fydd ab Cynan, who had been put to death by the English, was deprived of his eyesight in the Castle of Careg Hwfa by his brethren; and, in A.D. 1187, Gwenwynwyn, Prince of Powys Uchaf, and his illegitimate brother, Caswallawn ab Owain Cyfeiliog, captured this castle in a treacherous nocturnal attack, and immediately assassinated its lord, Owain Fychan ab Madog, after he had had possession of it for twenty-three years. Owain ab Madog, Lord of Mechain is y Coed, married Gwladys, daughter (by Angharad his wife, daughter of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales) of Maelgwn Fychan, one of the lords of Ceredigion, son of Maelgwn Mawr, an illegitimate son of the Lord Rhys ab Gruffudd, Prince of South Wales, by whom he had issue two sons-1. Owain Fychan, of whom presently; and 2. Llywelyn ab Owain, who died s. p.; and a daughter, Tangwystl, who married Hwfa ab Iorwerth of Havod y Wern, in Maelor Gymraeg, sable, three lions passant in pale argent. OWAIN FYCHAN, Lord of Mechain Isgoed, married Gwladys, daughter of Maredudd ab Owain ab Gruffydd ab Yr Arglwydd Rhys, Prince of South Wales, by whom he had a son and heir, Llywelyn, the father of Llywelyn Fychan, the father of Maredudd, the father of Madog of Mechain is y Coed, who had two daughters coheirs.1. Gwerfyl, who married Gruffydd of Maelor Saesneg, second son of Iorwerth Foel, Lord of Chirk, Maelor, Saesneg, and Nanheudy, and jure uxoris of Abertanad and Blodwel in Mechain; and, 2. Angharad, who married David le Clerk, Baron of Malpas, argent, cross flory sable. IV. ELISSAU AB MADOG, Lord of Edeyrnion. In 1183, he gave to the monks of Ystrad Marchell the land called Llecheudin, in the parish of Gwyddelwern in Edeyrnion; and, in 1198, he gave to the same abbey other lands in Gwyddelwern, and by the same charter confirmed the grant of the lands of Eskengainog, which had been made to the monks of Ystrad Marchell by his predecessor, Maredudd ab Hywel, Lord of Edeyrnion, in 1176. The witnesses to both these charters were Iorwerth Saeth Marchog and Hywel ab Ithael. In 1202, Elissau refused to join Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, Prince of North Wales, against Prince Gwenwynwyn, and, therefore, after the clergy and religious had concluded a peace between them, the territory of Elissau was taken from him, and ultimately, out of compassion, there was given him for his maintenance, in charity, the Castle of Crogen (Chirk Castle), with seven small townships. The three daughters of Madog ab Maredudd were, Margaret, consort of Iorwerth Drwyndwn; Gwenllian, consort of the Lord Rhys ab Gruffydd, Prince of South Wales; and Eva. Besides these, Madog had three illegitimate sons, viz. OWAIN BROGYNTYN was the illegitimate son of Prince Madog ab Maredudd, by a daughter of the Maer Ddu, or Black Mayor of Rûg, in Edeyrnion. He resided at Brogyntyn, near Oswestry, whence he assumed his surname, and some remains of fortifications, called Castell Brogyntyn, mark the site of his abode. His dagger and cup were long preserved at Rûg. Owain, who was a young man of great promise, was made by his father Lord of Dinmael, and, after the deposition of his half brother, Elissau, in 1202, he appears to have become Lord of Edeyrnion also. He was living in 1215, as he, together with his two sons, Cadwgawn and Hywel, were witnesses to a deed from Owain de Brithdir, confirming to the monks of Strata Florida all their lands in Arwystli, dated 1215.1 Owain Brogyntyn is also stated to have made a grant to the Abbey of Basingwerke, in Tegeingl, "of a certain water in Penthlinn, called Thlintegyd, and all the pasture of the said land of Penthlin". This was witnessed by Reyner, who was Bishop of St. Asaph from 1186 to 1224, and by Ithel, Owain's chaplain. He also gave "Wenhewm", with all the men of the same