Margaret Hanmer sometimes known by her 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...

 name of Marred ferch Dafydd, was the wife 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...

 and was thus, technically, Princess of Wales

Princess of Wales

Princess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...

 for the time her husband was known by the title of 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...

. She is not officially recognised as a Princess of Wales since there is no contemporary record of her having used the title.

Early life and marriage

Little is known of Margaret's early life. She was the daughter of Sir David Hanmer

David Hanmer

David Hanmer, SL was an English judge who lived in Wales, and is best-known as the father-in-law of Owain Glyndŵr.- Border family :...

 and his wife Angharad, and she had three brothers, Gruffydd, Philip and John, all of whom supported Glyndŵr when he proclaimed himself Prince of Wales in 1400.
The couple had homes at Sycharth

Sycharth

Sycharth is a small hamlet in the community of Llangedwyn in Powys in eastern Wales near Llansilin, 7 miles west of Oswestry.- Location :Sycharth sits in the valley of the River Cynllaith, a tributary of the Afon Tanat...

 and Glyndyfrdwy

Glyndyfrdwy

Glyndyfrdwy , or sometimes Glyn Dyfrdwy, is a village in the modern county of Denbighshire, Wales. It is situated on the A5 road half way between Corwen and Llangollen in the Dee Valley .-Owain Glyndwr:...

, and raised several children. It is thought that some of these were Owain's illegitimate children from other relationships, but under Welsh law they would have been treated equally with any legitimate children. One of their daughters, Catrin

Catrin ferch Owain Glyndwr

Catrin ferch Owain Glyndŵr was one of the daughters of Margaret Hanmer and Owain Glyndŵr.- Lineage :Glyndŵr, a prince of the old Welsh royal house of Powys Fadog of the Mathrafal line, led a major revolt in Wales between 1400 and c.1416, taking the title of "Prince of Wales".Little is known about...

, married Edmund Mortimer

Edmund Mortimer

-Members of the Marcher family of Mortimer:*Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Wigmore*Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, and his second son*Edmund Mortimer, son of the 3rd Earl*Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March...

, an unransomed hostage who had become Owain's ally.

Rebellion

After Owain had proclaimed himself Prince, Margaret and her children were obliged to move to more secure accommodation to avoid capture by the English and becoming pawns, prisoners, informants and victims of the ruthless regime of the times.

They lived for some time at Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle, located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a concentric castle, constructed atop a cliff close to the Irish Sea. Architecturally, it is particularly notable for its massive gatehouse....

, which was taken in 1409 by the future King Henry V of England

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....

. Margaret, her children and grandchildren were all taken prisoner. The fates and dates of death of some of them are known, but Margaret's own death is not recorded.