| Notes |
- From The Thomas Family
SIR RHYS AP THOMAS, K.G.
Sir Rhys Ap Thomas, K.G., in the reigns of Henry the Seventh and Henry the Eighth of England, according to the Welsh antiquaries and historians, had an extant pedigree going back to Adam; but the historical part probably begins with Urien Rheged, a British prince, living, according to the best authorities, in the sixth century after Christ. Possibly the links that connect him with Sir Rhys may not all be of equal certainty, but that the latter was descended from Urien is the uniform judgment of all writers upon Welsh history and genealogy. Urien is called the son of Cynvarch Oer ap Meirchion Gul, a prince of the North Britons in Cumbria, on the borders of the kingdom of Strath Clyde. Driven out by the invading Saxons in the sixth century of our era, Cynvarch took refuge in Wales and entered the ranks of the clergy, founding the church of Llangynvarch or S. Kinemark's, Maelor in Flintshire. His name is on the pillar of Eliseg near Llangollen. He Nevyn, daughter of Brychan, who likewise entered religion and founded the church of S. Nevyn, Caernarvonshire. By her he had issue :1 Urien; Eurddyl, his twin sister, who m. Elider of the numerous clan; Aron, who was one of Arthur's "knights of counsel, so wise and prudent that no one could at any time defeat him ;" and Llew or Llewellyn, who m., according to the Romances, Anna, sister of King Arthur, and had two sons, Gwalchmai and Medrawd or Mordred, the traitor, one of the three royal knights, "whom neither king nor emperor could vanquish; if they could not succeed by fair means, they would by foul and disgraceful ones." Gwalchmai, Walweyn, or Gawain, the other son, is by some authorities described as the son of Anna and a second husband, Gwyar. He is celebrated as one of the three golden tongued knights, and such was their eloquence "that no one could refuse whatever they asked." Other Triads call him "one of the three most courteous men of Britain," and one of the " three scientific ones of the Isle, to whom there was nothing of which the elements were not known." William of Malmesbury states that in the year 1086 his tomb was discovered on the seashore of Rhos on Pembrokeshire, where there is a district called Walwen's castle.
Urien, the eldest son of Cynvarch, was a great patron of the bards, by whom he is called "brave as a lion and gentle as a maid." The Welsh Triads name him as one of " the three Bulls of Conflict" and "the three pillars of battle." In the Arthurian romances he appears as Sir Urience. All the authorities agree in representing Urien and his sons as strenuously opposing the Saxon advance, and fighting, Taliesin declares, as many as ten battles against Ida and Deoric of Northumbrian His greatest exploit was the expulsion of the Goidels, Gwyddelians, or Irish Scots, from the territory lying between the Tawe and Tavy rivers, and comprising Gowerland, Cydweli, Iscenen, Carnwallon, and Cantrev Bychan, to which was given the name of his father's northern principality, Rheged. About 567 he was treacherously slain by Llovan Llawdivo, while besieging Ida's son Deoric in the island of " Medcant," possibly Lindisfarne. Llywarch Hen, one of the greatest of the bards and the son of his father's younger brother, Elider Lydanwyn, in a long elegy celebrates his prowess and bewails his death.3 The Welsh pedigrees marry
cuted them with the boldness peculiar to his character. He met the Commissioners on their entry into Caermarthenshire, himself meanly dressed, and accompanied only by four or five attendants raggedly attired, and as miserably mounted. Right glad was Lord Whitney to find the truculent Welshman apparently in his power, and he was not a little astonished also to hear him offer his services to guide him to Caermarthen, the place of his destination. Their road followed the windings of the Bran to where that river unites with the Gwydderig in its confluence with the Towey. On the western bank, on a rocky eminence, was Gruffyd's Castle of Abermarlais, hidden from the Commissioners by the thick woods which lined the shores of the river. A graceful curve of the road, however, brought them to the foot of the gentle eminence on which the castle stood, and then Gruffyd, turning to the surprised Commissioners and pointing to the open postern, invited them, with a smile, to enter and refresh themselves. They were received with demonstrations of extreme respect by Gruffyd's son Thomas, at the head of one hundred horsemen handsomely dressed and gallantly mounted, and began to open their eyes to the real power and consequence of their companion. After having well refreshed themselves, the whole party, including Thomas ap Gruffyd and his armed retinue, left the castle. A little farther on their way they came to the ancient fortress of Dinevawr, not far from the town of Llandeilo Fawr, then the stronghold of Owen, Gruffyd's son. He received them at the head of a chosen body of two hundred armed horsemen, and played the part of host with such address that he contrived to draw from his guests the secret of their commission. The whole party then proceeded on their way, leaving the mountains for the plain where the Towey meets the Gwili, at the little village of Abergwili. Here they were met by a splendid body of five hundred " tall men " on foot, well armed and accoutred, and led by Gruffyd's eldest son. Thus magnificently attended the Commissioners entered Caermarthen, then the capital of South Wales. Gruffyd now excused himself from attendance on the Commissioners and committed to his sons the care of entertaining them at the banquet prepared in their honour at the Guild Hall. Lord Whitney privately sent for the Mayor, Stephen Griffith, and the Sheriff, and showing his commission, demanded their assistance to arrest Gruffyd, which it was determined should be done on the following morning.
