa 
 therefore liable to suspicion. He also said that this custom, namely the eight flagons 
 of beer for sixpence from each brewery, was paid to the King in lieu of his right of 
 levying a tax upon beer, and that this custom had been specially enrolled in the 
 .1 y of Carmarthen and likewise in the accounts rendered to the Treasury of 
 England, and that it was an ancient custom and due from time out of mind, before that 
 castle came into the hands of the King's ancestors. The question would therefore 
 await the decision of Parliament.
 
 180 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Res Vychan IV of Istradtywi) died in the King's prison 
 in England, and that his lands were forfeited into the 
 King's hands. 
 
 Of his brother Llewelyn ap Res, the Lord of Iscennen, 
 it is recorded that, in 1277, when Res Wendot and most 
 of the Lords of South Wales went over to the English 
 King, he and Howel ap Res Grig came to the assistance 
 of Llewelyn ap Griffith, Prince of North Wales, to whom 
 their allegiance was due. Llewelyn ap Res, however, 
 appears to have afterwards yielded himself and his lands 
 into the hands of the King, who received his homage, 
 but took his lands into his own custody and placed 
 Llewelyn himself in prison until peace should be more 
 fully assured. 
 
 In 1282 Llewelyn ap Res and Howel his brother com- 
 plain that their lands were unjustly withheld from them 
 by King Edward. It would seem that Llewelyn was 
 subsequently released from his restraint (though he did 
 not recover his lands) for the name of Llewelyn ap Res 
 occurs as a witness, in 1285, together with the Bishop of 
 Bath and Wells, the Bishop of St. David's, Gilbert Earl 
 of Gloucester, William de Valencia, John Earl Warren 
 and other men of importance, to a deed of Res ap Mere- 
 dith whereby he settles certain lands upon Auda de 
 Hastings his affianced bride ;* and also to a corresponding 
 deed of John de Hastings, in the same year, whereby he 
 settles certain lands upon Res ap Meredith and Auda his 
 wife, sister of the said John de Hastings. 2 
 
 Llewelyn ap Res died without issue; and his lands 
 were afterwards claimed by the Talbots who proved 
 themselves to be his nearest heirs. 
 
 I learn no more of Howel ap Res, the brother of Res 
 Wendot and Llewelyn, nor yet of Griffith ap Res, a 
 fourth brother, who is mentioned in the Annales Cambrise 
 as joint Lord of Iscennen in 1282 and as being taken in 
 1283 and imprisoned in London. 
 
 From Res Wendot, according to the Welsh Genealogists, 
 many Cambrian families deduce their descent, but we 
 cannot place any confidence in the earlier descents of the 
 Welsh Heraldic Pedigrees where they are not corroborated 
 
 1 Rot. "Wall. 13 E<bv. I, m. 3. d. 2 Ibid.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 181 
 
 by other evidence. 1 From what follows I should infer 
 that neither Res Wendot nor any of his brothers left 
 legitimate issue. 
 
 It has been stated that Llewelyn ap Res died without 
 issue. At an inquisition taken at Landow juxta 
 Bregheynok, on the Monday next after the close of Easter 
 10 Edw. Ill (April 8. 1336) before William de Shareshull 
 Roger Pychard and John de Mersheton, it was shewn 
 that, in the time of the first war between Edward I and 
 the Prince of Wales, Llewelyn ap Res Vaghan was seized 
 of the castle of Carregcennen and the commot of Iscennen 
 in demesne as of fee, which same Llewelyn of his own 
 accord repaired to the said King and came to his peace 
 and fealty, and did homage to him for his lands ; but the 
 King for the better security of peace committed the said 
 Llewelyn to prison until the peace should be more fully 
 assured. While Llewelyn was thus kept in custody the 
 said King took the aforesaid castle and commot, which 
 were in the seizin of Llewelyn, into his own hands. The 
 jurors reported that it was in that way only that the afore- 
 said castle and commot came into the King's hands, and 
 they said that the same Llewelyn died in the peace and 
 
 1 According to the Welsh Pedigrees, as given by the great Welsh Antiquary Robert 
 Yaughan of Hengwrt in the Peniarth MS. No. 70, and elsewhere, Rhys Gloff (whom I 
 suppose to be the same with Res Wendot) the son of Rhys Yychan ap Rhys Mechyll 
 was Lord of Cymytmaen, either by his own marriage or that of one of his ancestors 
 with the daughter and heiress of Griffith Lord of Cymytmaen in Lleyn. This Rhys 
 Gloff is said to have had three sons, namely Madog, Meredith Goch, and Rhys 
 Arbenig. Madog ap Rhys Gloff is said to have been father of Trahaern Goch, of 
 Lleyn, who relinquished his paternal coat and bore azure a chevron between 3 Dolphins 
 hauriant ar. There is some contradiction and much confusion in this early part of 
 the pedigree, which connects the descendants of Trahaern with the Princes of South 
 Wales, but from Trahaern Goch downwards the Pedigree is corroborated by the 
 Minister's accounts and other evidence. Trahaern Goch had two sons, namely Ithel 
 Dalfrith and David Goch of Penllech. From Ithel Dalfrith descended the Wynns 
 of Coed Llai or Leeswood in Flintshire, of which family Sir John Wynn of Leeswood, 
 Baronet, the last heir male died in the latter half of the 18th century. From 
 David Goch, of Penllech, ap Trahaern Goch of Lleyn, descended the Griffiths of 
 Cefn Amwlch, in Carnarvonshire, of which family the male line ended with John 
 Griffith of Cefn Amwlch, Esqr. (Sheriff of Carnarvonshire in 1765, son of William 
 Griffith of Cefn Amwlch, Esqr. by his wife Sidney, daughter of Cadwalader Wynne of 
 Voelas, Esqr.), at whose death Cefn Amwlch was left to his maternal relatives, the 
 Wynnes of Voelas, now represented by Lieut. Col. Charles Wynne Finch. The 
 family of Williams of LJandegwning was also descended from David Goch, of Penllech, 
 of which the male line ended with Griffith Williams of Llandegwning, Esqr. who died 
 in 174, when the property and representation of the family devolved upon his 
 sister Elinor wife of William Wynne of Wern, in the county of Carnarvon, Esqr., now 
 represented by her great grandson W. "W. E. Wynne, Esq. of Peniarth. From the 
 same David Goch of Penllech descended also a family, which assumed from its share of 
 inheritance the local name of Carreg. It is still extant in the male line, and is 
 (1876) represented by Robert Carreg, Esq., of Carreg, the present Sheriff for the 
 countv of Carnarrou.
 
 182 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 fealty of the said King, and that he never defaulted or 
 committed any crime against the King for which his lands 
 and tenements ought to be forfeited. They further 
 reported that the same Llewelyn never remitted or quit- 
 claimed to the King or to any one else his right to the 
 aforesaid castle and commot, neither did he in any way 
 alter his position with regard to them ; and that Gilbert 
 Talbot is his cousin and nearest heir. The aforesaid 
 castle and commot are held of the King in capite by the 
 service of doing suit at the King's court of Carmarthen, 
 and their annual value is about 50 marks. 1 It is recorded 
 that John the son of John de Wilteshire, who then had 
 custody of the said castle and commot for the King, was 
 present at the taking of this inquisition. 
 
 Gilbert Talbot, at whose instance the inquisition had 
 been taken, came before the King and sought that justice 
 might be done to him according to the tenor of the verdict. 
 
 It appears however that, instead of restoring the lands 
 and castle to the heirs of Llewelyn, the King bestowed 
 them in the following year upon John de Wylynton and 
 Ralph his son, and Alianore wife of Ralph, with remainder 
 to the heirs of the body of Ralph, as lands which had 
 been forfeited by John Mautravers, the King's enemy 
 and rebel. Whereupon Gilbert Talbot complained to the 
 King and his council that the King had given away those 
 lands in contravention of his (Gilbert's) rights, notwith- 
 standing the verdict pronounced at the Inquisition which 
 had been held at the King's command. 
 
 The tenor of his petition is as follows, 
 
 A nostre Seigneur le Roi & a son consail prie Gilbert 
 Talbot que come il ad suy par petition a nostre Seigneur 
 le Roi & a son bon consayl pur Son droit del commot de 
 Iskennen a del chastel de Carnkenny par quele peticion 
 graunte lui fust denquere de son droit quele enqueste fust 
 prise devaunt Mons. William de Shareshull & autres & 
 retorne en la Chauncellerye Et ore de nouel nostre 
 Seigneur le Roi ad done les avantditz chastel & commot 
 a Sire Johan de Wylyngton & a Rauf son fitz & a 
 Alyanore la femme Rauf en arrerysement de la suyte & 
 du droit le dist Gilbert De quei il prie remedie & que les 
 
 1 Extracts from Coram Rege Roll Trin. T. 12 Edw. Ill, Ro. 23 d.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 183 
 
 avauntditz chastel & commot soient repris en la meyn 
 nostre Seigneur le Roi taunq. droit soit fait & que la chre 
 du don soit repelle 
 
 The King now gives 'orders to the chancellor to search 
 the rolls and records preserved in the court of chancery 
 for deeds relating to the petition of the said Gilbert in 
 answer to which it had been conceded to him that enquiry 
 should be made as to his right to the said castle and 
 commot, and also relating to the date and form of the 
 King's grant to John, Ralph and Alianore de Welyngton. 
 
 In due time the chancellor certifies that he has caused 
 the search to be made, and he sends to the King the 
 tenor of the said King's charter to the said John, Ralph 
 and Alianore, and also the tenor of certain other charters, 
 by one of which it appears that Resus Vaghan had 
 forfeited his lands to King Edward the grandfather of 
 the present King. Then follows the charter, dated at 
 Westminster on December 19, 1337, by which King 
 Edward III gave to John de Wylynton and Ralph his 
 son and Alianore his wife &c. the castle of Keyrkenny, 
 which belonged to John de Mautravers the King's enemy 
 and rebel, together with the commot of Iskinny. Also a 
 charter dated at Hereford on November 18, 1283, by 
 which King Edward I gave to John Giffard of Brim- 
 mesfeld the commot of Hyskennyn to hold to him and 
 his heirs for ever ; and another charter, dated at Salop 
 on June 2, 1282, by which the said King Edward I 
 conceded to the same John Giffard, of Brimmesfeld, and 
 his heirs for ever, the castle of Landevery, which belonged 
 to Res Yaghan the King's enemy. 
 
 These transactions are recorded in the Coram Rege Roll 
 of Trinity Term 1338. 1 
 
 In Hilary Term, 1345, we find Gilbert Talbot renew- 
 ing his claim to the lands of his cousin Lewelin ap 
 Res, whose heir he is. It is then recorded that Gilbert 
 Talbot on a former occasion in this court (King's 
 bench) sought against Ralph de Wylynton and Alianor 
 his wife the castle of Keirkenny and the commot of 
 Iskenny, of which Lewelin ap Res Vaghan, kinsman 
 to the said Gilbert, whose heir Gilbert is, was seized on 
 
 i riac. Coram Rege Trin. Term. 12 Ed\r. III. Ro. 23 d.
 
 184 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 the day that he died. Lewelin was seized in the time 
 of King Edward I. From him, because he died 
 without heir, the fee reverted to Wenthlian his aunt 
 and heir, sister of Res the father of Lewelin. From 
 Wenthlian it descended to Richard her son and heir, and 
 from Richard to Gilbert the present plaintiff. Nor is this 
 descent disputed, although the lands were pronounced to 
 be past recovery because they had been united to the 
 crown by act of parliament. 1 
 
 It would seem that Talbot's claim was eventually 
 bought up by the Earl of Lancaster, for on August 1, 
 1362, by deed dated at Westminster, Sir Gilbert Talbot 
 (grandson of the above-mentioned Gilbert), Res ap Howel 
 ap Willy m and Walter ap Jevan ap Lewelyn conceded 
 and released to John, Earl of Lancaster, and Blanche his 
 wife, the castle of Carreckemyn and the commot of 
 Iskennyn together with the mills, parks, woods, moors, 
 fields, meadows, pastures, natives and their services, and 
 all other appurtenances thereto belonging, to have and to 
 hold to them and the heirs of their bodies with remainder 
 to the right heirs of the said Earl for ever, to which are 
 witnesses Thomas de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, 
 Robert de Thorp (&) John de Moubray the King's Justices 
 in communi Banco, Res ap Griffith and Richard de la Bere, 
 Knights, David de Wellore (&) Walter Power, clerks, 
 and many others. 2 
 
 In respect of the marriage implied above the descend- 
 ants of Gilbert Talbot and Gwenllian ( Verch Res Mechyll) 
 relinquished their paternal arms, viz. Bendy of ten pieces, 
 argent and gules, and bore a lion rampant or, in a field gules, 
 with a bordure engrailed of the first ; which were the arms of 
 the said Res and his ancestors, Princes of South Wales. 3 
 
 If we allow the claim of the Talbots, the legitimate 
 male line of Res Mechyll ap Res Grig must have ended 
 with Res Wendot and his brothers, and we may consider 
 this branch of the family to have been subsequently 
 
 1 Placita de Banco Hil. Term. 19 Edw. Ill, m. 132 d. 2 Rot. Glaus. 36 Edw. Ill, 
 m. 18 dorso. I cannot identify the Res ap Howel and Walter ap Jevan who joined 
 Gilbert Talbot in this release. They may possibly have been tho illegitimate descend- 
 ants (grandson and great grandson?) of Llewelyn ap Res, or they may have been 
 descendants of a sister or sisters of Wenthlian Talbot who would thus have been coheirs 
 with Gilbert Talbot to the lands of Llewelyn ap Res ; or perhaps they may have 
 been feoffees of either the Talbots or the Welyntons. 3 Collins' Peerage, ex coll. R. 
 Glorer, Somcrs. See also p. 100.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 185 
 
 represented by the Earls of Shrewsbury, the lineal male 
 descendants of Sir Gilbert Talbot and Wenthlian, until 
 the death of Gilbert Talbot, 7th Earl of Shrewsbury, K.G. 
 in 1616, whose daughter and eventual sole heiress Alathea 
 married Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel. On the death 
 of Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk, in 1777, the 
 Barony of Talbot and other Baronies in fee fell into 
 abeyance between the two daughters and coheirs of his 
 brother Philip Howard, Esq. ; namely Winifrede, who 
 married William, 15th Lord Stourton; and Anne who 
 married Edward, 9th Lord Petre, in whose heirs, the 
 present Lords Stourton and Petre, is vested the repre- 
 sentation of this branch of the Princes of South Wales. 
 
 (ll) MEKEDITH AP EES GRIG. 
 
 On the death of Res Grig, in 1233, his son Meredith ap 
 Res is said to have shared his father's territory with his 
 elder brother Res Mechyll. Meredith was doubtless born 
 of the 2nd marriage of his father with Joane de Clare. 
 I am unable to say positively what lands he inherited at 
 his father's death, but since he afterwards claimed the 
 land of Ikenn or Iscennen as his ly right of inheritance, it 
 is probable that he succeeded in the first instance to that 
 commot with the castle of Droslwyn, and perhaps also to 
 the commots of Pertieth (Derfedd) and Hyrvrin, which 
 together formed the cantrev Bychan or ffiniog (according 
 to whichever of the two divisions of Carmarthen we 
 adopt). 
 
 In the year 1257 he was in possession of all these lands 
 as well as the northern commot of Caeo the northern 
 portion of Mathlaen and the lordships called Maenor 
 Lonsawil and Maenor inter Turth & Kothy in the 
 cantrev Mawr, besides which he held certain lands in 
 Dy vet or West Wales, namely the commot of Emlyn with 
 the New Castle, and the commot of Estrolof, which he 
 held of the Earl of Pembroke. 
 
 The King's charter, of October 1257, confirms to him 
 all the said lands, which he then held, and further con- 
 cedes to him all the lands of his nephew Res Vychan ap 
 Res Mechyll ; of which last, however, he never acquired 
 possession. Indeed he seems to have afterwards lost to 
 
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 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 187 
 
 his nephew some portion of the lands which he held in 
 1257; and it is probable that a fresh division of territory 
 was made between them after the peace of 1267. 
 
 From an inquisition, taken at Carmarthen in June 1288, 
 we learn how he became possessed of his lands in Dyvet. 
 It appears, from this inquest, that a certain Canan ap 
 Howel 1 was formerly lord of the commot of Oisterlof and 
 the commot of Emelyn which he held of the King. After 
 which Walter Marscall' in the name of Earl Gilbert his 
 brother came with the King's army to Carmarthen and 
 found the aforesaid Canan at war against the King, and 
 he seized the aforesaid land of Oisterlof and Emelyn to 
 the King's behoof. The said Earl Gilbert afterwards 
 appropriated these two commots to his county of Pem- 
 broke and occupied thdm against the King. And when 
 the said Earl Gilbert Marscall', who was Lord of Pem- 
 broke, saw that he could not well retain possession of the 
 said two commots he sold them to Meredith ap Res for 
 300 marks ; so that he should do him service for them at 
 Pembroke ; and he afterwards gave to him his niece in 
 marriage, namely the mother of Res ap Meredith. The 
 jury were ignorant by what authority the King gave up 
 or was ejected from the service and suit of the said two 
 commots which were always, and are now, in the District 
 of Carmarthen. 2 
 
 In the division of the Mareschal inheritance the castle 
 of Cilgerran, and the service of Meredith ap Res Grig for 
 Emlyn came to Eva de Braose, wife of William son and 
 heir of William de Cantilupe, and daughter and coheir of 
 William de Braose of Brecknock and his wife Eve 
 Mareschal. 3 
 
 From the inquisition above quoted we learn that the 
 wife of Meredith ap Res Grig was a niece of Gilbert 
 Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, but I fail to identify her.* 
 
 Meredith ap Res died at his castle of Droslwyn on July 
 22, 1271, and was succeeded by his son Res ap Meredith. 
 I know not whether he left any other issue. 
 
 1 Canan or Cynan ap Howel was the son of Howel Sais, illegitimate son of the Lord 
 
 n -/CiV. 3 _ -.->.,,,i~ 01 inz ir> lf>7 Tliia ia *lio loot irn Vunr nf Pviinn 
 
 New Castle of Emlyn was built by Meredith ap Res (Inq. 27 Edw. I, No. 108 ; see 
 
 Calendarium Genealogicum). Clark's Earls of Pembroke. 4 A Pedigree in the Golden 
 
 MS. says that Meredith ap Res married " Isabel (as R.V.) f. William Marshall,
 
 188 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Res ap Meredith was a man of considerable energy and 
 talent and apparently unshackled by any scruples of 
 conscience. Like his father he never hesitated to espouse 
 the English side in the wars of his time whenever it 
 better served his own purpose to do so ; and as the King 
 held out every inducement to tempt him he seldom failed 
 to betray the cause of his country in every time of 
 difficulty and danger. 
 
 We have seen that he received considerable grants 
 from the forfeited estates of the other Princes of South 
 Wales during the continuance of the war in 1282. 
 Impatient to take immediate possession of his fresh 
 acquisitions he was not content to await the slow process of 
 the law ; but before the King's writ, which had been 
 issued to Robert de Tibetot to put him in seisin, had 
 reached its destination, he proceeded to enter upon the 
 lands on his own authority. Moreover he usurped 
 to himself the territories of Llewelyn ap Owen, the 
 infant son of Owen ap Meredith ap Owen, who, being 
 a minor, was then under the King's guardianship. For 
 these illegal acts he was tried and convicted; but he was 
 too useful to Edward at this time to be turned into an 
 enemy, so the King by his charter, dated at Acton Burn el 
 on October 20, 1283, not only granted him a pardon for 
 these transgressions, on the sole condition that he should 
 restore the lands of Llewelyn ap Owen to their rightful 
 owner together with any profits that he might have received 
 from them, but further, of his special grace, conceded to 
 him the privilege of determining and appointing the laws 
 by which those Welshmen should be governed whom he 
 had obtained authority to receive to the King's peace. 1 
 The honour of knighthood was also conferred upon him 
 
 Earl of Pembroke, rather Eva f. Wm. Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, and widow to Wm. 
 Bruse." But she could not have been a daughter of Earl William, for then she would 
 have been sister to Earl Gilbert, whereas she is stated in the inquisition to be his niece. 
 Of the two ladies above mentioned, Eva Mareschal married William Lord Braose, of 
 Bergavenny, and died about 1240, leaving five daughters by William de Braose as her 
 coheirs, one of whom became the grandmother of Res ap Meredith's wife. On the other 
 hand Isabel Mareschal, another daughter of Earl William, and sister of Earl Gilbert, 
 man-led Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, and had a daughter Isabel, who married 
 [William] Lord Braose of Gower (Clark's Earls of Pembroke) whom she survived ; but 
 William Lord Braose of Gower survived Earl Gilbert Mareschal many years, so that 
 the latter could not have disposed of his widow in marriage. 
 1 Bym. FoBd., an. 11 Edw. I.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 189 
 
 in acknowledgement of the eminent services which he 
 had rendered to the crown during the late war. 
 
 When peace was restored Sir Res ap Meredith sought 
 to strengthen his English connection by a matrimonial 
 alliance with Auda (or Ada) de Hastings, the daughter of 
 an English Baronial family. But since they happened to 
 be within the prohibited degrees of relationship towards 
 each other, namely in the third degree on the one part 
 and in the fourth degree on the other, it was necessary 
 that a Dispensation should be obtained from the Pope 
 before the marriage could be solemnized. A Dispensa- 
 tion was accordingly sought on the plea that such a 
 marriage was calculated to put an end to the enmities 
 and reprisals which had long subsisted and still continued 
 between the said Res Cn the one hand and the family of 
 the said Auda on the other. The papal licence for the 
 contraction of the marriage, which was granted at the 
 petition of the said Res and Auda, supported by the 
 request of the English King, was dated from the Ancient 
 City iv. idus Decembris, in the third year of the pontificate 
 of Pope Martin IV (i.e. Dec. 10, 1283). It was directed 
 to Thomas Lord Bishop of St. David's, and received by 
 him at Landegoe on the Feast of the holy martyrs St. 
 John and St. Paul (June 26) 1284, as certified by his 
 letters patent. 1 
 
 The relationship which previously existed between 
 them will best be shewn by the annexed Table. 
 
 I presume that they were married in the following 
 year; for by deed enrolled in chancery on June 7, 1285, 
 Res ap Meredith conceded to Auda de Hastings his whole 
 land of Osterlof with the appurtenances and the whole 
 land of Mabwynneon with the appurtenances to have and 
 to hold for the term of her life of him and his heirs, with 
 the exception of a hundred solidates of land in the vill of 
 Estrath in the commot of Mabwenneon which he reserves 
 to himself and his heirs, so that the said land of Osterlof 
 and Mabwynneon should revert to him and his heirs 
 immediately after the death of the said Auda : and in the 
 event of a marriage being contracted between them she 
 is to claim nothing else from his heirs, in the name of 
 dower or of her third portion, but the said land of 
 
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 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 191 
 
 Osterlof and Mabwynneon for the term of her life. To 
 this deed are witnesses E. Lord Bishop of Bath and 
 Wells, Thomas Lord Bishop of St. David's, the Lord 
 Gilbert Earl of Gloucester, the Lord William de Valence, 
 the Lord John Earl Warren, the Lord Robert de Valle, the 
 Lord Ralph Gnet (Griet ?), William de Cantinton, Lewelin 
 ab Res, David Abbe Moris, Eyner Clerk, and many others. 
 And on the same day the aforesaid Res delivered into the 
 King's hands the said commot of Mabwynneon to the use 
 of the said Auda for her life in the event of a marriage 
 being had between them, so that after her death the said 
 commot should revert to the said Res and his heirs. 1 
 
 By deed, without date, preserved among the Welsh 
 Rolls of the same year, John de Hastings concedes to 
 Res ap Meredith his whole land of St. Clare, Augoy, and 
 Pennuliok, with their appurtenances, in frank marriage 
 with Auda his sister to have and to hold to them and 
 their heirs, lawfully begotten, of the chief Lord of the fee ; 
 so that if the said Auda should die without issue by the 
 said Res the whole of the aforesaid land should revert to 
 the said John de Hastings and his heirs after the death 
 of the said Auda : but if the said Res should have lawful 
 issue by the said Auda, although that offspring should 
 die, he concedes that the said land should remain to the 
 said Res for the term of his life, and afterwards revert to 
 the said John and his heirs. 2 
 
 On June 12 of the same year, 1285, Res ap Meredith 
 had a charter to him and his heirs to hold a weekly 
 market on Thursdays at his manor of Lampeter in the 
 County of Cardigan, and an annual fair for three days, 
 namely on the vigil, the day, and the morrow of the 
 Feast of St. Dyonisius the Martyr. 8 
 
 King Edward had employed the previous year in 
 securing and settling his new conquests. The castles of 
 North Wales were armed and strengthened, and by the 
 Statutum Wallice the English law of inheritance was intro- 
 duced into Wales, allowing dowers to widows, and 
 shutting out bastards, who seem to have previously been 
 admitted to the privileges of legitimacy, and on the 
 
 i Rot. "Wall., 13 Edw. I, m. 3. d. 2 Ibid. This is a capital instance of the settle- 
 ment "by courtesy of England" as it was technically called. 3 Chart. Hot. 13 Edw. 
 I, No. 65.
 
 192 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 failure of male heirs permitting females to inherit. He 
 also sanctioned the custom of the country, by which 
 lands were divisible among male heirs. 
 
 Having thus settled the affairs of Wales and bestowed 
 some attention on English affairs, Edward went abroad 
 in May, 1286, leaving the Earl of Pembroke Kegent of 
 the kingdom. 1 
 
 After this we hear no more of Res ap Meredith as a 
 loyal subject to the English King. Having served him 
 in all these wars and contributed more than any one else 
 to the final subjugation of his country he expected to 
 receive all the confiscated estates of his kinsmen, but when 
 the war was concluded, he received little but fair promises, 
 while the larger portion of the forfeited lands of the 
 Welshmen were bestowed upon Englishmen. Thus dis- 
 appointed of his expectations his fidelity cooled, and he 
 was ready to take advantage of the growing discontent 
 among his countrymen, who were greatly dissatisfied 
 with the new system of laws which had been imposed 
 upon them. 
 
 At this juncture, in the year 1287, he was cited, with 
 the rest of his countrymen, to appear in the county 
 courts, by Robert de Tibetot, the King's Justiciary of 
 Caermarthen, and Alan de Plugenet the King's Steward 
 in Wales. Incensed with this summons he refused to 
 attend, alleging, for an excuse, the King's promises and 
 his own ancient liberties and privileges ; but the King's 
 officers proceeded against him according to the law; 
 whereupon a great variance arose between Robert de 
 Tibetot and Res ap Meredith " so that sundrie skirmishes 
 were foughten betwixt them and men slaine on both sides, 
 to the great disturbance of the countrie." 2 
 
 On May 20, 1287, Ralph de Hengham and others were 
 appointed to enquire into the transgressions made by 
 Res ap Meredith in the county of Carmarthen ; 3 and the 
 King, who was at this time absent from the realm," being 
 informed of the quarrels which had arisen in Wales 
 between his ministers and Sir Res ap Meredith, wrote to 
 the latter commanding him to keep the peace and 
 
 1 Clark's Earls of Pembroke. 2 Powel and Warrington. Powel says that the 
 quarrel arose between Payne Tiftoft (or Tibetot) and Res ap Meredith. Payne was the 
 son and successor of Robert. 3 Rot. Wall. 15 Edw. I, m. 10. (Ayloffe's Calendar).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 193 
 
 promising that, on his return, the evils he complained 
 of should be redressed and that all reasonable justice 
 should be done to him. 1 But Res, having already waited 
 sufficiently upon the King's promises and being now in a 
 favourable condition to take the offensive, seized the 
 castles of Llandovery, Dynevor, and Garregcennen on 
 (or about) the Sunday next before the Feast of St. 
 Barnabas (June 8, 1287) ; and afterwards (on the 27th of 
 the same month) he wasted by fire the vill of Sweynese 
 (Swansea) and the manor of Osterlof with the greater part 
 of the country, as also the vill of Llanpadarn Vawr and 
 the vill of Caermarthen up to the gates of the town. 2 
 
 Orders from the court at Westminster with respect to 
 the Welsh Prince now followed fast and thick. On June 
 15 Roger 1'Estrange was ordered to proceed into Wales 
 to repress the rebellion of Res ap Meredith.* On July 2 
 directions were given to receive to the King's peace the 
 Welshmen who had joined the insurrection ; 4 and orders 
 were issued, on the same day, to the King's officers in 
 those parts, to take into the King's hands the lands and 
 tenements of Res ap Meredith the King's rebel. 5 On 
 July 5 a reward of a hundred pounds was put upon his 
 head. 6 On July 16 fresh directions were given to receive 
 to the King's peace the Welshmen of Stradenwy 
 (Ystradtywi) who had joined the insurrection ; 7 and to 
 take into the King's hands the lands and tenements which 
 were occupied by Res ap Meredith to whomsoever they 
 might belong. 8 
 
 .The rebellion 9 had now reached such a height as to 
 
 1 Towel's Hist. 2 Annales Cambria, compared with a contemporary (Glamorgan- 
 shire) Chronicle annexed to the MS. Exchequer Domesday at the Public Record office 
 (Arch. Camb. 3rd series viii. 281) and Annales Wigorniae, in which last (tub anno 1287) 
 it is recorded as follows, " Quinto idus Junii Res ab Meraduc, non ferens injurias a 
 ministris regis sibi et aliis illatas, tria castra prostravit et constabularies cum omnibus 
 aliis interfecit ;" and in' the Glamorganshire Chronicle it is thus recorded, 
 " ao mcclxxxvijo Resus films Mereduti cepit castrum de Dinevor in festo Viti et Modesti 
 (June 15), et noc anno iii idus Junii villam de Sweynese combussit et praedavit, et v 
 kalendas Julii (June 27) castrum de Ostremew cepit et incendit." 8 * * Rot. Wall. 16 
 Edw. I, m. 10 (Ayloffe's Calendar). 6-6 Rot. Wall. 15 Edw. I, m. 10 (Avloffe s 
 Calendar). 9 The account of this Welsh insurrection is thus given in the Metrical 
 Chronicle of Peter de Langtoft (Record Edition, p. 185, tub annis 1286-9). 
 
 " Rees Amyraduk, I don't know what ailed him, 
 
 Began to slay the King's people in Wales 
 
 Nevertheless the cry arose at first 
 
 That the Tybetoft aggrieved him with wrong. 
 
 The King received the complaint, and sent notice to Rees, 
 
 That ho remain in penro. ami when he returns, 
 
 1 \
 
 194 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 make it necessary for the Earl of Cornwall to come in 
 person into Wales ; and with the intention of attacking 
 the enemy in several quarters at the same time he sum- 
 moned the military tenants of the crown to meet at 
 Gloucester, Llanbadarn Vawr, and Monmouth, prepared 
 to march under his own command or that of the Earl of 
 Gloucester. 
 
 On July 23 orders were sent from Hereford to the men 
 of the county of Chester to march towards West Wales 
 
 The King in good faith would listen to his complaints, 
 
 And would do him justice in every thing. 
 
 Eees Amyraduk, like a fool, set at nought 
 
 The King's injunction ; what evil he could 
 
 He did through the land, he spared nobody ; 
 
 He caused to be slain every one he could overcome 
 
 Who avowed himself for Sir Edward. 
 
 Rees Ameraduk going skulking about, A 1290 
 
 In Wales this same year was taken through a spy. 
 
 When the King heard tell of it, he orders that they bind him, 
 
 And carry him to York to the justices, 
 
 Where first he was drawn for his felony, 
 
 And then hanged as a thief ; henceforward there is none alive 
 
 Who carries the inheritance of his succession." 
 
 In Robert of Brunne's version of the Langtoft Chronicle it is thus given ; 
 " To while Sir Edward gos to Qascoyn forto apese, 
 Wales to werre up ros, thorgh conseUe of a Rese. 
 On Reseamiraduk, of Wales a lordyng, 
 Our Inglis did rebuk, and werred on our kyng. 
 I kan not telle yow whi that werre was reised olofte, 
 Men said the -wrath and cri com thorgh the lorde Tiptofte. 
 The kyng herd that pleynt, unto the Rese he sent 
 A letter enselid fulle quaynt, for the pes it ment. 
 He praied to hold him stille, tille his tocome mot be, 
 And he suld do his wille, in all that skille mot se. 
 His pleyntes he wild here in skille at lordes sight, 
 And if he baron were, he suld haf fulle gode right. 
 This Rese amiraduk, als fole and unwise, 
 His letter gan rebuk, sette it at light prise. 
 The skathe that he myght do with slaugter or prison hard, 
 All he brouht tham to, that longed tille Edward. 
 A thousand and two hundred the date forscore and nine, 
 On our men thei wondred, in Wales did tham pyne. 
 Whan Edward had been in Gascoyn thre yere, 
 Ageyn he and the quene on lond ryved up here. 
 At his comying he fond of clerkes and men of pleynt, 
 And justice of the lond of falsnes was atteynt. 
 
 The Rese Ameridie was taken that ilk yere, 
 
 In Wales thorgh a spie, for all his powere. 
 
 Whan the kyng herd it seie, to York he did him lede, 
 
 Schames dede to deie, als traytour for his dede. . 
 
 First was he drawen for his felonie, 
 
 And as a thefe than slawen, on galwes hanged hie. 
 
 Now is non of age of his ancestrie 
 
 May haf his heritage, to whom it salle alie."
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 195 
 
 for the suppression of the rebellion ;* and authority was 
 given to Gilbert de Clare (Earl of Gloucester) to receive 
 to the King's peace the Welshmen of West Wales. 2 On 
 the same day a safe conduct was granted to Thomas 
 Brun, a London poulterer, to carry victuals into West 
 Wales for the use of the King's army. 3 
 
 By virtue of a commission, bearing date at the same 
 time and place, the Earl of Gloucester was appointed 
 general of the King's forces for the suppression of the 
 rebellion. 4 But Gloucester, being nearly related to Res 
 ap Meredith, seems to have secretly favoured his cause 
 and taken no active measures against him. 
 
 The Earl of Cornwall now took the command himself, 
 and having entered Wales with a great army, he drove 
 Sir Res to his fastnesses, and about the 1st of August 5 
 laid siege to his castle of Drosslwyn, which soon fell into 
 his hands. The English suffered great loss on this occa- 
 sion by the falling in of the walls which they were under- 
 mining, whereby the lord William de Munchensy and 
 many other knights and esquires were bruised to death. 6 
 The New castle on the Teyvi (or Newcastle Emlyn), 
 which had been built by his father Meredith ap Res, was 
 shortly afterwards taken, and those castles recovered by 
 the English which had previously been occupied by Res, 
 while Res himself escaped with only a few of his 
 followers. 7 
 
 On September 24 the custody of the castle of Drosselan, 
 together with the comniots of Cathenon, Mathlayen, 
 Cayow, Mabel with, Mabederith, and Maynerdoylowe, 
 and all their appurtenances, was committed to Alan 
 Plogenet to hold during the King's pleasure. 8 
 
 Little, however, was accomplished by this expedition 
 into Wales owing to the inactivity of the Earl of Glou- 
 cester, so that Cornwall, being unable to complete his 
 conquest, was obliged to retire for the winter and grant 
 a truce to Sir Res ap Meredith. 9 
 
 No sooner had the Regent reached Westminster than 
 the faithless chieftain renewed hostilities, and on Sunday, 
 the morrow of All Saints (i.e. Nov. 2), he recovered by a 
 
 i, 2,&3 Hot. Wall. 15 Edw. I. m. 10 (Ajrloffe's calendar). 4 Ibid m. 9. 6 Circa 
 gulam 4ttffusti (Annales Cambria). 6 NIC. Triveti Annales, Annales Cambrian, 
 Annales de Waverleia, &c. 1 Annales Cambriae. 8 Abbreviatio Hot. orijj. 15 Edw. I. 
 9 Warrington's Hist.
 