township, and with their appurtenances. This last gift was confirmed by David ab Llywelyn, Prince of North Wales, who also confirmed the donation of the Lord Llywelyn his father, "of the lands and pastures of Penllyn, by measures and divisions which are named in my father's charter, which they hold of it". This charter was given at Coleshill, M.CC.XL, but no mention is made. of Owain Brogyntyn having given Llyn Tegid, or the pastures of Penllyn, to the abbey. Owain Brogyntyn married, first, Sioned, the daughter of Hywel ab Madog ab Idnerth ab Cadwgan ab Elystan Glodrudd. This Hywel ab Madog was slain by the machinations of Helias de Saii or Say, Lord of Clun, in 1142. By this lady, Owain had no issue. He married, secondly, Marred or Margaret, daughter of Einion ab Seisyllt, Lord of Mathavern in Cyfeiliog (argent, a lion passant sable, inter three fleurs-de-lys gules), by whom he had three sons-1. Gruffydd, Baron of Yr Hendwr, Branas Uchaf, Branas Isaf, and Gwynodl in Edeyrnion; 2. Bleddyn, Lord of Dinmael; and 3. Iorwerth, Baron of Cymmer and Llangar, in Edeyrnion. "Ar Varred oedd vam plant Owain Brogyntyn medd Llyvr Sion Wynn ab Davydd ab Gruffri." An account of the descendants of Owain Brogyntyn will be found in the April, July, and October numbers of the Archæologia Cambrensis for 1877. The other two illegitimate sons of Madog ab Maredudd were twins, viz,, Einion Efell and Cynwrig Efell. 2 Sebright MS. 1 Bye-Gones, W., 1876. 3 History of the Parish of Llangurig, pp. 351-57. + Lewys Dunn, vol. ii, 109. EINION EFELL, Lord of Cynllaith ir Iarll, bore party per fess sable and argent, a lion rampant counterchanged. He lived at Llwyn y Maen, near Oswestry, and died in 1196. He married Arddun, daughter of Madog Fychan ab Madog ab Einion Hael. He was the ancestor of the families of Maurice of Lloran Uchaf, Maurice of Pen y Bont or Glan Cynllaith, Maurice of Tref Edryd, of Farm, of Cefn Hir and Cae Hir, Kyffin of Glasgoed and Bodfach, Swynae of Maenan, Tanat of Abertanad, Lloyds of Aston, of Foords, and of Pentref Coed; Powels of Whittington Park, Wynn of Moel Iwrch, Lloyds of Moelfre, Hughes of Llanarmon Mynydd Mawr, Daniel of Cefn yr Odfa, Davies of Pentref Cae, Edward ab Thomas of Llangynhafal, Maurice of Cwm Blawty, and Hughes of Pentref Bach. CYNWRIG EFELL, Lord of Y Glwysegl, bore gules, on a bend argent, a lion passant sable. He was the ancestor of the families of Davies of Plassau Gwysanau and Llanerch, Wynn of Twr Moel, Eyton of Coed y Llai or Leeswood, Parry of Pwl Halawg in Tegeingl, Davies of Y Glwysegl, Davies of Brynbwa, Griffith of Gwysannau, Williams of Arddyn went, Davies of Arddynwent, and Parry of Gwern Ddu, near Oswestry. ARWYRAIN MADAWG AB MAREDUDD GWALCH- Ardwyriav deyrn eurgyrn adawd Prysur durawd Prydain â danad Paydydion borthiad Boed cyfoed dy rad A'th wlad a'th wawd Ethiw dy ergryd Yn eithavoed byd Arthur gadernyd Menwyd medrawd Madawg maws cdrud Meiriau drablud Drablawd fosawd 1 Gwalchmai was one of the most eminent poets of the twelfth century, and a skilful performer on the harp. He was a native of Anglesey, and is said to have accompanied Richard Cœur de Lion to the Holy Wars. He flourished from 1150 to 1190. Twelve of his poems are preserved and printed in the Myvyrian Archaiology, which are admirable for their poetic excellence, and one of them addressed to Owain Gwynedd, on the battle of Tal y Voel in 1158, is printed with an English translation in the Cambrian Register, i, 407. (Williams's Eminent Welshmen.) Gwalchmai was the son of Meilir ab Mabon ab Iarddur ab Mor ab Tegeryn ab Aulawg ab Greiddef ab Cwnws Ddu ab Cillin Ynad ab Peredur Teirnog ab Meilur Eryr Gwyr y Gorsedd. He married Genhedles, daughter of Gwrgeneu ab Ednowain ab Ithel, Lord of the Bryn, in Pennant Melangell, in Powys, by whom he had a son Einion ab Gwalchmai. |