Llowdden Hen of UIwch Aeron

LLOWDDEN HEN of UWCH AERON
By Darrell Wolcott

There were at least 4 men named Llowdden in a family line descended from Llawr ap Aelan ap Alser ap Tudwal Gloff, all of whom named a son Rhys, and 3 of those Rhys named a son Ieuan. This extended family includes many men called Ieuan, Ieuan Fychan, Ieuan Llwyd, Ieuan Blaene and Ieuan Fwya. (Blaene means "first or foremost", while Fwya simply means "again")

The earliest notice of the first Llowdden was in 1168, when the Brut reports "Gwrgeneu, abbott of Llwythlawr, and Llowdden, his nephew, were slain by Cynan ap Owain". [1] This Cynan was one of the eldest base sons of Owain Gwynedd, whose mother was a niece of Bradwen ap Mael of Meirionydd. Due to the relative ages of the men involved, Cynan's dispute may have been with Llowdden, a man near his own age. The abbott would have been past age 70 in 1168 and may have given Llowdden sanctuary and then was killed for interfering. He is sometimes called a "lay abbot" so perhaps he was not confirmed by the Catholic Church and not universally recognized as a holy man capable of giving anyone sanctuary. Llowdden would have been a man in his 40's, so he was not called "Hen" for living a long life, but simply to distinguish him from a grandson, also named Llowdden.

Llowdden Hen had been born c. 1125 and resided in the commote of Pennardd, cantref of Uwch Aeron, in Ceredigion. Since the lands which Tudwal Gloff owned in southern Wales were all thought to have been in Dyfed, there may have been a non-cited marriage among his recent ancestors which brought Llowdden to Ceredigion. The earliest cited marriage among his descendants occurred two generations later, between cousins. His grandson, Llowdden ap Rhys ap Llowdden Hen , married Sian (c. 1195), daughter of Gruffudd ap Llowdden Hen. [2]

That second Llowdden, born c. 1185, lived at Garth in the parish of Llanddewibrefi, also in Pennardd commote. Citations [3] call him Llowdden Llwyd y Gath, meaning "gray cat", but do not explain why. He named his only son Rhys, thus yielding the "Rhys ap Llowdden ap Rhys ap Llowdden Hen" cited by Peter Bartrum in his PP #38. [4] The third Llowdden was also directly descended from these first two, being a man born c. 1345 as "Llowdden ap Ieuan Llwyd ap Ieuan Fychan ap Ieuan ap Rhys ap Llowdden y Gath"

The fourth man of the name was born c. 1215 and is the "Llowdden ap Iorwerth ap Gwrgeneu ap Uchdryd ap Aleth also cited by Bartrum in PP #38. [5] The "Aleth" in his ancestry was a brother of Iorwerth ap Uchdryd, father of Llowdden Hen. This Llowdden was the ancestor of the Rhys Fongam III mentioned below.

There is another name, Rhys Fongam, which is repeated 3 times in this extended family. Bartrums's charts only identify two such men. Rhys Fongam I of c. 1250 had a father named Rhys, while Rhys Fongam II of c. 1305 was a son of Ieuan Fychan. The third Rhys Fongam was the son of a different Ieuan Fychan, and lived a full generation later, born c. 1345. Bartrum's charts conflate him with Rhys Fongam II; his only known descendants were the Sadler family, whose timeline does not fit with Bartrum's presentation.

A chart of the extended family looks like this:

CHART DISCUSSION:

(a) This is the Llowdden called "the gray cat" who married a grandaughter of Llowdden Hen. He also married, as his second wife, Lleuci (1185) ferch Gruffudd (1157) ap Lord Rhys. [6]

(b) This is the man whom Bartrium called Rhys Fongam I, He married Angharad (1265) ferch Maredudd Fychan (1230) ap Maredudd Hen (1195) ap Hywel (1165) ap Maredudd Hen (1128) ap Hywel (1101) ap Maredudd (1065) ap Bleddyn (1025) ap Cynfyn. [7]

(c) He was the son of the 3rd Llowdden in this family. He married, first, Marged (1260) ferch Gruffudd Foel (1230) of Castel Odwin ap Gruffudd (1195) descended from Gwaithfoed of Meirionydd. [8] He married, secondly, Catryn (1250) ferch Maredudd (1215) ap Owain (1185) ap Gruffudd (1157) ap Lord Rhys. [9]

(d) This Griffri had two wives. One was Elinor (1305) ferch Gruffudd (1280) ap William (1251) ap Gruffudd (1211) ap Gwenwynwyn Cyfeiliog (1183). [10] The other was Gwenhwyfar (1305) ferch Gruffudd Fychan (1270) ap Gruffudd (1240) ap Ieuan (1210) of Overton. [11] Also refer to the Appendix for more about her family.