 196 PEINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 night assault his castle which is called New castle and 
 took prisoner Eoger de Mortimer to whose custody the 
 castle had been committed. 1 
 
 Fresh measures were immediately taken to put down 
 the insurrection. On November 14 letters were sent to 
 Edmund de Mortimer, Roger de Mortimer, Peter Corbet, 
 Roger 1'Estrange, Fulk Fitzwarin, John 1'Estrange, 
 Geffrey de Camvill, William Martyn, Guy de Briene, 
 Owen de la Pole, and others of the King's faithful 
 subjects in those parts, which, after reciting the evils 
 committed by Res ap Meredith and his re-occupation of 
 the King's castle of Emelyn, commanded them to 
 remain in their manors and lands adjacent to West 
 Wales during the winter. 2 At the same time Gilbert de 
 Clare was ordered to go in person to the castles adjacent 
 to West Wales for the purpose of crushing the rebellion. 3 
 And on November 28 orders were given to fortify the 
 King's castles in Wales for the more effectual repression 
 of the depredations of Res and his followers. 4 
 
 On December 5 orders were issued, from Westminster, 
 to receive to the King's favour and peace the Welshmen 
 of Cantrev Bychan ; and Humfrey de Bohun Earl of 
 Hereford and Essex (to whose custody the commot of 
 Pertieth and the lands of Iskenny and Hyrwryn had 
 been committed on the 5th of the previous month) and 
 Edmund de Mortimer were appointed captains and cas- 
 tellans of Stretdenwy (Istradtywi) and Cardiganshire. 5 
 
 The New castle was retaken by Robert de Tibetot 
 about the feast of the Purification (February 2, 1288), 
 when many of the garrison were put to death. 6 And 
 orders were issued, from Westminster, on February 8, to 
 guard securely the hostages, whose names were sent in 
 a certain schedule to Alan Plogenet the constable of 
 Droslan castle. 7 At the same time William de Breus 
 (Braose) was commanded not to receive the rebel Res ap 
 Meredith or his accomplices into his territories of Gower, 
 Kedewelly, or Karwathlan ; 8 and strict guard was 
 
 l Annales Cambrise. 2 Eym. Feed. 3 Rot. Wall. 15 Edw. I, m. 8. dorso. (Ayloffe's 
 Calendar ; it is here however ascribed, erroneously as I believe, to the year 14 Edw. I). 
 4 Rot. Wall. (Ayloffe's Calendar). 5 Rot. Wall. 16 Edw. I, m. 8. (Ayloffe's Calendar). 
 6 Annales Cambriaa. 7 & 8 Rot. Wall. Schedula explicit (Ayloffe's Calendar, where 
 these transactions aro attributed to 17 Edw. I, but I have little doubt that they should 
 be ascribed to the year 16 Edw. I).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 197 
 
 ordered to be kept along the sea coast of the bailiwick 
 of William de Grandison, then lieutenant of the Justiciary, 
 to .prevent his escape, into Ireland. 1 
 
 Res now found his own country too hot for him, but he 
 found refuge in the territory of the Earl of Gloucester, by 
 whose assistance he was enabled to escape into Ireland. 2 
 
 In the following June, at an inquisition taken at Car- 
 marthen on the Monday next before the Feast of St. 
 Barnabas, 1288, (which has already been quoted) the jury 
 virtually found that Res ap Meredith had held the 
 comniots of Osterlof and Emlyn by no valid title. 3 We 
 have seen that his other possessions had been granted, 
 in 1286-7, to Alan Plugenet to hold during the King's 
 pleasure. On July 13, 1290, the towns, castles, and all 
 the lands of Res ap Meredith, the King's rebel in Wales, 
 which were then in the King's custody by reason of 
 his forfeiture, were granted to Robert de Tibetot, to 
 hold until the Feast of Easter next ensuing and for four 
 years after, so that he should receive the profits thereof in 
 discharge of certain debts which w r ere owed to him by the 
 King, on condition that he should cause the said castles 
 and lands to be safely guarded. 4 
 
 Res having remained for a year or two in Ireland, 
 suddenly reappeared in South Wales about the year 1290, 
 and having raised a new insurrection he was opposed by 
 Robert de Tibetot, the King's justiciary, with such troops 
 as he could hastily collect for the purpose. A pitched 
 battle ensued in which the English were victorious. 
 Four thousand Welshmen were slain and Res ap Mere- 
 dith was taken prisoner. He was tried at York soon 
 after Michaelmas,' 129 1, 6 and there cruelly executed 
 being first drawn at the tails of horses and afterwards 
 hanged and quartered. 
 
 l Rot. "Wall. Schedula explicit (Ayloffe's Calendar; see previous note). 
 2 Warrington's Hist. 3 Inq. 16 Edw. I, No. 77 (in printed calendar 17 Edw. I, 
 No. 45) ; See page 187. * Rot. Wall. 18 Edw. I, but having reference to the 
 previous year, 17 Edw. I. (Rym. Fsed.) 5 There is some discrepancy between the 
 historians as to the date of the capture and death of Res ap Meredith. The writers of 
 the Dunstaple and Worcester Annals place it in 1292, and the Chronicle annexed to the 
 Exchequer Domesday gives the actual day on which he was taken prisoner, namely 
 iiij nonas Aprilis (April 2), 1292. But Nicholas Trivet and Will. Rishanger agree in 
 saying that the trial of Res took place at York when the King was there for a short tima 
 on his journey back to Scotland, after attending the funeral of the Queen Mother at 
 Ambresbury. Now the Queen Mother was buried at Ambresbury in September, 1291, 
 (Annales de Osneia ; Saudford's Genealogical History) ; and the King started again for 
 Scotland after Michaelmas in that year.
 
 198 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Thus ended the career of Sir Ees ap Meredith ap Res 
 Grig. 
 
 It does not appear that he had any children by his wife 
 Auda de Hastings. He must have been between 40 and 
 50 years of age at the time of his marriage with her, and 
 I suppose that she was dead in 2 Edw. II (1308-9), when 
 John de Hastings (her brother) had license to enfeoff 
 other parties in Amgoyte manor, Pulinoke manor, and 
 the lands of St. Clare ;* which estates had been previously 
 settled upon Auda and her children by Sir Res ap Mere- 
 dith, with reversion to John de Hastings and his heirs. 
 
 Some of his other lands were afterwards claimed by 
 John de Hastings (the nephew of Auda), but the right of 
 De Hastings to these will have been derived from his grand- 
 mother Joan, co-heiress of the Earls of Pembroke, as an 
 escheat to the chief Lord. On the petition of the said 
 John de Hastings the King's writ to enquire into his rights 
 was issued, under the great seal, to Roger de Mortimer, of 
 Chirk, Justiciar of Wales, on Dec. 4, 1318. The answer 
 was returned to the King, on May 6, 1319, in the Par- 
 liament opened at York on Easter Day in the 12th year of 
 King Edward II, by the said Justiciar, who certified that 
 "a certain Gilbert Mareschal, Earl of Pembroke, gave 
 the commot of Emelyn super Cuth, with the appurte- 
 nances, to a certain Meredith ap Res Creek, for his homage 
 and service, to hold to himself and his heirs lawfully 
 begotten, of the said Earl and his heirs ; which Meredith 
 afterwards built the New Castle of Emelyn-super-Cuth. 
 And afterwards the said Gilbert died without issue, and 
 all his lands and tenements descended to his five sisters ; 
 of whom one, named Eva, married William de Breousa, 
 by whom she had three daughters, of whom one, named 
 Eva, married William de Canteleu (Cantilupe) to whom 
 fell the land and castle of Kilgarran and the homage and 
 service of the said Meredith ap Res Creek for the afore- 
 said land of Emelyn-super-Cuth. By this Eva the said 
 William de Canteleu had a son George de Canteleu and 
 Joan his sister, which George died without issue and the 
 right and inheritance descended to the said Joan, the 
 mother of John de Hastings, father of the present John 
 de Hastings. And afterwards Res ap Meredith, son of 
 
 1 Cal. Inq. a. q. d. 2 Edw. II, No. 79.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 199 
 
 the aforesaid Meredith ap Res Creek succeeded his father 
 and held the aforesaid castle and land of Emelyn-super- 
 Cuth of the aforesaid John Hastings Lord of Kilgarran, 
 son of the aforesaid Joan, for his homage and service. 
 Which same Res ap Meredith went to war against King 
 Edward, father of the present King Edward, in contra- 
 vention of the peace, and forfeited all his land. So that 
 the aforesaid castle and land of Emelyn-super-Cuth was 
 taken into the hands of the said King Edward by reason 
 of the forfeiture of the said Res, and thus it is now in the 
 King's hands. The aforesaid John de Hastings, father 
 of the present John de Hastings, was never seized -of the 
 aforesaid castle and lands through the forfeiture of the 
 aforesaid Res, but he was then in the said King's army 
 in those parts with Edmund, Earl of Cornwall, the said 
 King's Lieutenant, and he constantly claimed to have the 
 aforesaid castle and lands delivered over to him as his 
 right." 1 
 
 Though Res ap Meredith does not appear to have had 
 any children by his wife Auda de Hastings, he may pos- 
 sibly have had a son by a former wife ; for if we may 
 trust to the Carmarthen Chartulary, a certain Meredith 
 ap Res, son of Res ap Meredith, for the health of his 
 own soul and those of his ancestors and heirs, gave to the 
 Prior and Convent of St. John the Evangelist and St. 
 Theulacus, of Carmarthen, the advowson of the church of 
 Ebernant, with the chapel of Conwell pertaining to it, 
 together with the whole sanctuary and certain liberties, 
 easements and rights of common, in his wood, pastures, 
 fisheries, and turbaries, which said sanctuary extends from 
 Fouanwen to the River Henlan, and from Henllan to 
 Pencam, and from Pencam to the highway over the 
 mountain which leads towards Talvan, as also three acres 
 of land in Haraodgudan-juxta-Cowen, and one acre of 
 land near the burial ground of the aforesaid church, in 
 the name of Glebe, with all other rights and appurte- 
 nances belonging to the said church, for ever, as freely as 
 any alms can possibly be given. And because he knew 
 of no house or person on whom the said church could be 
 better or more opportunely bestowed for the health of his 
 
 l Documents illustrative of English History selected from the records (MS. ao 1844) 
 Salt Library, Stafford.
 
 200 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 soul and those of his ancestors and heirs than the said 
 Prior, who has suffered such and so many losses by war 
 at the hands of the King's enemies, he will warrant (to 
 the said Prior) the said church with all its appurtenances 
 against all men. This charter was attested by the Lord 
 Robert Tupetot, then Justiciary of West Wales, Geoffrey 
 de Camvyle, William de Camvyle, Baldwin de Maneres, 
 Thorn, de Rupe, Walter de Petirton, then Constable, John 
 Laundrey, Thorn, fitz William, Thorn, the clerk, and 
 many others. 1 
 
 Supposing this Meredith ap Res to have been the son 
 of Res ap Meredith ap Res Grrig, and supposing him to 
 have been taken prisoner during the war waged by Res 
 ap Meredith, his father, against the King, we may 
 imagine the grant to have been obtained from him about 
 the year 1290, before he was removed from Wales. It 
 might, perhaps, have been granted under a promise from 
 the monks that they would intercede with the King on 
 his behalf. As his father was then living, however, and 
 he was himself in captivity at the time, they could hardly 
 have believed the gift to be good in law (even supposing 
 the grantor to have inherited the lands from his mother). 
 But it may have served as a pretext for their claim to the 
 property, which was, in fact, afterwards confirmed to 
 them by the King. 2 
 
 1 Caermarthen Chartulary, privately printed for the late Sir Thomas Phillipps, 
 Baronet, (compared with the MS. copy of the Chartulary, at Peniarth, from which it 
 was printed). 2 These monks had had, nearly a century before, a charter from William 
 de Braose, -wherein it is recited that when Meredith ap Res (Mercduth fil. Rid) had 
 seditiously burned the town of Caermarthen and the land of the Prior of St. John the 
 Apostle and Evangelist and St. Theulacus of Caermarthen, having taken booty from the 
 said Prior and killed many of his men, the whole of the said Meredith's land was, in the 
 King's court adjudicated to him (the King) on account of that transgression : and the 
 church of Ebernant, the patronage of which belonged to Meredith, happened at that time 
 to be vacant: and whereas the aforesaid Prior had sustained so many losses at the hands of 
 the Baid Meredith and other Welshmen, William de Braose, then Bailiff of Caermarthen, 
 moved by piety and for the welfare of the souls of King H. and his son Richard, with 
 the counsel and assent of the Lord H. Archbishop of Canterbury, then the King's 
 Justiciary, gave and conceded to God and St. Mary and the Prior of St. John the Apostle 
 and Evangelist and St. Theulacus, the church of Ebernant then vacant, with the 
 chapel belonging to it, and all the appurtenances in pure and perpetual alms, because 
 (ex quo) the Archbishop and he knew not to what House or person that church could 
 be more usefully or opportunely given for the health of the souls of the aforesaid Kings 
 than the said Prior who had suffered such and so many losses at the hands of the 
 aforesaid Meredith and other the King's enemies. And because he (the said William 
 de Braose) wished that those who succeeded him as Bailiffs of Caermarthen should not 
 interfere with the said gift but that it should remain firm and unshaken forever (there- 
 fore) the said Archbishop confirmed the deed with his own seal, to which are witnesses 
 "William and Philip, the sons of William d Braose, and Philip de Braose his uncle, 
 "William de Cobotom (and) Robert de Burchall, Knights, Symon Cokus, then Constable, 
 Adam, William, Robert (and) Richard, Chaplains, Bedmor, Alexander, Nicholas, John
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 201 
 
 In King Edward's charter, which was dated at West- 
 minster on May 15, 1290, it is stated that whereas Mere- 
 dith ap Res, the son of Res ap Meredith, being, as it is 
 said, in the King's prison by reason of the transgressions 
 he had made, had given, conceded, and confirmed, to God 
 and the church of St. John the Apostle and St. Theulacus 
 of Caermarthen, and the canons serving God there, one 
 acre of land adjacent to the cemetery of the church of 
 Ebernant, together with the advowson of the same church 
 of Ebernant and the chapel of Conwell, with all the other 
 appurtenances, which are of the King's fee of Caermarthen, 
 to have and to hold in free and perpetual alms ; although 
 the said f eoffment cannot be deemed valid, yet the King of 
 his especial grace did nevertheless give and concede to 
 the said canons the said acre of land &c., so that the 
 aforesaid canons should find one of their fraternity to 
 celebrate Divine Service daily for ever in their said church 
 of Carmarthen for the souls of Stephen Bauzan and 
 Richard Giffard and other faithful men who had been 
 slain in those parts in the service of the King or his 
 predecessors. 1 
 
 It would seem that the heirs of the Welsh Princes who 
 were taken prisoners in the last wars were afterwards 
 
 fitz William, Clerks, Robert fitz Richard Spilmon, and Gilbert, Meyley and Philip, his 
 sons, William Kyng, Daniel, Adam Cafel and Stephen his son, and many others (Caer- 
 marthen Chartulary). The transcriber of the Chartulary, probably misled by the 
 recurrence of the name of Meredith ap Res, as the deposed patron of the church of 
 Ebernant, has placed this deed between the charter of Meredud ap Sic. filii Rid ap 
 Meredud and the confirmation of the grant by King Edward I in 1290 ; but there was 
 no H. Archbishop of Canterbury in 1290, nor within 85 years of that date. John 
 Peckham was Archbishop in 1290 ; and Hubert Walter, the Chancellor Archbishop 
 and Justiciar of England, who acted as a sort of Viceroy in the West, was made Justiciar 
 in 1193 and deposed in 1198, so that the charter of William de Braose must have passed 
 during that interval. The William de Braose of that date, who was Lord of Brecon 
 and Bramber, had sons called William and Philip, and an uncle Philip better known as 
 Philip de Wigornia ( ex inf. Rev. R. Eyton) ; and the only Meredith ap Res that I 
 know of living at that time was a younger son of the great Lord Res ap Griffith, Prince 
 of South Wales. This Meredith ap Res was Lord of Llandovery after his father's 
 death in 1197, and died in 1201 (see page 71), when his lands passed into the hands of 
 his elder brother Griffith. Much of the ancient territory of the Prince* of South Wales 
 eventually came into the possession of Sir Res ap Meredith ap Res Grig, who was 
 executed in 1291, but I know not how to account for his son Meredith ap Res being 
 owner of these lands in 1290, unless we suppose him to have inherited a title through 
 his mother, who may possibly have been a descendant of De Braose. Ebernant (or 
 Abernant) is situated about 6 miles W.N.W. of Carmarthen, and the chapel of Convil in 
 Elvet is still (or was until lately) annexed to the church of Abernant. 
 
 1 Carmarthen Chartulary. The question as to whether Res ap Meredith ap Res 
 Grig had a son or not, has a side other than that suggested by the charters as quoted 
 above. Much depends upon the general character of the Caermarthen Chartulary and 
 the faithfulness of the transcript. The testing clause appended to the charter of Mere 
 dith ap Res son of Res ap Meredith may possibly have belonged, not to the charter 
 
 2 B
 
 202 PRIXCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 kept in close custody at a safe distance from the borders 
 of Wales; for on December 4, 1307, the Sheriff of 
 Norfolk has orders from King Edward II, in the first year 
 of his reign, to pay over to Patric de Pollesworth, a 
 prisoner from Scotland, to Res the brother of Malgon, and 
 Griffin his brother, and to the son of Res ap Mereduk, 
 Welshmen, abiding in the Bang's castle at Norwich, their 
 usual allowances such as they had been accustomed to 
 receive in the time of the late King Edward. 1 
 
 These allowances were similarly ordered to be paid to 
 them on May 8, 1308. 2 
 
 After this date I learn no more of these Welsh prisoners, 
 whom we may suppose to have been a son of Res ap Mere- 
 dith ap Res Grig, and two sons of Res Vychan ap Res ap 
 Maelgon. It is probable that they passed the remainder 
 of their lives in the King's prison, and I know of 
 none who claim to be descended from any of these Welsh 
 Princes. 
 
 (ill) HOWEL AP EES GRIG. 
 
 In 1277 Howel ap Res Grig was one of those who 
 remained faithful to Prince Llewelyn ap Griffith, when 
 he was deserted by most of his compatriots. He had 
 made his peace with the Bang at the commencement 
 of the following year, for, on January 7, 1278, Pain 
 de Chaworth has orders to do no injury to Howel the 
 son of Res Crek or his Men. Howel took part with 
 the rest of his countrymen in the wars of 1282-3, and 
 is mentioned in the Annales Cambrics, by the name of 
 Howel ap Res, brother of Meredith ap Res, as one of 
 those who were taken after the capture of Prince David 
 in 1283 and imprisoned in London. He must have 
 
 itself but to some exemplification thereof. King Edward's charter of May 15, 1290, 
 may possibly allude to the imprisonment of the grantor a century before. The charters 
 as here given are certainly open to suspicion, and unless King Edward's charter can be 
 found on the Charter-Rolls we may look upon it as quite possible that the charters were 
 purposely mistranscribed or falsified and that there was no such person as the Meredith 
 ap Res suggested by the chartulary. The mention of a " son of Res ap Mereduk " as 
 a prisoner in the Bong's castle at Norwich in 1307 is the only other prop for my con- 
 jecture that Res ap Meredith ap Res Grig had a son by a former marriage ; but the 
 words of Peter Langtoft's Chronicle above quoted would rather seem to imply that ho 
 left no children behind him. 
 
 i & 2 Rymer's Faedera.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 203 
 
 been an old man at this time, for his father Res Grig 
 died in 1233. His land of Landarak (or Llanddarog 
 in Carmarthenshire), was forfeited in the year 1283, 
 and after this we hear no more of him. I have met 
 with no mention of his children, nor am I aware of 
 any who claim to be descended from him. 
 
 RES VYCHAN AP RES AP MAELGON. 
 
 There is another line of descendants from the great 
 Lord Res ap Griffith whose position should be explained 
 before we revert to the elder house, the line namely 
 of Maelgon ap Res, which was represented at the close 
 of the war, in 1283, by Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon. 
 Maelgon, the founder of this line, was the son of Res ap 
 Griffith by Gwervil, daughter of Llewelyn ap Res ap 
 Wardaf Vrych. Though illegitimate by birth he never- 
 theless succeeded through his own spirit and energy, in 
 securing for himself a portion of his father's territory, of 
 which, indeed, the greater part was at one time under 
 his rule. 1 When he died in 1230, he was probably in 
 possession of all Cardigan Is-Ayron, except the castle, 
 which he had himself delivered over by treaty to the 
 English King. It is probable that he also held the 
 commot of Crewthyn, or else that of Pennarth, which 
 latter may perhaps have been given to him in exchange 
 for Crewthyn. 
 
 He was succeeded by his son Maelgon Vychan who, in 
 1231, recovered the castle of Cardigan from the English, 
 and thus, for a few years became master of the whole of 
 Cardigan Is-Ayron. He seems to have also held the 
 comrnot of Pennarth, which in 1236 he exchanged with 
 his cousin Meredith ap Owen for that of Mevenyth. 
 
 In May 1240 the castle of Cardigan was taken from 
 him by Walter Mareschal, who commanded the forces of 
 his brother Gilbert, Earl of Pembroke, and from hence- 
 forward this important castle remained, with but slight 
 interruptions, in the hands of the English. We find 
 Maelgon shortly afterwards in treaty with Earl Gilbert, 
 
 l It was not unusual for illegitimate sons in Wales, when eminent, to share the paternal 
 inheritance with their hrothers. There are several inquisitions in the reigns of King 
 Henry and the Edwards in whifh the jurors speak of it as a common custom in tlmt 
 country.
 
 204 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 who, in December of the same year, made him do 
 homage to him for his lands, and at the same time coven- 
 anted with him to give his daughter Isabella in marriage 
 to Res the son of Maelgon. 1 About the year 1245 Maelgon 
 made an exchange of lands with Meredith ap Owen, by 
 which the dominion of Meredith was transferred to 
 Is-Ayron and that of Maelgon to Uch-Ayron or the 
 Northern portion of Cardigan. 
 
 In 1246 he was dispossessed of his lands by the King's 
 officers and driven into North Wales ; and on his sub- 
 mission to the King, in November of the same year, 
 he had two commots only given up to him for his 
 territory. These were in the first instance Geneurglyn 
 and Iscoed; but he was afterwards allowed to exchange 
 the latter for Crewthyn, which would have brought to- 
 gether his reduced dominions. It is highly probable, 
 however, that even these were taken from him again in 
 1250 ; and I suspect that he held but little at the time of 
 his death in 1257. 
 
 Maelgon Vychan is said to have married Angharad, 
 daughter of Prince Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, by his wife Joan, 
 illegitimate daughter of King John. 2 His only son Ees 
 predeceased him in 1255 ; 3 as did also two of his daughters, 
 namely, Gwenthlian, who died in 1254, leaving by her 
 husband Meredith ap Llewelyn, Lord of Merioneth, an 
 only son and heir, whom I take to have been Llewelyn ap 
 Meredith, Lord of Merioneth in 1257 ; and Margaret, 
 wife of Owen ap Meredith, Lord of Cedewen, who died 
 
 1 Who this daughter of Earl Gilbert Mareschal was it is difficult to determine. 
 She may, perhaps, have been an illegitimate daughter. If not, she must have died un- 
 married, or without issue, very shortly after this transaction, for Earl Gilbert died with- 
 out lawful issue on June 27, 1241. The wife of Ees ap Maelgon apparently had her 
 dower assigned to her in the commot of Pennarth and was already dead on the Tuesday 
 next before the Feast of the Purification (Feb. 1) 1290, the date of an extent, taken at 
 Caron before the Abbot of Alba Landa, of the land in Pennarth which had been held by 
 the wife of Ees ap Maylgun for term of life by the King's gift. The jury report that 
 there is no manor there, nor the site of a manor or residence, nor any land in demesne ; 
 but certain tenants who hold a westwa and a quarter at a fixed rent of 3. 6s. 8d..per annum ; 
 there is also a watermill of the annual value of 13s. 4d.; and the aforesaid tenants are 
 bound to pay two several sums of 13s. 4d. in lieu of certain other payments. The Pleas 
 of court are worth 15s. per annum ; the Leyrwyte 5s. and the heriots 6s. 8d. The 
 tenants hold their lands by the service of carrying timber for the repairs of the King's 
 castle, and attending the King's expeditions as often as they are summoned, like others 
 of the same country (Inq. 18 Edw. I, No 56). 2 It is not unlikely that he may have 
 received with her some lands in North Wales in frank marriage ; and if these lands 
 were restored to him it would account for the close adhesion of his grandson Ees ap 
 Ees ap Maelgon to the Prince of North Wales, unto whom his homage was conceded 
 by the King at the peace of 1277. 3 Brut-y-Tywysogion.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 205 
 
 soon after her sister in 1255. Eleanor or Elen another 
 daughter of Maelgon Vychan is said to have married 
 Meredith ap Owen, Lord of Cardigan Uch-Ayron. 
 Maelgon Vychan was succeeded at his death by his grand- 
 son Llewelyn ap Res, who was probably a minor at the 
 time of his grandfather's decease, for we do not find his 
 name among the confederate Barons in 1258, when 
 almost all the Welsh magnates entered into confederation 
 with the Barons of Scotland against the English King ; 
 nor do we hear any thing of him, except that he died in 
 1264, and was succeeded by his brother Res Vychan. 
 Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon took a more active part 
 in the stirring events of his time. To him Llewelyn ap 
 Griffith restored the cantrev Penwedic ; and we next hear 
 of him about the year 1270, in conjunction with Griffith 
 and Owen the sons of Meredith, recovering from the 
 English the commots of Anhunog, Perveth, and Crewthyn, 
 which had been taken from them after the peace. Commot 
 Perveth was at this time given over to him, and was still 
 in his possession on June 29, 1275. In the summer of 
 1277 he made his submission to the King through means 
 of Roger Mortimer, and the King received his homage at 
 Worcester, on July 2. Within a month of this time, 
 however, he had to take refuge with (his cousin) Llewelyn 
 ap Griffith in North Wales, for fear of being taken by 
 the English at Llanbadarn ; and thereupon the English- 
 men took possession of his whole territory. By the 
 treaty of peace which was made with Llewelyn in 
 November of the same year, 1277, the King conceded to 
 Llewelyn for life the homage of certain Barons of North 
 Wales, and with them that of Res Vychan ap Res ap 
 Maelgon, together with the land which he then held; 
 for as to the portion of his land which had been seized 
 by the King or his officers, it was not to be restored to 
 him but to remain for ever in the King's hands. 
 
 In the list of grievances that were laid before the Arch- 
 bishop of Canterbury in November, 1282, at the time of 
 the general out-break which preceded the final conquest 
 of Wales, Llewelyn complains on behalf of his vassal 
 that " whereas it was contained in the form of peace that 
 Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon should retain all the land
 
 206 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 which he then had in possession ; yet after the peace was 
 concluded he was spoiled of all his lands of Geneurglyn 
 which he then held, together with the men and cattle 
 thereof." He further complains that " when certain men 
 of Geneurglyn had taken certain goods of some of their 
 neighbours of Geneurglyn, when they were in the 
 dominion of the Prince in Meyreon, the King's men of 
 Llanbadarn did take away the said goods out of the land 
 of the Prince from Meyreon." From which I should infer 
 that Res Vychan had only a portion of Geneurglyn in 
 his hands at the time of the peace with Llewelyn in 
 November 1277, and this portion was then reckoned to 
 belong to the land of Meyreon as being held under 
 Llewelyn. 
 
 On the octaves of Trinity (June 4) 1279, the Bishop of 
 St. David's had claimed against Res Vychan the advowson 
 of the church of Lampader Vawr. On that day the 
 King recovers the said advowson from the Bishop in the 
 court at Westminster, when the prelate recognizes the 
 King's right to the patronage and avers that he only 
 claimed as against Roes Boghan ap Rees ap Mailgun. 
 
 On the breaking out of the last war of Llewelyn and 
 David, namely on March 25, 1282, the whole cantrev 
 Penwedic was once more taken by Res Vychan ap Res ap 
 Maelgon whilst the other Princes of South Wales were at 
 the same time reconquering their lands; and it was 
 during the period of their transient success that the list of 
 their grievances was laid before the Archbishop who 
 approached them as a Mediator. But the King and his 
 Barons were now too strong for the Welshmen ; and after 
 a brief succession of triumphs which ended in the death 
 of Llewelyn and the capture of his brother David, Res 
 Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon and the other Princes were 
 taken prisoners in the summer of 1283, and confined in 
 the tower of London. 
 
 After this we hear nothing of Res Vychan ap Res ap 
 Maelgon or his descendants for several years ; but, in 
 1294, when the Welshmen took up arms to resist the pay- 
 ment of the subsidy which had been granted towards the 
 expenses of the wars in France, the men of West Wales 
 chose for their captains Mailgon Vychan and Canan ap
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 207 
 
 Meredith, 1 and devastated the counties of Pembroke and 
 Carmarthen. 
 
 This Maelgon Vychan is called by the Welsh Heralds 
 a son of Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon, and these 
 two chieftains would have been the natural leaders of the 
 men of West Wales at this period. 
 
 The insurrection commenced about Michaelmas 1294,' 
 when the Welshmen simultaneously rose in three different 
 quarters under different leaders and destroyed the King's 
 castles in Wales. The men of North Wales were led by 
 Madoc ap Llewelyn, a kinsman of the last Prince 
 Llewelyn; 3 those of West Wales by Maelgon Vychan 
 and Canan ; and in Glamorgan, Morgan ap Meredith,* 
 whose ancestors had been disinherited by the Earls of 
 Gloucester, was acknowledged by the men of those parts 
 as their Lord and reinstated by them in the lands of 
 his ancestors, from which the Earl of Gloucester was 
 driven out. 
 
 The revolt was of sufficient importance to oblige the 
 King to postpone his expedition into Gascony and to 
 march at once into Wales with such an army as he could 
 immediately collect. Having written to his brother 
 Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, and Henry de Lacy, Earl of 
 Lincoln, who were then at Portsmouth with a large army 
 prepared to embark for Gascony, commanding them to 
 join him in Wales with all speed, Edward himself set out 
 from Westminster on the morrow of St. Britius 6 (Nov. 14) 
 and reached Worcester on Nov. 21, where he heard mass 
 on the Feast of St. Katherine (Nov. 25) and started for 
 Chester on the following day. 6 The Earl of Lincoln had 
 been encountered and defeated by the Welsh at Denbigh, 
 on the Feast of St. Martin-in-the- winter 7 (Nov. 11) on his 
 
 1 De rebus in Cambria gestis (Hengwrt MS. No. 225), where Maelgon is rightly 
 described as Maelgon ap Re. The author gives as his authority the " Floies 
 Historiarum." This portion of the Hengwrt MS. No. 225 consists of a series of ex- 
 tracts from original charters and from the writings of early historians concerning affairs 
 in Wales, and is supposed to be in the handwriting of Dr. Powel the historian of Wales. 
 2 Walter de Hemingburgh. 3 Warrington, who gives for his authority Mills' Catalogue 
 of Honour, describes Madoc as an illegitimate eon of the last Prince Llewelyn ap Griffith ; 
 and in Rot. Parl. 2 Edw. II (Vol. 1 p. 276) it is recorded that the Burgesses of the town 
 of Hardelege had certain mills, &c. to farm of the King " antegturram Madoc ap Lywelyn 
 quondam 1'rincipis Wallie." If we could be sure that Llewelyn, and not Madoc, is here 
 alluded to as the " Prince of Wales " it would be authentic evidence that Madoc was 
 a son of that Prince; and in that case "kinsman" in the text would be merely an 
 euphemism for " natural son." In Hengwrt MS. No. 225 he is called Madoc ap 
 Llewelyn ap Meredith. 4 See page 72. 5 Matt. Westminster (Edition of 1570) 
 p. 395. 6 Annales de Wigornia. ^ Walter d Hemingburgh and Will. Rishanger.
 
 208 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 way to join the head quarters of the army ; and the King 
 proceeded into Wales with his own army on December 8, 1 
 where he was greatly harassed by Madoc and the Welsh- 
 men, who cut off his supplies near Con way and put him 
 to great difficulties. Edward passed the winter at the 
 castle of Aberconway and pursued the war with more 
 success in the following year. The military events of the 
 year 1295 are somewhat differently recorded by the early 
 Historians. The King himself dates his letters at Aber- 
 conway from February 10 to April 6, and from April 18 
 to April 28 at Lammays in Anglesey. 2 According to the 
 Worcester Annals Humphrey de Bohun, Earl of Hereford 
 raised the seige of Abergavenny on February 13, when 
 he burnt the lands of the Welshmen and killed an 
 immense number of them. And on March 5 William de 
 Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, defeated the Welsh with 
 great slaughter at a place called Meismadoc, from which 
 battle Madoc ap Llewelyn with difficulty escaped. 3 
 
 On June 3 we find the King at Cardigan, 4 whither he 
 appears to have come on the promise of the Abbot of 
 Strata Florida that he would bring the men of Cardigan 
 to the King's peace ; but after the King had waited for 
 some time with his army and none of the Welshmen came 
 to seek his pardon, he was so angry with the Abbot that 
 he ordered the Abbey to be burnt down. 5 
 
 After this Morgan was induced by the Earl of Warwick 
 to submit himself to the Royal clemency with seven 
 hundred of his retainers. 6 And when Madoc found him- 
 self Jiard pressed by the English and knew that Morgan 
 had obtained mercy at the King's hands, he surrendered 
 himself to John de Haveringe, the King's Lieutenant, on 
 July 3 1, 7 and sought pardon of the King, who spared 
 his life but imprisoned him at the Tower of London. 8 
 
 About the same time Canan, who had feigned leprosy, 
 was taken at Brecknock, and conveyed to the King, by 
 whom he was condemned to die as a traitor ; and he was 
 accordingly hanged at Hereford on December 14, having 
 
 l Annales de Wigornia. 2 Rymer's Fsedera. 3, 5, & 6 Annales de Wigornia. 
 4 Kymer's Faedera. ^ Annales de Wigornia. According to Caradoc of Llancarvan 
 Madoc was taken prisoner at a battle fought on the hills of Cefn Digolh, near Cawrs 
 Castle, and sent to London where he was condemned to perpetual imprisonment in the 
 Tower. 8 Matthew Westminster ; Annales de Dunstaplia.
 
 8 a 
 
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 210 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 been first drawn at the tails of horses to the place of 
 execution. 1 
 
 Thus ended the war of 1294-5 ; after which time, says 
 Bishanger, Wales was quiet, and the Welshmen began 
 to live after the manner of the English. Maelgon Vychan 
 is said to have been slain by the men of Gwent (probably 
 the retainers of the Earl of Gloucester) in a field between 
 the mill-dam and the pool of the Prior of Carmarthen. 2 
 
 At the conclusion of the peace many of the Welsh 
 nobles were given up as hostages and sent to England to 
 be inprisoned in divers castles, where they remained till 
 after the conclusion of the Scottish war. 3 
 
 I learn no more of the descendants of Res Vychan ap 
 Res ap Maelgon, except that Res the brother of Maelgon 
 and Griffin his brother were prisoners in the King's 
 castle of Norwich, together with the son of Res ap Mere- 
 dith in 1307 and 1308. 4 
 
 DESCENDANTS OF MEEEDITH AP OWEN. 
 
 Meredith ap Owen, Lord of Cardigan Is-Ayron, was 
 the son of Owen ap Griffith, the surviving son and 
 eventual representative of the Lord Griffith ap Res. In 
 order to see clearly the position of his descendants at the 
 close of the wars of Llewelyn and David we must revert 
 to the earlier history of his family and take a short review 
 of their struggles to retain possession of the territory of 
 their forefathers. 
 
 When the Lord Griffith ap Res died in 1201 Cardigan 
 and such portions of Carmarthen as were then in his 
 possession were seized by his brothers Res Grig and 
 Maelgon. Thus Cardigan and the Lordship of Emlyn 
 fell into Maelgon's hands, and Ystradtywi into those of 
 Res Grig. 
 
 Young Res, the eldest son of Griffith ap Res, recovered 
 the castle of Llandovery and a portion of Cantrev Bychan 
 
 1 Annales de "Wigornia ; Matthew "Westminster says that he was taken prisoner with 
 two of his adherents, and being conveyed to Hereford on St. Matthias' day (Feb. 
 24), was drawn at the tails of horses and hanged ; his two retainers receiving a similar 
 punishment. It is probable that instead of St. Matthias', it should be St. Matthew's 
 day, September 21, which would make the discrepancy a small one. 2 Hengwrt MS. 
 No. 96 (being a book of Pedigrees in the autograph of Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt, the 
 famous antiquary). 3 Walter de Hemingburgh. 4 Rymer's Fsedera.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 211 
 
 from his uncle Res Grig in 1202, and the castle of 
 Llangadoc in the following year ; but these were shortly 
 afterwards taken fronj him by Maelgon and his allies. 
 
 The castles of Llandovery and Dynevor were taken in 
 1204 by the sons of Griffith ap Res, who also recovered 
 Llangadoc and made their peace with their uncle Res 
 Grig by surrendering to him the castle of Dynevor ; and 
 in the course of the year 1207 the whole of Cardigan 
 Uch-Ayron was taken from Maelgon by Llewelyn ap 
 Jerwerth, Prince of North Wales, and given over to 
 young Res and Owen the sons of Griffith ap Res. 
 
 In 1210 Res Grig made his peace with the English, 
 and by their assistance retook the castle of Llandovery ; 
 whereupon Maelgon also became " the King's man" and 
 endeavoured to take the territory of Uch-Ayron from his 
 nephews, but he was encountered by them with much 
 spirit and repulsed with considerable loss. Towards the 
 close of the following year, however, when King John 
 had brought all the other Welsh Princes to his subjection, 
 he despatched his Warden of the Marches, Fulk de Breant, 
 with an English army, accompanied by Maelgon and the 
 other tributary Welsh Princes, to reduce to submission 
 the sons of Griffith ap Res, who alone held out against 
 him. Res and Owen, being unable to cope with so great 
 a force, were obliged to capitulate, and having obtained 
 a safe-conduct from Fulk, they repaired to the King's 
 Court, and, "pro maUvolenciu suit eisrelaxandu" surrendered 
 to him their whole land of the Honour of Cardigan, the 
 whole land of Cantrebochan with the castle of Lanan- 
 devery, and the whole land of Mathlaen ;' after which 
 Fulk rebuilt the castle of Aberystwith for the King. 
 
 Res Grig and Maelgon now repented of their submission 
 to the English Monarch, and attacked his castle of 
 Aberystwith ; so that on the return of Res and Owen to 
 South Wales the young Princes were able to retaliate 
 upon their uncles under colour of the King's authority, 
 who now granted to Res ap Griffith the whole Honour 
 of Cardigan which Maelgon had held, reserving to him- 
 self, however, the castles of Cardigan and Aberystwith 
 with their adjacent manors. This grant did not enable 
 
 i Bishop Stapleton's Kalendar of the Treasury of the Exchequer (see Kalendara and 
 Inventories in H. Majesty's Court of Exchequer, Vol. I, p. 198).
 
 212 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 young Res to obtain possession of his lands in Cardigan 
 at this time, but he and his brother Owen succeeded in 
 recovering the castles of Llandovery and Dynevor and 
 the whole of Ystradtywi from Ees Grig in the following 
 year. 
 
 In the year 1216 the Welsh, under the lead of Prince 
 Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, recovered from the English much 
 of their ancient territory, including the commots of 
 Kidwelly and Carnwallyon (in Carmarthenshire) and a 
 considerable portion of Dy vet (or Pembrokeshire), which 
 the native Lords of South Wales continued to hold for a 
 time in addition to Cardigan and Ystradtywi. During 
 the period of this their brilliant success against the 
 common enemy their family differences were temporarily 
 adjusted and a settlement made, under the Presidency of 
 Llewelyn, by which Maelgon received as his share of 
 territory the Northern portion of Dyvet, with two of the 
 Southern commots of Cardigan, namely Gwynnionith 
 and Mabwynneon, and the two Eastern commots of 
 Ystradtywi, namely Mallaen and Hirfryn which adjoined 
 the Lordship of Brecknock. The remainder of Ystradtywi 
 was assigned to Res Grig ; and the remainder of Cardigan 
 to the sons of Griffith. 
 