The banquet was now prepared, and the Commissioners were escorted to it with much pomp by the sons of Gruffyd. The tables had been arranged along the centre of the floor, and according to the architecture of the time a row of pillars separated the upper end of the room, which was slightly elevated, from that part which was assigned to the less distinguished members of the assembly. Lord Whitney was conducted to a seat on the dais, splendidly hung with cloth of gold, and Owen placed himself upon his right hand. On either side of this elevated dais galleries had been raised, in which were placed the bards of that land of minstrelsy. The guests betook themselves with right good-will to the noble cheer provided, and Owen in particular plied them with Ypocras, Garhiofilac, and other delicate and precious drinks, which soon produced the desired effect upon the Commissioners. Lord Whitney after his conference with the authorities, and exhibiting to them his commission, carelessly placed it in his sleeve, which was made very wide after the fashion of the time, and often used for such purposes. During the revel, Owen abstracted it from its hiding-place, while Lord Whitney was in such a state of mental obscuration from the strong potations that had been pressed upon him, that he not only did not notice its loss at the time but retired to bed without doing so. Owen communicated to his father the success of their plans, but Gruff yd abated nothing of his formal courtesy to the Commissioners, and the next morning presented himself before them in the Guild Hall, splendidly dressed and attended by his sons and armed retainers. He was immediately arrested by the officers of the Court, to whom he made no resistance, but with an air of great humility requested that the proceedings against him might be conducted according to law, and asked to see their commission. Lord Whitney readily assented to his request, but upon putting his hand into his sleeve and finding the warrant gone, his consternation may be easily imagined. "Methinks Lord Whitney," said Gruff yd, " if he comes here, as he says, by the King's grace, must have valued his commission too highly to have committed it to the safe-keeping of that ruffle or carelessly to have lost it." Then dropping his assumed deference, clapping his hat upon his head, and turning to his friends and followers, he exclaimed: "What! have we cozeners and cheaters come hither to abuse the King's Majesty's power and to disquiet his true-hearted subjects?" Then looking on the Commissioners with a bitter frown, he said, " By the mass, before the next day come to an end, I will hang up all your bodies for traitors and impostors." The Commissioners were panic-stricken, and entreated for their lives; which Gruffyd at last granted on condition that Lord Whitney should put on his livery coat of blue and wear his cognizance, and be bound by an oath to go to the King so arrayed, acknowledge his own offences, and justify the Welshman's proceedings.
In 1451 a great eistedfodd was held at Caermarthen under the patronage of Gruffyd ap Nicholas, at which the rules of the Welsh metres Dosbarth Caerfyrrdin were determined. Gruffyd continuing his depredations upon the Lords Marchers was at length found guilty of felony on an indictment preferred against him in the Co. of Salop. This decision at once illumined his mind as to the rival claims of the Houses of York and Lancaster. A Lancastrian King had adjudged him a felon, the Uuke of York was therefore of necessity the champion of a good cause and him he would support. He joined Edward of March, the Duke's son, at Gloucester, with eight hundred men well armed and provisioned, and marched with him to Mortimer's Cross, in Herefordshire. Here on February 2, 1461, a battle was fought between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians under Jasper, Earl of Pembroke, in which Gruffyd was mortally wounded, surviving only long enough to know that his friends were victorious.
From The Thomas Family:
GRUFFYD AP NICHOLAS, m. 1st, Mabel, dau. of Meredith ap Henry Donne, of Kidwelly Castle, by whom he had a son and heir, Thomas; he m. 2d, a dau. of Sir John Perrott of Pembroke, by whom he had a dau. Maud, m. Sir John Scudamore, of Kentchurch, q. v., and 3d, Joan, dau. and co-h. of Jenken ap Rees ap David of Gilvach Wen, by whom he had Mabel, ///. Philip Mansel. He also had younger sons Owen, m. Olive, heiress of Henry Maliphant of Upton Castle, Pembroke, whose line ended in heiresses in 1760, and Thomas, junior. He was succeeded by his son Thomas ap Gruffyd.
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1398 - 1461 (63 years)
