Marchweithian of Is Aled

                         MARCHWEITHIAN of IS ALED - FURTHER NOTES
                                             By Darrell Wolcott

          In our previous paper on the family of Marchweithian [1], we concentrated mainly on his family down to the 13th, and early 14th, century. Our primary conclusion from that analysis posited that there were two different cousin lines, living one generation apart, which had men named Heilyn ap Tyfid. In addition, we found that each of those family branches continued with a same-named string of men named Cynwrig Fychan ap Cynwrig ap Llywarch ap Heilyn ap Tyfid.

It was only when we recently extended our research down to the 16th century, that we discovered a third cousin branch bore that same string of males names, differing only in that its Heilyn had a father NOT named in the source material. He occurs one generation later than the c. 1205 Heilyn ap Tyfid ap Cynddelw who was one generation later than the c. 1180 Heilyn ap Tyfid ap Tangno.

In our search for the ancestry of this c. 1235 Heilyn#3, we took note of the following data:(a) There existed in 1334 a tract of land in Rhufoniog (ruh WAY nock) within wele Ithel ap Cadwgan, a gavella called Llywarch ap Ithel [2], and (b) a citation in the manuscript of Jacob Chaloner [3] tells us that a daughter of Cynwrig Ddewis Herod married Cynwrig ap Llywarch. While the citation continues him as "ap Heilyn", this Cynwrig would date to c. 1205. Thus:

1050 Hedd ap Alunog
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1085 Llewelyn Meuddwy Ystrwyth 1080
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1115 Iarddur Cadwgan 1110
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1150 Cowryd Perfarch Ithel 1145
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1185 Cynwrig Ddewis Herod Llywarch 1175 Llywarch 1175
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1220 daughter=========Cynwrig 1205

If we posit that the "Llywarch ap Ithel" from the gavella name is the same Llywarch in this marriage citation, then we can excuse Chaloner for thinking his Cynwrig ap Llywarch was "ap Heilyn" just like the other men of this name in the extended family. We suggest, however, this man was actually "ap Ithel". In fact, we believe this c. 1205 Cynwrig named a son Heilyn, who named a son Llywarch, and thus began a third cousin line to repeat a long string of same-named men.

While all those who have written about this family, up to and including Peter Bartrum, have conflated these three family branches into a single line (Bartrum's dating is basically that of the middle line in our chart), the marriages they mention for these men wholly fail to support their construction of the pedigree. The labels we have used in our chart for a "Family Name" are ours, and may not agree with such labels applied by earlier historians.

WIVES CITED FOR THESE MEN:

1. Heilyn ap Tyfid married Nest (1185) ferch Cadwgan (1150) ap Llywarch (1120) ap Bran (1090) [4] This lady is a chronological fit as a wife only for the Heilyn born c. 1180

2. Llywarch ap Heilyn married Morfydd (1265) ferch Tudor (1235) ap Gronwy (1200) ap Ednyfed Fychan (1165). [5] This lady fits only with a Llywarch c. 1265. He also married Gwenllian (1220) ferch Madog (1190) ap Rhiryd Flaidd (1155). [6] That lady only fits chronologically with the Llywarch born c. 1210

3. Cynwrig ap Llywarch married a daughter (1220) ferch Cynwrig Ddewis Herod as charted above, and fits only with the Cynwrig born c. 1205.

4. Cynwrig Fychan ap Cynwrig ap Llywarch. Two wives are cited for a man of this name: (a) Efa (1305) ferch Madog Goch (1270) ap Iorwerth (1235) ap Gwrgunnon (1200) ap Cyfnerth (1170) ap Rhufon (1140) ap Nefydd Hardd (1105) [7], a lady who fits only with the Cynwrig Fychan born c. 1300; and (b) Gwenhwyfar (1335) ferch Llewelyn Dew (1300) ap Y Penwyn (1270) ap Cynwrig (1240) ap Iorwerth (1205) ap Tegwared (1170) ap Iddon (1135) ap Iorwerth (1105) ap Iddon (1070) ap Ithel (1035) ap Edryd (1005) [8], descended from Marchudd ap Cynan. She fits only with the Cynwrig Fychan born c. 1325