 On the death of the young Lord Res ap Griffith, with- 
 out issue, in 1222, it would seem that, by the interference 
 of Llewelyn, Maelgon received a portion of his land, and 
 thus became Lord of the entire Southern moiety of Car- 
 digan (or Cardigan Is-Ayron), while Owen ap Griffith, the 
 brother of young Res, retained the upper moiety (or 
 Cardigan Uch-Ayron) ; and on Maelgon's ejectment by 
 the Earl of Pembroke, about 1223, his portion of Cardigan 
 was given by the Earl to Cynan ap Howel Sais, to be 
 held by him under the said Earl. Whereupon Maelgon 
 betook himself to Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, through whose 
 intercession he obtained an order from the King for a 
 fresh partition of lands between Maelgon and his nephews 
 Owen ap Griffith and Cynan ap Howel, to be determined 
 by certain arbitrators, of whom the half were to be nomi- 
 nated by Llewelyn and the other half by the Earl of 
 Pembroke, so that Owen's interests would seem to have 
 been unrepresented. The result of this commission was 
 an order from the King to Owen ap Griffith to give up to
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 213 
 
 his uncle Maelgon the commot of Crewthyn, which had 
 been adjudged to him by the said arbitrators, and this, 
 as I suppose, to be held by Maelgon in addition to the 
 land of Cardigan Is-Ayron, which had been probably 
 restored to him at this time, while Cynan ap Howel's 
 claims will have been satisfied perhaps by the acquisition 
 of the Lordships of Emlyn and Oysterlof. 
 
 From what follow r s I should, however, conjecture that 
 the commot of Pennarth was transferred to Maelgon at 
 this time instead of that of Crewthyn. 
 
 Owen ap Griffith died in 1235, and was succeeded in 
 his dominion by a son Meredith ap Owen, his uncle 
 Maelgon having previously died about 1230 and been 
 succeeded by a son Maelgon Vychan. 
 
 In 1236 the commot of Mevenyth was given by Mere- 
 dith ap Owen to Maelgon Vychan in exchange for that 
 of Pennarth ; and a few years later sometime between 
 1241 and 1245, a general exchange of lands was made 
 between them, whereby the dominion of Maelgon was 
 transferred toUch-Ayron and that of Meredith to Is-Ayron. 
 
 I am unable to say whether Pennarth, under this 
 arrangement, was taken or not by Maelgon, whose daughter 
 in law certainly had her dower assigned to her in that 
 commot ; but when Maelgon was afterwards dispossessed 
 of his territory, in 1246, by Nicholas de Moels Meredith 
 ap Owen and Meredith ap Res, who were acting under 
 the King's authority, it is probable that some portion 
 of Maelgon's lands, including the commots of Pennarth, 
 Mevenyth, Crewthyn, and Geneurglyn, were retained by 
 Meredith ap Owen, and that the rest were seized into the 
 King's hands, and afterwards granted to Prince Edward, 
 the King's son. 
 
 When Maelgon submitted himself to the King, towards 
 the close of the same year, two commots only were 
 assigned to him for his possession, namely those of 
 Geneurglyn and Iscoed, which had been formerly held by 
 Meredith ap Owen ; and Iscoed was afterwards, by the 
 King's favour, exchanged for Crewthyn. 
 
 I should suppose that Meredith ap Owen must have 
 been in some measure a consenting party to this arrange- 
 ment, for one at least of these commots, namely that of 
 Iscoed, was certainly parcel of his own proper Dominions.
 
 214 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 If the commots of Pennarth and Mevenyth were not 
 made over to Meredith ap Owen at this time, it is possible 
 that they may have fallen into his hands in the autumn 
 of 1250, when Maelgon was again under the King's dis- 
 pleasure. 
 
 Whatever portion of Maelgon's lands, however, had 
 been appropriated by Prince Edward was subsequently 
 conceded by Llewelyn, in 1256, to Meredith ap Owen, 
 together with the land of Buellt, of which latter he does 
 not appear to have long retained possession. 
 
 From this time until after the death of Meredith ap 
 Owen in 1265 the Welsh ruled paramount in these parts 
 of Wales ; and, whereas Maelgon died in 1257, not long 
 after the first breaking out of the war, it is probable that 
 the whole of Cardigan, except perhaps the commot of 
 Crewthyn and the upper moiety of Geneurglyn, remained 
 in Meredith's hands until the time of his death. 
 
 Maelgon Vychan had in the mean time been succeeded 
 by his grandsons Llewelyn ap Res and Res Vychan ap 
 Res ap Maelgon in turn ; and after the death of Meredith 
 ap Owen Prince Llewelyn ap Griffith took the Northern 
 commots of Geneurglyn, Crewthyn, and Perveth, from 
 the sons of Meredith ap Owen and gave them over to 
 Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon. 
 
 The sons of Meredith ap Owen were Owen, Griffith, 
 and Canan ; who divided his lands between them. He 
 had also a daughter Gwenllian, wife of one Meredith, 
 by whom she had a daughter and heiress Elen, who 
 subsequently claimed against Robert Clement certain 
 lands in the commot of Pennarth. 
 
 Owen ap Meredith the eldest son of Meredith ap Owen 
 died on August 15, 1275, before the commencement of 
 the war with King Edward, leaving an infant son 
 Llewelyn, of whom hereafter. 
 
 Griffith ap Meredith, whom I take to have been the 
 second son, received as his share of his father's territory 
 the commot of Iscoed Ucherwern, a portion of the 
 commots of Mabwynneon and Gwynnionith, and probably 
 the commot of Mevenyth, which, though subsequently 
 accounted in the King's Courts to have been forfeited by 
 his father Meredith ap Owen, was at one time certainly 
 in Griffith's possession.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 215 
 
 About the year 1270 Griffith and his brother Owen 
 and Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon recovered from the 
 English the commots of Anhunog, Perveth, and Crewthyn, 
 which had apparently been taken from them after the settle- 
 ment of the last peace, and it is possible that Mevenyth 
 may have been lost and recovered in the same way. 
 
 Of these lands Crewthyn seems to have been retained 
 by Res Vychan ; and about February 2, 1273, Owen and 
 Griffith restored Perveth to their brother Canan. 
 
 It would seem that the portion of Gwynnionith in 
 which the Parish of Llandussil was situated, originally 
 fell to the share of Griffith (unless the advowson of the 
 church was jointly held by all the sons of Meredith ap 
 Owen, who may possibly have presented to it in turn), 
 for in 1274, before the death of Owen ap Meredith, there 
 had been a suit pending in the Court of Canterbury 
 between the chapter of St. David's and Griffin son of Mere- 
 due ap Owen, concerning the right of presentation to this 
 church ; with respect to which the said Griffin voluntarily 
 submitted himself to the decision of Richard, Lord Bishop 
 of St. David's, and pledged himself by deed dated at 
 Trefdyn on 3 Kal. Nov. (Oct. 30), 1274, to accept the 
 Bishop's award. The Lord Bishop thereupon decided 
 that the said Griffin and his heirs for ever should have the 
 right of presentation, and that Howel, who had been 
 presented by Griffin, should be admitted and canonically 
 instituted thereto ; but that he and the Rectors suc- 
 ceeding him should make an annual payment of 20 marks 
 of silver to the chapter of St. David's for the use of the 
 canons residentiary there. He further decided that there 
 should be a perpetual Vicar in residence at Llandussil, to 
 be presented by the Rector, which Vicar should receive 
 one third part of the income of the church of Llandussil, 
 less the 20 marks with which it is charged for the chapter 
 of St. David's. The Bishop's award is dated at the same 
 time and place as the deed of Griffith, and it is subscribed 
 by Howel, son of Lewelin, the Rector nominated and 
 presented by the said Griffin son of Mereduc. 1 
 
 In the spring of the year 1277, after the death of Owen 
 ap Meredith, Griffith and his surviving brother Canan 
 
 1 Statute ecclcsiso Menevcnsis (Earl. MSS. 1249). Richard de Carrew was Bishop 
 of St. David's from 1256 to 1280.
 
 216 PEINCES OP SOUTH WALES. 
 
 joined Llewelyn ap Griffith and the men of North Wales 
 in their insurrection against the English rule, but within 
 a few months afterwards they made their peace with the 
 King, upon which the commots of Mevenyth, Perveth, 
 and Anhunog (which last was of the inheritance of their 
 nephew Llewelyn ap Owen), were taken by Pain de 
 Chaworth and seized into the King's hands. On making 
 their submission they repaired to the King's Court, with 
 the other Princes of South Wales, but were not at that 
 time allowed to do fealty and homage for their lands, 
 though they were afterwards admitted thereto at a 
 council held at Worcester on July 1 of the same year. 
 
 In 1278 Griffith ap Meredith complains to the King 
 and his Parliament that on the day that he had returned 
 to the King's peace he was deprived of one half of his 
 land, namely the commot of Mevenyth, which is reputed 
 to be worth two commots, and prays that some compen- 
 sation may be made to him. The answer was that his 
 claim had been compromised by a sum of money which 
 he had received at the Tower of London. 
 
 I presume that he still retained possession of the 
 commot of Iscoed Uchirwern ; for an extent of the lands 
 of " Griffin son of Mereduc " was taken at Lampader 
 Vawr on April 11, 1279, "by twelve of the King's men 
 of the county of Cardigan " when the jury found that 
 "there are there six westva of the annual value of twenty- 
 four marks of fixed rent ; they are called Uthirwern and 
 (sic) Iscoyt, and" the said Griffin "has nothing else 
 besides this of which the annual value can be stated, 
 because they (the jurors) know not how to estimate the 
 perquisites of the court or escheats." 1 
 
 This commot (which he exchanged, in the course of 
 the next three years, with his nephew Llewelyn ap Owen 
 for that of Kaerwedros) appears to have comprised the 
 whole extent of his lands at that time, though he after- 
 wards re-occupied once more the commot of Mevenyth 
 during the short outbreak of 1282, and was certainly in 
 possession of his share of Mabwynneon and Gwynnionith 
 in July 1282. 
 
 Hostilities with the English had been commenced in 
 North Wales by David ap Griffith, the brother of 
 
 l Inq. 7 Edw. I, No. 76.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 217 
 
 Llewelyn, on March 21, 1282. They were promptly 
 taken up by Griffith ap Meredith and Res ap Res ap 
 Maelgon in the South, who possessed themselves of the 
 Castle of Lampader Vawr on the 25th of the same month ; 
 and on the following day Griffith and his brother Canan 
 took part in the general expedition which resulted in the 
 recovery of the castles of Llandovery and Carregcennen 
 from the English. 
 
 These brilliant exploits, however, produced but a 
 transient success. During the period that intervened 
 between this and the death of Llewelyn ap Griffith at 
 the close of the same year we find the sons of Meredith 
 ap Owen complaining that the King had forcibly deprived 
 them of their inheritance of Geneurglyn and Crewthyn, 
 which he had conceded to them after the form of peace. 1 
 
 It is not easy to see how their claim to these two 
 commots could be made out, but the explanation of it is 
 to be found in the Welsh Plea- Rolls preserved in the 
 Treasury of the Exchequer. It appears that after the 
 conclusion of peace in 1277 the King received the 
 homage of the respective Lords of South Wales for 
 the lands which they then held. Commissioners were 
 subsequently appointed to hear and determine the dis- 
 putes concerning the tenure of lands &c. in Wales, 
 who held their courts in different parts of the country 
 during the three following years. At a court held 
 at Montgomery, on April 29, 1280 (in crastino claus. 
 pasch. anno 8 Edw. I), before R. de Fremyngham and the 
 Justices associated with him, it appears that Griffin 
 Abmereduth, Canan his brother, and Leulin their nephew 
 had sued the King for recovery of the commots of Gen- 
 erglin and Creudin which were then in the King's hands. 
 Their plea was that Meredith Abowan, father of the said 
 Griffin and Canan and grandfather of the said Leulin, 
 was seised of the said commot of Creudin in demesne as 
 of fee until Leulin, Prince of Wales unjustly ejected him 
 by force and violence ; and the said Canan was similarly 
 seised of the said cominot of Generglin, as his share of 
 inheritance, until the same Leulin unjustly ejected him 
 by force and violence ; 2 and they demanded that their 
 
 1 See page 169. 2 Compare this with the account given at pages 149 and 214, from 
 which it slightly varies, though it may be made to tally by supposing that the sons of 
 Meredith ap Owen had re-entered upon Crewthyn after their father's decease. 
 
 2 D
 
 218 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 right should be enquired into. Bogo de Knovile appeared 
 on behalf of the crown, and said that when the King, in 
 time of war between himself and Leulin, Prince of Wales, 
 came into those parts with his army, he found Res Vathan 
 ap Res ap Mailgun seised of the said commots in demesne 
 as of fee, which same Res Mailgun then did homage and 
 fealty to the King for the said commots, in the presence 
 of the said Griffin, Canan, and Leulin, who preferred no 
 claim thereto. After which the same Res Mailgun be- 
 came the King's capital enemy, in contravention of the 
 peace ; and by his forfeiture the said commots came into 
 the King's hands. When the peace was concluded at 
 Rothelan the same Res Vathan was disinherited by the 
 judgement of the King's court and that of the Prince of 
 Wales, so that his lands remained in the King's hands as 
 an escheat. So he (De Knovile) asked sentence on behalf 
 of the King, because the said Griffin, Canan, and Leulin 
 had preferred no claim to their right before the judgement 
 of disinheritance against the said Res was pronounced. 
 
 And the aforesaid Griffin, Canan, and Leulin, said that 
 at the time when the said Res Vathan did homage to the 
 King they laid claim to the land and were willing to 
 prosecute their claim when the time should arrive for the 
 purpose, and that the King took Res's homage saving the 
 rights of any others, and they appealed to the King's 
 memory whether or not they had made such protest. 
 Moreover they said that the aforesaid Res Vathan was a 
 bastard and the son of a harlot, so that he could not have 
 any inheritance descending to him dejure though lie held 
 the land de facto; wherefore they sought judgement as to 
 whether they ought to be excluded on account of the 
 forfeiture of the said Res. 
 
 And the aforesaid Bogo and other advocates on behalf of 
 the crown replied that whereas the said Res had neither 
 before the sentence of disinheritance nor afterwards until 
 this time been convicted of bastardy or of being a son of 
 a harlot therefore this kind of special plea ought not to 
 prejudice the King. 
 
 At the day appointed (i. e. some adjourned hearing of 
 this case) the aforesaid Griffin, Canan, and Leulin 
 appeared by their attorneys ; and whereas they had 
 previously submitted themselves to the King's memory
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 219 
 
 whether they had set forth anything before the King 
 with respect to their right to the said two commots 
 when Res had returned to the King's fealty, the King 
 is now consulted by the Justices as to whether he 
 wishes to make any answer in such a matter. And the 
 King's reply is that he recollects nothing about it. Where- 
 upon it is judicially pronounced to them (the complainants) 
 that, whereas there is no proof of their alleging their 
 right before execution of the sentence of disinheritance 
 against Res, nor yet any proof of such allegation- what 
 time the same Res having returned to the King's peace 
 did his homage to the King for the said two commots in 
 their presence, they not making any charge against Res, 
 it is judicially pronounced that they be excluded from 
 all action. And a day was assigned to them (probably 
 to hear sentence) to appear before the King wherever (he 
 might be in England) in one month of Easter. And the 
 said Griffin, Canan, and Leulin nominate as their attorney 
 one of themselves whichever shall happen to be present 
 (on the said day of adjournment). 1 
 
 The result of their suit may be gathered from the com- 
 plaint which they made of their grievances in 1282 ; 
 soon after which the career of Griffith ap Meredith was 
 brought to a close. 
 
 Llewelyn ap Griffith, the Prince of North Wales, was 
 killed on December 10, 1282. His brother David was 
 given up to the English in June 1283 ; and about the 
 same time, or shortly afterwards, Griffith ap Meredith 
 and Canan his brother, with other Lords of South Wales, 
 were taken prisoners and placed in confinement at London, 
 when their lands were taken into the King's hands. 
 
 In the meantime, by charter dated at Rhuddlan on 
 July 28, 1282, the King had granted to their kinsman 
 Res ap Meredith ap Res Grig such parts of the commots 
 of Mabwynneon and Gwynnionith as were then held by 
 Griffin and Canan his brother, the King's enemies and 
 rebels, saving the portions thereof which were held by 
 Llewelyn ap Owen at the commencement of the late war ; 2 
 and the comniot of Kaerwedros at this time fell into and 
 afterwards remained in the King's hands. 3 
 
 l Exchequer, Treasury of Receipt, Wallia Miscell. Bag, No. 38, m. 19. > Rot. Wall. 
 10 Edw. I, m. 4 in Schedule 3 Inq. 2 Edw. Ill, No. 47.
 
 220 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 I find no mention of any children of Griffith ap Mere- 
 dith, nor do I know of any families who profess to be 
 descended from him. As he claimed and was allowed 
 to be the rightful patron of the church of Llandyssul in 
 1274, to which his nephew Llewelyn ap Owen in 1305 
 had the undisputed right of presentation for at least 
 two successive turns, and of which Owen ap Llewelyn 
 and Owen ap Thomas ap Llewelyn (the son and grand- 
 son of the same Llewelyn ap Owen) were afterwards 
 acknowledged to be the indisputable patrons, we may, 
 perhaps, infer that Griffith died without issue. 
 
 Canan ap Meredith, the youngest son of Meredith ap 
 Owen, inherited as his share of the paternal inheritance 
 a portion of the commots of Mabwynneon and Gwyn- 
 nionith, the commot of Crewthyn until he was deprived 
 of it by Prince Llewelyn ap Griffith, and probably the 
 commot of Perveth until it was taken into Prince Edward's 
 hands after the peace of 1267. This latter commot was 
 recovered by his brothers Owen and Griffith about the 
 year 1270, and was by them restored to him in 1273. 
 
 In the following year he exchanged this commot with 
 Res Vychan ap Res ap Maelgon for that of Pennarth. 
 
 From this time till the close of the wars of Llewelyn 
 and David the history of Canan ap Meredith follows that 
 of his brother Griffith, with whom he appears to have 
 acted in concert during the wars of 1277 and 1282, and with 
 whom he was taken prisoner, in 1283, and shut up in the 
 Tower of London. After this, though we hear no more 
 of his brother Griffith ap Meredith, who, like Res Wendot 
 of Ystradtywi, probably died in the King's prison, 
 it would seem that Canan ap Meredith once more obtained 
 his liberty, and he may possibly have had some portion 
 of his lands restored to him. We hear nothing of him 
 during the rebellion of Res ap Meredith ap Res Grig from 
 1285 to 1291 ; but in the subsequent rising of the Welsh 
 at Michaelmas 1294, against the collection of the heavy 
 war tax which the King had imposed upon them, Kynnan 
 (or Canan) ap Meredith and Maelgon Vychan headed the 
 insurrection in West Wales. 1 The insurrection, as we 
 have seen, was put down early in the following year ; 
 Maelgon Vychan was killed near Carmarthen by the men 
 
 l See page 206.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 221 
 
 of Gwent, and Canan ap Meredith, being taken prisoner, 
 was conveyed to Hereford, where he was hanged on 
 September 14, 1295, having first been drawn to the place 
 of execution at the tails of horses. 
 
 Canan ap Meredith, like most of his family, was a 
 benefactor to the great Abbey of Strata Florida. His 
 charter, without date, is amongst others recited in the 
 confirmatory charter of King Henry VI. By this charter 
 Canan confirms to the Abbot and convent all the gifts 
 which were made by his ancestor of pious memory, the 
 Lord Res the great, Prince of South Wales, and by all his 
 sons and grandsons, also those which were made by his 
 father, the Lord Meredith son of Owen of good memory, 
 and by all other his ancestors, as well as those which were 
 made by his brothers Owen and Griffith and by other 
 faithful men ; moreover he concedes to the same Abbot 
 and convent all waifs thrown by the sea upon their lands. 
 His charter is witnessed, amongst others, by his brother 
 Griffith, and by Aman, then Abbot of Strata Florida, 
 Owen ap Griffith, then Archdeacon of Cardigan, and 
 Lewelyn ap Remoric, then Dean of Upper Ayron. 1 
 
 We have seen that his portion of Slabwynneon and 
 Gwynnionith were given to the time-serving Res ap 
 Meredith, at whose attainder, in 1291j they will have 
 escheated once more to the crown. The commot of 
 Pennarth, by the attainder of Canan, also fell to King 
 Edward I, by whom it was granted to Geoffrey Clement. 
 
 Canan ap Meredith is said by the Welsh genealogists 
 to have had two daughters and coheirs f namely Jonet 
 or Jennett, wife of Geoffrey Clement ; and Gwenllian, 
 wife of Sir Griffith Lloyd, Knight, of Tregarnedd in 
 Anglesey. I consider the marriage of these two daugh- 
 ters to be somewhat problematical. 
 
 As to the marriage of Jonet daughter of Canan ap Mere- 
 dith with Geoffrey Clement, the Heraldic pedigrees which 
 record it are certainly inaccurate, for they make Geoffrey, 
 the son of that Geoffrey to whom King Edward granted 
 the commot of Pennarth, to have been the husband of 
 Jonet and father by her of the Robert Clement who 
 
 l Hist, of Strata Florida Abby by the Rev. G. Roberta. According to Le Nere, 
 Hugb, the predecessor of Owen ap Griffith, was Archdeacon of Cardigan in 1274, so 
 that the charter must have passed between that year and 1 283, the date of Griffith's 
 incarceration. 2 Her. Vis. Wall. ; Golden Grove MS. ; and Mr. J. Morris's MS.
 
 222 PEINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 succeeded him ;* whereas this second Geoffrey certainly 
 died without issue and Robert Clement who succeeded 
 him was not his son but his brother. 2 The well known 
 readiness of the Welsh genealogists to establish a Cam- 
 brian descent for the English settlers who became pro- 
 prietors of Welsh lands should make us cautious in 
 adopting such a marriage without further proof, and I 
 know of nothing to corroborate it unless it be the mention 
 of Elen the daughter of Gwenllian, daughter of Meredith 
 ap Owen, by Robert son of Geoffrey Clement as his 
 cousin (if this be the true meaning of his words) in a 
 petition to the King and his council which will be 
 recorded on a future page. The Clements do not appear 
 to have ever preferred any claim to hold the commot of 
 Pennarth by hereditary right ; but it is nevertheless quite 
 possible that they may have endeavoured to strengthen 
 their title in the eyes of the Welshmen by such a marriage; 
 and if so, I should suppose the first of the two Geoffreys 
 to have been the husband of Cauan's daughter. 
 
 Their tenure of the commot of Pennarth dates from 
 the year 1290. On February 10 of that year King 
 Edward I grants to Geoffrey Clement, for the good service 
 already rendered and hereafter to be rendered by him to 
 the King, certain lands and rents of the annual value of 
 9. 11s. id. in the commot of Pennarth adjacent to the 
 county of Cardigan, namely the lands of Caron, Cam, 
 Eron, Dugayron, and Trof Bresk, which amount to 
 6. 15s. 4d., and one Eandir 1 (or portion) of Weron Oweyn 
 and two and a half Randir* in Langay tho, which are es- 
 timated at 2. 16s. per annum, to have and to hold to the 
 said Geoffrey and his heirs of the King and his heirs for 
 ever, by the service of attending the King's expeditions 
 into Wales, with his men and tenants of the said lands 
 whenever they should be summoned by the King or his 
 Justiciaries. 3 
 
 On June 10 of the same year the King, being desirous 
 of shewing greater favour to the said Geoffrey Clement, 
 after reciting the above mentioned grant which had 
 already been made to him of nine librates &c. of land 
 and rents in the King's commot of Pennarth in the county 
 
 1 Her. Vis. Wall. ; Golden Grove MS. ; and Mr. J. Morris's MS. 2 Inn. p. m. 12 
 Edw. II, No. 12. 3 Rot. Wall. 1423 Edw. I, m. 7 de anno 18
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 223 
 
 of Cardigan out of those thirteen librates of land and 
 rents at which the commot was extended, further con- 
 cedes to him and his -heirs for ever the said commot with 
 the liberties and rights belonging to it, to hold by pay- 
 ment of an annual rent of 3 to be rendered half yearly 
 through the hands of the Constable, for the time being, of 
 the castle of Lampader and the service of attending the 
 King's expeditions into Wales (as before specified). By 
 a second charter of the same date the King remits to the 
 said Geoffrey, for the term of his life, the said annual 
 rent of 3, which is however to be paid after his death 
 by his heirs. 1 But on May 15, 1292, (as we learn from 
 a subsequent inspeximus) Geoffrey Clement obtained a 
 fresh charter by which the reserved rent of 3 was 
 altogether remitted. 2 
 
 On August 3, 1294, the same Geoffrey Clement 
 purchased from Llewelyn son of Roger de Mortimer of 
 West Wales, for the sum of 40 sterling of good and 
 legal money and three carucates of land with the vestures 3 
 and all their appurtenances and liberties in Goydmaur, 
 which said carucates the said Geoffrey had had of the gift 
 of the aforesaid Roger Mortimer Llewelyn's father, all 
 the lands and tenements with their appurtenances in the 
 commot of Generglyn which the said Roger Mortimer had 
 had of the gift of King Edward I, for which he, Geoffrey, 
 is to render the service of half a Knight's fee. 4 
 
 This Geoffrey Clement (I) is said to have been slain 
 by the Welsh in a revolt, at Buellt, in or about the same 
 year, 5 1294, when he was succeeded by his son Geoffrey 
 Clement (II). 
 
 Geoffrey Clement (II), on January 28, 1318, had an 
 inspeximus and confirmation from Edward II, whereby the 
 King concedes to him the land of Generglen (whose meets 
 and bounds are fully described in the charter), which land, 
 King Edward I had given to Roger de Mortimer and his 
 heirs by charter tested at Bristol on December 27, 1284, 
 reserving to himself and his heirs " the four pleas of the 
 
 1 Hot. Tat. 18 Edw T, m. 20. 2 Rot. Pat. 1 Hen. IV, part 1, m. 7. * Vesturtt 
 were the proceeds of the soil, whether cuttings, crops, or fruits. According to the 
 original idea, woods, corn, and grass, seem to have been considered as the clothing 
 of the earth (Ey ton's Ant. of Shropshire vol. I, p. 93 note). 4 Rot. Pat. 11 Edw. II, 
 part 1, m. 2. 5 Eengwrt MS. No. 225, and Mr. J. Morris MS., in both of which, how- 
 ever, Geoffrey's death is ascribed to the year 1293.
 
 224 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 crown" and estovers 1 from the wood of Lyscoyt for the use 
 of his castle of Lampader, and which same land had since 
 been purchased by Geoffrey Clement his father from 
 Llewelyn son of Roger Mortimer in 1294. 2 
 
 This second Geoffrey Clement died without issue about 
 a year afterwards. The Inquisition postmortem was taken 
 at Carmarthen, on February 24, 1319, before Roger de 
 Mortimer, Justice of Wales. He held the commot of 
 Pennarth and a moiety of the commot of Generglyn in 
 Cardiganshire of the King in capite for his homage and 
 the service of one and a half Knight's fee, namely that he 
 and his heirs, with their men and tenants of those commots, 
 should attend the King's expeditions into Wales as often 
 as they were summoned by the King or his Justices or 
 their Lieutenants in those parts. The commot of, 
 Pennarth is valued at 17. 11s. 5d., and the moiety of 
 Generglyn at 14. 3s. 4d. per annum. Robert Clement 
 is Geoffrey's brother and nearest heir, and is of the age 
 of 25 years and more. 3 
 
 It would seem that Meredith ap Owen had given a 
 portion of the commot of Pennarth in frank marriage with 
 his daughter Wenthliane, or Gwenllian, who continued 
 to hold it during her life. After Wenthliane's death it 
 was claimed by her daughter Elen, but the right of Elen 
 was disputed by Robert Clement, whereupon the disputed 
 land was taken into the King's hands. The first inquisi- 
 tion that was held upon it fully recognised the right of 
 Elen ; but her entry being barred by Robert Clement, 
 the land was still retained in the King's hands. 
 
 1 Estoveria -were allowances of timber from the woods for various purposes. 2 Rot. 
 Pat. 11 Edw. II, part 1, m. 2. I am unable to identify this Roger de Mortimer. In a 
 Pedigree preserved in the Golden Grove MS. he is given as a younger son of Roger 
 Mortimer of Chirk and brother of that John Mortimer who sold Chirk to Richard Fitzalan, 
 but this is incompatible with dates, and the pedigree is altogether so erroneous in other 
 respects as to be wholly unworthy of credit. His son Llewelyn Mortimer seems to have 
 disposed of most of his father's lands. From an inquisition taken at Carmarthen before 
 Roger de Mortimer, Justice of Wales, on April 16, 1314, with respect to the land which 
 had been held in dower by his mother Nest, the widow of Roger de Mortimer, we learn 
 that Roger de Mortimer held of King Edward I a moiety of the commot of Iscoed, by the 
 service of going in the army of the Lord of that commot, without payment of rent 
 or any other service ; and after the death of the said Roger, Llewelyn, his son'and heir, 
 surrendered to his mother Nest for her dower one third part of the lands in that commot 
 which his father had held in demesne, and for the rest of her dower he gave her an 
 annual sum of 9s. l^d. The said Llewelyn subsequently eufeoffed Hugh de Cressingham 
 in his lands and tenements in the said commot together with the reversion of his 
 mother's dower. On the death of Hugh the said lands reverted as an escheat to King 
 Edward II, to whom the third part held by Nesta in dower likewise reverted (Inq. 
 a. q. d. 7 Edw. II, No. 69). 3 Inq. p. m. 12 Edw. II, No. 12.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 225 
 
 Petitions to the King and his council were thereupon 
 presented by both the claimants. Elene Wergh Mereduk, 
 the daughter and heiress of Wenthliane Wergh Mereduk, 
 on the one hand, prays the King to order his Justice of 
 South Wales to enquire into her title to Quynnil in 
 Cardiganshire, which was her mother's inheritance and 
 which devolved upon her after the death of her mother. 1 
 The counter petition of Robert Clement cites the gift of 
 the commot of Pennarth by King Edward I to his father 
 Geoffrey Clement, at whose decease it came to Geoffrey 
 his son and heir, at whose decease it came to Robert, the 
 claimant, as his brother and heir, who was seised of it 
 until Sir Roger Mortimer, at the suggestion of one Eleyn, 
 the wife of Mereduth Vauwhan, " sa cosyne"* seized it into 
 the King's hands, in whose hands it now remains, for 
 which he prays a remedy. 3 In answer to these petitions 
 the King issued his brief to the Justice of South Wales 
 ordering him to take a fresh inquisition, which was 
 accordingly held at Carmarthen before the Lord John 
 Gyffard, Lieutenant of the Justice of South Wales, on 
 April 30, 1332. This second inquisition resulted in a 
 contrary verdict ; for the Jury now reported that Elen 
 the daughter of Meredith had no right to the land called 
 Guynnyl in Kardiganshire and that she did not enter 
 upon the said land as of right and inheritance after the 
 death of her mother, neither was she in any way seized 
 of it. They said that King Edward I had given and 
 conceded to Geoffrey Clement and his heirs the commot 
 of Pennarth with the appurtenances and that the said 
 land of Guynyl is parcel of the said commot and con- 
 tains a messuage and forty acres of land with the appur- 
 tenances, of which the said Geoffrey died seized, after 
 whose decease Geoffrey his son and heir entered upon 
 the said commot and the said land of Guynnyl as parcel 
 of the said commot, of which he also died seized, after 
 whose decease Robert Clement, as brother and heir of the 
 said Geoffrey, entered upon the said commot and the said 
 land of Guynnyl as parcel thereof, and was seized of it 
 
 1 Parliamentary Petitions [Chancery] No. 1446. 2 It is doubtful whether the 
 petitioner here speaks of Elen as his ONTO cousin or the cousin of Mortimer; but it 
 Robert Clement were the son of Jonet, the daughter of Canan ap Meredith, Elen will 
 have been his mother's first cousin. 3 Parliamentary Petitions [Chancery] ISo. M 
 
 2 E
 
 226 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 until Roger de Mortimer, late Justice of Wales, removed 
 him from the said land without process or judgement, at 
 the suggestion of the aforesaid Elen. They further 
 reported that the said Robert held the said land of the 
 King in capite and that he has full right to the said land 
 of Guynnyl by virtue of the King's gift. 1 
 
 It would seem that Elen, finding her opponents too 
 strong for her, and despairing of having her claim 
 recognised, desisted from further prosecution of her suit. 
 For on August 17, of the same year, the King expedites 
 his letters to Gilbert Talbot, his Justice of South Wales, 
 wherein he first recites the former inquisition, which had 
 been held by the said Justice at the King's command and 
 duly returned to the Court of Chancery, by which it was 
 represented that Wenthliane Wergh Mereduk ap Oweyn, 
 had held certain lands and tenements in the commot of 
 Pennarth, namely a third part of a westva in Gwynwill, 
 in fee, and that after her death Elen Wergh Mereduk, the 
 daughter and heiress of the said Wenthliane, had entered 
 upon the said lands and tenements as hers by right of 
 inheritance and held them peaceably until Geskinus de 
 Beauflur, late Seneschal of Cardiganshire, ejected her by 
 the precept of Roger de Mortimer, then Justice of Wales, 
 on the Feast of St. Michael, 1329, and caused them to be 
 seized into the King's hands, in whose hands they still 
 remain; and that the said Elen has never remitted or 
 quit-claimed her right therein to any one ; and that the 
 said lands and tenements are held of the King by certain 
 services. Then follows a recitation of the subsequent 
 inquisition of April 30, 1332, which has been already given, 
 and in which a totally different conclusion was arrived at. 
 And the King goes on to say that lie, being desirous of 
 doing justice to both parties, had commanded his said 
 Justice of South Wales to give the said Elen notice to 
 appear at the King's Court on the quinzaine of the Nativity 
 of John the Baptist (July 8), which day had been also 
 assigned to the said Robert, in order to shew cause, if she 
 can, why the said land should not be delivered to the said 
 Robert, and also to do or receive whatever should be 
 adjudged by the King's court in the matter; and whereas 
 
 1 Inq. 6 Edw. Ill (2nd Nrs.), No. 1\.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 227 
 
 the said Elen, after having been solemnly cited to appear 
 on that day, neither came nor sent any one in her behalf, 
 and whereas the King's Treasurer and Chamberlains have 
 since certified that they have searched the writings and 
 muniments in their custody at the Treasury, and found 
 nothing with respect to the aforesaid commot and land, 
 the King, being willing to do what is just to the aforesaid 
 Robert in this matter, commands his Justice of South 
 Wales to give to the said Robert seizin of the said lands. 1 
 In order to make sure of his acquisitions Robert 
 Clement obtained from King Edward III, on October 20, 
 1334, by payment of a fine, a confirmation of all the 
 above mentioned charters and a further concession that 
 although the said Robert or his ancestors had not fully 
 made use of all the liberties pertaining to his said 
 commot, lands, and tenements, yet the same Robert and 
 his heirs should be entitled to enjoy them for the future 
 without impediment from the King's Justices, Escheators, 
 Sheriffs, or other his Bailiffs and servants. 2 
 
 Robert Clement was living in September, 1344, when 
 he was summoned to the court of the Prince of Wales 
 (son of King Edward III) at Cardigan to shew by what 
 warrant he claims to hold the commot of Pennarth and 
 his free courts therein, and by what warrant he claims to 
 have a weekly market and annual fair at each of his 
 manors of Karon and Langeytho in the county of Car- 
 digan, and also by what warrant he claims to have 
 cognizance of pleas in his Lordship of Gen'glyn. 3 I am 
 unable to give the date of Robert Clement's death, but I 
 suppose that he was succeeded by his grandson, for on 
 October 27, 1400-1, John, son of Griffin, son of the same 
 Robert Clement, who is called the cousin and nearest heir 
 of Robert Clement, has a confirmatory charter to him and his 
 heirs in which all the above mentioned deeds are recited. 4 
 John Clement, Esq., probably the same person, died 
 on January 18, 1430. The inquisition post mortem was 
 
 1 Rot. Clans. 6 Edw. Ill, m. 17. 2 Rot. Pat. 1 Hen. IV, part 1, m. 7. 3 Plac. de 
 tjuo warranto, 18 Edw. Ill, m. 5. At the inquisition taken after the death of Roger 
 Mortimer, Earl of March, in 22 Ric. II (No. 34), the jurors reported that Matilda wife 
 of Robert Clement held of him a fourth part of a fee in Michele Church, which she was 
 similarly reported to hare held of Edmund, Earl of March at the inquisition taken 
 after his death in S Hen. VI (Cal. Inq, p. m. 3 Hea. VI, No. 32). 4 Rot. Pat. I 
 Hen. IV, part 1, m. 7.
 
