Alys ferch Owain Glyndwr
Encyclopedia
Alys ferch Owain Glyndŵr was one of the daughters of Margaret Hanmer
and Owain Glyndŵr
, the disinherited prince of the old Welsh
royal house of Powys Fadog
who led a major revolt in Wales
between 1400 and ca. 1416 against King Henry IV of England
.
Little is known about any of the children of Owain Glyndŵr
.
of Herefordshire
. A secret marriage would have been feasible for an influential man, well connected at all levels, in his family heartlands, where local bonds maybe count for more than the rule of law and outside legislators.
during the last years of his life when he disappeared, avoided capture, was not betrayed despite large rewards, ignored successive Royal pardons offered by King Henry V
and was reputedly disguised as a family Chaplain
and children's tutor.
Miraculously her family managed to weather the storm following her father's revolt and lived in seclusion in the region between the Wye Valley
and River Monnow
valley in Herefordshire
between Abergavenny
and Hereford
near the Golden Valley, Herefordshire
.
on the modern day England
/Wales
border almost exactly halfway between Abergavenny
and Hereford
near the River Monnow
.
In 1999 it was reported that they knew the precise whereabouts of Glyndŵr's secret grave.
In 2006 The Owain Glyndwr Society's president Adrien Jones said: "Four years ago we visited a direct descendant of Glyndwr, a John Skidmore, at Kentchurch Court
, near Abergavenny
. He took us to Mornington Straddle, in Herefordshire
, where one of Glyndwr's daughters, Alys, lived. Mr Skidmore told us that he (Glyndŵr) spent his last days there and eventually died there. It was a family secret for six hundred years and even Mr. Skidmore's mother, who died shortly before we visited, refused to reveal the secret. There's even a mound where he is believed to be buried."
Margaret Hanmer
Margaret Hanmer , sometimes known by her Welsh name of Marred ferch Dafydd, was the wife of Owain Glyndŵr and was thus, technically, Princess of Wales for the time her husband was known by the title of Prince of Wales...
and Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
, the disinherited prince of the old Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
royal house of Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog or Lower Powys was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd of Powys in 1160...
who led a major revolt in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
between 1400 and ca. 1416 against King Henry IV of England
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
.
Little is known about any of the children of Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
.
Marriage to a Sheriff of Herefordshire
Alys is known to have married Sir John Scudamore a sheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
. A secret marriage would have been feasible for an influential man, well connected at all levels, in his family heartlands, where local bonds maybe count for more than the rule of law and outside legislators.
Glyndwr's harbourers
It is rumoured and postulated that they sheltered Owain GlyndŵrOwain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
during the last years of his life when he disappeared, avoided capture, was not betrayed despite large rewards, ignored successive Royal pardons offered by King Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
and was reputedly disguised as a family Chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
and children's tutor.
Miraculously her family managed to weather the storm following her father's revolt and lived in seclusion in the region between the Wye Valley
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. It is one of the most dramatic and scenic landscape areas in southern Britain....
and River Monnow
River Monnow
The River Monnow flows through south-west Herefordshire, England and eastern Monmouthshire, Wales.- Border River :For much of its short length it marks the border between England and Wales before it joins the River Wye at Monmouth. The Wye is also half English from Monmouth until it meets the...
valley in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
between Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
and Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
near the Golden Valley, Herefordshire
Golden Valley, Herefordshire
The Golden Valley is the name given to the valley of the River Dore in western Herefordshire, England. The valley is a picturesque area of gently rolling countryside...
.
Modern Descendents
Their descendants continue to live to this day in KentchurchKentchurch
Kentchurch is a small village in Herefordshire, England. It is located some south-west of Hereford and north-east of Abergavenny, beside the River Monnow and adjoining the boundary between England and Wales...
on the modern day England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
/Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
border almost exactly halfway between Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
and Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
near the River Monnow
River Monnow
The River Monnow flows through south-west Herefordshire, England and eastern Monmouthshire, Wales.- Border River :For much of its short length it marks the border between England and Wales before it joins the River Wye at Monmouth. The Wye is also half English from Monmouth until it meets the...
.
In 1999 it was reported that they knew the precise whereabouts of Glyndŵr's secret grave.
In 2006 The Owain Glyndwr Society's president Adrien Jones said: "Four years ago we visited a direct descendant of Glyndwr, a John Skidmore, at Kentchurch Court
Kentchurch Court
Kentchurch Court is a grade I listed stately home located near the village of Kentchurch in Herefordshire, England.It is the family home of the Scudamore family. Family members included Sir John Scudamore, who acted as constable and steward of a number of royal castles in south Wales at the start...
, near Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
. He took us to Mornington Straddle, in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
, where one of Glyndwr's daughters, Alys, lived. Mr Skidmore told us that he (Glyndŵr) spent his last days there and eventually died there. It was a family secret for six hundred years and even Mr. Skidmore's mother, who died shortly before we visited, refused to reveal the secret. There's even a mound where he is believed to be buried."