5. Hywel ap Cynwrig Fychan is cited as having married "a daughter of the Lord of Rhos". Those sources who try to further identify the lady [9] claim she was Marged (1150) ferch Hywel (1120) ap Ithel (1085) ap Rhiryd (1055) ap Bleddyn (1025) ap Cynfyn, a lady patently too old to have married any known Hywel ap Cynwrig in the Marchweithian family. [10] Bartrum did not explain his reasoning, but tentatively [11] charted her as "Margred ferch Gruffudd Goch ap Dafydd" from an obscure line descended from Rhys ap Edryd, a brother of Ithel ap Edryd in Item #4 above. Bartrum dated her c. 1370, where she would be a chronological fit for a Hywel born c. 1355. We greatly doubt there was ANY Welsh Lord of Rhos in the 14th century to match with any of the men named Hywel in our chart. That commote was, by then, a part of Denbigh and ruled by English barons. The last known Welsh Lords of Rhos were men descended from Llywarch Hwlbrwch, not the family which Bartrum selected.

6. Tudor ap Hywel married Susanna (1350) ferch Maredudd (1320) ap Madog (1290) ap Ithel (1255) ap Jonas (1225) ap Hwfa (1190) ap Cadwgan Goch (1160) ap Ithel y Gwion (1125) ap Hwfa (1095) ap Ithel Felyn (1065) ap Llewelyn Fychan (1035) ap Llewelyn Aurdorchog (1005) [12], a lady who fits with the Tudor born c. 1335

7. Maredudd ap Tudor married Efa (1400) ferch Ieuan (1365) ap Rhys Wynn (1335) ap Dafydd Llwyd (1305) ap Y Penwyn (1270)[13] from Item #4 above. She is a chronological fit only with the Maredudd born c. 1390

CONTINUATION OF THE FAMILIES IN OUR CHART:

All three of these cousin lines continued the copy-cat naming scheme for another 100 years. Each of the men named Maredudd ap Tudor in our chart had two sons named Rhys and Robert. For the purposes of this paper, we shall only follow the family of Rhys ap Maredudd, but the wives cited for Robert ap Maredudd were:

(a) Robert born c. 1400, married Myfanwy (1415) ferch Dafydd (1385) ap Hywel Coetmor (1350) ap Gruffudd Fychan (1320) ap Gruffudd (1290) ap Dafydd Goch (1260) ap Dafydd (1230) ap Gruffudd (1200) ap Llewelyn (1170) ap Iorwerth (1135) ap Nefydd Hardd (1105). [14] He married, secondly, Angharad (1400) ferch Deicws Ddu (1365) ap Madog Goch (1335) ap Ieuan Goch (1300) ap Dafydd Goch (1270) ap Trahaearn Goch (1235) of Lleyn. [15]

(b) Robert born c. 1420, married Gwenhwyfar (1420) ferch Ieuan Tegin (1390) ap Madog Goch (1355) ap Madog (1325) ap Ieuan (1295) ap Llywarch (1265) ap Iddon (1230) ap Iorwerth (1195) ap Iddon (1165) ap Ithel (1135) ap Iorwerth (1105) ap Iddon (1070) ap Ithel (1035) ap Edryd (1005). [16]

(c) Robert born c. 1445, married Marged (1455) ferch Gruffudd (1425) ap Rhys (1395) ap Hywel Fychan (1365) ap Hywel (1335) ap Ieuan (1305) ap Einion (1275) ap Gruffudd (1240) ap Hywel (1210) ap Maredudd (1175) ap Einion (1140) ap Caradog (1110) ap Gwgan (1075) ap Merwydd Goch (1040) ap Collwyn (1010) ap Tangno (980). [16]

EXTENSION OF THE FAMILY CHART

1370 Maredudd ap Tudor 1390 Maredudd ap Tudor 1415 Maredudd ap Tudor

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     1400 Rhys (1) 1425 Rhys (4) 1445 Rhys (7)

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   1430 Robert (2) 1460 Robert (5) 1480 Robert (8)

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1460 Cadwaladr (3) 1495 Cadwaladr (6) 1515 Cadwaladr (9)

CHART NOTES:

(1) This Rhys married Lowri (1400) ferch Hywel (1365) ap Gruffudd Goch (1330) ap Dafydd (1295) ap Madog (1265) ap Meurig (1235) ap Dafydd (1200) ap Llywarch (1170) ap Ieuan Goch (1135) ap Ieuan (1105) ap Cynddelw (1070) ap Rhys (1040) ap Edryd (1005). [17] In addition to the son charted here, he had sons Morys and Hywel and daughters Efa and Marged.