 228 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 held at Bromyerd in the county of Hereford on November 
 2 of that year. He held a moiety of the manor of Yaser 
 in the county of Hereford, which was held of John 
 Merbury, Esq. in capite, as of his manor of Webbeley, 
 by military service. He held also the commot of 
 Pennarth and a moiety of the comraot of Generglyn with 
 their appurtenances in the Marches of Wales, which are 
 held of the King in capite by military service. There is 
 in the commot of Pennarth one capital messuage which is 
 of no annual value because it is ruinous. There is also in 
 the same commot a vill of Caron, in which there are 10 
 acres of arable land, of which the annual value is 12d. 
 each, one watermill worth 1. 6s. 8d. a year, 8 acres of 
 meadow of which the annual value is 5d. each, two fairs 
 (nundinas) every year, each of which is worth 5s. from 
 tolls and other profits, and rent from divers lands and 
 tenements held by free tenants in the said vill amounting 
 to 3. 13s. 4d. There are also, outside the said vill, in 
 the commot of Pennarth, one watermill of the annual 
 value of 1, one hundred acres of bosc, which realize 
 nothing of yearly revenue more than is wanted to keep 
 up the stock of game, and to pay the Keepers, a court of 
 the yearly value of 2, and 20 marks and 3s. of rent, 
 which messuage, vill, land, mill, fields, bosc, rents, court 
 and fairs are parcel of the said conmiot of Pennarth. 
 In the moiety of the commot of Generglyn there is 
 one watermill worth 1. 6s. 8d. a year, 200 acres of 
 wood, which are of no value beyond the wardenship 
 thereof, and 10. 10s. of rent ; there is also a court 
 worth 1 ; which same mill, wood, rents, and court 
 are parcel of the moiety of the commot of Geneurglyn. 
 The said John Clement held no other lands or tene- 
 ments of the King in capite or of any one else on the 
 day of his death in the said county of Hereford or in the 
 Marches adjacent thereto. His son Philip is his next 
 heir and is of the age of 12 years and more. John 
 Skydmore, Knight, and Griffin Don have occupied the 
 aforesaid lands and tenements since the death of the said 
 John Clement and received the profits thereof by virtue 
 of the King's letters patent granted to them. 1 
 
 1 Inq. p. m. 9 Hen. VI, No. 26.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 229 
 
 Philip Clement died in his minority. The inquisition 
 post mortem was taken at Hereford on the Sunday next 
 before the Feast of the Annunciation (March 24) 1437. His 
 lands were in the King's hands at the time of his death 
 because he was under age. The said Philip died on 
 January 7, 1437; " William Clement is his brother and 
 heir and was 18 years of age at Christmas last past ;" so 
 that the age of Philip must have been understated at the 
 previous inquest. Edmund Bamford, Earl of Mor- 
 tayngne and Griffith ap Nicolas, Esq. have occupied the 
 commot of Pennarth and the moiety of that of Generglyn 
 since the death of Philip and received the profits thereof 
 by virtue of the King's letters patent. 1 
 
 William Clement proved his age in 18 Hen. VI (1440). 2 
 He died according to one inquisition 3 on the 10th, or 
 according to another 4 on the 12th, of July 1443, leaving 
 an only daughter and heiress Matilda who was two years 
 of age at the time of the former inquisition which was 
 held on November 4, 1443. Both inquisitions relate to 
 the manor of Yasor only, and at the later inquisition the 
 Jurors state that William Clement held no other lands in 
 the county of Hereford and the Marches than those stated 
 in the inquisition, no mention being made of Pennarth 
 or of any lands in the county of Cardigan. 
 
 According to the Welsh Genealogists the heiress of the 
 Clements married John Wogan of Wiston, co. Pembroke, 
 Esq., son of Sir Henry Wogan (who was slain at the 
 Battle of Banbury in 1449). 
 
 There are several Pedigrees of the Wogans and 
 Clements given in the Heraldic Visitations of Lewis 
 Dwnn, 6 and though they are all more or less erroneous 
 in respect of the previous descents of the Clement family, 
 they all agree in making the wife of John Wogan to be 
 Maude, the daughter and heiress of John or Jenkin 
 Clement, Lord of Tregaron, and Geneurglyn, by his wife 
 Jane daughter of Griffith ap Nicholas ap Philip ap 
 Elider. 6 It is hereby suggested that Matilda the 
 
 l Inq. p. m. 15 Hen. VI, No. 40. 2 Cal. Inq. 18 Hen. VI, No. 7. Inq. 21 Hen. 
 VI, No. 3. 4 Inq. 23 Hen. VI, No. 46. 5 Her. Vis. Wai. Vol. II, pp. 42, 43, 90, 91, 
 106, 107, 108. 6 It will be observed that Griffith ap Nicholas was one of the two 
 persons to whom the King gave the lands of William son of John Clement, to hold 
 during the said William's minority. Griffith ap Nicholas was Lord of Newton (or 
 Dynevor) and grandfather of the famous Sir Khys ap Thomas, K.G., from whom the 
 present Lord Dynevor derives his descent.
 
 230 
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES, 
 
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 Matilda 
 Clement
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 231 
 
 daughter of William son of John Clement died in her 
 infancy and that the representation of the family 
 devolved upon her aunt. Sir John Wogan, Knight, of 
 Wiston, son and heir of John Wogan and Maude Clement, 
 married Ann, daughter of Sir Thomas Vaughan (who 
 was beheaded at Pomfret in Yorkshire in 1483), by 
 whom he had a son Sir John Wogan, Knight, from whom 
 the families of Wogan, of Wiston, Picton, Stonehall, and 
 Boulston, descended. 1 
 
 Sir Griffith Lloyd, Knight, who is said to have married 
 another daughter of Canan ap Meredith, was the son of 
 Sir Rhys ap Griffith, Knight, ap Ednyfed Vychan. 2 He 
 is said to have been knighted by King Edward I, at 
 Ehuddlan Castle, on his bringing to him the first intelli- 
 gence of the birth of his son Edward, viz. at Caernarvon 
 on April 25, 1284. 
 
 By deed dated at Lampadarn, in 1309, Griffinus Lloyd 
 Knt. sells to the Bishop of the church of St. David his 
 right to the advowson of the church of Llanrustud in 
 South Wales, to which are witnesses, the Lord Roger de 
 Mortimer, then Justice of Wales ; the Lord Philip ap 
 Howel ; John de Skydemour, then Constable of Lanba- 
 darn ; Hoel Vathan ; Jevan ap Griff. Gogh ; Geoffrey 
 Clement ; William de Knovill ; Gruff. Greg ap Jevan ; 
 Res Veyth ; and others. 3 Sir Griffith Lloyd did homage 
 for his lands in Wales to the young Prince at Chester, 
 but at a later period of his life he headed a revolt against 
 the English. Between the years 1316 and 1318 he 
 attempted to form an alliance with Edward Bruce, the 
 shortlived King of Ireland. Letters passed between 
 them, but without effect ; 4 and in 1322 he took up arms, 
 and placed himself at the head of his countrymen, when 
 he took the castles of Mold and Chirk and forming an 
 entrenchment at Tregarnedd he over-ran the country for 
 a short time with resistless impetuosity. But the 
 rebellion was speedily repressed ; Sir Griffith was taken 
 
 1 Her. Via. Wall. 2 By charter dated at Caernarvon on April 20, 1284, King 
 Edward I concedes to Margaret, widow of Res ap Griffith ap Ednevet Vechan and 
 daughter of John 1'Estrangc, for the term of her life, the whole Lordship of the Vill of 
 Trefgarned, which had been settled on her by her late husband at the time of her 
 marriage (Rot. Wall. 12 Edw. I, No. 30). 3 Harl. MS. 1249. 4 Burke's Die. of 
 Landed Gentry (under Lloyd of Plyniog).
 
 232 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 prisoner, confined for a time in Rhuddlan castle, and 
 afterwards executed. 1 
 
 According to the Heraldic Pedigrees he had by his 
 wife G-wenllian, 2 daughter of Canan ap Meredith, seven 
 daughters, namely Lleiki (or Lucy), wife of David 
 Vychan, or Fongam, of Caieo ; 3 Sybel (or Cicely) wife of 
 Sir Robert Clement ; Crisli, wife of Sir Gruy de Brian, 
 Lord of Talacharn (or Laugharne) ; 4 Deili (otherwise 
 called Marred, or Morvydd), wife of Madoc Cloddaeth ; 
 G-wenllian, wife of Cadogan ap Howel ap Madoc, of 
 Melienith ; Philippa, wife of Bleddyn ap Ithel Vychan 
 of Tegengl; and Elizabeth, wife of Grwyn Lloyd, of 
 Hendonr. 5 Sir Griffith Lloyd had also a son Sir Jevan 
 Lloyd, Knight, 6 but not by his wife Grwenllian. 
 
 1 Her. Vis. Wall. Vol. II, p. 86, Editor's note. The inquisition after the death of 
 Gruffinus Lloyd ap Rees was taken at Kermerdyn in 9 Edw. III. He held in fee of the 
 King in capite the moiety of one manor with the appurtenances in Lanfrdour in 
 Cantresmaur in the county of Carmarthen hy the service of doing suit at the court of 
 Carmarthen once a month ; he also held in fee of the King in capitebj the same service 
 a fifth part of one Westva with the appurtenances in Landrustuth in the commot of 
 Meveneth in the county of Cardigan. Jevan ap Griffiz ap Rees was his son and heir 
 (Inq. p. m. 9 Edw. Ill, No. 17). 2 Hengwrt MS. No. 96 ; Salusbury Pedigrees penes 
 Mr. Joseph Morris. In Lewis Dwnn's Visitations (Her. Vis. Wall. Vol. II, p. 101) 
 she is called Gwenllian daughter of Cynan ap Owen Gwynedd, hut this is probably a 
 clerical error. Owen Gwynedd died in 1170 ; it is therefore impossible that his grand- 
 daiighter could have been the wife of Sir Griffith Lloyd who was living in 1332. 
 3 For some account of the descendants of David Vychan and Lleiki see Her. Vis. Wall. 
 Vol. I, p. 230. 4 There is a beautiful monument to Sir Guy de Brian at Tewkesbury ; 
 and in the church of Laugharne is preserved what is called Sir Guy de Brian's coat, 
 a very curious ancient cope which may perhaps have been his gift to the Priest serving 
 the church there (Her. Vis. Wall. Vol. I, p. 45). There were more than one of this 
 family who bore the name of Guy. One Sir Guy de Brian died in the 35th of Edward 
 I (1306-7), having married Eva, the daughter and heiress of Henry de Traci, by whom 
 he had a daughter Matilda, heiress to her mother, which Matilda married Sir Geoffrey 
 de Camville, son of Sir William de Camville (Original charters of the Family of De la 
 Roche, of Pembrokeshire, hy Rev. Jos. Hunter and Rev. J. M. Traherne, p. 5 note). 
 For some account of the Brian family see also Collectanea Topographica et Geuealogica, 
 Vol. Ill, p. 250 & seq. ; hut I do not find any corroboration of the marriage of Sir 
 Guy de Brian with a daughter of Sir Griffith Lloyd. 5 For some account of Gwyn 
 Lloyd, Lord of Hendonr, see Her. Vis. Wall. Vol. II, p. 110 note. See also Burke's 
 Die. of Landed Gentry, under Hughes of Gwerclas, where, however, he has a different 
 wife assigned to him. 6 Sir Jevan Lloyd lived in the time of King Edward III, and 
 is mentioned by Holinshed as " Sir Jevan of Wales." Sir Samuel Meyrick, in a note 
 to Her. Vis. Wall. Vol. II, p. 86, says that Sir Jevan Lloyd is believed to have been 
 an illegitimate son of Sir Griffith Lloyd, and he is so described by Burke, in his Die. 
 of the Landed Gentry ; but this is certainly wrong, for at the inquisition taken after 
 the death of Gruffinus Thloyd ap Rees in 9 Edw. Ill, it was found that Jevanus ap 
 Gruffiz ap Rees was his son and heir and forty years of age (Inq. p. m. 9 Edw. Ill, 
 No. 17).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 233 
 
 LLEWELYN AP OWEN. 
 
 Llewelyn ap Owen, son of Owen ap Meredith, the 
 eldest son of Meredith ap Owen, became, on his father's 
 death, the representative of the senior line of the Princes 
 of South Wales. 
 
 In the division of the paternal inheritance his father 
 Owen seems to have had for his portion the commots of 
 Anhimog, Caerwedros, and a moiety of Gwynnionith 
 UchKerdyn, with certain "Westva" or manorial chief 
 rents besides. Of these the commot of Anhunog was 
 apparently taken by Prince Edward after the peace of 
 1267. It was, however, recovered by Owen, about the 
 year 1270, who granted it in frank marriage to his wife 
 Agaret in 1273, and died seized of it on August 15, 1275, 
 leaving issue by the said Agaret or Angharad, the 
 daughter of Owen ap Meredith, Lord of Kedewen, an 
 only son Llewelyn. 
 
 Llewelyn ap Owen was probably but a few months old 
 at the time of his father's death, and in the following 
 year, 1276, the Welsh were again actively in arms 
 against King Edward, who had returned to England 
 to take possession of his Kingdom in the autumn of 1274. 
 Llewelyn and his lands were probably at this time in 
 the hands of his uncles Griffith and Canan ; and when 
 these chieftains submitted themselves to the King in the 
 summer of 1277 the young Llewelyn was placed under 
 the guardianship of Pain de Chaworth, who took custody 
 of his lands in the King's name. 
 
 On February 15, 1279, the King took the homage of 
 Lewelin son of Owen, being still under age and in the 
 King's custody, "for all the lands and tenements which 
 he claims to hold of the King and which belonged to the 
 said Owen his father on the day that he died." His lands 
 and tenements were now given up to him to be held by 
 him so long as he should conduct himself faithfully 
 towards the King and his heirs ; and Roger de Moeles, 
 the King's Bailiff at Lampader Vawr, is ordered to put 
 him in full seizin thereof. 1 
 
 Notwithstanding this concession and precept, neither 
 Llewelyn nor his mother, upon whom the commot of 
 
 i Rot. Wall. 69 Edw. I (de anno Septimo) m. 9 dorso. 
 
 2 F
 
 234 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Anhunog had been settled in dower and who probably 
 acted as his guardian during the remainder of his minority, 
 ever obtained possession of this coinmot which was the 
 most valuable portion of his inheritance. The commot of 
 Anhunog had been taken into the King's hands during the 
 insurrection of 1276-7 together with those of Mevenyth 
 and Perveth, and as Llewelyn, its Lord, was an infant he 
 should not fairly have been held responsible for the acts 
 of his guardians. It was however, with scant justice, 
 retained by the King as conquered land, in accordance 
 with the usual policy of the English Monarchs, who never 
 lost an opportunity of diminishing the power and import- 
 ance of those who represented the Native Welsh Princes. 
 
 A few months later, viz. on April 11, 1279, we find the 
 youthful Llewelyn, as one of the superior Lords of Cardigan, 
 nominally holding an inquisition for the King atLampader 
 Vawr, in conjunction with his uncles Griffith and Canan. 
 
 This inquisition, which incidentally contains much 
 historical information with respect to the previous ex- 
 change of territory between the Welsh Princes, runs as 
 follows: "An inquisition made by the Lord Griffin, 
 Canan, and Llewelyn, sons of Mereduc ab Oweyn, and 
 their magnates, as to the levying of half a mark beyond 
 the customary rent due to the King in the time of 
 H[enry], of pious memory, King of England, the holy 
 Gospel being touched as to the truth of the evidence 
 given on this matter and another ; that is to say, 
 1 Marewde ' is such that when Griffith, son of Res the 
 Great, was Lord of Cardigan, he never received more 
 than a mark at each annual term. He was succeeded by 
 his son Owen, who similarly received the rents which 
 are commonly called { Westva.' Owen was succeeded 
 by his son Meredith, who enjoyed a like dominion in 
 those parts. By an exchange of lands, however, which 
 took place between Melgon, son of Melgon the elder, 
 descended from another line of Res the Great, of the one 
 part, and Mereduc son of Owen, on the other, the domin- 
 ion of Melgon the younger was transferred to the parts 
 beyond the Ayeron, which is the name of a certain river, 
 and the dominion of Mereduc was transferred to the parts 
 below the Ayeron. The said Mereduc never required or 
 received, either from Ultra Ayeron or Subtus Ayeron,
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 235 
 
 in the name of the same Westva, anything more than 
 the customary mark at each term; but the aforesaid 
 Melgon Junior, transgressing the path of right, and with- 
 out obtaining the assent of his country or referring to the 
 memory of the better and elder men of his land with 
 respect to the premises, of his own arbitrary will rather 
 than in course of law, extorted half a mark beyond the 
 customary payment for the space of a year and a little 
 more. The Lord Henry, of pious memory, sending his 
 summons to West Wales, occupied by might and with a 
 strong hand, the aforesaid parts beyond the Ayeron and 
 seized them into his own hands, driving out the said 
 Melgon into North Wales; who when he (afterwards) 
 obtained the King's favour to hold the commots of 
 Gliverglin and Iscoyte of the King in capite received no 
 more than a mark in the name of westva at each year's 
 end. By. the favour of the same King Henry he made 
 an exchange of the commot of Iscoyt for that of Grewdin, 
 and neither from that nor from Gliverglin did he 
 wrongfully extort more than a mark. To which Melgon 
 succeeded Lewelin his grandson, and to Lewelin succeeded 
 Res his brother, neither of whom wrongfully extorted 
 any thing beyond a mark at each year's end. But, as 
 from the time of King Henry the truth is fully manifest, 
 
 of the King, Maurice de 
 
 Bercale, being moved by covetousness, under the subtle 
 pretext that he had heard of the aforesaid Melgon having 
 at one time required and received half a mark beyond 
 the usual and customary rent, himself unduly extorted 
 the harsh payment (districtuni) for one year's term only. 
 With respect to the ' Marewde ' the Jurors said that, 
 
 during their life, no Lord , as far as they 
 
 remembered or had seen or understood, ever received the 
 1 Marewde ' cither in the parts of Kerdigan belonging to 
 the Lord Edward or in the parts of the same country be- 
 longing to the other Lords. In testimony whereof they 
 set their seal to this inquisition. Dated at Lampader 
 Vawr on the eleventh day of April in the seventh year 
 of King Edward." 1 
 
 l Inq. p. m. 7 Edw. I, No. 76. I should imagine the word Marewde to mean 
 originally " a Heriot " from the "Welsh word "Marw," a dead one (see Glossary to 
 Brut-y-Tywysogion, Record Ed.) ; but it seems to be here used in another sense and 
 to imply a kind of chief rent.
 
 236 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 The other matter alluded to in the heading of the 
 inquisition was an " extent" of the lands then held by 
 Griffith ap Meredith ap Owen, one of the Seigneural 
 Lords before whom the same inquisition was taken. 
 This has been recorded on a previous page. 1 
 
 In 1279, or at sometime within the next three years, 
 Llewelyn exchanged the commot of Caerwedros with 
 his uncle Griffith for that of Iscoed Uchirwern. 
 
 In the year 1283, after the conclusion of the war, we 
 find that Llewelyn's lands had been unlawfully seized by 
 the rapacious Res ap Meredith, to whom a portion of the 
 forfeited lands of Griffith and Canan, the sons of Mere- 
 dith ap Owen, had been granted in the previous year. 
 In the letters patent, by which the King pardons the 
 transgressions of the said Res ap Mereduc, it is stated 
 that the said Res had not only illegally intruded himself 
 into the lands which had been granted to him by the 
 King, by his own private authority and before the letter 
 to the King's Lieutenant had arrived with an injunction 
 to put him in seizin thereof, of which transgression he 
 had been convicted by his own recognizance, but that 
 he had moreover usurped to himself the lands of which 
 Lewelin the son of Owen, a minor, was seized through 
 his Guardian, at the time of the commencement of the 
 late war, which being the right of another the King had 
 no intention of giving away. His pardon, however, was 
 conceded to him on the sole condition that the aforesaid 
 lands should be restored to the said Lewelin together 
 with all the profits which he had received from them 
 since his usurpation. 2 
 
 It was at this time, and therefore during the continued 
 minority of the young Lord of Gwyrniionith and Iscoed 
 that Edward completed his conquest of Wales and pro- 
 ceeded to make provision for the future government of 
 the country. For this purpose he took up his residence 
 at Rhuddlan in the year 1284, from whence he issued a 
 body of laws known as the Statute of Rhuddlan, by which 
 the whole system of English Jurisprudence was introduced 
 
 1 Inq. p. m. 7 Edw. I, No. 76 (Vide supra p. 216). The obligation to hold such a 
 court, for the King's behoof, before their own inferiors and subordinates, -would have 
 been one of those encroachments upon their seigneural rights and liberties of which the 
 sons of Meredith ap Owen complained to the Archbishop f Canterbury in 1282 
 (Vide supra p. 169). 2 Rymer's Faedera anno 11 Edw. I.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 237 
 
 into Wales. From Rlmddlaii Castle he issued a pro- 
 clamation to all the inhabitants of Wales that he 
 would receive them under his protection ; giving them at 
 the same time his assurance that they should hold their 
 lands, liberties and properties by the same tenure as they 
 had previously held them under their native Princes; 
 the King reserving to himself the same rents, duties and 
 services which had belonged to the Prince. Inquisitions 
 were made into, their rights by an order of the King, 
 and their particular nature was ascertained and deter- 
 mined by the verdicts of Juries composed entirely of 
 Welshmen. 1 
 
 Wales was now divided into counties ; and Sheriffs, 
 Coroners and other crown officers were appointed in each, 
 as in England. The Districts which were under the 
 dominion of the Lords Marchers, and in which they held 
 their jura regalia, were allowed by this act to remain 
 without any alteration, but the territories which had 
 lately pertained to the native Princes of the House of 
 Dynevor were formed into the present counties of Car- 
 digan and Carmarthen. These counties were placed 
 under the same regulations as those of England and were 
 to be governed in all cases by the same laws and forms. 
 When the King had completed his arrangements in 
 North Wales he made a progress through Cardiganshire, 
 where he remained a month to settle the affairs of South 
 Wales, and then returned to England before Christmas ; 
 and we hear no more of the affairs of South Wales till the 
 year 1287, when the country rose in rebellion under Sir 
 Res ap Meredith, who was at length taken and executed 
 at York in the year 1291. 
 
 On November 10, 1291, which would have been 
 immediately after the execution of Res, the King con- 
 cedes and confirms to his beloved Lewelin ap Oweyn 
 that he and his heirs for ever should hold a weekly 
 market on Wednesday at his Manor of Llandussil in the 
 county of Kardigan, and a three days' fair there once in 
 every year, namely on the Eve, the Day and the 
 Morrow of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin (September 
 7, 8 & 9), unless such market or fair should be to the 
 injury of any neighbouring market or fairs. This 
 
 i Warrington's History.
 
 238 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 charter, which was given under the King's hand at 
 Worcester, was witnessed by the Venerable Fathers 
 Robert Bishop of Bath & Wells, Godfrey Bishop of 
 Worcester, Thomas Bishop of St. David's, Edmund de 
 Mortimer, Walter de Beauchamp Seneschal of the King's 
 Household, Roger de Mortimer, Richard de Bosco, and 
 others. 1 
 
 On the Wednesday next before the Feast of Saint 
 Ambrose (April 2) 1305, an inquisition was taken by 
 John Simonis, Archdeacon of Cardigan, at the command 
 of David Martin, Bishop of St. David's, with respect to 
 the church of Landussull and the person of Howel ap 
 Lewellin, 2 presented to the same. The chapter reported 
 that the church had been vacated by the death of William 
 de Midelhull, the late Rector, on the Sunday next before 
 the Feast of St. Edward, King and Martyr, (March 15) 
 1304-5. Lewelin ap Oweyn is true patron of the said 
 church and last presented to the same " Dominum Will, de 
 Midelhul, etest in possessione alterius presentandi ;" the church 
 is taxed at its true value of 30 marks and pays a pension 
 of 20 marks to the church of St. David ; the (patron's) 
 title is indisputable. 3 
 
 I find no further mention of Llewelyn ap Owen. 
 Supposing him to have been born towards the end of 
 1274, he would still have been in his minority during the 
 rebellion of Res ap Meredith from 1287 to 1291, and also 
 during the short insurrection under the leadership of 
 Maelgon Vychan and Canan ap Meredith in 1294. He 
 was probably about 34 years of age at the time of his 
 death in 1309. On May 3 of that year the King's writ 
 of diem clausit extremum was issued to Roger de Mortimer, 
 the King's Justice of South Wales, ordering him to take 
 into the King's hands the lands and tenements of Leulin 
 ap Owayn, who held of the King in capite* The inqui- 
 sition post mortem was taken at Carmarthen on the 
 Thursday next after the Feast of Holy Trinity (May 29, 
 1309), when the Jury found that the said Letvelinus ab 
 Oweyn held of the King in capite one commot and a half 
 
 1 Rot. Chart. 19 Edw. I, No. 3. 2 A singular repetition of the same name ; another 
 Howel ap Lewelin had heen presented hy Griffith ap Meredith ap Owen in 1274 
 (See p. 215). 3 Statuta Ecclesiae Menevensis (Harl. MS. 1249). 4 Excerpta e Eot. 
 Fin. (MS. Abbreviatio, at the Record Office) 2 Edw. II, m. 4.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 239 
 
 and one westva in Cardiganshire per tenuram Walensicam 
 Pennaethuny, that is to say by the fealty and services 
 hereafter mentioned, namely, the service of attending the 
 expeditions of the King and his Bailiffs with all his 
 tenants, and that for three days at his own cost, as often 
 as it should be necessary, on receiving a summons from 
 the King's Bailiffs. The said Lewelin was also bound to 
 do suit from month to month at the court of Cardigan, 
 which is called a Welsh county ; and after the death of 
 the said Lewelin the King should receive 100s. in the 
 name of Heriot, which is called " Ubedm," so that if the 
 goods of the deceased are not sufficient to meet this pay- 
 ment, his heirs must make good the deficiency before 
 they are put in seisin of his lands and tenements. All 
 the aforesaid tenements are divisible, according to the 
 custom of Wales, between the sons of the said Lewelin ; 
 and their annual value is 37. 17s. lOd. The said 
 Lewelin held nothing in the said Bailiwick of any one 
 else but the King. His sons Oweyn and Thomas are his 
 next heirs ; of whom Oweyn is eleven, and Thomas ten 
 years of age ; but the King has no rights of wardship or 
 marriage over them although they are yet under age. 1 
 
 By this inquisition it appears that Llewelyn ap Owen 
 died seized of a commot and a half and one westva in 
 Cardiganshire. From later inquisitions we learn that 
 these were the commot of Grwynnionith UchKerdyn and 
 the Westva of Drefreyr. This, as we learn from these 
 Carmarthenshire inquisitions, was all that he held in that 
 Bailiwick, which probably included the two present 
 counties of Cardigan and Carmarthen. There were cer- 
 tain other estates in Pembrokeshire, however, including 
 the commot of Y Garn or Trefgarn, called also Trefgarn 
 Owen, Travegar or West Trauger, and sundry lands and 
 manors in the neighbourhood of Haverford West and in 
 the Lordship of St. David's, which likewise devolved 
 upon his children and their heirs. In the Heraldic 
 Pedigrees Llewelyn ap Owen is usually styled Lord of 
 Iscoed Kerdyn and Trefgarn ; and Trefgarn is tradition- 
 ally reputed to have been at one time the residence of 
 Welsh Princes; 2 but owing to the different tenure of 
 
 l Inq. 2 Edw. II, No. 19. 2 Lewis' Topographical Dictionary.
 
 240 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 lands in the county of Pembroke and the paucity of 
 inquisitions in the territories of the Lords Marchers I am 
 unable to say with certainty whether these estates were 
 of the inheritance of Llewelyn ap Owen or his wife. I 
 have also much difficulty in ascertaining who the wife of 
 Llewelyn really was. In some of the old Heraldic 
 Pedigrees she is called Elen Or Elianor, daughter of 
 William de Barry j 1 but I think it more likely that she 
 was the daughter (and heiress) of Sir Kobert Y Val } 2 de 
 Vale, or de la Vale, Lord of Trefgarn. 
 
 Llewelyn left, as we have seen, two sons Owen and 
 Thomas, and he is said to have also had several daughters. 
 
 In a Pedigree preserved in the Golden Grove MS. 
 these daughters are thus given: 1. Isabella, wife of 
 Gwylim ap Eineon, Lord of Towyn and Constable of 
 
 1 The wife of Llewelyn ap Owen is called the daughter of William de Barry 
 in the Pedigree of Roland Lloyd of Kell-i-gadod (Lewis Dwnn's Her. Vis. Wai. Vol. 
 II, p. 63). In the Pedigree of the Lords of Towyn she is called "Elenor Parr" 
 (Ibid. Vol. I, p. 61). She may possibly have been one of the family of De Barr or 
 Barry, of which one branch were Lords of Maynor Beer, Pennaley and Begalley in 
 the county of Pembroke. She was certainly not, as she is called by the Heralds who 
 were employed to draw up the Pedigree of King Henry VII, the daughter of William 
 Comte de Barr by Elinor the daughter of King Edward I. 2 According to Griffith 
 Hiraethog, a celebrated Welsh Antiquary and Genealogist, who lived in the time of 
 King Henry VIII, the wife of Llewelyn ap Owen and mother of his sons Owen and 
 Thomas was the daughter of Sir Robert T Val, Arglwydd Trefgarn Owen (Orig. 
 MS. G. H. T. p. 49 penes W. W. E. Wynne, Esq. of Peniarth). On June 7, 1285, 
 Eobert de Valle was next witness after John, Earl Warren, to a deed of Ees ap Mere- 
 dith (see p. 191). On December 5, 1293, Robertus de Vale had a charter for a weekly 
 market at his manor of Val in the county of Pembroke, and also for a weekly market 
 at his manor of Redwalles [or Vagwrgoch] in the same county (Rot. Chart, ao 22 Edw. I 
 pars unica, No. 33). In the following year (23 Edw. I) William de Valence and Joan 
 his wife had permission to renew a claim which they had formerly made to the 
 jurisdiction of the men and tenants of the Baronies of Haverford anddela Roche, of the 
 men and tenants of Osmondeston, Haraldeston, &c., and of the men and tenants of 
 Robert du Val, of the fee of the said Robert, of Mulhok and Baketon (or Byketon), and 
 to all pleas &c. within the said Baronies and fees of which the cognizance belongs to the 
 Sheriff or Seneschal, tcgether with the suit of the Baron de la Roche and the homage 
 and service of the said Robert du Val, of all which they had been seized until they were 
 ejected by Alianorethe late consort of the said King Edward I (Rot. Parl. Vol. I, p. 34). 
 It would seem that they were not able to establish their seigneural claim over Robert du 
 Val, for in 25 Edw. I, the writ of diem elausit extremum is issued to Simon de Foxley 
 the King's Bailiff of Haverford ordering him to take into the King's hands all the lands 
 (in his Bailiwick) of which Robert de Val, who held of the King in capite was seized 
 on the day of his death (Abbreviatio Rot. Orig. p. 98, 25 Edw. I, Ro. 5). I can find 
 no record of the inquisition as to these Pembrokeshire lands of Robert de Val, nor have 
 I succeeded in fully identifying them. There was a Robert de la Val, who died in 
 that same year (on September 11, 1297), seized of the manor of Seton la Vale and other 
 manors in the county of Northumberland, -but I have ao reason to think that this was 
 the same person as the Pembrokeshire proprietor. The heir of this Northumbrian 
 Robert was his sister Marjery, born of the same father and mother, who was 30 years 
 of age at the time of her brother's death and then the wife of Andrew de Smytheton 
 (Cal. Genealog. ao 25 Edw. I, No. 47). Marjery de Smytheton died in 1311 12, 
 when her nearest heir was found to be her cousin Robert de la Vale, son of her uncle 
 Hugh de la Vale (Inq. p. m. 5 Edw. II, No. 70).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 241 
 
 Cardigan. 1 2. Eleanor, wife of Llewelyn ap Philip, of 
 Rydodin. 2 3. Gwenllian, wife of Gwylim ap Griffith 
 Gpch, of the county of Cardigan. 3 4. Lleiki 4 (or Lucy) 
 wife of Meredith ap Owen. 
 
 By writ, dated at Llangele, on June 17, 1309, the 
 King orders Roger Mortimer, his Justice of South Wales, 
 after taking security for payment of the Heriot, to give 
 to Owen and Thomas, the sons of Llewelyn, full seizin of 
 the commot and a half and one westva in Cardiganshire 
 which their father had held of the King in capite, saving 
 the right of any other. 5 
 
 The heirs of Owen ap Meredith had evidently never 
 acquiesced in their deprivation of the commot of Anhunog, 
 which had fallen into the King's hands during the 
 minority of Llewelyn ap Owen. It was doubtless 
 claimed as their right by the sons of Llewelyn ap Owen, 
 after they had attained their majority ; and this would 
 account for another inquisition being taken at Carmarthen, 
 by the King's orders, on the Saturday next after the 
 Feast of St. Michael (October 1) 1328, for the purpose 
 of ascertaining what lands had been held of the King by 
 Owen ap Meredith, their grandfather, at the time of 
 his death. The jury found that he held the whole commot 
 of Hanunyauk by the Welsh law, and that he died 
 seized of it in time of peace ; he held also a moiety of the 
 commot of Gwynneonyth UchKerdyn and the whole 
 commot of Kerwedros besides one westva called Drefreyr, 
 
 1 The family of the Lords of Towyn in Cardiganshire afterwards assumed the name 
 of Vaughan. Their ancestor Gwyllym ap Eineon, Constable of Cardigan, the first Lord 
 of Towyn, is said to have married Isabel daughter to Llewellyn ab Owein ab Meredydd 
 ah Gruffydd, Lord of Iscoed (Her. Vis. Wai. Vol. I, pp. 66, 167 ; and Meyrick's Hist. 
 Cardigan, p. 174). 2 Llewelyn ap Philip of Rydodin is said to have married Elen or 
 Elenor " daughter of Llewelyn ap Owen Lord of Iscoed Kerdin and Thregarn Owen," 
 and their son David ap Llewelyn of Rydodyn, Esq., married Angharad the daughter 
 and heiress of Sir Morgan ap Meredith, Knight, which Angharad was ancestress, by a 
 former husband, of the Morgans of Tredegar (Her. Vis. Wai. Vol. I, pp. 220, 225). 
 3 Gwenllian, daughter of " Llewelyn ap Owen, Lord of Iscoed Kerdin," is said to havo 
 
 married Gwyllim ap Griffith Goch, of co. Cardigan (Mr. J. Morris' MS.) This 
 
 was probably Gwylim Llwyd, of Castle-Howel, in the parish of Llandysil co. Cardigan, 
 Esq. (Meyrick's Cardigan, p. 150. Compare also Her. Vis. Wai. Vol. I, pp. 38, 227). 
 Gwylim Llwyd, who is described as 6th in descent from Cedivor ap Dinawol, was 
 probably the builder of the first mansion on the Castle-Howel estate. He lived in tho 
 reign of King Edward II, and was the first of Cedivor' s descendants that assumed a 
 surname (Meyrick's Cardigan, p. 150). 4 Lleiki, the daughter of Llewelyn ap Owen, 
 is described in the Pedigree of the Princes of South Wales, as having had by Meredith 
 ap Owen a daughter Elianor who married her cousin [rather her uncle] Thomas ap 
 Llewelyn ap Owen as his second wife (Golden Grove MS.) According to another 
 
 account this Lleiki is said to have, been the wife of son of Robert ap Bledri 
 
 (Mr. J. Morns' MS.) 5 Excerpta c Rot. Fin. (MS. Abbreviate) 2 Edw. II, m. 3. 
 
 9 r> 
 
 </ w
 
 242 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 of all of which he died seized ; and after his death 
 his son Lewelin ap Oweyn exchanged the said commot of 
 Kerwedros with his uncle Griffin ap Meredith for the 
 commot of Iscoy t Uchirwern ; and the said Griffin after- 
 wards forfeited the commot of Cayrwedros for taking up 
 arms against the King, by reason of which it still remains 
 in the King's hands. The commot of Hanunyauk is of 
 the annual value of 36. 14s. lOjd. together with the sale 
 of the office of Bailiffs ; and it contains 7 below that 
 sum. The commot of Gwynneonyth UchKerdin is of the 
 annual value of sixteen marks. Owen ap Lewelin and 
 Thomas ap Lewelin are the nearest heirs of the said 
 Owen ap Mereduth, and they are of the age of 28 years 
 and more. The said commot of Hanunyauk came into 
 the hands of the Lord Edward formerly King of England, 
 grandfather of the King that now is, and it has ever 
 since remained in the King's hands, namely for 52 years, 
 and this was in the time of Pain de Chaworth, then 
 Justice of South Wales, who took the same commot into 
 the King's hands, and it so remains up to the present 
 time. 1 
 
 In a subsequent inquisition, taken at Eothelan Geyny 
 before Philip de Clannowe, Lieutenant to the Justice of 
 South Wales, on the Wednesday next before the Feast of 
 the Annunciation of the. Blessed Virgin (March 22) 1335, 
 the Jury reported that Lewelin, the father of Oweyn ap 
 Llewelin and of Thomas his brother, was seized of the 
 commot of Annynyak, in the county of Cardigan, as of 
 right and inheritance, in the time of King Edward, 
 grandfather of the King that now is (viz. of Edward 
 III), until Griffin ap Mereduc and Canan his brother 
 rose against the said King (viz. Edward I), who conquered 
 from the said Griffin and Canan the whole land of the 
 said county of Cardigan ; and at that time the said 
 commot of Annynyak was conquered into the King's 
 hands with the other lands of that county, and so that 
 commot came into, and still remains in, the King's hands. 
 The aforesaid Owen and Thomas are the nearest heirs of 
 the aforesaid Lewelin and of full age. Moreover the 
 
 1 Inq. 2 Edw. Ill (1 Nrs.) No. 47. As the commot of Kerwedros had now passed 
 away from the heirs of Owen ap Meredith the Jury do not seem to have considered 
 themselves called upon to make enquiry as to its value.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 243 
 
 aforesaid Owen and Thomas have never given up or quit- 
 claimed their right to the said commot either to Edward, 
 the King's grandfather, or to the King's father, or yet to 
 the present King, or in any way exchanged it. The 
 said commot is held of the King by the service of doing 
 suit at the court of Cardigan and of serving the King 
 in the time of war. The said commot is of the annual 
 value of about 30. 10s. 5d. One William de Knoville 
 holds one westva in the said commot by the gift of the 
 late King Edward, grandfather of the present King, 
 which is of the value of 100s. 1 
 
 Notwithstanding this repeated affirmation of the right 
 of the sons of Llewelyn to the commot of Anhunog by 
 the verdicts of successive Juries they never obtained any 
 footing therein, nor do I find that they ever received any 
 compensation for the loss of their lands ; from which, as 
 from some other circumstances, I am disposed to infer 
 that the nominal concession by King Edward to the 
 conquered Welshmen of having their causes tried by a 
 Jury of their own countrymen, for which act of grace 
 he has gained such credit with posterity, was less in 
 reality than appearance, as it would seem that the 
 verdicts of the Welshmen were liable to rejection when 
 they proved unfavourable to the English interests. 
 
