Gwilym ap Griffith | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. late 14th century |
| Died | 1431 |
| Occupation | Landowner |
| Spouse(s) | Morfudd ferch Goronwy Joan |
Gwilym ap Griffith (died 1431), also known asGwilym ap Gruffydd, was a Welsh landowner. He briefly lent his support toOwain Glyndŵr in theGlyndŵr Rising. When his loyalty returned to the Crown, he was granted the lands of number of Glyndŵr supporters and by the end of his life had ownership of the majority of the lands previously held by theTudors of Penmynydd.
Gwilym ap Griffith was the oldest son of Griffith ap Gwilym and Generys ferch Madog. The family was descended from the 12th-/13th-century Welsh magnate and dynastic founderEdnyfed Fychan.[1]
Gwilym ap Gruffydd married back into the Tudors line, throughMorfudd ferch Goronwy, the daughter ofGoronwy ap Tudur, head of theTudors of Penmynydd and a distant kinsman of Gwilym.[2] Unlike his other family members, he had avoided becoming involved inOwain Glyndŵr's revolt, but lent his support in 1402. He remarried in 1405, to Joan, a daughter of Sir William Stanley fromHooton, Cheshire. This was withdrawn by November 1407, when his forfeited lands were restored to him by the King.[1] Gwilym ap Gruffydd was granted additional lands forfeited after the declaration of support by his first wife's uncles,Rhys ap Tudur andGwilym ap Tudur, for Owain Glyndŵr in theGlyndŵr Rising against KingHenry IV of England. These were the confiscated lands from Rhys and Gwilym ap Tudur, although he did not receive the lands held by a third brother,Maredudd ap Tudur.[2]
These land grants were in addition to those held by a further 25 landowners. He was later also given the lands of his brother-in-law, Tudur ap Goronwy.[1] For a brief while, Gwilym ap Gruffydd and his family lived at the historical Tudur estate inPenmynydd,Anglesey, before moving the family seat toPenrhyn Bay.[2] By the end of his life, Gwilym ap Gruffydd's lands in Anglesey andCaernarfonshire were generating an income of more than £112 per year.[2] The lands included those around theMenai Strait on Anglesey and thecommote ofDindaethwy, and the majority of the lands previously held by various members of the Tudor family.[1]
The descendants of Gwilym ap Gruffydd served in the households of the Tudor KingsHenry VII andHenry VIII of England. However, they did not rise to the same level of prominence in local affairs as the former landowners. They came to be known as the Anglesey Tudors, and were also referred to as the Theodores. They did not live on Anglesey, and were not written about by famous poets of their day.[3]