(2) No wife is known for this Robert. His brother, Morys (1435) married Mallt (1450) ferch Gruffudd (1415) ap Hywel y Farf (1385) ap Llewelyn (1350) ap Hywel (1320) ap Iorwerth Ddu (1280) ap Iorwerth (1245) ap Gruffudd (1215) ap Iorwerth (1185) ap Maredudd (1150) ap Mathusalem (1120) ap Hwfa (1085) ap Cynddelw (1050). [18]

(3) No wife is cited for this Cadwaladr, but he is cited as the ancestor of John Pryse (1560) ap Cadwaladr Pryse (1525) ap John Wyn (1495) of Rhiwlas, son of Cadwaladr. [19] That John Pryse was High Sheriff of Meirionydd in 1609.

(4) This Rhys married Gwerfyl (1440) ferch Hywel (1405) ap Tudor (1375) ap Madog Ddu (1345) ap Dafydd Goch (1310) ap Iorwerth (1275) ap Cynwrig (1240) ap Heilyn (1210) ap Trahaearn (1180) ap Iddon (1153) ap Rhys Sais II (1124) [20] descended from Tudor Trefor. He had other sons, Morys and Hywel, and 6 daughters: Efa, Gwenhwyfar, Catryn, Elsbeth, Marged and Ann.

(5) This Robert married Marged (1460) ap Rhys Llwyd (1425) ap Gruffudd (1390) ap Einion Fychan (1355) ap Iolyn (1325) ap Einion (1290) ap Griffri (1260) ap Madog (1230) ap Rhys (1200) ap Ednyfed Fychan (1165). [21] In addition to the son in our chart, he had sons named Robert Wyn and Thomas Fychan. A Robert ap Rhys of this extended family is said to have served as chaplain to Cardinal Wolsey c. 1515-1529; whether it was this man or the #8 Robert in our chart, we cannot confirm.

(6) This Cadwaladr married Jane (1500) ferch Maredudd (1465) ap Ieuan (1437) ap Robert (1400) ap Maredudd (1365) ap Ieuan (1335) ap Maredudd (1305) ap Hywel (1270) ap Dafydd (1235) ap Gruffudd (1200) ap Caradog (1170) ap Thomas (1135) ap Henry (1100). [22] This Jane was the sister of John Wynn ap Maredudd, the grandfather of Sir John Wynn of Gwydir.

(7) No wife is known for this Rhys, but he is the man also called Rhys Mawr of Plas Iolyn who was a noted warrior, and who served in the personal bodyguard of Henry Tudor at the 1485 Battle of Bosworth. When King Richard III charged Henry's standard and killed its holder, Richard Brandon, Rhys Mawr picked up his leader's banner so it could again be seen. We suspect his nickname denoted his physical size as a man well over 6' tall. In addition to the son charted here, this Rhys had a son, Dafydd, and daughters Annes and Cathryn.

(8) No wife is cited for this Robert, and most earlier historians would identify him as the chaplain who served Cardinal Wolsey. We expressed our doubts in #5 above since this Robert would have been only in his 30's in 1515. Not charted here, his son and heir was Dr. Elis Pryse, a noted attorney (he earned his LLD degree from Cambridge) who was also known as Doctor Goch.

(9) This Cadwaladr is described by Thomas A. Glenn [23] as the father of Hywel (1545) who was the father of Robert (1575), the father of Cadwaladr (1610) whose son, Robert (1640). emigrated to the Welsh Tract in Pennsylvania between 1698 and 1700. The emigrant's son, Cadwaladr ap Robert, chose "Roberts" as his family surname. We issue another caution here since writer Glenn is often not a very credible source. Others would say that the ancestry of Robert ap Cadwaladr, an early settler of Gwynedd in Pennsylvania, is "unknown". [24]