 By this repudiation of the title of these Welsh Lords 
 to the commot of Anhunog their lands in Cardiganshire 
 were reduced by nearly one half; and when Edward, 
 afterwards known as the Black Prince, who had lately 
 been created Prince of Wales and invested with the 
 insignia of the Principality, sent Richard de Stafford and 
 other commissioners to take possession of the Principality 
 in his name and receive the homage of his Welsh Vassals 
 it would seem that there were none in Cardiganshire 
 whose lands were sufficiently extensive to entitle them to 
 hold by Barony. The commissioners commenced their 
 progress towards the close of July, 1343, and when they 
 had made the circuit of North Wales they held a court 
 
 1 Inq. 9 Edw. Ill (2nd NTS.) No. 64a. It appears that William de Knovill was Lord 
 of the westva of Thleswen, which included the llandirs of Bedlawamech, Honnenen, 
 Nanchewedraf and Tloswen, and which was granted by King Edward I on December 
 6, 1280, to his ancestor John de Knovill for his good and faithful service to the King, 
 to hold to him and his heirs of the King and his heirs for ever, for which they were to 
 render the service of one horse caparisoned at the castle of Lampader (Plac. dc quo 
 wanmto IS E-hv. III).
 
 244 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 at Llanbadarn Vawr on the Tuesday after the Feast of 
 St. Lawrence (August 12) and another at Cardigan two 
 days later, namely on the Vigil of the Assumption of the 
 Blessed Virgin in same year. 1 
 
 Those who did fealty at Cardigan on this occasion 
 were Robert Clement, Rees ap Jevan Vaghan, Grenou 
 ap Meiler, Owayn ap Meredith, Jevan ap Hewelin ap 
 Gowrgenne, Leulin ap Adaf ap Res, Madoc Duy ap 
 Heweilin ap Gwaltole, and others ; amongst whom we do 
 not recognise the heirs of Llewelyn ap Owen unless we 
 suppose the elder brother to have been described as 
 Owayn ap Meredith, under the patronimic of his grand- 
 father, which is not improbable. Thomas the younger 
 brother was probably dead at this time and his son Owen 
 a minor. It was however presented by the Jury of the 
 ioivn of Cardigan, on the same day (August 14) that the 
 English court of the county of Cardigan was accustomed 
 to be held at Cardigan on a Tuesday, and that those who 
 used to do suit there were Geoffrey Clement, John 
 Cnovill, the Abbots of Strata Florida, Alba Landa, 
 Tallacha, and Comhir, the Abbess of Lanller, Roger de 
 Mortimer, Owynus ap Lewelyn ap Oweyn, Thomas ap 
 Hoivel ap Oweyn, Meredith ap Res, Res ap Meredith, 
 John Baret and Philip Donne. 2 
 
 I have no doubt that this Owyn ap Lewelyn ap Oweyn 
 and Thomas (inaccurately described as the son of 
 How el ap Oweyn) were the two sons of Llewelyn ap 
 Owen, and that Thomas was dead at the time of the 
 presentment and his lands in possession of his son 
 Owen. 
 
 The Jury of the commot of Iscoyt on the same day 
 presented that the names of those who (now) owed suit 
 at the court of Cardigan were "L'evesqe de Seint David, 
 Monsire Rees ap Griffith, les heirs Monsire Roger de 
 Mortumer,L'abbe de Stratflour, L'abbe de Blaunchelaunde, 
 L'abbe de Talleghu, L'abbe de Cumbire, L'abbesse de 
 Nanlle, Oweyn ap Oweyn, Oweyn ap Thomas, les heires 
 Gronow ap Tydyr, Roger de Mortimer, le Mestre de 
 Slebeche, Ricardus Garaud, Johannes Geraud, les heirs 
 John Bared, le heir William Dyer, Priour de Cardigan, 
 
 l Ministers' Accounts, early series, 16 & 17 Edw. Ill, No. 16 (Arch. Camb. 3rd series, 
 Original Documents, p. cxlviij. & seq.) 2 Ibid. (Arch. Camb. p. clvij.)
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 245 
 
 et Robert Clement." 1 Those here called Oweyn ap Oweyn 
 and Oweyn ap Thomas were unquestionably Owen ap 
 Llewelyn ap Owen and his nephew Owen, son of Thomas 
 ap Llewelyn ap Owen, whom we find in possession of 
 the family estates in the following year. 
 
 In 1344 Oweyn ap Llewelyn ap Oweyn, Lord of a 
 moiety of the commot of Iscoyt Ugh'irwern, and a fourth 
 part of the commot of Gwynnyoneth and also of one 
 westwa in Mabwynnyon called the westwa of Starrok, was 
 summoned before Gilbert Talbot and others, who had been 
 appointed Justices of oyer and terminer for the Prince, to 
 appear at Cardigan on the Monday next after the Feast of 
 the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 20, and to 
 shew by what warrant he claims, for himself and his heirs, 
 to hold his three free courts, namely one court in each of the 
 aforesaid Lordships, from quinzaine to quinzaine by him- 
 self or his Bailiffs, and therein to take cognizance of all 
 pleas, as well crown pleas as all others, without brief, 
 according to the law and custom of Wales, together with 
 many other extensive seigneural rights. 2 
 
 In like manner Oweyn ap Thomas ap Thlewelyn ap 
 Oweyn, Lord of a moiety of Iscoyt Ugh'irwern and a 
 fourth part of the commot of Gwynnyonyth, was sum- 
 moned to shew by what warrant he claimed, for himself 
 and his heirs, to hold his two free courts, namely one in 
 each of the said Lordships, on the quinzaine (of Easter), 
 and other similar seigneural rights to those which were 
 claimed by Llewelyn ap Owen. 3 
 
 On September 29, 1345, Resus ap Griffith, Owanus ap 
 Oweyn, Thlewelinus Eignoun,and Vaghan Resus Bungan, 
 are named as commissioners of array to raise two thousand 
 men from the land of South Wales for the war in France, 
 one half of whom were to be lancers or spearmen and 
 the other half archers, to meet the King at Portsmouth 
 within three weeks of Michaelmas at the latest. 4 
 
 On November 8, 1355, Oweyn ap Lewelin ap Oweyn 
 and Oweyn ap Thomas had presented John de Woodhull, 
 Chaplain, to the church of Llandussul then vacant, and 
 Thomas, Bishop of St. David's, issues his writ to the 
 Archdeacon of Cardigan, ordering him to hold an 
 
 l Minister's Accounts. (Arch. Camb. p. clvij.) 2 Pkcita de quo waranto 18 Edw. 
 Ill, Rot. 6. 3 Ibid. * Rymer's Faedera.
 
 246 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 inquisition for the purpose of ascertaining their right to 
 present &c. The three beneficed clergy of the Deanery 
 of Sub Ayron, who were summoned as his assessors, on 
 the 12th of the same month reported that the said church 
 had been vacated by the resignation of John Clement, 
 the late Rector, on the Saturday next before the Feast of 
 St. Martin, Bishop (November 6), of the same year, as 
 the said chapter had heard from the relation of others. 
 The right of presentation is indisputable. The church 
 pays an annual pension to the church of St. David's of 
 twenty marks of silver. Oweyn ap Lewelin and Oweyn 
 ap Thomas are the rightful patrons, who last presented 
 the said John Clement to the same church, and the right 
 to present belongs to them. 1 
 
 If I am right in assuming that Owen ap Llewelyn ap 
 Owen was sometimes called Owen ap Owen, it is probable 
 that the following inquisition, which was taken at Tenby 
 on the Monday next after the Feast of the Purification 
 (February 5), 1359, refers to the death of his wife. The 
 Jury reported that Avice, who had been the wife of 
 Owen ap Oweyn, deceased, held no lands or tenements 
 of the King in capite at the time of her death. But a 
 certain John de Barry had been seized, in demesne as of 
 fee, of the manors of Maynerbire, Pennaly and Begely, 
 in the county of Pembroke, which he gave to his brother 
 David de Barry and the heirs male of his body, and 
 David being so seized by virtue of the said gift, demised 
 the said manors to the same John de Barry his brother 
 for term of life, and afterwards died. After whose death 
 the said John de Barry, being only seized for the term of 
 his life, alienated the said manors to a certain Richard 
 son of Thomas in fee, and the said Richard son of Thomas 
 immediately demised the aforesaid manors to the said 
 John de Barry and Beatrice his wife for the term of their 
 lives. David de Barry son and heir of the aforesaid 
 David de Barry recently entered into the aforesaid 
 manors, and the aforesaid John de Barry, being seized 
 in the manner aforesaid, by his deed remitted and 
 quit-claimed to David the son of David all his right and 
 title therein, and bound himself and his heirs to warranty. 
 The aforesaid David son of David de Barry was 
 
 i Statuta ecclesiee Mencveiisis (Harl. MSS. 1249).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 247 
 
 accordingly seized of the aforesaid manors for a while 
 until Richard de Barry, brother of the aforesaid David, 
 with a number of armed men disseized the said David 
 son of David de Barry by force, and died seized of the 
 aforesaid manors ; after whose death the aforesaid Avice, 
 wife of Owen ap Oweyn, -who was the daughter and 
 heiress of the aforesaid Richard de Barry, entered upon 
 the said manors and died seized of them in demesne as 
 of fee, which Avice held the manors of Maynerbir' and 
 Pennaly of the heir of Lawrence de Hastyngs, late Earl 
 of Pembroke, as of his castle of Pembroke, who is under 
 age and in the King's custody, by Knight's service, and 
 she held the manor of Begely of John de Carrue by 
 Knight's service. Avice died without issue on the Vigil 
 of the Assumption 32 Edw. Ill (August 14, 1358). The 
 manors of Maynerbir' and Pennaly are worth 30 per 
 annum, and the manor of Begely is worth 10 per annum, 
 and David de Barry son of David de Barry son of the afore- 
 said David de Barry, is the cousin and heir of the aforesaid 
 Avice, wife of Owen ap Oweyn, namely the son of David 
 de Barry, the brother of Richard de Barry, father of the 
 said Avice, and he is now 24 years of age and more. 1 
 
 I find no more mention of Owen ap Llewelyn ap Owen, 
 who is described as being deceased at the time of the 
 above quoted inquisition. He is said to have died 
 without issue, 2 and his share of lands devolved upon 
 the heirs of his brother Thomas. Thomas ap Llewelyn 
 ap Owen, the younger son of Llewelyn ap Owen, must 
 have died before August 14, 1343, when his son Owen 
 ap Thomas was in possession of his lands. 
 
 Thomas ap Llewelyn is said to have married Elianor, 
 the daughter and heiress of Philip ap Ivor, 3 Lord of 
 Iscoed, by whom he had a son Owen and two daughters 
 eventually his coheirs. 
 
 l Inq. 33 Edw. Ill (1 Nrs.) No. 16. 2 Hengwrt MS. No. 109, p. 49 (being Griffith 
 Hiraethog Y Llyfr Tene or the narrow Book). It is there stated that the mother of 
 Thomas ap Lin. ap Owen was the daughter of S. Eobert Y Val Arglwydd tref gam 
 Owan which took its name (of Owen) from Owain ap Lin. brother of Thomas ap Lin. 
 the which Owain died without heirs and his Lordship came to Thomas his brother. 
 3 It is so stated in most of the ancient Welsh Pedigrees, and the arms of Philip ap Ivor, 
 azure an eagle displayed or, have been quartered by the Leightons and other descendants 
 of Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen, but I am unable to make out, or even to conjecture, 
 who or what Philip ap Ivor was, or indeed whether there was ever such a person. In 
 some of the Pedigrees the wife of Thomas is called Elinor Goch daughter and heiress of 
 Philip ap Ivor ap Cadivor ap Gwaithvoed (Hengwrt MS. No. 96 ; Golden Grove MS. ;
 
 248 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 We have seen that Owen ap Thomas was living in 
 1355. He probably died soon after ; when his lands 
 descended to his two sisters, Elen the wife of Griffith 
 Vychan ap Griffith ap Madoc, Lord of Glyndyfrdwy and 
 Cynllaeth Owen, and Eleanor or Margaret wife of 
 William ap Griffith ap William ap Griffith, Lord of 
 Mawddwy. In the partition of lands between them it 
 would seem that the Lordship of Iscoed and a portion of 
 Gwynnionith fell to the wife of Griffith Vychan, and the 
 Lordship of Trefgarn Owen and a portion of Gwyn- 
 nionith to the wife of the Lord of Mawddwy. 
 
 and others ;) and in the " Glamorganshire Pedigrees," printed for Mr. Clark of Dowlais, 
 Ivor, the father of Philip ap Ivor, is described as the 3rd son of Meyric ap Cedivor, Lord 
 of Iscaiach, by his wife Nest the daughter and heiress of Madoc ap Caradoc ap Einion ap 
 Collwyn, Lord of Senghenydd, of which territory she was the heiress. Of this marriage 
 Griffith ap Ivor, Lord of Senghenydd, from whom the family of Lewis of the Van was 
 descended, was the eldest son, Llewelyn the 2nd, and Philip the 3rd. Philip ap Ivor 
 married Catherine, daughter of Llewelyn, Lord of Glyn Nedd, by whom he had a daughter 
 Ellen wife of Thomas ap Llewelyn. Meyric the father of Ivor Bach was the son of 
 Cedivor ap Cydrick, Lord of Iscaiach, 2nd son of Cydrick ap Gwaithvoed Vawr. But 
 if this Pedigree have any foundation on truth there must be several descents omitted 
 between Ivor Bach and Gwaithvoed. A Pedigree in the Golden Grove MS. ascribes to 
 Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen, for a second wife, his niece Elianor, the daughter of a 
 certain Meredith ap Owen by Lleiky, daughter of Llewelyn ap Owen, and gives him a 
 son by her, named Meredith, who married Eva, daughter of Llewelyn ap Cadwgan, of 
 Carrog, and had issue two daughters, namely Eva, wife of Jenkin Lloyd of Blaiddbwll 
 in Kemeys, and Margaret (or Elen) wife of Griffith ap Jevan. If such a marriage 
 between Thomas ap Llewelyn and Elianor daughter of Meredith ap Owen and Lleiky 
 ever took place, it would have been invalid without a special dispensation from the church, 
 and the issue of such a marriage would have been illegitimate. The following curious 
 note, in a later handwriting, is appended to the Pedigree above quoted, and is there said to 
 be copied from a Pedigree in the possession of Dr. Davies, of Carmarthen ; " This 
 Jenkin Lloyd of Blaidd bwll in Kemeys was a powerful gentleman and of ample 
 possessions in the time of the civil wars with the Houses of York and Lancaster, and 
 being a partizan of the former he changed the colour of his charge, making the lion 
 and roses white. Note that Meredith, Lord of Iscoed (whose daughter had married 
 Jenkin Lloyd according to this Pedigree) was by the malice of Adam Houghton, 
 Bishop of St. David's (who was Bishop from 1361 to 1388,) pronounced illegitimate 
 because his father had married his cousin gcrmain [niece ?] for his second wife, who 
 was the mother of Meredith, and all his lands fell to his sisters of the half blood by the 
 father's first marriage, whose posterity enjoy part of it to this day, viz., the Rt. Honble. 
 the Earl of Bradford, &c. The occasion of the quarrel between Meredith and the 
 Bishop was this, the latter, then residing at Llwyndynn in Cardigan, kept a pack of 
 hounds, as did Meredith, then holding his court, supposed to be at Cefn-y-maes, in the 
 neighbourhood. The packs occasionally meeting, the prelate took a fancy to some of tho 
 chief's hounds, which being refused him, out of resentment he pronounced Meredith 
 illegitimate." The story here given is probably the invention of a later age ; but it 
 may possibly be founded on fact. Giraldus Cambrensis, who lived about a century 
 earlier, gives a sprightly but unsparing description of tho faults of the Welshmen of 
 his own day. Amongst other things he mentions that " the crime of incest was lightly 
 regarded by all, nobles as well as common people, insomuch that they were not 
 ashamed to marry within the fourth and fifth and even within the third degree of 
 consanguinity, having no fear of God before their eyes " (Anglia Sacra, Vol. II, p. 450). 
 Such a marriage as that ascribed to Thomas ap Llewelyn would at all times have been 
 deemed an incestuous one ; and if the offspring of such a connection contested the 
 right of succession to the lands of Owen ap Thomas it might well happen that the 
 Bishop's evidence should be taken as to the validity of his title on the ground of 
 legitimacy, which would certainly have been given against him.
 
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 250 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Griffith Vychan, Lord of Glyndyfrdwy, the husband 
 of Elen verch Thomas ap Llewelyn, was the son of 
 Griffith ap Madoc, Lord of Glyndyfrdwy, and third in 
 descent from Griffith Vychan, Lord of Yale, younger son 
 of Griffith ap Madoc ap Griffith Maelor, Lord of Bromfield 
 or Lower Powis. 1 They had issue two sons Owen and 
 Tudor; and three daughters, namely, Lowry, wife of 
 
 1 By deed, dated at Dynasbran on the morrow of St. Thomas the Apostle (Dec. 22) 
 1270, Madoc, Llewelyn, Owen and Griffin, sons of Griffin, Lord of Bromfield, conceded 
 to the Lady Emma their mother, for the term of her life, all the lands and tenements 
 which the said Griffin their father gave to her during his life, namely the country of 
 Mailor Saisenec, with the appurtenances, the manor of Overton with the mill and 
 stream and all other appurtenances, the manor of Hagneme' (Hanmer) with the 
 appurtenances, Lannerpanna with the appurtenances, Colton with the appurtenances, 
 and all the Tills which are situate in the country of Mailor Saisenec, the manor of 
 Eyton in Mailor Bemorat with the mill and park and all other appurtenances, and two 
 particles of land situate in the said park (of which the one was purchased by [their 
 uncle] the Lord Howel son of Madoc from all the heirs of Herbestoc subject to an 
 annual rent of 12 gallons of beer or the price thereof at the Feast of St. Michael, and 
 the other particle was freely given by the aforesaid heirs of Herbestoc to the Lord 
 Griffin their father), the rift of Lanarmon with the appurtenances in Beullerton, to- 
 gether with those lands which the Lady Ysota their grandmother, with the consent of 
 the Lord Madoc their grandfather and the Lord Griffin their father, purchased of 
 
 Cadegan and Eirit and Enion the sons of Doyoc, which are called Lloytleir 
 
 to have and to hold all the aforesaid tenements with the appurtenances, of them and 
 their heirs, as long as she should live. Madoc ap Griffith-Maelor, the grandfather of 
 Madoc, Llewelyn, Owen and Griffith, died in 1235. Griffith ap Madoc, Lord of Brom- 
 field, died in 1270. His wife Emma was the daughter of Henry de Audley (Calen- 
 darium Genealogicum Vol. I, p. 260). There is a tradition preserved by Yorke and 
 others that Madoc and Llewelyn, the two elder sons of Griffith ap Madoc and Emma 
 his wife, having been given over by their mother to King Edward I, were by him 
 respectively committed, together with their lands, to the custody of John Earl Warren 
 and Roger Mortimer, who strengthened their charge with two strong castles, those of 
 Holt and Chirk ; " and, as it might happen, the wards were missing and no more 
 found " (Royal Tribes of Wales, p. 62). This tradition is disproved by the deed above 
 quoted. Madoc the eldest son was dead before December 10, 1278, when King 
 Edward I, by letters patent dated at Shrewsbury, granted the custody of all the lands of 
 which Madoc de Brumfeld had died seized in demesne as of fee, and the issues and 
 profits thereof, to Griffin son of Jerworth, the said Griffin to account for the same to 
 Anian then Bishop of St. Asaph and to Margaret the widow of the said Madoc, for the 
 sustentation of the two sons and heirs of the said Madoc (Rot. Wall. 6 Edw. I). Ou 
 January 3, 1282, the King orders Roger de Mortimer and Walter de Hopton to ad- 
 minister justice to the said Margaret, who claims her right in " Corveyn, Carruic, 
 Mistwer, Bonu' and Rechald " as in estates which Madoc her husband had assigned to 
 her in dower, and complains that they are unjustly detained from her by Griffin Vaghan 
 de Yal (her husband's brother). On the following day the same Justices have orders 
 to hear and determine the complaint of Margaret, widow of Madoc Vaghan, that 
 Llewelyn Vaghan unjustly occupies the land of Megheyn, which is of the inheritance 
 of Llewelyn and Griffin the sons and heirs of the said Madoc, and which ought to be in 
 the custody of the said Margaret and of faithful men of the said inheritance, according 
 to the law and custom of those parts, until the time that the said heirs should prove 
 their age (Rot. Wall. 9 Edw. I, m. 12). By deed dated at Rhuddlan on October 7, 1282, 
 King Edward I granted and confirmed to John de Warren, Earl of Surrey, the castle 
 of Dinas Bran which was in the King's hands at the commencement of the present 
 Welsh war, and all the land of Bromfeld which Griffin and Llewelyn the sons of Madoc 
 Vaghan held by themselves or by their Tutors or Guardians at the commencement of 
 the said war (Rot. Wall. 10 Edw. I, m. 3) ; so that if there be any foundation for the 
 tradition above mentioned it will have applied to the grandsons of Griffith ap Madoo 
 and Emma rather than to their sons. Of Llewelyn, the 2nd son of Griffith ap Madoc 
 Lord of Bromfield and Emma de Audley, all I can learn is that in November, 1282,
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 251 
 
 Robert Puleston of Emral, Esq.; Morvydd, wife of Sir 
 
 Llewelyn son of Griffin son of Madoc, complains to the Archbishop of Canterbury that 
 the King's Constable of Croes Oswalt (or Oswestry) and the men of that town had 
 spoiled him of a third part of the town called Ledrot [in Cynllaeth] and other rights ; 
 moreover the King of England had granted his letters to a certain bastard, namely 
 Griffin Fychan ab Cynllaeth, to litigate against the said Llewelyn for the purpose of 
 obtaining his whole dominion, by reason of which letters he had been put to a cost of 
 200 (Appendix to Warrington's History of Wales). It is probable that, like most of 
 his countrymen, Llewelyn ap. Griffith lost his lands by forfeiture in that or the 
 following year. Owen, who from the order in which his name occurs in the joint Deed 
 of Gift to his mother I take to have been the 3rd son of Griffith up Madoc and Emma, 
 was Lord of a moiety of Cynllaeth, from him called Cynllaeth Owen ; he was 
 Rector of " Blanckebir," on January 11, 1283 (Mr. J. Morris' MS.) ; and on his death 
 his portion of Cynllaeth devolved upon his brother Griffith Vychan. Griffith Vychan, 
 the youngest son of Griffith ap Madoc and Emma, succeeded to the Lordship of Yal, 
 and that of Glyndyfrdwy in Edeirneon. By a treaty between King Edward I and 
 Llewelyn ap Griffith, Prince of North Wales, dated on the Tuesday next before the 
 Feast of St. Martin 5 Edw. I, 1277, it is stipulated that Griffin Wychan shall do homage 
 to the King for the lands which he holds in Tal and to Llewelyn for the lands which 
 he holds in Llewelyn's dominion. By deed dated in February, 1278, " Griffinus 
 Vychan films Griffini ap Madog Dominus de Yal" grants the manor of Llandegla (iu 
 Yale) to Anian, Bishop of St. Asaph, and his successors (Willis* St. Asaph, pp. 152, 
 153 ; Thomas' History of St. Asaph). In January 1281 we find him unjustly with- 
 holding from his sister in law Margaret the lands which Madoc ap Griffith his brother 
 had given to her in dower. About the same time he writes to the King complaining 
 of Margaret widow of Madoc Vychan Lord of Bromfield that she had impleaded him 
 before the King's Justices and before Llewelyn, Prince of Wales, for certain lands and 
 tenements in Glynndyuyrd in Edeirnyaun which he held in capite by the King's 
 license and by the concession of the said Llewelyn (Calendar of Royal and other letters 
 and writs, No. 1986). By charter dated on Oct. 7, 1282, the King grants to John de 
 Warren, Earl of Surrey, the land of Yal which belonged to Griffin Vaghan son of 
 Griffin de Bromfield, the King's enemy, at the same time that he gives to the said John 
 de Warren the lands of Bromfield which Griffin and Llewelyn the sons of Madoc 
 Vaghan had held (Rot. Wall. 10 Edw. I, m. 3). In November of the same year Llew- 
 elyn ap Griffith, Prince of Wales, complains to the Archbishop of Canterbury that 
 " whereas it is stipulated in the peace that Gruffyth Vadhan should do homage to the 
 King for the land in Yale and to the Prince for the land in Ederneon, the King's 
 Justices brought the Lady of Maylor into all the said lands of Edeyrneon ; the 
 knowledge of which cause pertained to the Priuce, and not to the said Justices ; and 
 yet for the sake of peace, the Prince did tolerate all this, being at all times ready to do 
 justice to the said lady" (Warringtou's Wales, p. 573 appendix). It would seem 
 that the land of Glyndyfrdwy was also taken from Griffith Vychan about this time and 
 granted to his nephew Griffin son of Madoc Vaghan, for on Feb. 11, 11 Edw. I, 1283, 
 (if we may trust to the accuracy of the transcriber) the King on behalf of Griffin. 
 Vaghan notifies to his bailiff's &c., that, at the request of his beloved and faithful 
 John de. Warren, Earl of Surrey, he has conceded to Griffin Vaghan son of Madoc that 
 he should hold the land of Glyndor'do of the King at the King's will ; but so that 
 the said Griffin Vaghan should give the King his letters patent by which he should 
 confess that he has no right to hold the said lands except at the King's will (Mr. J.. 
 Morris' MS). If this grant does not really apply to Griffith Vychan ap Griffith instead 
 of Griffith ap Madoc it is probable that the latter did not long hold possession of the 
 Lordship of Glyndyfrdwy. I should suppose that Griffith Vychan soon afterwards 
 made his peace with the King and compounded with the King's grantee for his posses- 
 sions in Edeirneon by relinquishing his claim to those in Yal ; for, by deed without 
 date, but preserved in the Close Roll of 11 Edw. I (1283), "Griffinus Vaughau 
 filius Griffini de Bromfeud" granted to John de Warren, Earl of Surrey, " totam 
 terrain et tonemeutum de Yal que aliquando habui pro partem hereditatis prodicti 
 Griffini patris mei coiitingentem " (so transcribed in Mr. J. Morris' MS. from Rot. 
 Claus. 1 1 Edw. 1, memb. 9 in dorso) ; and by charter dated on July 22, 1284, the King 
 grants to Griffin son of Griffin de Brumfeld that ho should hold his land* per baroniam 
 as his ancestors had held them ; but the entry is corrected by a marginal note, stating 
 that the tenure of Griffith was not to be by Barony, but at the will of the King (Rot. 
 all. 12 Edw. I, m. 5). Griffith Vychan ap Griffith was succeeded as Lord of Glyn-
 
 252 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Richard Croft ; and another who married David ap 
 Ednyfed Gam. 1 
 
 Owen ap Griffith, the eldest son of Griffith Vychan and 
 Elen, afterwards known as the famous Owen Glendower, 
 is said to have been born at Trefgarn, 2 the residence of 
 his maternal grandfather (uncle ?), on May 28, 1359. 3 He 
 succeeded to his father's lands and manors, 4 except the 
 manor of Gwyddelwern in Merionethshire (which was 
 the portion of his younger brother), as also to his mother's 
 possessions in South Wales. As Owen Sire de Glen- 
 dore he appears as a witness in the celebrated Scrope 
 and Grosvenor controversy, on the side of Robert le 
 Grosvenor, on September 3, 1386. He then stated in his 
 deposition that he was twenty-seven years of age and 
 more. 5 
 
 dyfrdwy and Cynllaeth by his son Madoc ap Griffith, who is said to have married 
 Gwenllian, daughter of Ithel Vychan, of Northop and Mostyn in Englefield, by whom 
 he had a son and heir Griffith. Sir John 1'Estrange, Lord of Knockin, bought for his 
 daughter Elizabeth, from Madoc ap Griffith, the marriage of the said Griffith, his son 
 and heir, for which he paid 50 sterling (Rot. Parl. Vol. I, p. 306). Madoc ap Griffith 
 died on November 11, 1305-6, seized of the land of Glyndon'do containing the fourth part 
 of a commot and of Kentleth (Cynllaeth) containing the moiety of a commot, which 
 lands he held of the King in capite per JBaroniam Wallensicam, namely by the fealty 
 and service of attending the King's army, with his men, whenever it should be 
 necessary. Glendon'do was estimated at the annual value of 24 13s. 4d. and Kentleth 
 at 35. Griffith, his son and heir, was born on the Feast of St. Clement (Nov. 23) 
 1298 (Inq. p.m. 14 Edw. II, No. 13). In 1328 "Griffinus de Glyndoverde" fined 
 20 marks for licence to enfeoff Walter de Mutton and Walter Huse in the manors of 
 Glyndoverde and Kenlith with the appurtenances (Grossi Fines 2 Edw. Ill, ro. 22). 
 The said Griffith ap Madoc, Lord of Giyndyfrdwy and Cynllaeth, was Steward of 
 Oswestry under Richard FitzAlan, Earl of Arundel in 1347 (Mr. J. Morris' MS.) 
 He was married to Elizabeth, daughter of John, Lord Strange of Knockin, by his wife 
 Maud daughter of Roger d'Eiville, at Rhuddallt, on the quinzaine of the Nativity of 
 St. John Baptist, (July 8) 1304 (vide King's writ to the Bishop of St. Asaph and 
 return thereto, anno 11 Edw. II, taken from the Red Book of St. Asaph by Mr. 
 Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt, ex inf. Mr. J. Morris). Their son Griffith Vychan Lord 
 of Glyndyfrdwy was the husband of Elen daughter and coheir of Thomas ap Llewelyn 
 ap Owen, Lord of Iscoed, Gwynnionith, and Trefgarn. 
 
 1 Sir Samuel Meyrick informs us, in a note to the Heraldic Visitations of "Wales 
 (Vol. II, p. 151), that on the failure of the issue of Owen Glendwr his armorial bearings 
 were adopted by the Pulestons, via. : Paly of eight, argent and gules, over all a lion 
 rampant sable. The Pulestons may very likely have assumed the Royal Arms of 
 Powys Fadog in consequence of this marriage, but it cannot be asserted that they did 
 so on account of the failure of Owen Glendower's female issue. 2 Memoris of Owen 
 Glendwr by the Rev. Thomas Thomas (p. 48), who gives as his authority the 
 following extract from the MS. of the late Rev. Mr. Pugh, of Ty-gwyn, Denbighshire ; 
 "Trefgarn, a place in Pembrokeshire, South Wales; (formerly a gentleman's 
 
 residence, but now converted into a farm house) being the place where 
 
 Owain Glyndwr was born, and the house Of Thomas ap Llywelyn ap Owain." From 
 what has been written in these pages it would seem that Thomas ap Llewelyn was dead 
 in 1359 ; and Trefgarn was probably at this time in the possession of his son Owen ap 
 Thomas. 3 Mr. J. Morris' MS. Other writers have given the date of his birth as 
 May 28, 1349, or 1354 ; but the date which I have adopted from Mr. Morris' MS. 
 agrees with his own deposition in 1386. 4 Hist. Shrewsbury by Owen and Blakeway, 
 Vol. I, p. 179. 5 De controversia in curia militari inter Ricardum le Scrope et
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES, 253 
 
 It was the custom of those days for the gentry to be 
 enrolled as Burgesses of the neighbouring Borough towns, 
 and generally as members of some particular guild. It is 
 therefore quite possible that "Griffin de Glyndorde, 
 taylor,", who was admitted a Burgess of Salop in 21 
 Richard II (1397-8), might have been identical with the 
 popular Welsh hero of the following reign. 
 
 Owen de Glyndyfrdwy, Glendore, or Glendower was 
 a man of acute mind, ardent courage, and a cultivated 
 understanding. Moreover he received the best education 
 of the age in what Fortescue calls the University of 
 London, where he was afterwards called to the bar ;* a 
 distinction at that time conferred only upon young men 
 of good family. Most of our writers, as Hall, Gough, 
 Pennant, Burton, Carte, and others who have followed 
 them, have represented Glendower as esquire to King 
 Richard II, and have ascribed his hatred of the usurper to 
 his attachment to his late Sovereign and master. 2 But 
 Messrs. Owen and Blakeway, the historians of Shrews- 
 bury, 3 shew that it was into the family of the Duke of 
 Hereford (afterwards King Henry IV) that he was 
 received as an Esquire, and there is no authority given 
 for his ever having been in the service of King Richard II. 
 He probably continued in the retinue of the Duke of 
 Hereford until his dispute with Lord Grey de Ruthyn 
 induced him to retire from court to his estates in North 
 Wales in order to maintain his rights against his power- 
 ful neighbour. Their contention had reference to certain 
 
 Robertum Grosvenor milites : Rege Ricardo secundo, mccclxxxv mcccxc : e recordia 
 in Turre Londinensi asservatia. Printed by Samuel Bently, Dorset Street, Fleet 
 Street, London. 
 
 1 Apprentlciu* legis fuit apud Westmonasterium ("Walsingham, 364). Fortescue 
 speaks in exalted terms of the high birth of the barristers of his day. No student, 
 he says, in the greater Inns can well be maintained under eighty crowns a year ; 
 and if ha have a servant to wait on him, as for the most part they have, the ex- 
 pence is proportionably more. For this reason the students are sons to persons of 
 
 quality so that there is scarcely to be found throughout the Kingdom, an 
 
 eminent lawyer who is not a gentleman by birth and fortune ; consequently they have 
 a greater regard for their character and honour than those who are bred in any other 
 way (De laudibus legis Angliae, chap. xlix). Taking the crown at 7s. 2d. and the bushel 
 of wheat at 6d., the expence of a young student at that time would be little short of 
 600 a year of modern currency ; which might well make Fortescue say that persons 
 of an inferior rank were not able to bear the expences of maintaining and educating 
 their children to this profession (Hist. Shrewsbury by Owen and Blakeway, Vol. I, p. 180). 
 2 Mr. Jones, the historian of Brecknockshire (Vol. I, p. 161), quotes Walsingham in 
 proof of his assertion, but the words of that historian, as pointed out by the historians 
 of Shrewsbury, are in direct contradiction to this theory : " Scutifer regis moderni," 
 must surely mean " esquire of tht now King" and Walsingham is writing the history 
 of Henry IV. 3 Hist. Shrewsbury Vol. I, p. 180.
 
 254 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 rights of common, with respect to which Glendower con- 
 sidered himself to have been treated with injustice by the 
 English courts ; and his quarrel with De Grey gradually 
 involved him in a rebellion against the crown. His pre- 
 datory incursions on the English borders commenced in the 
 year 1399, about the time that Henry ascended the throne. 
 The first act of open hostility is generally said to have 
 been the sack of Ruthin on the 20th of September, 1400 j 1 
 but on the day preceding, Henry had issued an order from 
 Northampton to the Bailiffs of Shrewsbury, in which, after 
 stating that he had heard that certain Welshmen had 
 risen in rebellion, he commands them to take security 
 from all the persons of that nation resident in their town, 
 to be good subjects ; otherwise to arrest and throw them 
 into prison : and there are not wanting other circum- 
 stances to make it probable that the. countrymen of 
 Glendower at least, if not himself, were in arms at no 
 great distance from Shrewsbury before the date usually 
 assigned for the first demonstration of hostility. 2 
 
 On the 8th of November, 1400, the manors and lord- 
 ships of Glendourdy in Edernyon, Sawarth in Kentlith, 
 in North Wales, and the manors and lordships of Hiscote 
 and Guynyoneth, in South Wales, were granted by King 
 Henry IV to his brother John, Earl of Somerset, by the 
 names of all the manors, lands, and tenements, which 
 were of Owyn de Glyndordy as well in South Wales as 
 in North Wales, and which were forfeited to the King by 
 the high treason of the said Owyn, to have and to hold 
 all the said manors, lands, and tenements, together with all 
 RegoMef) Eegalites, Knights' fees, Advowsons and Patron- 
 ages of Churches, Franchises, Liberties, Customs, Wards, 
 Marriages, Reliefs, Escheats, Forfeitures, Chaces, Parks, 
 Warrens, Wrecks at Sea, and all other profits and 
 advantages to the said manors belonging, as freely as the 
 said Owyn had held them. 3 
 
 By this grant, though inoperative during the period 
 of Owen's ascendancy, the chief remnant of the ancient 
 possessions of the Princes of South Wales eventually 
 passed away from their descendants ; for the share of in- 
 heritance which fell to the other coheir of Thomas ap 
 
 l Cambro-Briton Vol. I, p. 462. 2 Hist. Shrewsbury Vol. I. p. 180. 3 Rot. Parl. 
 Vol. IV, p. 440.
 
 PKINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 255 
 
 Llewelyn ap Owen consisted mainly of the Lordship of 
 Trefgarn, a recent acquisition, in addition to which it 
 comprised only a few westva and unimportant manorial 
 rights belonging to the ancient dominion of the Princes. 
 The English Parliament which met in January 1401, 
 passed a series of the most oppressive and cruel ordinances 
 ever enacted against any people ; prohibiting the Welsh 
 from purchasing lands, from holding any corporate office, 
 and from bearing arms within any city, borough, or market 
 town ; ordering that in lawsuits between an Englishman 
 and a Welshman the former should be convicted only by 
 the judgment of English Justices or the verdict of all the 
 English burgesses, or by inquests of English boroughs 
 and towns of the lordships in which the respective suits 
 lay ; disfranchising all English burgesses who were 
 married to Welshwomen ; and forbidding Welshmen to 
 assemble together for conference without licence from the 
 local authorities and in their presence. No provisions or 
 arms were to be received into Wales without special 
 permission from the Bang or his council. No Welshman 
 was allowed to have the charge of any castle, fortress, or 
 place of defence, even though he might be its owner, nor 
 to execute the offices of Lieutenant, Justice, Chancellor, 
 Treasurer, Chamberlain, Sheriff, Steward, Coroner, or 
 any other office of trust, any patent or licence to the 
 contrary notwithstanding. Moreover the Welshmen were 
 forbidden to bring up their children as scholars, or to 
 apprentice them to any occupation within any town or 
 borough of the realm. 1 These vindictive enactments 
 remained in force until the 21st year of King James I. 
 They are a disgrace to the English legislature ; and their 
 effect at the time would seem to have been rather to 
 strengthen the hands of Owen than otherwise. 
 
