Dafydd Goch
Encyclopedia
Dafydd Penmachno Goch or Dafydd ap Dafydd ap Gruffudd is said in some genealogical sources to be the illegitimate and only surviving son of Dafydd III the last free Welsh
Prince of Wales
(December 1282 - June 1283).
Dafydd ap Gruffudd was married to Elizabeth Ferrers
and is known to have had two legitimate sons (Llywelyn
and Owain
) and one legitimate daughter, Gwladys
. The two sons died imprisoned at Bristol Castle
while Gwladys spent her days as a prisoner in all but name at Sixhills Convent in Lincolnshire
. Dafydd is also reported to have had seven illegitimate daughters whose fates are unknown.
Little is known of the life of Dafydd Goch. It could be presumed from his epithet Goch - meaning "red" in Welsh
- that he was either born with red hair or that his life was associated with blood or violence. His mother is in genealogical sources said to be Tangwystl ferch Owain Fflam, an unknown Welsh woman. He took a wife called Angharad ferch Heilyn.
His son, Gruffudd ap Dafydd Goch, who died c. 1365, is buried at the church of Betws-y-Coed
where there is a stone effigy in his honour that details his genealogy. He also had a daughter, Gwenllian, who married Gruffudd ap Iorwerth, hereditary baron of Edeirnion and an ancestor of the Hughes of Gwerclas family (see: Powys Fadog
).
Gruffudd ap Dafydd Goch is reported to have had a son called Gruffudd Fychan ap Gruffudd who had a son himself called Gruffudd Leiaf who was a poet and an englyn written by him is found in Cwrtmawr. This Gruffudd is recorded in the sources as having a son called Ieuan ap Gruffudd Leiaf who was also a poet. Some examples of his work remain in manuscript, including cywyddau and awdlau to members of the Penrhyn and Nanconwy families, vaticinatory and religious poems, a poem on Aberconwy
, a satire on the Llugwy
river for hindering the poet while journeying to Penrhyn, and a short bardic controversy, or ymryson, composed between the poet Guto'r Glyn
and himself.
"Syr" Siôn Leiaf is recorded as being one of the sons, alongside Robert Leiaf, of Gruffudd Leiaf (ap Gruffudd Fychan ap Gruffudd ap Dafydd Goch ap Dafydd ap Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr). Nothing is known of his life apart from him being a cleric and another poet. A number of his poems remain in manuscript. These include two religious poems, one being a confession and the other a poem on the vernicle, a poem in praise of Richard Kyffin, dean of Bangor, a love poem, and another to the owl. He died c. 1480.
It is possible that his descendants and those of his male relatives - if they survive - represent a direct surviving branch of the House of Aberffraw
and would therefore be claimants to the long dormant throne of Gwynedd
. It would also make them rivals to the claims (now extinct) made by John Wynn
and the Lords of Gwydyr. However, under Welsh Law an illegitimate son must first be acknowledged by his father to have any claim of inheritance, and of this there is no known record.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
(December 1282 - June 1283).
Dafydd ap Gruffudd was married to Elizabeth Ferrers
Elizabeth Ferrers
Elizabeth Ferrers was a daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby and his second wife Margaret de Quincy...
and is known to have had two legitimate sons (Llywelyn
Llywelyn ap Dafydd
Llywelyn ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the eldest son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and his wife Elizabeth Ferrers. Nothing is known of his early life, though it is thought he was probably born some time around 1267...
and Owain
Owain ap Dafydd
Owain ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the younger son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and self-proclaimed Prince of Wales...
) and one legitimate daughter, Gwladys
Gwladys ferch Dafydd
Gwladys ferch Dafydd was the daughter of Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the last free Prince of Wales, and Elizabeth Ferrers. She probably spent most her life in the company of her father in England and Gwynedd....
. The two sons died imprisoned at Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle
Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port.-History:...
while Gwladys spent her days as a prisoner in all but name at Sixhills Convent in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. Dafydd is also reported to have had seven illegitimate daughters whose fates are unknown.
Little is known of the life of Dafydd Goch. It could be presumed from his epithet Goch - meaning "red" in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
- that he was either born with red hair or that his life was associated with blood or violence. His mother is in genealogical sources said to be Tangwystl ferch Owain Fflam, an unknown Welsh woman. He took a wife called Angharad ferch Heilyn.
His son, Gruffudd ap Dafydd Goch, who died c. 1365, is buried at the church of Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-Coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It has a population of 534. The name Betws or Bettws is generally thought to be derived from the Anglo-Saxon Old English 'bed-hus' - i.e. a bead-house - a house of prayer, or oratory...
where there is a stone effigy in his honour that details his genealogy. He also had a daughter, Gwenllian, who married Gruffudd ap Iorwerth, hereditary baron of Edeirnion and an ancestor of the Hughes of Gwerclas family (see: 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...
).
Gruffudd ap Dafydd Goch is reported to have had a son called Gruffudd Fychan ap Gruffudd who had a son himself called Gruffudd Leiaf who was a poet and an englyn written by him is found in Cwrtmawr. This Gruffudd is recorded in the sources as having a son called Ieuan ap Gruffudd Leiaf who was also a poet. Some examples of his work remain in manuscript, including cywyddau and awdlau to members of the Penrhyn and Nanconwy families, vaticinatory and religious poems, a poem on Aberconwy
Aberconwy (district)
The Borough of Aberconwy was one of five districts of Gwynedd, north-west Wales, from 1974 to 1996.It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, on April 1, 1974 from parts of the administrative counties of Caernarfonshire and Denbighshire....
, a satire on the Llugwy
Llugwy
Llugwy may refer to a number of places and archaeological sites in Wales:* River Llugwy , in Snowdonia* Ffynnon Llugwy, a lake in Snowdonia* Lligwy Bay, in Anglesey* Capel Lligwy, a ruined 12th-century Anglesey church...
river for hindering the poet while journeying to Penrhyn, and a short bardic controversy, or ymryson, composed between the poet Guto'r Glyn
Guto'r Glyn
Guto'r Glyn was a Welsh language poet and soldier of the era of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr or Cywyddwyr , the itinerant professional poets of the later Middle Ages...
and himself.
"Syr" Siôn Leiaf is recorded as being one of the sons, alongside Robert Leiaf, of Gruffudd Leiaf (ap Gruffudd Fychan ap Gruffudd ap Dafydd Goch ap Dafydd ap Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr). Nothing is known of his life apart from him being a cleric and another poet. A number of his poems remain in manuscript. These include two religious poems, one being a confession and the other a poem on the vernicle, a poem in praise of Richard Kyffin, dean of Bangor, a love poem, and another to the owl. He died c. 1480.
It is possible that his descendants and those of his male relatives - if they survive - represent a direct surviving branch of the House of Aberffraw
House of Aberffraw
The House of Aberffraw is a historiographical and genealogical term historians use to illustrate the clear line of succession from Rhodri the Great of Wales through his eldest son Anarawd....
and would therefore be claimants to the long dormant throne of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
. It would also make them rivals to the claims (now extinct) made by John Wynn
John Wynn
John Wynn may refer to:*John "Wynn" ap Maredudd, Head of the House of Cunedda, 1525–1559*Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet , his descendant, Welsh baronet, Member of Parliament for Carnarvonshire, 1586*Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet...
and the Lords of Gwydyr. However, under Welsh Law an illegitimate son must first be acknowledged by his father to have any claim of inheritance, and of this there is no known record.