(e) He married Gwenllian (1290) ferch Elidyr II (1255) ap Elidyr (1225) ap Rhys (1190) ap Gronwy (1160) ap Einion (1130) ap Llywarch (1100) descended from Pasgen of Gower. [12]

(f) He had a daughter, Gwenllian (1335) who married Rhys (1320) ap Llewelyn (1285) ap Rhys Chwith (1250) descended from Peredur Beisgwyn of Meirionydd. [13]

(g) He married a daughter (1360) of Rhys Ddu (1330) ap Llewelyn (1300) ap Cadwgan (1270) ap Cadifor (1240) ap Rhys (1205) ap Rhydderch (1175) ap Cadifor (1135) ap Dyfnwal (1100) [14] He had a daughter, Mabli (1380) who married Cadwgan (1365) ap Hywel (1335) ap Hywel (1305) ap Llewelyn (1275) ap Hywel Gethin (1245) ap Llewelyn y Moelwyn (1210) descended from Llewelyn ap Cadwgan ap Elystan Glodryddd. [15]

(h) He was the ancestor of David Sadler (1470) ap Gruffudd (1440) ap Ieuan (1410) ap Griffri (1380) ap Rhys Fongan III (1345) [16]

NOTES:
[1] Born c. 1095, this Gwrgeneu was the son of Uchdryd ap Aleth and the brother of Iorwerth, the father of Llowdden Hen. Various academics read the "Llwythlawr" as a place-name and identify it as "Ludlow". We believe it means nothing more than its literal meaning "of the tribe of Llawr".

[2] Dwnn i, 243 cites this marriage

[3] Pen 128, 694a calls him Llowdden Llwyd, while a second mention in column "b" of the same page calls him Llowdden y Gath. The latter form is used on page 737b of the same manuscript

[4] Journal of the National Library of Wales, vol XIII, 1963, page 114. Pedigree 38 (2)

[5] ibid. Pedigree 38(4) which incorrectly makes Uchdryd and Aleth men of Tegeingl attached to Edwin. Many pedigrees confuse all the Dyfed men named Uchdryd with Edwin's son of that name

[6] Bodleian Add. C178, 27

[7] Pen 131, 258

[8] Dwnn i, 47

[9] Bodleian Add, C178, 27

[10] Pen 128, 715b

[11] Pen 138, 490

[12] Dwnn i, 51 & 243

[13] Pen 131, 258

[14] Pen 138, 551

[15] Pen 138, 459

[16] Dwnn i, 275; Cedwyn Ms printed in Montgomeryshire Collections, vol X, page 40

APPENDIX - The Family of Overton, Maelor Saesneg

1124 Rhys Sais II

1152 Elidyr

1182 Madog Sutton

_________________l_________________

l l

1210 Ieuan of Overton 1215 Llewleyn

l l

1240 Gruffudd 1245 Madog

l l

1270 Gruffudd Fychan 1275 Iorwerth

________l___________ _ l

l l l

1300 Erddylad (a) 1305 Gwenhwyfar (b) 1305 Madog Owrtyn

(of Overton)

(a) Pen 128, 156b cites her as the wife of Hwfa ap Dafydd ap Cynwrig, and the mother of Angharad ferch Hwfa who married Ieuan ap Madog descended from Gwyn ap Ednowain Bendew. Refer to our papers at the links below:

http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id250.html

http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id244.html

(b) Pen 138, 490 cites her marriage to Griffri (1290) ap Rhys Fongam (1250) ap Rhys (1215) ap Llowdden (1185). On his chart "Llowdden 8", Bartrum identified her as a much later lady: Gwenhwyfar (1415) ferch Sir Gruffudd Fychan (1385) ap Gruffudd (1350) ap Ieuan (1320), and made her the wife of a Griffri ap Rhys Fongam II who he has dated c. 1370. Our chart in the main portion of this paper identified her as wife of the Griffri marked as (d)