 A glowing description of Glendower's mansion (pro- 
 bably written about this time), is given by lolo Goch, 
 a celebrated poet of his time who seems to have fre- 
 quently enjoyed the chieftain's hospitality. The poet 
 compares it in point of magnificence to Westminster 
 Abbey ; and informs us that it had a gate-house, and was 
 
 1 History of "Wales, by Jane Williams ; a work full of information on the subject of 
 these memoirs which has only recently fallen into the hands of the author, and an 
 earlier acquaintance with which would have spared him much time and labour.
 
 256 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 surrounded with a inoat, that within were nine halls, each 
 furnished with a wardrobe; filled, I imagine (says 
 Pennant from whom I quote) with the clothes of his 
 retainers, according to the custom of those days. Near 
 the house on a verdant bank, was a wooden house, 
 supported on posts, and covered with tiles. It contained 
 four apartments, each subdivided into two, designed to 
 lodge the guests. Here was a church in the form of a 
 cross, with several chapels. The seat was surrounded 
 with every conveniency for good living ; and every 
 support to hospitality : a park, a warren, and pigeon- 
 house; a mill, orchard, and vineyard; and fish-pond, 
 filled with pike and gwyniads ; the last introduced from 
 the lake at Bala. A heronry, which was a concomitant 
 to the seat of every great man, supplied him and his 
 
 guests with game for the sport of falconry The 
 
 bard speaks feelingly of the wine, the ale, the braget, 
 and the white bread ; nor does he forget the kitchen, 
 nor that important officer the cook ; whose life (when in 
 the royal service) was estimated by the Welsh laws at 
 126 cows. Such was the hospitality of Owen that the 
 place of porter was useless ; nor were locks or bolts known. 
 To sum up all, no one could be hungry or dry at 
 Sycharth, the name of the place. 1 The bard pays all due 
 praise to the Lady of the house, and her offspring : 
 
 His wife, the best of wives ! 
 
 Happy am I in her wine and metheglin. 
 
 Eminent woman of a Knightly family. 
 
 Honorable, beneficent, noble. 
 
 His children come in pairs ; 
 
 A beautiful nest of chieftains. 
 
 The lady whom he thus celebrates was Margaret 
 daughter of Sir David Hanmer, of Hanmer, in the county 
 of Flint, one of the Justices of the King's Bench, by 
 appointment ofKichard II, in 1383, and Knighted by 
 him in 1387. 2 
 
 l Mr. Pennant supposes this castle or mansion of Owen Glendower to have been in 
 Glyndyfrdwy. He had doubtless a capital mansion in each of his manors, and there 
 are traces of one in the valley of the Dee in. Glyndyfrdwy, but the mansion of Sycharth 
 (as shewn by the writer of an able article in the Cambro-Briton, Vol. I, pp. 145 & 
 seq.), was in the parish of Llansilin and Lordship of Cynllaeth. There are no remains 
 of a house at either place, and as the houses of that date were commonly built of wood 
 no such remains could be reasonably looked for ; but there is a place still called Pare 
 Sycharth, with a farm attached to it ; which doubtless marks the site of the Chieftain's 
 ancient residence. 2 Pennant's Tours in Wales, Appendix vii.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 257 
 
 In 1402 the Welsh insurrection had reached its greatest 
 force. At the approach of spring the operations of Glen- 
 dower had become more extensive. A fortunate accident 
 made his great enemy and most active opponent, Lord 
 Grey de Ruthyn, his prisoner, and there remained but a 
 few ill-garrisoned castles to hinder his crossing the border. 
 Early in the year the Prince of Wales (afterwards King 
 Henry V) had been sent to Shrewsbury, where he was 
 organizing an army to hold North Wales in check. A 
 letter which he wrote (in Norman French) to the privy 
 council on the loth of May, and of which the following 
 is a translation, gives a curious picture of the kind of 
 warfare carried on between the rival parties. 
 
 " Very dear and entirely -well belored, we greet you earnestly with 
 our entire heart, thanking you very dearly for the good care which you 
 have had of the businesses which concern us in our absence, and we 
 pray you very affectionately for your good and friendly continuance, 
 as our trust is in you. And for news in this part, if you will know, 
 among others we were lately informed that Oweyn de Glyndourdy 
 assembled his forces of other rebels, his adherents, in great number, 
 purposing to make an incursion, and to fight if the English would 
 resist him in his purpose, and so he boasted to his people. Wherefore 
 we took our forces and went to a place of the said Oweyn well built, 
 which was his principal mansion called Saghern (Sycharth), where we 
 expected to have found him, if he had had will to fight in manner as 
 he said ; and at our coming thither we found nobody, and therefore 
 we caused the whole place to be burnt, and several other houses there- 
 abouts of his tenants. And then we went straight to his other place 
 of Glendourdy, to seek him there, and there we burnt a fair lodge in 
 his park, and all the country thereabout. And we lodged ourselves by 
 there all that night, and certain of our people sallied forth there into the 
 country, and took a great gentleman of the country who was one of the 
 said Oweyn's chieftains, who offered five hundred pounds for his ransom 
 to have had his life, and to have paid the said sum within two weeks ; 
 nevertheless it was not accepted, but he was put to death, as well as 
 divers others of his companions who were taken in the expedition. 
 And then we went into the commote of Edeyrnion, in the county of 
 Merionyth, and there we ravaged with fire a fair country and well in- 
 habited. And thence we went into Powys, and there being a scarcity 
 of provender for horses in Wales, we caused our men to carry oats with 
 them, and we remained .... days. And to inform you more fully 
 of this expedition, and of all other news here at present, we send to 
 you our very dear esquire, John de Waterton, to whom you will be 
 pleased to give entire faith and credence in what he shall report to you 
 from us touching the news above mentioned. And may our Lord have 
 you always in His holy keeping. Given under our signet, at Shroues- 
 bury, this 15th day of May." 
 
 Soon after the return of the Prince from this foray 
 Owen Glendower, whose strength was evidently increasing, 
 
 2 i
 
 258 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 approached the English border, with the intention of 
 ravaging Herefordshire and Shropshire. Edmund de 
 Mortimer, the uncle of the young Earl of March, hastily 
 levied the men of Herefordshire, and met the Welsh on 
 the hills in the neighbourhood of Radnor, at Maelienydd. 
 In this battle which was fought on the 12th of June, the 
 men of Herefordshire were entirely defeated, and 
 Mortimer himself taken prisoner. 1 
 
 On September 20, 1402, Owen convoked a parliament 
 at Machynlleth in Montgomeryshire, where he was pro- 
 claimed Prince of Wales and formally crowned in the 
 presence of the assembled chieftains. 
 
 From the time of his coronation he used his Royal 
 Seals, which are thus described by Sir Henry Ellis from 
 the seals attached to two deeds deposited in the Hotel 
 Soubise, at Paris; "The Great Seal has an obverse 
 and reverse ; on the obverse, Owen is represented with a 
 bifid beard, very similar to Richard II, seated under a 
 canopy of gothic tracery ; the half body of a wolf forming 
 the arms of his chair on each side ; the back-ground is 
 ornamented with a mantle seme'e of lions held up by 
 angels. At his feet are two lions. A sceptre is in his 
 right hand, but he has no crown. The inscription 
 is Owenus . . . Princeps Wallie. On the reverse Owen 
 is represented on horseback, in armour; in his right 
 hand, which is extended, he holds a sword, and in his 
 left a shield, charged with, quarterly, four lions rampant ; 
 a drapery, probably a kerchief de plesaunce, or handker- 
 chief won at a tournament, pendant from his right wrist. 
 Lions rampant also appear upon the mantle of the horse. 
 On his helmet, as well as on his horse's head, is the 
 Welsh Dragon. The area of the seal is diapered with 
 roses. The inscription on this side seems to fill the gap 
 upon the obverse, Owenus Dei gratia . . . Wallie"* 
 Pennant mentions a pardon granted by him to one John 
 ap Howel ap Jevan Goch, to which this seal was attached, 
 and which is dated " anno principatus nostri VP datum 
 apud Cefn Llanfair X die Jan. per ipsum principem" 
 
 1 Wright's History of Ludlow, pp. 247, 248. 2 Archseologia, Vol. XXV, pp. 616 & 
 seq. It is probable that Owen assumed the armorial bearings of 4 lions rampant on 
 his seal as claiming to represent the Princes of North "Wales. His paternal coat as 
 borne by his family was " Paly of eight, argent aud gules, over all a lion rampant 
 sable."
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 259 
 
 Amongst the witnesses are two of his sons, Gryffydd ap 
 Owen and Meredydd ap Owen, his Chancellor 
 Gryffydd Yonge, and (his cousin ?) Rhys ap Tudur, and 
 
 Gwillimap l " The privy Seal " says Sir Henry 
 
 Ellis " represents the four lions rampant towards the 
 spectator's left, on a shield, surmounted by an open 
 coronet : the Dragon of Wales, as a supporter, on the 
 dexter side: on the sinister a lion. The inscription 
 seems to have been Sigillum Oweni Principis Wallie. No 
 impression of this seal is probably now to be found either 
 in Wales or England." 2 Its workmanship shows that in 
 Glendower's time heraldic taste and artistic execution 
 were far in advance of anything typified by the seals of 
 his predecessors. 
 
 The subsequent career of this eminent Welsh hero is 
 matter of general history, and therefore beyond the scope 
 of the present work. 
 
 It is said that he asserted an hereditary right to the 
 Principality of Wales as being the representative of its 
 ancient Princes; to which pretension much exception 
 has been taken. He was, we explain, in all pro- 
 bability, the direct representative of the Princes of Lower 
 Powis ; he was unquestionably, through his mother Elen 
 verch Thomas ap Llewelyn, the senior coheir to the 
 chief line of Princes of South Wales ; and it is perfectly 
 credible that he and his cousin John, Lord of 
 Mawddwy, may have shared with Edmund Mortimer, 
 Earl of March, the right of heirship to the throne of 
 North Wales, not (as is usually assigned to them) 
 through any descent from Catherine, 3 an imaginary 
 daughter of Prince Llewelyn ap Griffith, but as being 
 the descendants of Angharad, wife of Maelgon Vychan 
 ap Maelgon ap Res; which Angharad and her sister 
 Gladys, wife of Ralph de Mortimer, were the daughters 
 of Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, Prince of North Wales, by his 
 wife Joane, natural daughter of King John, and sisters 
 of David ap Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales. 4 
 
 i Memoirs of Owen Glendower by Thomas Ellis, Rector of Dolgclle, p. 72 ; Pennant's 
 Tours in Wales, Vol. Ill, p. 377. 2 Archseologia, Vol. XXV, pp. 616 & seq. 3 This 
 lady, although she appears in numerous Pedigrees, and even in Historical works of 
 some weight, as wife to Philip ap Ivor, and mother of his daughter Eleanor wife of 
 Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Own, had really no existence except in the brain of the 
 Welsh Genealogists. 4 The descendants of these two ladies are by no means 
 unlikely to hare become the right heirs of the Princes of this line; for (1) Griffith
 
 260 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 It is always remarkable how loyally the Welshmen 
 were wont to cling to their hereditary Princes in times 
 of trouble. For instance, after the conquest of Wales 
 by King Edward I and the capture of most of their 
 native Princes the men of Cardigan or West Wales seem 
 to have spontaneously rallied round the standard of 
 Canan ap Meredith ap Owen and Maelgon Vychan, the 
 two available representatives of their ancient Princes ; for 
 Llewelyn ap Owen the head of the family was then a 
 minor under the King's guardianship. The men of 
 Glamorgan, in like manner, at once acknowledged their 
 disinherited Seigneur, Morgan ap Meredith, as their head ; 
 and in North Wales, as we have seen, Madoc the natural 
 son of Llewelyn was the captain chosen of the people, 
 illegitimate sons in Wales being generally recognised as 
 capable of inheriting, at least where there was a failure 
 of legitimate heirs. In 1322 again, if we believe Sir 
 Griffith Lloyd to have married a daughter of Canan ap 
 Meredith ap Owen, we have another instance of the 
 Welshmen following one who had a certain claim to their 
 allegiance as representing (jure uxoris) one line of their 
 native Princes. We may therefore well believe that the 
 hereditary claims of Owen Glendower were weighed by 
 his countrymen before they acknowledged him as their 
 lawful Prince. 
 
 With respect to the descent of Owen Glendower and 
 his cousin John de la Pole, Lord of Mawddwy, from the 
 daughter of Prince Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, it has been 
 stated that one of the said Llewelyn's legitimate daughters 
 
 ap Llewelyn, the elder brother of Prince David and father of the last Princes 
 Llewelyn and David, is generally believed to have been an illegitimate son of 
 Prince Llewelyn ap Jerwerth, though his children were, for lack of legitimate male 
 heirs, acknowledged as Princes of North Wales on the death of their uncle David ap 
 Llewelyn ap Jerwerth without issue ; but (2) even supposing Griffith ap Llewelyn to 
 have been legitimate I am not aware that there were any descendants of his remaining 
 in the time of Owen Glendower. We know that the only legitimate child of Prince 
 Llewelyn ap Griffith, namely Gwenllian, his daughter by his wife Eleanor de Montfort, 
 was brought to England as a little child and forced to take the veil in the convent of 
 Sempringham, where she died a nun in 1337 ; and her cousin-german Gladys, whom I 
 take to have been the only surviving child of David ap Griffith, the last native Prince 
 of North Wales, was also placed at that time in the same convent, where she died a nun 
 in 1336. There were probably no descendants of Owen the elder son of Griffith ap 
 Llewelyn and brother of the last Princes Llewelyn and David ; and the descendants of 
 their sister Gladys daughter of Griffith ap Llewelyn and wife of Ees Vychan ap Eos ap 
 Mechyll seem to have ended with Res Wendot and his brothers ; so that when the 
 Welsh rose against the English in 1294 to resist the payment of the war tax, the men 
 of North Wales, for want of a more direct heir to the Princely throne, acknowledged 
 Madoc, the illegitimate son of the last Llewelyn as their leader.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 261 
 
 married Maelgon Vychan (I), Lord of Cardigan Ucli- 
 Ayron, son of Maelgon ap Kes, the issue of whose only 
 son Res ap Maelgon will have probably ended with his 
 grandchildren Maelgon Vychan and his brothers, when 
 the representation of the family will have vested in the 
 descendants of the three daughters of Maelgon Vychan (I) 
 and his wife Angharad verch Llewelyn ap Jerwerth. Of 
 these daughters, Gwenthlian, wife, of Meredith ap 
 Llewelyn, Lord of Merioneth, had an only son Llewelyn 
 ap Meredith, Lord of Merioneth, who was living, and in 
 the King's pay on account of his loss of lands, in 1260, 
 having then a wife and children. 1 He was slain in battle 
 in 1263 ; and I know not whether his issue survived. 
 Margaret, another daughter, married Owen ap Meredith, 
 Lord of Cedewen, one of whose daughters, namely Ang- 
 harad, married her cousin Owen ap Meredith ap Owen, 
 grandfather of Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen, the grand- 
 father of Owen Glendower ; but the representation of Mar- 
 garet, Lady of Cedewen, will have been with the descend- 
 ants (if any) of her sons rather than with Glendower and 
 Mawddwy. Elena, a third daughter of Maelgon Vychan 
 (I) is said to have married Meredith ap Owen ap Griffith 
 ap Res, Lord of Cardigan Is-Ayron, the great-grand- 
 father of Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen, of whom Owen 
 Glendower was the senior coheir; so that it is by no 
 means improbable that he may thus have made out his 
 claim to the Princely throne. 
 
 The rebellion of Owen lasted through the whole reign of 
 King Henry IV. and part of that of his successor. During 
 the latter years of his life he suffered many reverses and 
 must have had many personal hardships to endure. It is 
 said that he had at one time to wander from place to place 
 in want and penury, and that he was forced to shelter 
 himself in caves and desert places in order to escape the 
 vigilance of his enemies. However, he maintained his 
 
 1 On August 8, 1259, the Sheriff of Shropshire and Staffordshire is ordered to pay to 
 Lewellyn son of Mereduc, \vho had baen disinherited on account of his adherence to the 
 King, the sum of 40 marks which the King granted to him, to be received annually for 
 the support of himself and his wife and children (Liberate Roll 43 Hen. Ill, m. 3). And 
 on May 30, 1260, the King's mandate is issued to the then Sheriff of Shropshire and 
 Staffordshire, in which it is stated that the former Sheriff, William Bagod had received 
 the above mentioned order, but that the said Lewellin had only received 10 marks 
 from the said William Bagod ; and the present Sheriff is therefore ordered to pay 
 Lawellin the remaining 30 marks out of the issues of his bailiwick (Lib. R. 44 Hen. 
 Ill, m. 7). Seo page 130 note.
 
 262 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 independence to the last ; and on July 5, 1415, after the 
 accession of Henry V, the King, being then at Porchester 
 castle, deputed Sir Gilbert Talbot to negotiate with him, 
 even to the extent of promising pardon to him and his 
 adherents, provided they would request it of the King. It 
 is probable that the death of Owen prevented the completion 
 of the treaty. This gracious offer was renewed, on Febru- 
 ary 24 of the following year, to his son Meredith ap Owen, 
 by whom it was accepted ; but in the meantime Owen 
 himself, yet unsubmissive and unsubdued, died on 
 September 21, 1415, at Monington in Herefordshire, the 
 residence of his youngest daughter Margaret, or as some 
 say at Kentchurch, the seat of his daughter Alice Scudamore. 
 By his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir David Hanmer, 
 he is said to have had five sons and four daughters. 1 
 The sons, according to Vincent's Collections in the College 
 of Arms, were Griffith, Madoc, Meredith, Thomas, and 
 John, who are said, by his Biographer, Mr. Thomas Ellis, 
 Rector of Dolgelle, to have all perished in their father's 
 wars, without leaving issue. It is certain, however, that 
 one, at least, of his sons survived him, though it is 
 probable that they all died without issue. The daughters 
 were Isabel, wife of Adam ap Jorwerth Dhu ; Alice, wife 
 of Sir John Scudamore of Kentchurch, in the county of 
 Hereford ; Janet, wife of Sir John Croft, of Croft Castle, 
 in the county of Hereford ; and Margaret, wife of Roger 
 Monington, of Monington in the same county; w r ith 
 whose descendants the representation of Owen Glendower 
 and the senior coheirship of the Princes of South Wales 
 is presumed to rest. Two other daughters have also 
 been assigned to him by different writers, namely Jane, 
 who is said to have married Lord Grey de Ruthyn, while 
 he was a prisoner in her father's hands, and another who 
 is said to have married Sir Edmund Mortimer under 
 somewhat similar circumstances ; 2 but as to the existence 
 of these two there is some doubt. 
 
 1 Mr. Ellis, in his Memoirs of Owen Glendower, mentions the following illegitimate 
 children of Owen, namely Jevan ; a daughter married to the heir of Gwerneu ; 
 Myfanwy, wife of Llewelyn ap Adda of Trevor ; and Gwenllian, wife of Sir Philip 
 ap Res of St. Harmon in Radnorshire. 2 On June 27, 1 Hen. V (1413) 30 were paid 
 to John Weale "for the expenses of the wife of Owen Glyndwr, of the wife of Edmund 
 Mortimer and of others their sons and daughters in his custody in the city of London, at 
 the King's charge " (History of Ludlow, pp. 265, 266, by Thomas Wright Esq., F.S.A., 
 who quotes from Devon's Pell. Rolls, p. 321).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 263 
 
 In the year 1433 Sir John Skydemore, Knight, and Alice 
 his wife, as daughter and heir of Owyn de Glyndorde, had 
 claimed the manors of Glendourdy and Kentlyth, as 
 those which Walter Mitton and Walter Huse had given 
 to Griffyth Glyndouerde great-grandfather of the said 
 Alice and to Elizabeth his wife and the heirs of their 
 bodies, and they sought to enforce their claim in the King's 
 court in the county of Merioneth by writ directed to the 
 Sheriff; whereupon John, Earl of Somerset, then a 
 prisoner in France, presented his petition to the King in 
 Parliament, praying that the matter might be considered 
 and that an Act might be passed to restrain the said John 
 and Alice, or their heirs, or any of the heirs of the said 
 Owyn, from bringing any action for recovery of any of 
 the said Hereditaments, otherwise than by their petition 
 in the King's Bench. Such an act was accordingly 
 passed ; and it was further enacted that the statute made 
 in the 4th of Henry IV, to the effect that no Englishman 
 who should marry with any of the family of Owen de 
 Glyndourdy should hold any office in Wales or the 
 Marches, should be confirmed, and that all letters patent 
 or grants to the contrary which had been made to any 
 one should be null and void. 1 
 
 Tudor ap Griffith Vvchan, the younger brother of 
 Owen Glendower, inherited the manor of Gwyddelwern 
 in Edeirnyon as his portion. He was upwards of 24 
 years of age, on September 3, 1386, when under the 
 designation of " Tuder de Glyndore" he appeared as a 
 witness in the Scrope and Grosvenor controversy. He 
 fell fighting in his brother's cause on March 11, 1405, at 
 Mynydd-y-Pwll-Melyn, near Grosmont in Monmouthshire. 
 After the action he was found among the slain, and from 
 his resemblance to his brother, a report was spread of 
 the death of Owen ; but on examining his body it was 
 found to want a wart over the eye, which distinguished 
 Owen from Tudor. 2 
 
 Tudor ap Griffith married Maud, daughter and heir of 
 Jevan ap Howel ap Adda ap Awr of Trevor, and left 
 issue a daughter and heiress Lowry, Lady of 
 
 1 Rot. Tarl. 11 & 12 Henry VI (Vol. IV, p. 440). 2 Burke (Dictionary of the 
 Landed Gentry, under Hughes of Gwerdas), who quotes from Carte's History of 
 England, Vol.'ll, p. 665.
 
 264 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Gwyddelwern, wife of Griffith ap Einion of Cors-y-gedol 
 in Merionethshire who was living in 1400 and 1415, and 
 by whom she had two sons, (1) Griffith Vaughan, Esq., of 
 Cors-y-gedol, now represented through females, by 
 Edward, Lord Mostyn; and (2) Ellis ap Griffith, of 
 Gwyddelwern, represented, through females, by Richard 
 Walmesley Lloyd, Esq., of Plymog, in the county of 
 Denbigh. 
 
 Margaret (or Elianor), the younger daughter and 
 eventual coheiress of Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen, 
 married for her first husband William ap Griffith de la 
 Pole, Lord of Mawddwy in Powysland, 1 by whom she 
 had a son John, Lord of Mawddwy, who succeeded to 
 the Lordship of Trefgarn and the rest of his mother's 
 possessions. She married secondly Sir Tudor ap Grono, 2 
 Knight, of Penmynydd, in the county of Anglesey, 
 
 1 & 2 Ellis' account of Owen Glendower, p. 75 ; Hengwrt MS. No. 96. Sir Tudor 
 ap Grono, the 2nd husband of the Lady of Trefgam and Mawddwy, was the son of 
 Grono ap Tudor ap Grono ap Ednyved Vychan (Burke's Die. Lan. Gen., under Lloyd 
 of Plymog; Arch. Cam. 3rd series, Vol. V, p. 144). Sir Tudor ap Grono and his 
 brothers appear to have been tenants in capite of lands in Cardiganshire by inheritance 
 from their father. In 6 Edw. Ill the King's letters to Gilbert Talbot, his Justice of 
 South Wales, declare that, whereas Gronou ap Tuder deceased had held a third part 
 of a westva with the appurtenances at Kethlan in the King's commot of Mabwynneon 
 and a third part of a westva at Redonnen in the King's commot of Perveth, and 
 Lethychlenan in the commot of Creudyn by the Welsh law and by the service of doing 
 suit at the King's court of Cardigan from month to month, the King had received the 
 fealty of Howel ap Gronou ap Tudur, Tudur ap Gronou, and Gruffuth ap Gronou ap 
 Tudur (Abb. Rot. Orig. Ro. 32). And on the Monday next after the Feast of the 
 Exaltation of the Cross (September 20, 1344) Howel ap Gronouz Tuder and Tuder his 
 brother were summoned before the court of the Prince at Cardigan to shew by what 
 right they claimed to hold a free court in the vill of Lethwechleynan in the commot of 
 Gruthyn, and similar liberties in the vill of Kellan in the commot of Mabwynnyon and 
 in the vill of Redonnen in the commot of Perveth (Plac. de quo warranto, p. 818). Sir 
 Tudor ap Grono is said to have lived chiefly at Trecastell, in Anglesey. Here too he 
 died; and, according to the same authority, he was hurried in the Friary of Bangor 
 (hii grandfather's foundation) on September 19, 1367 (Arch. Camb. 3rd series, Vol. V, 
 p. 144). According to the Heraldic Pedigrees he was twice married, first to Mallt, 
 daughter of Madoc ap Jorwerth ap Madoc ap Ririd Flaidd, of Penllyn, by whom he 
 had an elder son Grono Vychan and others ; and secondly to Margaret, Lady of 
 Mawddwy, daughter and heiress of Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen Lord of Iscoed, by 
 whom he had a son Meredith (Hengwrt MS. 96). He was succeeded in the estate of 
 Penmynydd by his eldest son Grono, who died on March 23, 1332, leaving his son and 
 heir Tudor then under age (Arch. Camb. 3rd series, Vol. XV, p. 291). Rhys ap Tudor 
 and William ap Tudor, two of Sir Tudor's sons, were in the service of King Richard II 
 as Captains of Archers, as appears by the issues of pay made to them out of the ex- 
 chequer. In 1399 that King granted to William ap Tudore " de wallia armigero quern 
 penes se ret inuit" 10 per ann. for life, and a similar grant was made to Rhys (Arch. 
 Camb. 3rd series, Vol. XV, p. 380). According to the Pedigree above quoted (Hengwrt 
 MS. 96, which is not very clear), William and Rhys ap Tudor were the sons of Sir 
 Tudor by his first wife. In the subsequent reign they sided with Owen Glendower in 
 his wars, in which they took an active part, and, together with Owen, were specially 
 excluded from the pardon offered to their fellow-countrymen by King Henry IV in May 
 and June 1401 (Pennant's Tours, Vol. Ill, p. 329 ; Thomas's Memoirs of Owen Glen- 
 dwr, p. 72).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 265 
 
 who died in 1367, by whom she had a son Meredith, 
 from whom the Tudor line of Kings derived their descent. 
 Meredith ap Tudor, being but a younger son of Sir 
 Tudor ap Grono, is believed to have held some office 
 about the person of the Bishop of Bangor. Pennant 
 styles him " Scutifer" others say that he was Steward 
 or Butler. Meredith married Margaret, daughter of 
 David Vychan ap David Llwyd, of Anglesey, by whom 
 he had a son Owen, born during his absence from home 
 about the commencement of the fifteenth century. Some 
 writers affirm that Meredith's absence from home at that 
 time was necessitated by his having taken part in the 
 murder of William de Sutton, Justiciary of North Wales. 
 Before 1392 he had held the important office of Escheator 
 of the county of Anglesey. His son Owen ap Meredith 
 seems to have had an early introduction to the court of 
 King Henry V, and when there, to have gained both 
 friends and fortune by his manliness and grace. 
 " According to the chroniclers, Owen danced himself, 
 like Sir Christopher Hatton, into high places. The story 
 runs that, in dancing he stumbled, and fell upon the lap 
 of Queen Catherine, wife of Henry V of England, 
 daughter of Charles VI of France, and so well im- 
 proved the occasion that after the death of Henry V she 
 took him for her second husband. 1 There can be no 
 reasonable doubt about the marriage, though it has been 
 questioned by Miss Strickland in her memoirs. Leland, 
 in mentioning Owen's death, says " he had many dayes 
 to fore married secretly Queen Catherine." Holinshed 
 in speaking of the marriage describes Owen as " a 
 galant gentleman and a right beautiful person, indued 
 with many goodlie gifts both of bodie and mind." 2 The 
 Queen Dowager procured for her husband, says Stowe, 
 " one hundred markes a yeare to live upon, and after that 
 he had much more good land." Their eldest son Edmund 
 was born at the fioyal manor of Hadham ; the second, 
 Jasper, at that of Hatfield ; and the third at Westminster ; 
 so that there could not have been much success in any 
 
 1 & 2 Arch. Camb. 3rd series, Vol. XV, pp. 379 & seq. To the -writer of this able 
 Memoir of Penmynydd and the Tudors, whose words I have quoted and to whom I am 
 indebted for almost all my informatiou about Meredith ap Tudor and his son Sir Owen 
 Tudor, I would refer my waders for a fuller account of the various branches of 1 
 Tudor Family.
 
 266 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 attempt to conceal the marriage. The Queen, being sub- 
 jected to some complaint or surveillance, not perhaps quite 
 amounting to imprisonment, but at the same time causing 
 her and her husband much uneasiness, removed to the 
 Abbey of Bermondsey, where eventually she died on 
 January 3, 1437. After her death Owen Tudor was 
 arrested in the same year and by the King's council sub- 
 jected to imprisonment contrary to the King's promise, 
 first at Newgate and afterwards at Wallingford. He 
 remained in confinement, with but short intermission, 
 till the year 1440, when he was set at liberty by the 
 King, his stepson, who granted him by patent an annuity 
 of one hundred pounds and divers other gifts for term 
 of life. Two years later, there was paid from the ex- 
 chequer " to Owyn ap Tuder, in money paid to his own 
 hands in discharge of forty pounds which the present 
 Lord the King of his especial grace granted to the same 
 Owyn, to be had by way of reward, 40 &." The King 
 was then about one and twenty years of age and Owen 
 Tudor about forty- two. In another document Henry 
 declares that " out of consideration of the good services 
 of that beloved squire our Owinus Tudyr, we for the 
 future take him into our special grace and make him 
 Park-keeper of our parks of Denbigh, Wales." 1 Owen 
 to the end of his life remained faithful to King Henry 
 VI. He served the House of Lancaster in the wars 
 of the Roses until he was taken prisoner at the Battle 
 of Mortimer's Cross, near Wigmore, on February 2, 
 1461, where he and his, under the command of his son 
 Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, were endeavouring to 
 resist the progress of the Yorkists under Edward, Earl 
 of March. From thence he was taken by Sir Richard 
 Vaughan to Hereford, and, having been beheaded at 
 the Market Cross, was buried in the church of the Grey 
 Friars there. 2 
 
 By his wife Catherine, Queen Dowager of England, 
 he had, with a daughter Tacina, married to Reginald, 
 Lord Grey of Wilton, three sons, Edmund, Jasper, and 
 Owen who became a monk at Westminster and died 
 early. 3 Jasper Tudor, the 2nd son, was, by his 
 
 l & 2 Arch. Comb. 3rd series, Vol. XV, pp. 379 & seq. 3 History of Wales, by Jane 
 "Williams, p. 460.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 267 
 
 half-brother King Henry VI, created Earl of Pembroke, 
 in the Parliament held at Reading in 1452, at the same 
 time that his brother Edmund was made Earl of Richmond. 
 The Earl of Pembroke took an active part in the wars 
 of the Roses, on the Lancastrian side ; and after the 
 accession of his nephew King Henry VII was advanced 
 to the Dukedom of Bedford on October 27, 1485. He 
 was afterwards made Justice of South Wales, and Lord 
 Lieutenant of Ireland for two years, and invested 
 with the order of the garter. He married Catherine, 6th 
 and youngest daughter of Richard Wydeville, Earl Rivers, 
 and widow of Henry, Duke of Buckingham, but died 
 without issue in 1405. 1 Edmund Tudor, the eldest son 
 of Sir Owen Tudor, was, on November 3, 1452, created 
 Earl of Richmond, with precedency of all other Earls ; 
 and in the same year he had a grant in fee from the King 
 of the mansion-house of Baynard's Castle, in the city of 
 London. He married the Lady Margaret Beaufort, 
 daughter and heiress of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, 
 and, dying in 1456, his remains were interred in the 
 Cathedral Church of St. David's with the following 
 epitaph: " under this marble stone here inclosed resteth 
 the bones of the Noble Lord Edmund, Earl of Richmond, 
 father and brother to Kings ; the which departed out of 
 this world in the year of our Lord, 1456, the 3rd of the 
 month of November ; on whose soul Almighty Jesus have 
 mercy, Amen." 2 His only child Henry, who was but 
 fifteen weeks old at the time of his father's death, was 
 crowned King of England on the battle of Bosworth field 
 on August 22, 1485, by the name of Henry VII. 
 He died on April 21, 1509, having married Elizabeth 
 eldest daughter and eventual coheir of King Edward IV, 
 from the issue of which marriage descended the sub- 
 sequent Kings and Queens of England. 
 
 William, Lord of Mawddwy, the first husband of the 
 Lady of Trefgarn, was the son of Griffith de la Pole, 
 Lord of Mawddwy in Powysland and Great Sardon in 
 Staffordshire, the son of William de la Pole, Lord of 
 Mawddwy, 3 fourth son of Griffith ap Wenwynwyn, 
 
 l & a Burke' s extinct Peerage. 3 By a ded of settlement preserved in the Welsh rolls 
 of 1277-8, Griffin son of Wennonwen, Lord of Ppwys, assigns to his son William the 
 whole land of Mauto (Mavrddwy) with all its rights, liberties, and all other appurte- 
 nances, excepting the vill of Landeboe (near Mallwyd) which the said Griffin had given
 
 268 PKINCES OP SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Prince of Upper Powys. On the Sunday next before 
 the Feast of St. Gregory the Pope (March 10) 1353, as 
 
 to his 'wife the Lady Hawys in dower and which should revert to the said William or 
 his heirs after her death, to be held by the said "William and the heirs of his body law- 
 folly begotten in capita by military service, of Owen the eldest son of the said Griffin 
 and his heirs for ever (Eot. Wall. 6-9 Edw. I, m. 11 d. de ao 60 ). By deed dated at 
 Westminster on May 16, 1290, the above mentioned Owen, son of Griffin, son of 
 Wenunwyn, Lord de la Pole, confirms to his brother William de la Pole all the land of 
 Maudoe in all its best limits, and appurtenances, chaces, woods, roads, and paths, for 
 his homage aad service, to have and to hold of the said Owen and his heirs to the said 
 William and the heirs of his body lawfully begotten, in fee and inheritance by 
 hereditary right for ever, as fully as His father ever most fully held it, three things ex- 
 cepted, namely military service, common tallage, and aid in the building of castles, 
 which the said William and his tenants are bound to do for him in the same way that 
 his brothers Lewelin and Griffin and their tenants are bound to do, for all services, 
 exactions and demands (Rot. Wall. 14-23 Edw. I, m. 7 d. de ao 18o ). The Lordship 
 of Maudoe, Mouthcy, or Mawddwy, which was thus made over to William ap Griffith 
 de la Pole, included the Parish of Mawddwy and seven out of the eight townships com- 
 prised in the neighbouring Parish of Mallwyd. In 28 Edw. I (1299-1300), at the 
 perambulation of the King's Forests of Cannock and Kinver, the manor of Sardon 
 Magna, in the county of Stafford, was found to be held by William de la Pole and 
 Gladowsa his wife (Huntbache MS. Vol. II). William de la Pole was dead in 33 
 Edw. I (1305), when the Lady Hawys complained to Edward Prince of Wales 
 and his council at Kenyngton that the said Prince's officers had lately seized 
 into the hands of the Prince the vill of Landeboe in Monchei (Mawddwy) which is part 
 of her dower and which she had given to her son William de la Pole to hold during her 
 pleasure, so that the said William held it at the time of his death. The answer was 
 that the usual writ of " diem clausit extremum " would be issued and the Justice would 
 certify the truth to the Prince. At the same time Wladuse, the widow of William de 
 la Pole petitions to have her reasonable dower in the free tenement which had belonged to 
 the said William, her husband in Powis ; as also to have the custody of his lands and 
 tenements during the minority of his heir, and the marriage of the said heir. The 
 answer was that her reasonable dower and the custody of the lands would be granted to 
 her, but as to the marriage of the heir the Prince wishes to take counsel thereon. The 
 Justice is ordered to cause the said heir to be conducted to the Prince, and the Lord 
 Hugh d'Audelee pledges himself to bring him before the Justice at the will of the said 
 Justice, and promises that the said heir shall not be married in the mean while (Record 
 of Caernarvon, p. 218. The petitions here recorded are erroneously attributed by the 
 Editor in the Introduction at p. IV to the 33 of Edw. III). In the Nomina Villarum, 
 of 9 Edw. II (1316) Wladonsa de la Pole is named Lady of Sardon Magna in the 
 county of Stafford ; and in 13 Edw. II, Wladis, Gladis, or Gladusa de la Pole, was 
 certified, pursuant to writ tested at Clipston on March 5, as holding the township of 
 Great Saredon in the county of Stafford (Parliamentary writs). Her tenure of this 
 estate and the undertaking of Hugh de Audley with respect to the marriage of her son 
 would seem to favour the notion that she was a member of the Audley family, perhaps 
 a daughter of Henry, and sister of Nicholas, de Audley of Heleigh, and a sister also of 
 that Hugh de Audley whose son of the same name was created Earl of Gloucester in 
 1337. Griffin, son and heir of William de la Pole proved his age in 1319, having been 
 born at Matheloyt (Mallwyd) and baptized in the church of the said town (Inq. 12 
 Edw. II, No. 56). In 4 Edw. Ill (1330) the King committed to Griffin, son of William 
 de la Pole, the office of Sheriff of the county of Merioneth with the appurtenances 
 (Abbrev. Rot. Orig. p. 39), in which office he was succeeded by Richard de Holond in 
 the following year. By this time or soon afterwards he had probably succeeded to his 
 mother's interest at Great Sardon and was doubtless an occasional resident there ; for 
 between th years 1331 and 1342 he not unfrequently occurs, by the name of Griffin de 
 la Pole of Sardon, and Griffin Lord of Sardon Magna, as witness to Various deeds of his 
 neighbours at Shareshull, Little Sardon, and Stretton. In 18 Edw. Ill we find Griffin, 
 son of William de la Pole, opposing the claim of John de Cherleton to settle other Welsh 
 estates and Dendor commot (ex inf. Rev. R. Eyton). By deed of December 2, 1352, 
 he sold the manor of Great Sardon to John Musard, who sold it three weeks afterwards 
 to Sir William de Shareshull and Dionisia hig wife, to whom it was quit claimed and 
 confirmed by William, son of Griffin de la Pole on March 10, 1353 (Huatbache MS. 
 Vol. II).
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 269 
 
 William son of Griffin de la Pole, he confirmed to Sir 
 William Shareshull, Knight, and Dionisia his wife, 
 the manor of Great Saredon, which had been sold by his 
 father in December of the previous year. 1 The fruit of 
 the marriage between William de la Pole and the Lady 
 of Trefgarn was a son John de la Pole, Lord of Mawddwy, 
 who inherited his mother's lands and manors at Trefgarn, 
 Gwynnionith, and elsewhere. 
 
