#21 - GWENWYS or CADWGAN WENWYS
Bartrum presents 3 pedigrees
under this heading:
(1) "Madog ap Gwenwys
ap Gruffudd ap Beli ap Selyf ap Brochwel ap Aeddan ap Cyngen ap Eliseg"
(2) "Madog ap Cadwgan Wennwys
ap Dafydd ap Einion ap Griffri Fychan ap Gwyn ap Gruffudd ap Beli"
(3) "Madog ap Gwenwys ap Einion
ap Dafydd ap Roger ap Einion Gwyn ap Gruffudd ap Beli"
His note to the pedigree
says:
"Ancestor of one of the
Pump Costowglwyth. Families belonging to his tribe were mostly in the neighborhood of Cegidfa. Fourth
in descent from Gwenwys was Sir Gruffudd Fychan (d. 1447). The date of birth of Gwenwys must have been about 1270.
He could not, therefore, have been the son of Gruffudd of Cegidfa or of Gwyn ap Gruffudd, but the longer version (#2 above)
is consistent with the later date found above for Gwyn ap Gruffudd, namely c. 1160, while (#3 above) points
to the earlier date for Gwyn ap Gruffudd, namely c. 1050."
PEDIGREE #1:
This is the pedigree of the
Gwenwys who was the ancestor of Sir Gruffudd Fychan, but he was born c. 1250, not c. 1270. His father was Gruffudd IV ap Beli IV ap Selyf IV ap Brochwel IV ap Aeddan IV, this Gruffudd born c. 1215.
Gwenwys was either a brother of Gwyn IV (c. 1250) ap Gruffudd IV, or he was the same man.
What Bartrum never was
able to comprehend is that there were, within this extended family, four men named Gwyn ap Gruffudd ap Beli ap Selyf ap Brochwel
ap Aeddan...men born c. 950, 1050, 1150 and 1250.[1] His charts of the family are in complete disarray as he attempts
to connect 4 separate family branches to only 2 men named Gwyn ap Gruffudd...those he dates to 1050 and 1160.[2]
The top of his pedigree
which reads "Cyngen ap Eliseg" omits Brochwel as noted in our discussion of Patriarch #19 and #20.
PEDIGREE #2:
This is the pedigree of Cadwgan
Wenwys, a wholly different man who was born c. 1285 and descended from Gwyn III ap Gruffudd III of c. 1150. Like the
Gwenwys of c. 1250, he had a son named Madog which may have led to Bartrum thinking they were the same man. But Cadwgan
Wenwys also had sons Gruffudd and Rhiryd[3], while no sons but Madog are known for Gwenwys.
PEDIGREE #3:
Found in a single source,
this pedigree is merely a corrupt version of #2 and has nothing to recommend it.
CONCLUSION:
When one applies strict
chronological analysis to the entire Powys Royal Family, and does not assume every citation which mentions a Brochwel ap Aeddan
is speaking of the same man, the family charts can be presented without time gaps or marriage matches which seem impossible
and thus must be ignored. Duplicate strings of same-named men occur in many Welsh families, but none moreso than this
one. Virtually all went unnoticed by Bartrum.
The following chart shows
the family relationship that exists between Gwenwys and Cadwgan Wenwys:
685 Eliseg
l
715 Brochwel
l
750 Cyngen
l
785 Aeddan
l
820 Brochwel
l
850 Selyf
l
880 Aeddon II [4]
l
910 Brochwel II
l
945 Selyf II
l
975 Aeddan III [5]
l
1005 Brochwel III
l
1045 Selyf III
______________l____________
l
l
1080 Beli III
1075 Aeddan IV
l
l
1115
Gruffudd III 1110
Brochwel IV
l
l
1150 Gwyn III
1145 Selyf IV
l
l
1185 Griffri Fychan
1180 Beli IV
l
l
1215
Einion
1215 Gruffudd IV
l
l
1250 Dafydd
1250 Gwenwys [6]
l
1285 Cadwgan Wenwys [7]
NOTES:
[1] See the paper "Powys Dynastic Family 945 - 1385" at the link below:
[2] P.C. Bartrum, "Welsh Genealogies AD300-1400"; chart of Brochwel ap Aeddan
on p. 48 and charts labeled Gwyn ap Gruffudd
[3] Dwnn i, 330; Visitation of Shropshire pp 249 and 506
[4] His brother Beli, born c. 855, was the first of a repeating string of same-named
men which included Gwyn I ap Gruffudd I of c. 950
[5] His brother Beli II, born c. 980, was the grandfather of the c. 1050 Gwyn
II ap Gruffudd II
[6] Ancestor of Sir Gruffudd Fychan (c. 1385) ap Gruffudd (c. 1350) ap Ieuan
(c. 1320) ap Madog (c. 1285) ap Gwenwys. The brother of Gwenwys was Gwyn IV
[7] Ancestor of several families, including Gough of The Marsh in Shropshire