 On the Monday after the close of Easter in the seventh 
 year of Richard II (April 18, 1384), we find John de la 
 Pole (probably the same person) acting as Justice of 
 North Wales. 2 A few years later we find him already 
 married to a great Shropshire heiress, Elizabeth daughter 
 of Sir Fulk Corbet of Wattlesburgh and Morton Corbet 
 Knight, who proved her age on the Sunday next after 
 the Feast of St. Peter in Cathedra 13 Richard II (February 
 28, 1390), as Elizabeth, wife of John de Mowthe. The 
 Jurors reported that she was born on May 7, 1375, and 
 baptized in the church of St. Peter at Alberbury. She 
 was fourteen years and a half at the date of the inquest, 
 and the said John Mowthe and Elizabeth had as yet no 
 issue between them. 3 By this marriage John de la Pole 
 became possessed of most of the ancient Corbet estates 
 which had hitherto descended to the heirs male of that 
 family. I suppose that he had been married to her some 
 years previous to the Inquest ; for as John de Mowethe 
 he was appointed Sheriff of Shropshire on November 18, 
 1387, 4 and I suspect that he had no estates in Shropshire 
 besides those which he acquired in right of his wife. 
 
 In 1394, as John, Lord of Mowthey, he enfranchises 
 his town of Dynas Mowthoy and endows the burgesses 
 with the usual rights and liberties of a free borough. 
 His charter is dated at Dynas Mowthoy on February 20, 
 17 Richard II. 5 
 
 Though near of kin to Owen Glendower himself and 
 yet more nearly related to some of his chief supporters 
 the Lord of Mawddwy does not appear to have 
 taken part in their rebellion. His extensive English 
 interests and the fealty which he owed to his Lord, Sir 
 Edward de Cherleton, under whom as Baron of Powys he 
 
 1 Huntbachc MS. Vol. II. 2 Record of Caernarvon, p. 210. 3 Inq. 13 Eic. II, No. 
 174. 4 Blake-way's Sherifls of Shropshire. & Hengwrt MS. No. 119.
 
 270 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 held his lands in Merionethshire in capite, will have 
 prompted him to remain true to his English allegiance ; 
 and he may very possibly have been identical with 
 the " Johan Pole " who gives information against Howel 
 Kethin and other adherents of Owen dwelling in Mont- 
 gomeryshire and on the Welsh borders of Shropshire. 1 
 His English sympathies will have rendered him 
 obnoxious to his cousin Owen, who devastated his lands 
 at Mawddwy and in the Marches and drove away his 
 tenants. John de Mawddwy, alias de la Pole, died on 
 November 3, 1403, leaving issue, by his wife Elizabeth 
 Corbet, a son and heir Fulk de Mawddwy and an only 
 daughter Elizabeth, who afterwards became her brother's 
 heir. The Inquest post mortem taken at Hereford (i. e. 
 Haverford West) in December, 1405, states that he held 
 on the day of his death the manor of Trevegar (Trefgarn 
 Owen) with the appurtenances within the Marches of 
 Wales in West Wales, which was of the annual value of 
 20 merks, but of whom the said manor was held or by 
 what service the Jurors were altogether ignorant. 2 The 
 Shropshire Inquest states that he held, for term of life 
 by the law of England, as of the inheritance of Elizabeth, 
 formerly his wife, the manors of Yokulton, Shelve, and 
 Wentenore, with their appurtenances, together with a 
 fourth part of the Forest of Cawes, in the county of Salop, 
 the reversion whereof belonged to Fulk son of the said 
 John and Elizabeth, as son and heir of Elizabeth. The 
 said manors &c., were held of the King in capite by 
 military service, and their annual value was about 30 
 and not more because they lay on the confines of the 
 county beyond the limits and bounds of the Welsh 
 Marches, and were devastated from day to day and partly 
 burned by the Welsh rebels. He held also the manor of 
 Watelesburgh', with the appurtenances, for term of life 
 as before, of the Earl of Stafford (now under age and in 
 the King's custody) as of his castle of Cawes by military 
 service ; which said manor was of the annual value of 
 10 at the present time and not more because it lay on 
 the confines of the aforesaid county over the limits and 
 bounds of the Welsh Marches and the tenants of the said 
 
 1 Montgomeryshire Collections, Vol. IV, pp. 328, 329. 2 Inq. 5 Hen. IV, No. 34.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 271 
 
 manor had gone away for fear of the malice of the Welsh 
 rebels. He held also the manor of Hemme in the same 
 county, for term of life as before, of the Lord King 
 in capite, at an annual rent of 3s. payable to the Sheriff 
 of the county for the time being ; which manor was of 
 the annual value of about 2 and not more. He held 
 also the hamlet of Bradeshull with the appurtenances, 
 for term of life as before, of a certain John de Eyton, at 
 an annual rent of 10s., which hamlet was of the annual 
 value of about 20s. and not more. He held also in 
 demesne as of fee the Lordship of Mouthe with the 
 appurtenances, in the Marches of Wales adjacent to the 
 said county, which was held of Edward, Lord Powys, by 
 military service as of his castle of Pole ; which said 
 Lordship was as yet of no annual value, because it had 
 been wholly devastated by the aforesaid rebel Welshmen. 
 The said John Mowthe died on Saturday the morrow of 
 All Saints' last past ; and Fulk son of the late John and 
 Elizabeth his wife, was heir to both his father and mother. 
 The said Fulk was fourteen years of age and more at the 
 the time of his father's death, having been born at 
 Watelesburgh, in the aforesaid county of Salop, on the 
 Monday next after the Feast of St. Bartholomew the 
 Apostle, 12 Richard II, and baptized in the Parish Church 
 of Alberbury. 1 But from what follows it would seem that 
 the Jury were not rightly informed as to the age of the heir. 
 The writ ordering the inquest at which Fulk had to prove 
 his age was issued on September 26, 1412, and held at 
 Salop on Thursday before All Saints' (October 27) of the 
 same year. 2 It was there proved that he was born at 
 Wattelesburgh on the Thursday after the Feast of St. 
 Matthew, 14 Richard II (September 22, 1390), and 
 baptized in the church of Alberbury. He was therefore 
 twenty-one years of age and more. 
 
 Fulke de Mowethe, who thus proved his age in 1412, 
 died without issue about two years afterwards, leaving a 
 widow Isabella, who was remarried to Richard de Peshale, 
 and an only sister and heiress Elizabeth. Elizabeth de 
 Mowethe (alias de la Pole) married Hugh Burgh, Esq. ; 
 and in the third of Henry V the said Hugh Burgh and 
 
 l Inq. 5 Hen. IV, No. 34. 2 Inq. 13 Hen. IV, No. 50 (ex inf. Rev. R. Eyton).
 
 272 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Elizabeth his wife held the manors of Shelve, Yockleton, 
 and Wentnor, of the King in capite, 1 and two thirds of all 
 the lands which had been held by Fulke de Mowethe. 
 The other third was held in dower by Isabella the widow 
 of Fulk. 
 
 In the same year a final concord was made at the 
 Session of Stephen, Lord Bishop of St. David's, on the 
 Thursday next before the Feast of St. Lawrence 3 Henry V 
 (August 8, 1415), before Thomas Touher, deputy for 
 John Merbury, Seneschal of the lands of the Bishoprick 
 of St. David's, Sir John Wogan, Knight, and other lieges 
 of the said Lord Stephen ; between John Biriton, Philip 
 Lloyd, and John Lloyd, clerks, complainants, and Hugh 
 Burgh and Elizabeth his wife, defendants, of lands in 
 Gilbergh. The demandants acknowledged them to be 
 the right of Elizabeth, and for this recognition the said 
 Hugh and Elizabeth granted that the third part thereof, 
 which Richard Peshale and Isabella his wife, late wife of 
 Fulco Moutho, brother of the said Elizabeth, then held 
 as of the dower of the same Isabella, should remain to the 
 demandants. 2 
 
 In the 6th of Henry VI (1418-19) Hugh Burgh and 
 Elizabeth his wife appointed attorneys to receive seisin 
 of various manors and lands, namely, West Tr auger', 
 Lambston apud montem jux : le dale, Dale and Walton 
 in Roos, Gylbergh, Guy on Iskerdyn, Dyhewidd, &c., 
 of the dower of Isabel, late wife of Fulco de Moutho. 3 
 
 In the 9th of Henry V Richard de Peshale acknow- 
 ledges to have received from Hugh Burgh 14 merks 
 6s. 8d. of a rent of 29 merks for the third part of all the 
 lands which were of Fulco de Mouthe, late husband of 
 Isabella now his wife, in the counties of Pembroke and 
 Cardigan, and the Lordship of Har'ford (Haverf ord West), 
 and Seynt David in South Wales, and the Lordship of 
 North Wales. 4 
 
 t Duke's Antiquities of Shropshire. 2 Newport Evidences, amongst the Blakeway 
 MSS. at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. 3 Ibid. The lands in South Wales which 
 came to Hugh Burgh by his marriage with the Lady of Mawddwy are described in a 
 MS. of the late Mr. Joseph Morris as, Trefgarn cum memhris (viz. Trefgarn, Gilleugh, 
 Dyflryn-Taf, High Hilton and Symondeston, Snaylton, Le Dale, Le Hill, Bykton, 
 Sutton, Walton, Lamberton, and Herbraundston) in South Wales ; Eeiner's Castle ; 
 and Gwynnyonyth cum membris (viz. Westva [de Gwynnionith ?] and Westva 
 Syhewyd) in the county of Cardigan. 4 Ibid.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 273 
 
 Elizabeth Burgh was living in 1 Henry VI (1422-3), 1 
 but dead before October 26, 1430, when the inquest was 
 taken after the death of Isabella, the widow of Fulk de 
 Mouthe. The said Isabella died without issue, October 
 5, 8 Henry VI (1429), and John Burgh, son of the said 
 Elizabeth, was found to be her heir in respect of the lands 
 held by her in dower as above mentioned ; which John 
 was sixteen years of age on June 12, 1430. The Jury 
 further reported that Hugh Burgh, Esq., had occupied 
 the said third part of the lands of the said Fulk from 
 the time of the said Isabella's death, by virtue of the 
 King's letters patent, and that he had received the 
 profits thereof. 2 
 
 Hugh Burgh died within a year of the death of his 
 sister in law, viz. on August 18, 1430. The inquest after 
 his death was held at Salop at the same time as that on 
 the death of Isabella, namely, on October 26, 1430, and 
 before the same Jury. He held for term of life, by the 
 law of England, after the death of Elizabeth late his wife, 
 of the inheritance of John Burgh, son and heir of the 
 same Elizabeth, two parts of the manors of Shelve, 
 Wentenore, Yokelton, and the hamlet of Stretton as a 
 member of Yokelton, and two parts of the fourth part 
 of the Forest of Cawes, in the county of Salop, and 
 two parts of 40s. annual rent and of a rent of 3 dwts. 
 of gold, with the appurtenances in Kynwarton and 
 Strycheley in the same county, which said manors &c., 
 are held of the King in capite by military service. But 
 the value of these manors, hamlet, fourth part, and rents, 
 are described as being much depreciated because they 
 had been laid waste in the time of the wars by the rebel 
 Welshmen, and were still for the most part waste on 
 account of the pestilence and the robberies prevailing in 
 the Marches. He held also for term of life, by the law 
 of England as before stated, two parts of the manors of 
 Heye, Haburley, Lughton, Cardeston, and Watlesburgh 
 with the appurtenances, and two parts of the advowson 
 of the church of Haburley and the chapel of Cardeston in 
 the same county, the value of which were also considerably 
 depreciated from the same causes. He held also, for term 
 of life as before, a pasture called Bradeshull, containing 
 
 MS. No. 119. 2 Inq. 9 Hen. VI, No. 32. 
 
 2 I.
 
 274 PEINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 62 acres, two parts of the manor of Hemme and of the 
 hamlet of Hynyton as a member of Hemme in the same 
 county, two messuages with the appurtenances in 
 Halughton juxta Haghmon, 20s. of annual rent issuing 
 from various lands and tenements in Leighe Subt 5 Brok- 
 hurst in the same county, as also the moiety of two mills 
 at Brocton in the same county. He held also, for term 
 of life as before, two parts of the Lordship of Mouthe, 
 with the appurtenances in the Marches of Wales, in the 
 land of Powis, adjacent to the said county, which Lord- 
 ship with the appurtenances, is held of the Lord of Powis, 
 as of his castle of Pole, by the service of an annual rent of 
 13s. 4< in the name of aid in castle-building ; and the 
 annual value of the said two parts of the said Lordship is 
 8 merks and not more by reason of their having been 
 wholly destroyed by the rebel Welshmen in the time of 
 the wars. The reversion of all the aforesaid lands and 
 tenements belonged to John Burgh as son and heir of the 
 said Elizabeth. And the said John Burgh was heir of 
 Hugh, as well as of Elizabeth his wife. 1 
 
 Hugh Burgh, who married the heiress of John de 
 Mawddwy or Mouthe, is derived in a Pedigree in the 
 Visitation of Shropshire, 1564 (preserved in the Harleian 
 MSS. No. 1241) from the family of Burgh, afterwards 
 Barons Burgh of Gainsborough, descended, as it is said, 
 from Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent. A document pre- 
 served amongst the Halston Papers proves him, says 
 Blakeway, 2 to have been of the county of Westmoreland. 
 It is a pardon to Hugh Burgh, of the County of Westmore- 
 land, of all rebellions, &c., &c. ; and its being preserved 
 amongst the family papers at Halston must evidently lead 
 to the conclusion that this was the Hugh de Burgh in 
 question. It is dated at Westminster Nov. 24 anno regni 
 mei vij . . . per ipsum Regem et consilium. Blakeway 
 supposes the King to have been Henry IV. 
 
 John Burgh, Lord of Mawddwy, the son and heir of 
 Hugh and Elizabeth, proved his age at Shrewsbury on 
 June 28, 1435. He was twenty-one years of age on 
 June 12 last past, having been born at Wattlesburgh and 
 baptized in the church of the same vill. One of his spon- 
 sors was John, Lord Talbot, who gave to him, on his 
 
 1 Inq,. 9 Hen, VI, No. 47. 2 Blakeway' s Sheriffs of Shropshire, p. 66.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 275 
 
 baptismal day, a cup of silver gilt with a cover ; Law- 
 rence Merbury was his other godfather, and the Lady 
 Joan Prayres, was his godmother. 1 
 
 This John Burgh was a person of great magnificence, 
 and living at the time when Henry VI exercised a pre- 
 carious authority over France, he, in common with other 
 eminent Englishmen, entitled himself after a seigniory in 
 Normandy. His seal is circumscribed S. J. Burgh, Sr. 
 d. olonde ps. le Chastel de Chirbourgh. (The seal of John 
 Burgh Lord of Olonde, near the Castle of Chirbourgh). 1 
 His seal appended to a deed relating to the Priory of 
 Alberbury, dated March 21, 1461, has thereon a lion 
 rampant in a border indented, with the legend " S. 
 Johannis Burgh." These were the arms of his mother's 
 family, the Princes of Powis. The arms of Burgh of 
 Mawddwy, as they have always been quartered by his 
 descendants, are azure, a chevron between 3 fleur de lys 
 ermine. 3 
 
 Sir John Burgh was four times Sheriff of Shropshire, 
 namely in the year 1442, being not then a Knight ; in 
 1449 when he was appointed as Sir John Burgh, Knight ; 
 in 1453 ; and again in 1463-4. In the last instance he 
 held office for two years. 4 Sir John increased his great 
 estates by marrying Joane, the younger daughter and 
 coheir of Sir William Clopton, of Radbroke, Knight, 
 whereby he acquired the manors of Radbroke and Clop- 
 ton in the county of Gloucester, and divers other lands 
 and manors in the counties of Warwick and Worcester. 5 
 
 Sir John Burgh died in 1271, and as he left no male issue 
 his ample inheritance descended to his four daughters or 
 their issue ; of whom Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, 
 married William Newport, of High Ercall in the county 
 of Salop, Esq., and died before her father; Ankaret the 
 
 1 Inq. 13 Hen. VI, Xo. 43. 2 Blakeway's Sheriffs. * These are almost the same as 
 the arms of Burgh of Gainsborough, having only the addition of a chevron as a mark of 
 difference. * Blakeway's Sheriffs. 6 Sir William Clopton, of Clopton and Radbroke, 
 in the county of Gloucester, Knight, who died on October 7, 1419 (Inq. 7 Hen. 5, No. 
 46) was the son and heir of John de Clopton by his wife Julian, daughter and heiresa 
 of John de Morehall by his wife Agnes daughter and eventual heiress of Sir Walter 
 Beysin of Billingsley, in the county of Salop, Knight. Sir William Clopton married 
 Joane daughter and coheir of Alexander Besford, of Besford, in the county of Worcester, 
 Knight, and left, with a son Thomas who died S.P., two daughters, coheirs to their 
 brother; of whom Agnes married 1st Roger Harewell, of Woolton Wawen, co. "War- 
 wick and 2ndly Thomas Herbert ; and Joane married Sir John Burgh, of Mawddwy, 
 Knight.
 
 276 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 second, married John Leighton, of Leighton, in the same 
 county, esq.; Isabella, the third, married Sir John Lingen, 
 of Lingen in the county of Hereford, knt. ; and the 
 youngest daughter, also named Elizabeth, married 
 Thomas Mytton, esq., of Shrewsbury. The Salop in- 
 quest stated that Sir John died on Saturday the eve of 
 Pentecost (June 2), 1471, and that John Newport, son and 
 heir of Elizabeth, one of his daughters and heirs, was of 
 the full age of twenty-one years and more at the Feast of 
 the Blessed Virgin Mary last past ; Thomas Leighton, son 
 and heir of John Leighton and Ankaret late his wife, 
 another of his daughters, and heirs, was of the age of 
 eighteen years and no more at the Feast of the Nativity 
 of our Lord last past ; Isabella, wife of John Lyngen, 
 knt., third of the daughters and heirs of the aforesaid 
 John Burgh, was of the age of thirty years and more ; 
 and Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Mitton, the fourth daughter 
 and heir, was of the age of twenty-six years. 1 
 
 The estates of Sir John Burgh were not divided 
 between his coheirs until some years after his death. 
 Among the Loton Papers is preserved a singular letter 
 on the subject of the partition, from Sir John Lyngen 
 to Sir Thomas Leighton, written in 16 Henry VII. 
 " To my ryght worshipfull cosen Sir Thomas Leghton 
 [be] this delivered in all hast. Right worshipfull Syr, 
 I recomaunde me unto you desyring to here of yo r 
 prosperitie, whiche Jh'u p'serve, Amen. Lettyng you 
 to underston that my brother Mytton and my nevow 
 John Newporte hath wryttyn unto me to have partyc'on 
 of all the londs that wher my fader in law Sir John 
 Bourgh's, and my lady ys wyff : and I have wryttyn 
 unto them under this form ; that we shold have a 
 mettyng, and there to have a comynycac'on for the 
 partyc'on of said londs, and to put the 4 partyse of the 
 londs equally devydyd in waxe, and so to take the parts 
 therof as fortune comythe : yf so be that they fynde eny 
 defaute in the mackyng of the books of partyc'on lett 
 them amend hytt. Also I have poynted the plase of 
 mettyng at Lodlow, the 7th day of the rnony the of May, 
 and yf so be that ye wylle be greable therto, praying 
 yow to sende me in wryttyng under yo r seale whether 
 
 i Loton MSS.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 277 
 
 ye wylle be greable or no, by rny serv*, the whyche shalle 
 bring yow aonswere betwixte this and Estyr, as avoute 
 the maryage betwixte my cosyn Acton and my dortyre 
 Jane. No more unto yow at this tyme, but Jh'u p'serve, 
 Amen. Yo r lovyng wncull, John Lyngen, knyght." 
 
 The proposition contained in Sir John Lyngen' s letter 
 was apparently well received. The meeting doubtless 
 took place at the time appointed and resulted in an in- 
 denture quadripartite, made the 12th day of May, 1501, 
 " betweene John Lingen, knight, and Isabel his wif, one 
 of the daughters and heires, as well of John Burghe, 
 knight, as of Jane his wif, one of the daughters and heires 
 of William Clopton, knight, on that one parte, and 
 Thomas Leighton, knight, sonne and heire of Ankerete, 
 on other of y e daughters and heires of the saide John 
 Burghe and Jane his wif on y e second parte, and John 
 Newport, esq., sonne and heire of Elizabeth, the third 
 daughter and one of the heires of the same John Burghe 
 and Jane his wif, on the third parte, and Thomas Mytton, 
 Esq., late husband of Elizabeth, the fowerth daughter 
 and one of the heires of the s d John Burghe and Jane his 
 wif, and William Mitton, sonne and heire of the s d 
 Thomas Mytton and heire of the same Elizabeth his wif 
 on the fourth parte "; whereby the estates of the late Sir 
 John Burgh and Joan Clopton his wife were divided 
 between them in the following manner ; namely, Sir 
 John Lingen and Isabel his wife had "the lordshippes and 
 manors of Yocelton and Stretton, w th the myll and the 
 parke parte of the fforest of Cawes, Kynn r ton, Sturchley, 
 Wentnor w th the advowson of the churche, Graven or, 
 Overs, Shelve, and the fourth parte of Walton, w^in the 
 countie of Salop, lands and hereditaments in Yockleton, 
 Stretton, Cawes, Kynn'ton, Sturcbley, Wentnor, Gravenor, 
 Overs, Shelve, and the fourth parte of the lands and 
 tenements in Walton, wi th the appurtenances in the sayd 
 countie," as the portion which fell to the said Isabel as 
 daughter and heiress of Sir John Burgh ; and of her 
 mother's inheritance " the lordshipps and manors of Rod- 
 broke, Gretston, Wykelfford, Upton Haselor, Exall, 
 Binton, Barton, Betford, Benhall, and Mykleton, w th in 
 the countie of Warr', lands and hereditaments in Rodbroke, 
 Gretston, Wikelford, Upton Haselor, Exall, Binton,
 
 278 PEINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Barton, Betford, Benhall, and Mykleton with the 
 appurtenances. " 
 
 Sir Thomas Leighton, Knight, had " the manors and 
 lordshipps of Wattlesburgh, Bradsill, haye, Cardeston, 
 Ballesley, Braginton, Lughton, and Woodcote, and the 
 fourth parte of the lands and tenements in Walton afore- 
 said, in the county of Salopp " assigned to him as his 
 portion of Sir John Burgh's estates, and " the lordshippe 
 and manor of Clopton, w th appurt 8 in the countie of 
 Gloucester, lands and hereditaments in Clopton w th in the 
 said countie," as his portion of his grandmother's inheri- 
 tance. 
 
 John Newport had " the lordshipps and manors of 
 Tregarn Owen, w th the members and advowsons of the 
 churches ther in South Wales, Hem, Hynton, burgages 
 howses and gardens in the towne of Shirewsberye, the 
 mylle of Brocketon, the fourth parte of Walton, w th in the 
 countie of Salopp, lands and hereditaments in Tregarn- 
 Owen, Hem, Hynton, Sherosberye, Brockton, and the 
 fourth parte of the lands and hereditaments in Walton 
 aforesaid " as his portion of Sir John Burgh's estates, and 
 "the lordshipps and manors of Byckemershe, in the 
 countie of Warr', Crome Symond, Boughton, Kyrreswell, 
 and Crome Abitot, w^in the countie of Worcestre ; and 
 the lands and hereditaments in Bickemshe, Crome Symond, 
 Boughton, Kyrreswall, and Crome Abitot," as his portion 
 of his grandmother's inheritance. 
 
 Thomas Mytton and William his son had "the lord- 
 ships and manors of Mowthoy, w th advowsons in North 
 Wales, Haberly with advowson, Haughton, Librokehurst, 
 and the fourth parte of Walton, w th in the countie of Salop, 
 the lands and hereditaments in Mowthoy, Dynas 
 Mowthoy, with advowsons in North Wales, Haberley 
 with advowson, Haughton, Librokehurst, and the fourth 
 part of the lands and hereditaments with appurten ces in 
 Walton," as the portion of Sir John Burgh's estates which 
 fell to the said William Mytton and " the lordshipps and 
 manors of Morehall, Over Quynton, Wykewanford, Hal- 
 ford, Camden, Birlingham, Powick, Holbestre, ten ts 
 burgages and gardens w th rents in Alsetr, Defford, and 
 Brome, w th in the counties of Warr', Glowcestre, and 
 Worcestre, lands and hereditaments in Morehall,
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 279 
 
 ov' Quynton,Wykewanford, Halford, Camden,Birlingham, 
 Powicke, Holbestr, Alsetr, Defford, and Brome, with 
 appurt s ," as the portion which fell to him of his grand- 
 mother's inheritance. It was further agreed that Sir 
 Thomas Leighton and his heirs should pay to the said 
 Thomas Mytton and William his son, and to the heirs of 
 the said William, an annual rent of 205. payable out of the 
 lordship and manor of Clopton aforesaid in order to make 
 his portion equal to that of the other coheirs. 1 
 
 From this indenture it will be seen that the manors and 
 lordships which were inherited from the Princes of South 
 Wales descended to John Newport, the senior coheir of 
 the Burghs. 
 
 William Newport, of High Ercall, in the county of 
 Salop, Esq., the husband of Elizabeth de Burgh, was 
 Sheriff of Shropshire in 1 472-3. 2 Their son John New- 
 port was Sheriff of Shropshire in 1491, 1501, and 1511. 8 
 
 In the Pedigree of the Newport Family, drawn up in 
 1639, by Thomas Thompson, Esq., Lancaster Herald and 
 Deputy to Sir William le Neve Clarencieux King at Arms, 
 this John Newport is said to have brought a considerable 
 body of troops to the assistance of King Henry VII, in 
 1487, against Lambert Simnel, the Pretender to the 
 English Crown, and to have done good service at the 
 battle of Stoke, fought on the 16th of June, in which the 
 King was victorious, and the Earl of Lincoln slain. 
 
 On May 20, 1508, John Newporte, Lord of Travegarie 
 (Trefgarn) demises to David ap Owen, of Logh meyler, 
 Esq., a mill called Travegarie is mille, to which are 
 witnesses Thomas Leighton, Knight, John Lyngen, 
 Knight, and William Mytton, Esq. 4 John Newport, Esq., 
 Lord of Trefgarie Owen, in the Lordship of Har'ford 
 (Haverford West) died in October, 1512, Thomas New- 
 port was his son and heir and 24 years of age and more 
 on April 12, 1513, the date of the Haverford Inquisition 
 post mortem. 5 The wife of John Newport and mother of 
 
 1 Hengwrt MSS. No. 119. 2 & 3 Blakeway's Sheriffs. 4 Newport Evidences (being 
 extracts from the Newport Deeds inter Blakeway MSS. in the Bodleian labrary at 
 Oxford). 6 Inq. p. m. 4 Hen. VIII, inter Newport Evidences. This Haverford inqui- 
 sition is not now to be found at the Record Office ; but the Salop and Warwickshire 
 inquisitions are both preserved there. In the Salop inquisition which was held on 
 Nov. 3, 1512, the age of Thomas is stated as being then twenty-one years and more 
 (Inq. 4 Hen. VIII, No. 198). In the Warwickshire inquisition, which was held at 
 Alcetur on April 26, 1514, his age is itated as twenty-two years and more (Inq. p. m.
 
 280 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 his son Thomas was Alice, daughter of Sir Thomas 
 Swinnerton, Knight. 1 
 
 Thomas Newport, of High Ercall Esq., the son of John 
 and Alice, was Sheriff of Shropshire in 1542-3, and, 
 according to Blakeway, he was again appointed in Novem- 
 ber, 1549, to serve for the following year, 2 but he appears 
 to have died about that time. 3 He married Anne or 
 Agnes, daughter of Sir Robert Corbet, of Morton Corbet, 
 co. Salop, Knight, by whom he had a numerous family. 
 
 Richard Newport, of High Ercall, Esq., their eldest son, 
 was Sheriff of Shropshire in 1552, and again in 1558. 4 
 He was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth, and was again 
 made Sheriff of Shropshire in 1568. 5 Sir Richard Newport 
 greatly increased his estates by marrying Margaret, the 
 only daughter and heiress of Lord Chief Justice Sir 
 Thomas Bromley, Knight. 6 By this marriage he acquired 
 the manor of Eyton upon Severn, near Wroxeter, with a 
 fair house on the banks of the river, and other estates in 
 the same neighbourhood. 
 
 Sir Richard Newport died on September 12, 1570, and 
 was buried at Wroxeter. His wife Margaret survived 
 him many years, and dying in 1598 was buried by the 
 side of her husband at Wroxeter. Her death is thus re- 
 corded in a MS. Shrewsbury Chronicle preserved in the 
 Free School Library there and known as Dr. Taylor's 
 Manuscript, under the year 1598. " This yeare Lady 
 Margaret Newport of Eyton, Wydowe, departid this pre- 
 sent lyfe the 19th daye of August, and was buried at 
 
 6 Hen. VIII, No. 55). In such cases of discrepancy it is generally safe to assume the 
 greater age to be the true one. These inquisitions are also at variance as to the day of 
 the death of John Newport, Oct. 1 being the day given in the Salop inquisition, Oct. 4 
 in the Warwickshire, and Oct. 31 in the Haverford inquisition. 
 
 1 Newport Pedigree. 2 Blakeway's Sheriffs. 3 Collins' Peerage. 4 & 6 Blakeway's 
 Sheriffs. 6 The family of Bromley is descended from Sir Walter Bromley, of Bromley, 
 in the county of Stafford, Knight, who was living in the reign of King John. From 
 him the numerous branches settled in the counties of Stafford, Salop, Chester, and 
 Worcester, derive their origin. The family is remarkable for having produced many 
 eminent lawyers ; amongst whom were Sir George Bromley, Chief Justice of Chester, 
 in the time of Queen Elizabeth, Sir Thomas Bromley, Lord Chancellor, in the same 
 reign, and Sir Thomas, the Lord Chief Justice, all living about the same time. The 
 Lord Chief Justice, Sir Thomas Bromley, was the second son of Roger Bromley by Jane 
 daughter of Thomas Jennings. He lies buried with his wife in the church of Wroxeter, 
 where there is a marble monument, to their memory, with recumbent figures, bearing 
 the following inscription ; " Here lyethe Sr. Thomas Bromley, Knyght, whyche dyed 
 beyng Lord Chyffe Justice of England, also beyng on of the executors to the Kyng of 
 most famous memorye Henry the Eygntthe, whyche desesed the XV day of May, anno 
 dni. 1555, and dame Isabell hys wyfe, the whyche desesed in the yere of our Lord 
 .... on whose sowles God av mer." Sir Thomas Bromley acquired the estate of 
 Eyton-upon- Severn at the Dissolution of the Abbey of Shrewsbury.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 281 
 
 Rocksetter the next day e f ollowinge, being her will so ; 
 and the 29th day of August, all the bells in Shrewsbury 
 dyd ringe in remembrance of hir : the whiche towne 
 she lovid well, and she was belovid of the inhabitants 
 therein. There was bestowid uppon the poore 20, 
 besides many other places in the contrey very amply, 
 she was a vertuous lady in all her lyfe tyme, and very 
 good to the poore in towne, and contrey." 1 
 
 There is a handsome marble tomb in the Parish 
 Church of Wroxeter, in memory of Sir Richard Newport 
 and Dame Margaret his wife, surmounted by recumbent 
 figures, and on three sides of the Sarcophagus are effigies 
 of their numerous progeny, each with his proper coat of 
 arms. On a plate let into the wall above are inscribed 
 the following lines : 
 
 " Hie equitis tumulus domini tegit ossa Richard! 
 
 Newporti, portu navigat ille novo, 
 Navigat ille novo superum jam sede receptua, 
 Testis erat locuples anchora tuta fides." 
 
 Round the monument is the following legend : " Here 
 lyethe the bodies of Sr. Rychard Newporte, Knyghte, 
 whiche dyed, beinge one of the QuenesMaty' Counsellin 
 the Marches of Wales, and deceased the Xllth daye of 
 September, in the yeare of oure Lord God, 1570, and 
 
 Dame Margaret his wyef , which deceased the 
 
 in the yeare of our Lord God " 2 And on the 
 
 monument is a shield of arms, quartering (for Newport) 
 1 Newport ; 2 Grey of Codnor ; 3 Ercall ; 4 Burgh ; 
 5 Mawddwy; 6 Corbet; 7 Clopton; 8 Beysin ; and 
 impaling Bromley. 
 
 By the inquisition taken at Shrewsbury on January 9, 
 1571, after the death of Sir Richard Newport, it was 
 shewn that his father Thomas Newport, by indenture 
 bearing date September 20, 1545, had settled upon him 
 and Margaret his wife, in consideration of the dower 
 which had been given her by her father, the manor of 
 Hem, with the appurtenances, in the county of Salop ; 
 the manors or lordships of Crome and Careswell, in the 
 county of Worcester ; and all the lands and tenements of 
 
 l Blakeway's Sheriffs of Shropshire. Mr. Blakeway gives the day of Dame 
 Margaret New-port's death as the 10th of August, but I have treated this as a printer a 
 error, for the inquisition taken at her death records her to have died on the 19th (Ina. 
 41 Elk. part 1, No. 7). 2 The inscription omitting the date of Dame Margaret s death 
 suggests that the monument was erected before that event. 
 
 '-. M
 
 282 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 the said Thomas Newport in the counties of Pembroke, 
 Cardigan, and Carmarthen, comprising the manor or 
 lordship of Trawgar' Owen in the county of Pembroke, 
 and certain messuages, lands, tenements, rents, reversions, 
 services, &c., in Bycketon, Walton, Wudland, Mylmore, 
 Snayleton, Lamiston, Nistehoke, Westerdudwell, Gyl- 
 
 bargh, Trawgar in the county of Pembroke ; 
 
 and all his free annual rent of 6 13s. 4d. with the 
 appurtenances issuing out of the manor or Lordship of 
 Iskarden with the appurtenances in the counties of 
 Cardigan and Carmarthen or either of them and all 
 other his lands and other hereditaments- 
 whatsoever in Iskarden or elsewhere in the said counties 
 of Cardigan and Carmarthen or either of them. 1 Sir 
 Richard, in his will made in 1570, speaks of these same 
 lands and tenements, as being the jointure of his wife and 
 as being of the clear yearly value of 34 or thereabouts. 
 Francis Newport, his son and heir was thirteen years, 
 eleven months, two weeks, and three days of age at the 
 date of the above-mentioned inquisition. 
 
 The said Francis Newport was knighted by King James I 
 at Worksop manor, the seat of the Earl of Shrewsbury, on 
 April 21, 1603, together with Henry Grey, John Manners 
 of Haddon, Henry Beaumont, Henry Pierrepont, 
 and others. 2 Sir Francis Newport married Beatrix 
 daughter of Rowland Lacon, of Willey and Kinlet, in 
 the county of Salop, Esq., and died on March 15, 1623. 
 Among the numerous possessions of which he died seised 
 was a moiety of the manor of Gwynnionith Iscaerdyn 
 and Dyhewyd with the appurtenances in the county of 
 Cardigan, which were held of the King in free and 
 common socage by fealty only and not by military 
 service, and were of the annual value of 10s. and upwards. 
 He also held the manor of Trawgerne Owen or Trawgerne 
 West with the appurtenances, and certain messuages, 
 lands, tenements, and hereditaments in Trawgerne Owen, 
 Bickton, Walton, Woodland, Milmoore, Calcott, Snailton, 
 
 Lamston, Nesthooke, Westerdudwell 
 
 Walterson, Sutton and le Dale in the county of Pembroke, 
 
 1 Inq. p.m. 13 Eliz. p. 2, No. 38. 2 Nichols* Progresses of James I, Vol. I, p. 88. 
 Sir Francis Newport in 1608 rebuilt the old Hall at High Ercall ; which was after- 
 wards garrisoned for King Charles I, and sustained a siege and severe assault.
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 283 
 
 which were held of the King as of his castle of Haverf ord 
 West in the same county in free and common socage by 
 fealty only and not by military service; and their 
 annual value was 6 16s. 4d. 
 
 Sir Richard Newport, Knight, was the son and heir of 
 the said Sir Francis, and upwards of 34 years of age at 
 the time of his father's death ;* having been previously 
 knighted by King James I at Theobalds, on June 2, 
 1615. 2 Sir Richard Newport represented Shrewsbury in 
 Parliament from January, 1621, to February, 1624. He 
 afterwards sat as one of the Knights for the Shire ; and 
 in October, 1642, he was created Lord Newport, of High 
 Ercall. Being stedfastly attached to his Royal Master, 
 King Charles I, Lord Newport was a heavy sufferer for 
 his loyalty; for he was himself fined in the sum of 
 3287 6s. 8d. by the triumphant party, and his son in 
 the sum of 5284 ; he was also condemned to pay an 
 annual sum of 170 to the puritanical clergy ; indeed, 
 so much were the rebels exasperated at his zeal for the 
 Royal cause, that in 1644 they had ordered his estate to 
 be sold outright. Being then full of years he was com- 
 pelled to seek for repose in voluntary exile, and retiring 
 to France he ended his days at Moulins, in the Bour- 
 bonnois, 3 on the 5th of February, 1650, in the 80th year 
 of his age. He married Rachel, daughter of Sir John 
 Leveson, of Haling, in the county of Kent, Knight, by 
 whom he had a family of seven daughters and two sons. 
 
 Francis Newport, his eldest son, was born on February 
 23, and baptized at Wroxeter on March 12, 1619. He 
 was elected Member of Parliament for the Borough of 
 Shrewsbury on April 16, 1640, soon after he had attained 
 his majority. He manifested the same ardent loyalty as 
 that which actuated his father, and ventured with rare 
 but honourable gallantry to vote for the acquittal of Lord 
 Strafford, at a time when such votes exposed those who 
 gave them to no small personal hazard ; the populace with 
 their usual intolerance of sentiments differing from their 
 own, denouncing all such, 56 in number, as Straffordians, 
 and exposing their names to execration and insult by 
 public placards. Mr. Francis Newport was soon expelled 
 
 i Inq. p.m. 21 Jac. I. 2 Nicholl's Progresses of King James I, Vol. Ill, p. 92. 
 3 Blakeway's Sheriffs.
 
 284 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 the house as a malignant, after which he appeared in arms 
 against the Parliament and did great service to the Royal 
 cause until he was overpowered and taken prisoner at 
 Oswestry on the capture of that town by the Earl of 
 Denbigh and Colonel Mytton on June 29, 1644. After 
 he had obtained his liberty he still corresponded with Sir 
 Edward Hyde (afterwards Earl of Clarendon), and when 
 the rising in North Wales was planned in 1659, he was 
 considered one of the most zealous and powerful friends 
 that the King had in that neighbourhood. On the res- 
 toration of King Charles II in 1660, Lord Newport was 
 appointed Lord Lieutenant and Gustos Rotulorum of 
 Shropshire, and in 1668 he succeeded Sir Thomas Clifford 
 as Comptroller of His Majesty's Household, being sworn 
 of the Privy Council a few weeks afterwards. In 1672 
 he was made Treasurer of the Household, and on March 
 11, 1674, he was advanced by King Charles II to the 
 title of Viscount Newport, of Bradford in the county of 
 Salop. After the accession of King James II he continued 
 for a time in office as Treasurer of the Household ; but 
 though he and his family had so greatly distinguished 
 themselves in the cause of the Monarchy and proved their 
 fidelity to the House of Stewart, yet the true welfare of 
 his country held the first place in his heart. His 
 conscience would not suffer him to concur in the arbitrary 
 measures of James when they threatened the destruction 
 of the religious as well as the civil liberties of the nation ; 
 and he was consequently dismissed from his office in 
 February, 1686-7. Lord Newport took no pains to con- 
 ceal his political feelings, and his dissatisfaction was so 
 evident that he was removed from the Lord Lieutenancy 
 of Shropshire, which was given to the famous Lord 
 Chancellor Jeffries. In his treasurership of the House- 
 hold he was succeeded by the Earl of Yarmouth. His 
 connection with the court being now at an end he openly 
 took the part of the seven Bishops who had been im- 
 prisoned by the King in 1688 ; and in the year 1692 we 
 find him mentioned as one of those excepted from pardon 
 by the abdicant Monarch in the declaration he published 
 on the occasion of his intended descent upon England. 
 
 On May 11, 1694, Lord Newport was advanced by 
 William and Mary to the rank of Earl of Bradford, having
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 285 
 
 been previously reinstated by them in his offices of 
 Treasurer of the Household and Lord Lieutenant of 
 Shropshire. Upon the accession of Queen Anne he was 
 again sworn of the Privy Council, and continued in the 
 Treasurership of the Household and the Lord Lieutenancy 
 of the county of Salop, which last, when he reached the 
 age of 84, was conferred upon his son Lord Newport. 
 The Earl of Bradford died at his house at Twickenham 
 on September 19, 1708, in the 89th year of his age, and 
 was buried on October 4 at Wroxeter, near Eyton, his 
 seat in Shropshire, where a marble monument records 
 his honours and bears testimony to his virtues. He 
 married Diana, daughter of Francis Russell, 4th Earl 
 of Bedford, and sister of William the first Duke. She 
 died on January 30, 1694, in the 74th year of her age, 
 and was buried with her own family at Cheyneys in the 
 county of Buckingham. 
 
 His son Richard Newport, the 2nd Earl of Bradford, 
 was born on September 3, 1644. With a view to his in- 
 tended marriage with Mary Wilbraham, who was to have 
 10,000 for her marriage portion, a deed of settlement 
 was made on October 7, 1680, by his father Francis, then 
 Viscount Newport, and Diana his wife, in which the 
 several estates of the said Viscount are enumerated, and, 
 among them, the manors of Ginnioneth-ys-kerdine and 
 Dykewyde in the county of Cardigan, ana the moiety of 
 all messuages, lands, &c. within the said manors, the 
 messuage of the said Viscount in Sneyleton in the 
 parish of Dale and the county of Pembroke, and all 
 messuages, mills, woods, lands, &c. in the counties of 
 Cardigan and Pembroke ; and a fine was passed in Hilary 
 Term, 33 Charles II, in reference to the above settle- 
 ment. 1 This is the last mention that I have met with of 
 the Newport estates in South Wales. Richard, the 2nd 
 Earl, during the lifetime of his father successively 
 represented in Parliament first the Borough of Shrews- 
 bury and afterwards the county of Salop. He was 
 appointed Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire in 1704, and, 
 after his father's death, was sworn of the Privy Council 
 on February 18, 1709. He was also Lord Lieutenant 
 and Gustos Rotulorum of Montgomeryshire, all which 
 
 l Mr. Joseph Morris's MS.
 
 286 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 honours he retained till the time of his death, which 
 happened on June 14, 1723. He was married, on April 
 20, 1681, to Mary, daughter and coheir of Sir Thomas 
 Wilbraham, of Woodhey in the county of Chester, Bart., 
 by his wife Elizabeth, daughter and sole heiress of Edward 
 Mitton of Weston under Liziard in the county of Stafford, 
 Esq., by whom he had six sons, who all died without 
 issue, (of whom Henry and Thomas succeeded to the Earl- 
 dom) and four daughters, of whom Mary the eldest died 
 unmarried ; Elizabeth the 2nd, married James Cocks of 
 Worcester, Esq. (ancestor by a 2nd nxarriage of the 
 present Lord Somers), by whom she had an only child, 
 who died young; Anne, the 3rd, who died in 1752, 
 married Sir Orlando Bridgeman of Castle Bromwich, in 
 the county of Warwick, Baronet, whose issue eventually 
 became the sole representatives of the Newports, Earls 
 of Bradford; and Diana, the 4th daughter, married 
 Algernon Coote, Earl of Mountrath, whose only son Charles 
 Henry, last Earl of Mountrath died unmarried in 1802. 
 
 On the death of Richard, 2nd Earl, his eldest son 
 Henry succeeded to the title and estates of the Newports. 
 He died unmarried at his house in St. James's place, on 
 December 23, 1734, and was buried on January 10, 1735, 
 in King Henry the seventh's chapel in Westminster 
 Abbey. The title passed upon his death to his brother 
 Thomas, who had unhappily become imbecile in conse- 
 quence of a fall from his horse in early life through which 
 he received a concussion of the brain. Those estates to 
 which Thomas, Earl of Bradford, nominally succeeded 
 were managed during his life time by Trustees. He died 
 at Weston, unmarried, on April 18, 1762, when the titles 
 expired, and the estates which he had inherited from his 
 mother descended to the sons of his sisters. 
 
 By deed dated on January 15, 1723-4, (10 George I) 
 and by a fine passed in Hilary Term, 10 George I, to 
 make the said deed operative, Henry, Earl of Bradford 
 cut off and barred all the then existing entails of the 
 family estates ; and by his will, dated on May 8, 1730, 
 he left all his estates in trust to John Hill, Esq., Sir 
 Humphrey Briggs, Baronet, and George Middleton, 
 Goldsmith, subject to any future appointment to be duly 
 made by him and subject also to the payment of 10,000
 
 PMNCES OF SOUTH WALES. 287 
 
 which he gave to his said Trustees for the use of John 
 Newport otherwise called John Harrison (his reputed son 
 by Ann the wife of Ralph Smyth, Esq.), the same estates 
 to pass to his own right heirs. By a codicil, however, which 
 he executed two days afterwards, namely on May 10 of the 
 same year, he vested the said estates, in case the said 
 John Newport should die without issue, in the same 
 Trustees for the separate and personal use of the aforesaid 
 Mrs. Ann Smyth, to be devised by her as she might think 
 fit ; provided that during the minority of the said John 
 Newport, or until his death in case he should die under 
 21 years of age, she should apply such portion of the 
 rents and profits of the said estates to his maintenance, 
 &c., as she should think proper, retaining the residue 
 thereof to her own sole and separate use ; and by another 
 codicil dated on May 16 of the same year he also left to 
 her the 10,000 before mentioned. 1 On June 19, 1742, 
 the said Mrs. Ann Smyth made her will, by which she 
 gave all the estates left to her by the said Earl to 
 Alexander Small, Surgeon, until John Newport above 
 named should attain the age of 26 years, the whole to be 
 to the use of the said Alexander Small, excepting such 
 allowance as was directed, by the will and codicils of 
 the said Earl, to be made for the maintenance, education, 
 &c., of the said John Newport. And in case the said 
 John Newport should die without issue, then the reversion 
 and inheritance of the said estates she devised to the 
 Right Honourable William Pulteney, Esq., afterwards 
 Earl of Bath, his heirs and assigns for ever. The said 
 Ann Smith died on August 31, 1742, without altering her 
 will ; and various proceedings were afterwards taken 
 in chancery by the Earl of Bath, Mr. Small, and Mr. 
 Wilson, her executors, in order to carry it out ; and on 
 December 17, 1751, the court declared her will to be 
 proved. An act of Parliament was passed to enable the 
 said John Newport alias Harrison to take the name of 
 Newport. He afterwards became a lunatic, and a com- 
 mission of lunacy was taken out against him. 2 
 
 1 Mr. Joseph Morris's MS. 2 Ibid. It was about this time that the Earl of Bath 
 received such praise and commendations for his patriotism in being the great promoter 
 of a Bill for preventing the marriage of lunatics a measure undoubtedly most excellent 
 and wise but whether his motives in bringing it forward at this time were solely
 
 288 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 The Earl of Bath devised his reversion, expectant 
 on the death of the said John Newport, to his brother 
 General Harry Pulteney, who devised it to Frances the 
 daughter of his cousin-german Daniel Pulteney and to her 
 husband William Johnstone, Esq. (who afterwards took 
 the name of Pulteney and became a Baronet), and to their 
 heirs in tail male, with remainder to Harry, Earl of 
 Darlington, son of Lady Grace Fitzroy (daughter of 
 Charles, Duke of Cleveland by Anne Pulteney, daughter 
 of Sir William Pulteney, of Misterton, in the county of 
 Leicester, and Aunt to the before mentioned Earl of Bath), 
 and his sons in tail male. The said Frances Pulteney 
 died without issue male on June 1, 1782. The said 
 John Newport died without issue on April 29, 1783. 1 
 
 patriotic may perhaps be questioned by the reader of these memoirs. The result of 
 Mrs. Ann Smyth's bequest to Mr. Small and his consequent connection with the estates 
 was an order from the court of Chancery made in 1753 declaring that there was due to 
 the executors of the said Alexander Small deceased a sum of 36,884 11s. The whole 
 of the debts due from the estate were stated to be 38,136 16. Id., which the Earl of 
 Bath paid and for which he took the estates in Mortgage ; and by deeds of March 5 and 
 6, and March 12 and 13, 1755, the whole of the estates were vested in John Newport 
 and the heirs of his body, with reversion in fee simple to William, Earl of Bath, his 
 heirs and assigns (Mr. Joseph Morris's MS.) 
 
 1 On the death of John Newport a question arose as to the administration of his 
 effects and the right to his personalty which was computed at 600,000 ; and the 
 case was tried in Doctors' Commons in 1792, before Sir William Wynne. The said 
 John Newport was born while his mother was separated from her husband Ralph 
 Smyth, sou of the Dean of Eaphoe. He was educated by Lord Bradford as his 
 son, assumed his family name, and received from him a splendid fortune. He never 
 was recognised by Mr. Smyth, who appears to have known nothing about him, 
 although there is not the same direct evidence of his birth having been concealed 
 as in the Banbury case ; but then he and his wife did not live together as Lord Banbury 
 did. Smyth, having separated from his wife by deed dated May, 1711, lived in London, 
 in a lodging in Holborn, till the time of his death. Mrs. Smyth, becoming Lord Brad- 
 ford's mistress, resided either at the West End of London or at Hammersmith. On 
 July 16, 1720, Smyth confirmed the former deed of separation, and gave his wife a 
 power to dispose of her property as if she were &femme sole. Seven months after the 
 execution of this deed, viz., on February 2, 1721, Mrs. Symth was delivered of Mr. 
 Newport in Martlet's court, Covent Garden. There is no proof whatever of her co- 
 habitating with her husband between 1711 and the birth of the child. There is some 
 evidence of access subsequent to the year 1727, six years after the birth of the child, and 
 this, in the opinion of Sir William Wynne, corroborated the presumption of access before 
 that time. However this may be, the only thing like access before 1720 is the circum- 
 stance that they both resided in London. Upon this alone, notwithstanding the non- 
 recognition, and to all appearance, ignorance of the father, notwithstanding the clearest 
 evidence that Mrs. Smyth lived with Lord Bradford as his mistress, and that the child 
 was treated by him as his own in every respect, Sir William Wynne was of opinion 
 " That access must be presumed, in the absence of proof to the contrary ; and that, from 
 the proofs in the cause, the mother of Mr. Newport must be presumed to have had access 
 to her husband at the time she became pregnant : consequently the child must be 
 legitimate." Thus John Harrison, afterwards called John Newport, was made to be 
 the legitimate son of his mother's husband, Ralph Smyth, whose relatives thus also 
 obtained their portion of his personal estate (see Sir William Wynne's judgement in 
 the case of Smyth versus Chamberlayne, given at great length ia the appendix to the 
 Gardner Peerage case, pp. 354-371).
 
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 298 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 The said Harry, Earl of Darlington died on December 
 8, 1792, leaving William Harry, Earl of Darlington, 
 his only son. The said Sir William Pulteney, Bart., 
 the husband of Frances Pulteney, succeeded to the 
 Newport estates after the death of John Newport, and 
 died in May, 1805, when the said estates devolved upon 
 William Harry, Earl of Darlington, afterwards Duke of 
 Cleveland, father of the present Duke who now possesses 
 them. The ancient estates of the Newports, including 
 those which they had inherited from the Princes of 
 South Wales, were thus passed away from their right 
 heirs ; but the manors of Weston under Liziard and 
 Walsall in the county of Stafford, and the other estates 
 of Mary, Countess of Bradford, passed after the death of 
 her son Thomas, the last Earl, to the sons of her two 
 surviving daughters, Anne and Diana, and eventually 
 devolved upon the issue of Sir Orlando Bridgeman and 
 Lady Anne Newport, the elder of the two. Their son, 
 Sir Henry Bridgeman, Baronet, as nearest heir to the 
 Newports, was, on August 13, 1794, created Baron 
 Bradford, of Bradford in the county of Salop ; and his 
 son Orlando was subsequently raised to the dignity of 
 Viscount Newport and Earl of Bradford on November 
 30, 1815. His son, George Augustus Frederick Henry, 
 the 2nd Earl, died on March 22, 1865 ; and his son, 
 Orlando George Charles Bridgeman, the present and 3rd 
 Earl of the 2nd creation, is now the sole representative 
 of the Newports of High Ercall, and the senior coheir of 
 Sir John Burgh, of Mawddwy and Trefgarn, descended 
 from Margaret or Elianor the younger daughter of 
 Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen, the last direct heir male 
 of the Princes of South Wales. 
 
 The* other three co-heirs of Burgh of Mawddwy are 
 represented in the male line by Sir Baldwin Leighton, 
 Bart., Robert Burton, of Longner, co. Salop, Esq. (whose 
 great grandfather Robert Lingen, of Radbrook, Esq., 
 assumed the name of Burton on succeeding to his mother's 
 estates), and John Gardner. Mytton, son of the late John 
 Fox Mytton, Esq., all of which families were until lately in 
 possession of estates which descended to them from Sir 
 John de Burgh. But the right heirs of Ankaret de Burgh 
 the 2nd daughter of Sir John and her husband John
 
 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 299 
 
 Leighton, as also of Elizabeth de Burgh the youngest 
 daughter and her husband Thomas Mytton, will be the 
 representatives of Anna Maria and Annabella, the two 
 surviving daughters of Sir Charlton Leighton, Baronet, 
 by his wife Anna Maria, only child of Richard Mytton, of 
 Halston, Esq., as will be shewn by the annexed pedigree. 
 
 The representatives of Anna Maria Leighton, the 
 elder daughter, who married Nicholas Smy the, of Nibley, 
 co. Gloucester, Esq., are 
 
 I. (a) The Rev. George Augustus Salusbury, eldest 
 surviving soi> and heir of Sir John Salusbury Piozzi 
 Salusbury, Knight, of Brynbella, co. Flint, by his 
 wife Harriet, daughter of Edward Pemberton, Esq., 
 by his wife Anna Maria Emma Smythe, eldest daughter 
 of the said Nicholas Smythe and Anna Maria his wife ; 
 and (b) Letitia Caroline, the other daughter of the said 
 Mr. Edward Pemberton and his wife Anna Maria Emma 
 Smythe. 
 
 II. Letitia Philippa and Augusta Sophia, the surviving 
 issue of the Rev. Charles Leicester, son and heir 
 of Henry Augustus Leicester, Esq. and his wife Sophia 
 Letitia Smythe, 2nd daughter of the said Nicholas Smythe 
 and Anna Maria Leighton; of whom Letitia Philippa 
 married the Rev. David G. Paterson, Vicar of Chelford, 
 co. Chester, and Augusta Sophia married Monsieur 
 Labienvenue, a landed proprietor in Normandy. 
 
 III. Rev. Charles Cholinondeley, eldest surviving son 
 of the Rev. Charles Cowper Cholmondeley, Rector of 
 Hodnet, son and heir of Charles Cholmondeley Esq. 
 and his wife Caroline Elizabeth Smythe 3rd daughter of 
 the said Nicholas Smythe and Anna Maria Leighton. 
 
 IV. Peter Fleming Frederic Leicester, Esq., eldest son 
 of the Rev. Frederic Leicester, son and heir of Charles 
 Leicester, Esq. and his wife Louisa Harriet Smythe, 4th 
 daughter of the said Nicholas Smythe and Anna Maria 
 Leighton his wife. 
 
 The sole representative of Annabella, the other sur- 
 viving daughter of the said Sir Charlton Leighton and 
 Anna Maria Mytton, is her only son and heir, the present 
 William Lacon Childe, of Kinlet, co. Salop, Esq. 
 
 The right heirs of Isabel de Burgh, the 3rd daughter of
 
 300 PRINCES OF SOUTH WALES. 
 
 Sir John de Burgh, and her husband Sir John Lingen, 
 Knight, will be 
 
 I. The representatives of Frances, daughter and 
 coheir of the said Sir Henry Lingen, Knight, who 
 married John Unett of Castle Frome, co. Hereford, and 
 whose great great grandson, Henry Unett of Freen's 
 Court, co. Hereford, Esq., died in 1854, leaving five sur- 
 viving daughters his coheirs, namely Mary Jane, widow of 
 Edward Wakefield, Esq., of Gilford, co. Down ; Charlotte, 
 widow of Colonel Charles Pratt Kennedy, of Cultra, co. 
 Down ; Ursula Milborough, wife of Thomas Edward 
 Davies, Esq., of the Austins, Handsworth; Elizabeth 
 Frances Letitia, wife of George Unett, of the Woodlands, 
 co. Stafford, Esq. ; and Sarah Blanche Lingen, who is 
 unmarried. 1 
 
 And, II. The descendants, if any, of Alice, daughter 
 and coheir of Sir Henry Lingen, Knight, and wife of 
 Captain Herbert Herring, by whom she had a son 
 Lingen, who died without issue, and a daughter Alice 
 married to Edmund Gomonde, Surgeon, of Hereford. 2 
 
 1 & 2 Ex inf. Mrs. George Unett.
 
 INDEX OF PEOPEE NAMES. 
 
 Anarawd ap Rodri Mawr 2, 4. 
 
 ap Griffith 35, 36. 
 
 ap Ehys 63, 70. 
 
 Angharad, wife of Owen ap Meredith 151, 153, 233. 
 
 , daughter of Meredith ap Owen 10. 
 
 , wife of Maelgon Vychan 259. 
 
 Barry, Family of 59n, 246, 247. 
 
 Bauzan, Sir Stephen 132n, 201. 
 
 Braose, Family of 40, 64, 74, 81n, 82n, 87, 92, 95, 200n, 201n. 
 
 Bridgeman, Family of 286, 298. 
 
 Bromley, Sir Thomas 280. 
 
 Burgh, Hugh 271-274. 
 
 , Sir John 273-275, 298. 
 
 , daughters of 275-279. 
 
 Burton, Eobert, Esq. 298. 
 
 Cadell ap Eodri 2-4. 
 
 ap Eineon 8, 11. 
 
 ap Griffith 25-40, 55. 
 
 Cadwalader ap Griffith ap Oynan 31, 36, 45, 48, 50. 
 
 ap Ehys 58. 
 
 Cadwallon ap Madoc 54. 
 Cadogan ap Blethin 19, 20, 22. 
 
 ap Meredith 46. 
 
 ap Ehys 69. 
 
 Canterbury, Archbishop of 
 Thomas a Becket 51. 
 
 Baldwin 59. 
 
 John Peckham 166, 168. 
 
 Chaworth, Patric de 137, 138. 
 
 , Pain de 154-159, 170. 
 
 , Patric de 162. 
 
 Childe, W. L. Esq. 299. 
 Cholmondeley, Family of 299. 
 Clare, Gilbert de 22, 28, 36, 38, 59n. 
 
 Eichard fitz Gilbert de 31, 3 In. 
 
 Eoger de 43, 45, 47, 59. 
 
 Walter, son of Eobert de 59. 
 
 Eichard de 111. 
 
 Gilbert de 150.
 
 302 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 
 
 Clement, Geoffrey (I) 221-223, 225. 
 
 , Geoffrey (II) 221-225, 244. 
 
 , Eobert 221, 222, 224-227, 244, 245. 
 
 , Griffin 227. 
 
 1 John 227-229. 
 
 , Philip 228, 229. 
 
 , William 229. 
 
 , Matilda 229. 
 
 Clifford, Family of 44n, 170n, 179. 
 Clopton, Sir William 275. 
 Corbet, Sir Fulk 269. 
 Cynan ap Owen Gwyneth 45. 
 
 ap Howel 81, 105-108, 115, 187, 212, 213. 
 
 ap Meredith 148-173, 207, 208, 214-221, 242, 260. 
 
 Davies, Thomas E. Esq. and Ursula Milborough 300. 
 David fitz Gerald, Bishop 52. 
 
 ap Owen Gwyneth 48, 51, 56, 73, 89n. 
 
 ap Llewelyn 114-124. 
 
 ap Griffith ap Llewelyn 128, 138, 140, 154, 165-173. 
 
 Edwin ap Eineon 8, 10. 
 Eineon ap Owen 7, 8. 
 
 ap Anarawd 36, 44, 46. 
 
 ap Collwyn 13, 16. 
 
 Eineon Clyd ap Madoc 54, 56. 
 
 ap Ehys 54. 
 
 ap Eineon Clyd 60. 
 
 Eleanor, wife of Meredith ap Owen 148, 261. 
 
 (or Margaret), daughter of Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen 248, 
 
 264. 
 Elen, daughter of Meredith 225-227. 
 
 , daughter of Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen 248. 
 
 Ellis ap Griffith 264. 
 
 Flemings, The 21, 26, 41. 
 
 Giffard, John 170. 
 
 Giraldus Cambrensis 59. 
 
 Gladys, wife of Ehys ap Ehys Mechyll 140, 177. 
 
 , daughter of David ap Griffith 260n. 
 
 , wife of Ealph de Mortimer 259. 
 
 , wife of William de la Pole 268n. 
 
 Gloucester, Eobert de Caen, Earl of 1 5n, 29, 36. 
 
 , William son of Eobert, Earl of 41, 45. 
 
 , Earls of, see Clare. 
 
 Gomonde, E. 300. 
 
 Grey, Lord 253, 254, 257. 
 
 Griffith ap Ehys ap Tudor 14, 23-35. 
 
 ap Cynan 12-34.
 
 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 303 
 
 Griffith ap Ivoi 54. 
 
 ap Ehys ap Griffith 56, 60, 62, 63, 67, 69, 73-78, 210, 234. 
 
 ap Llewelyn ap Jerwerth 105, 114-121. 
 
 ap Madoc 121, 125. 
 
 ap Wenwynwyn 114, 121. 131, 140, 145, 267. 
 
 ap Meredith 149-173, 214-221, 242. 
 
 ap Ehys Vychan ap Ehys Mechyll 165, 173, 175, 180. 
 
 ap Ehys ap Maelgon Vychan 110. 
 
 ap Nicolas 229. 
 
 Vychan ap Griffith ap Madoc 248, 250. 
 
 Vaughan, Esq. 264. 
 
 Maelor and Family 2 5 On. 
 
 ap Owen 259. 
 
 Grono ap Ehys ap Tudor 14, 20. 
 
 Gwenllian, wife of Griffith ap Ehys 30, 31, 35. 
 
 , daughter of Ehys ap Griffith 62, 69, 112. 
 
 f -wife of Ehys ap Griffith 68. 
 
 , daughter of Maelgon Vychan 128. 
 
 , daughter of Cynan ap Meredith 221, 232. 
 
 , daughter of Meredith ap Owen 214, 222, 225. 
 
 , daughter of Llewelyn ap Griffith 260n. 
 
 Hanmer, Sir David 256. 
 Hastings, John de 191, 198, 199. 
 Hereford, Milo Earl of 34. 
 Herring, H. 300. 
 Howel Dha ap Cadell 4-6. 
 
 ap Edwyn 10. 
 
 ap Ehys ap Tudor 15-23. 
 
 ap Owen Gwyneth 38, 39, 40, 45. 
 
 ap Griffith ap Cynan 82, 88. 
 
 ap Grono 20, 21. 
 
 ap Ehys ap Griffith 52, 53, 62-64, 69, 79. 
 
 ap Ehys Grig 111, 156, 158, 163, 173, 175, 202, 203. 
 
 ap Ehys Vychan ap Ehys Mechyll 171, 175, 180. 
 
 Jerwerth ap Owen ap Caradoc 51, 53, 54. 
 
 Jestyn ap Gwrgan 13, 16. 
 
 Jonet, daughter of Cynan ap Meredith 221. 
 
 Kennedy, C. P. and Charlotte 300. 
 Kenwrick ap Ehys 49, 60, 69, 113. 
 Kings of England, 
 
 William (I) 12, 13. 
 
 William (II) 13-19. 
 
 Henry (I) 19-30. 
 
 Stephen 30-41. 
 
 Henry (II) 41-61. 
 
 Eichard (I) 61-75n. 
 
 John 75-92 
 
 Henry (III) 92-150. 
 
 Edward (I) 150-174, &c.
 
 304 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 
 
 Knovill, Bogo de 162, 163. 
 
 , William de 243. 
 
 , John de 243n, 244. 
 
 Labien venue Monsieur 299. 
 Leicester, Family of 299. 
 Leighton, Family of 276-279, 298, 299. 
 Lingen, Family of 276-279, 298, 300. 
 Llewelyn ap Jerwerth 73, 78-114. 
 
 daughters of 259, 260, 261. 
 
 ap Meredith ap Cynan 88. 
 
 ap Griffith ap Llewelyn 124, 128-172. 
 
 ap Meredith ap Llewelyn 130n, 204, 261. 
 
 ap Ehys ap Maelgon 134, 147, 205, 235, 260. 
 
 ap Owen 153-214, 217-220, 233-240, 242. 
 
 -~ ap Ehys Vychan ap Ehys Mechyll 156, 165, 171, 173, 175, 
 
 177-184. 
 Lloyd, Sir Griffith 221, 231, 232. 
 
 , Jenkin 248n. 
 
 , Eichard Walmesley, Esq. 264. 
 
 Londres, Wiliam de 27, 38n. 
 , Maurice de 30, 38n. 
 
 Madoc ap Cadwallon 89. 
 
 ap Griffith Maelor 82, 250n. 
 
 ap Ehys ap Griffith 63, 70, 127. 
 
 ap Llewelyn 207, 208. 
 
 Maelgon ap Ehys 58, 60-63, 69, 73-108, 203, 261. 
 
 Vychan ap Maelgon 110-133, 148, 160, 203, 204, 234, 235, 
 
 261. 
 
 Vychan ap Ehys 206, 207, 210, 260, 261. 
 
 Mallt, wife of Griffith ap Ehys 78, 81. 
 Mareschal, William (I) 78-95, 187n. 
 
 , William (II) 95-109. 
 
 , Eichard 109-112. 
 
 , Gilbert 112-120, 187, 198, 203. 
 
 , Walter 115, 120-124, 187, 203. 
 
 , Anselm 124. 
 
 Margaret, daughter of Maelgon Vychan 129. 
 
 (or Elianor), daughter of Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen 248, 
 
 264, 298. 
 Martin de Turribus 17. 
 
 , William 17n. 
 
 , Eobert fitz 32. 
 
 Mawddwy, William de 267, 268n. 
 
 Griffith de 267, 268n. 
 
 William de 248, 264, 267, 268n. 
 
 John de 259, 260, 264, 267, 269, 271. 
 
 Fulkde270, 271. 
 
 Elizabeth de 270-273. 
 
 Meredith ap Edwin 10.
 
 % INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 305 
 
 < Meredith ap Owen 8, 10. 
 
 ap Griffith 36-41. 
 
 (Iddall) ap Rhys 49, 70, 113. 
 
 ap Kh'ys 56, 64, 69, 71, 73-77, 20 In. 
 
 ap Khys (Archdeacon of Cardigan) 70, 108. 
 
 ap Khys ap Meredith 199-202. 
 
 ap Eobert 88, 106, 126n. 
 
 ap Khys Grig 111-150, 175-179, 185-187, 198. 
 
 ap Owenap Griffith 112-148, 149, 160, 210, 211, 214, 217. 
 
 221, 234. 
 
 / ap Llewelyn 128, 261. 
 
 ap Thomas 248n. 
 
 * ap Tudor 265. 
 
 ap Owen Glendower 259, 262. 
 
 Mervyn Vrych 1 . 
 
 ap Kodri Mawr 2, 4. 
 
 Milo fitz Walter 3 In. 
 Montgomery, Kogerde 17. 
 
 , Arnulph de 17, 20. 
 
 Montford, Eleanor de 154, 260n. 
 
 Molis (or Moels), Koger de 157, 160, 162n. 
 Morgan ap Caradoc ap Jestyn 54. 
 
 ap Khys 69. 
 
 ap Howel 109, 121. 
 
 ap Meredith 72, 207, 208, 260. 
 
 Mortimer, Koger de 162n, 223. 
 
 , Llewelyn 223, 224. 
 
 Mostyn, Edmund Lord 264. 
 
 Mytton, Family of 276-279, 298, 299. 
 
 Nest, daughter of Khys ap Tudor 15, 21, 24. 
 Newburgh, Koger de 19. 
 Newmarch, Bernard 16, 19, 40. 
 Newport, Family of 276-298. . 
 
 Owen ap Howel Dha 6-8. 
 
 Gwyneth ap Griffith 31-51. 
 
 ap Cadogan 21, 22, 27. 
 
 Cyveilioc 50, 51, 56. 
 
 Vychan ap Madoc 50. 
 
 ap Griffith ap Khys 78-112, 210-213. 
 
 Goch ap Griffith ap Llewelyn 124, 128, 140. 
 
 ap Meredith ap Robert 126, 127n, 129, 261. 
 
 ap Madoc 127n. 
 
 ap Meredith ap Owen 149-153, 160, 214, 215, 221, 234, 241, 
 
 242, 261. 
 
 ap Llewelyn ap Owen 239-247. 
 
 ap Thomas ap Llewelyn 244-248. 
 
 (Glendower) ap Griffith 250, 252-262. 
 
 ap Meredith (Owen Tudor) 69, 265, 266. 
 
 2 P
 
 306 INDEX OF PEOPER NAMES. 
 
 Pain, Fitz John 32, 34, 74. 
 Paterson, Eev. D. GK 299. 
 Pedigrees, 
 
 Clement 230. 
 
 Griffith ap Ehys and his descendants 249. 
 
 Leighton 291. 
 
 Lingen 293. 
 
 Maelgon ap Ehys and his descendants 209. 
 
 Mawddwy 288. 
 
 Meredith ap Ehys Grig 190. 
 
 Mytton 295. 
 
 Newport 289. 
 
 Ehys Grig and his descendants 186. 
 
 ap Tudor and his descendants 37. 
 
 Eodri Mawr and his descendants 9. 
 Pemberton, Edward Esq. 299. 
 Pembroke, Earls of, see Mareschal. 
 Peshale, Eichard de and Isabella 272. 
 Philip ap Ivor 247, 248n. 
 Puleston, Family of 251, 252n. 
 Pulteney, Family of 287, 288, 298. 
 
 Ehys ap Tudor 10-15. 
 
 ap Griffith 35-70, 90n. 
 
 Grig 56, 64, 67, 71, 73-110, 175. 
 
 ap Griffith ap Ehys 78-100, 210, 211. 
 
 Mechyll ap Ehys Grig 105, 108, 121, 175, 176-178. 
 
 - Vychan ap Ehys Mechyll 125-150, 175. 
 
 ap Maelgon Vychan 128, 204, 261. 
 
 Vychan ap Ehys ap Maelgon Vychan 147, 149-173, 204n, 205, 
 
 206, 218, 219, 235. 
 
 ap Ehys Vychan ap Ehys ap Maelgon 210. 
 
 ap Meredith 155-172, 175, 188-199, 236, 237. 
 
 Wendout ap Ehys Vychan ap Ehys Mechyll 156-174, 175, 
 
 177-181, 183. 
 Eichard fitz Pons 25, 44n. 
 Eobert fitz Hamon 14, 16. 
 
 fitz Stephen 50, 51. 
 
 Eodri Mawr 1, 2. 
 
 Salusbury, Family of 299. 
 Seissyll ap Dyfnwal 54, 55. 
 Skudamore, John de and Alice 262, 263. 
 Smyth, Ann 287, 288n. 
 Smythe, Family of 299. 
 
 Talbot, Gilbert 100, 142, 182-184. 
 
 Thomas ap Llewelyn ap Owen 239-244, 247, 248n, 252n, 254, 259, 261, 
 
 Tudor ap Eineon 8, 10. 
 
 apCadellll.
 
 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES. 307 
 
 Tudor ap Griffith Yychan 250, 263. 
 ap Grono 264. 
 
 , Family of 264-267. 
 
 Unett, Family of 300. 
 
 Val (or de la Val) 240, 247n. 
 Valence, William de 167. 
 Vere, William de 59. 
 
 Wakefield, Edward Esq. and Mary Jane 300. 
 Walter ap Eineon Clyd 87. 
 Wenwynwyn 73, 74, 78, 79, 81. 
 Wilbraham, Sir Thomas 286. 
 Windsor, Gerald de 15, 21, 23, 27. 
 Wogan, John 229, 281, 272.
 
 INDEX OF PLACES. 
 
 Abercorran Castle 62n. 
 
 Aberdovey 4 In. 
 
 Aberbodni 92n. 
 
 Aber Rbeidiol Castle 47n. 
 
 Aberystwytb Castle 84n. 
 
 Arbertb (or Narbertb) Castle 25 n. 
 
 Arwystli 73n. 
 
 Brechinioc, Lake of 34. 
 Buellt 92n. 
 
 Cardigan Castle 17, 75. 
 
 Castell Caerwedros 3 In. 
 
 Castell G waiter 40. 
 
 Castell Gwys (or Wiston) 38n. 
 
 Castell Howel 44n. 
 
 Castell Mabwynion 47n. 
 
 Cedewen 126n. 
 
 Cemaes 17. 
 
 Cilgerran Castle 5 On. 
 
 Cyveilioc 4 In. 
 
 Dynertb Castle 44n. 
 
 Elvel 54n. 
 Ercall 282n. 
 
 Glyndyfrdwy 256n. 
 Gower 40n. 
 Gwrtbryneon 54n. 
 
 Humpbrey's Castle 44n. 
 
 Kidwelly Castle 38n. 
 Kinnerley Castle 126n.
 
 INDEX OF PLACES. IJ09 
 
 Laugharne (or Talacharn) Castle 62n. 
 Llandovery Castle 44n, I70n. 
 Llanhawaden Castle 62n. 
 LJanrhystyd Castle 39n. 
 Llansteplian Castle 38n. 
 Llechrhyd 13n. 
 Llychewein Castle 80n. 
 
 Mawddwy 267n, 268n. 
 Maynerbire 240n, 246. 
 Melenith 54n. 
 Myddvai (or Bydvai) 92n. 
 
 Nant yr Arian 89n. 
 
 Narbertli (or Arberth) Castle 25n. 
 
 Pembroke Castle 17, 21. 
 
 St. Clare Castle 62n. 
 Senghenytb 55n. 
 Striguil Castle 12n. 
 Sycharth 25 6n. 
 
 Trefgarn 240n, 247n, 252n, 272n. 
 Trevilan Castle 11 In. 
 
 Ystrad Flur Convent 47n. 
 Ystrad Meuric Castle 39n.
 
 EEEATA. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 13, line 18 For this, read his. 
 
 44, line 8 of Note For 37, read 39. 
 
 275, line 29 For 1271 read 1471. 
 
 287, ftw<? 30 For August read October. 
 
 THOMAS BIRCH, PlilNTEn, MILLGATB, TttGAN.
 
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