Dafydd ab Ieuan ( 1350 – 1422/23History of Parliament Online – Holbach, David
/ref>), better known by his English name David Holbache, was a Welsh politician, best known for founding

Oswestry School Oswestry School is an ancient public school (English independent day and boarding school), located in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. It was founded in 1407 as a 'free' school, being independent of the church. This gives it the distinction of b ...

in 1407.

Family background

Dafydd, was born in the mid-14th century to Ieuan "Gôch" ap Dafydd ab Iorwerth and Angharad ferch Iorwerth ap Griffri "Fychan".Welsh Genealogies, AD 300–1400 (1980), Bartrum, Peter C.: University of Wales Press, 1980, vol. 12 p. 896''The History of the Princes, the Lords Marcher and the Ancient Nobility of Powys Fodog and the Ancient Lords of Arwystli, Cedewen and Meirionydd'', Lloyd, Jacob Youde William, vol. 4 p. 93 His father's family had been seated at Pentrehylin, Dudleston, near Ellesmere, Shropshire since the early 13th century. Pentrehylin means 'Helyin's village' in English and is named for Holbache's ancestor Heilin ap Trahaearn ab Iddon. Heilin ap Trahaearn claimed descent from Tudur "Trefor" ab Ynyr, a 10th-century lord of

Maelor The Maelor is an area of north-east Wales along the border with England. It is now entirely part of Wrexham County Borough. The name ''Maelor'' is an old Welsh word: it can be translated as "land of the prince", from ''mael'' ("prince") and ''l ...

Cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which were ...

and a founder of one of the

Fifteen Tribes of Wales "The five royal tribes of Wales" and "The fifteen tribes of Gwynedd" refer to a class of genealogical lists which were compiled by Welsh bards in the mid-15th century. These non-identical lists were constructed on the premise that many of the leadi ...

. His mother's family also claimed paternal descent from Trahaearn ab Iddon. His inheritance was assumed by his uncles, Einion "Goch" and Madog "Goch".

Career

Holbach first appears in 1376 as a legal advisor to the

Earl of Arundel Earl of Arundel is a title of nobility in England, and one of the oldest extant in the English peerage. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used (along with the Earl of Surrey) by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. The ...

, who held the Lordship of

Oswestry Oswestry ( ; ) is a market town, civil parish and historic railway town in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483 and A495 roads. The town was the administrative headquarters of the Borough of ...

. He likely adopted the surname of Holbache to assist his assimilation into the English-controlled systems of governance, which limited opportunities and privileges for Welshmen. On 27 October 1377, he entered the acting service as King's pleader and attorney for Wales. In this capacity it is known he served as a commissioner for gaol delivery in Conway. He was a member of parliament for

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

from 1406 to 1410 and in 1414. In 1409 he was Deputy Steward of the Marcher

Lordship of Bromfield and Yale The Lordship of Bromfield and Yale was formed in 1282Rogers 1992, p. viii. by the merger of the medieval commotes of Marford, Wrexham and Ial, Yale. It was part of the Welsh Marches and was within the cantref of Maelor in the former Kingdom of Powy ...

Oswestry School

In 1407, David and his wife, Gwenhwyfar ferch Ieuan, entrusted some of their lands situated in the Oswestry lordship to pay the wages of a schoolmaster, establishing what was to become

.Introduction to the History of Oswestry School
/ref> The school premises were a half-timbered building within the grounds of St. Oswald's Parish Church. The building still stands today and is the location of a heritage centre. Due to poor record keeping, little written documentation survives for the school up until relatively recent times. The headmasters of the school are unknown for the first 154 years of the school's history. Documentation relating to the school increases slightly after the unification.

Marriage, issue and legacy

At around the turn of the 14th century he married Gwenhwyfar ferch Ieuan ab John (in English, Guinevere), of Sweeney, in Oswestry Parish, who brought with her lands in Sweeney, Treflach and

Maesbury Maesbury is a small scattered community in Shropshire, England, south of the town of Oswestry, falling within the Oswestry Rural parish. The name is derived from ''maes'', meaning ''field'' or ''plain'' in Brythonic Welsh, and ''burh'', me ...

. By this marriage or by another women of the same name he is attributed a daughter, Gwensi, who is said to have married Robert Salter, of Oswestry. However, this is believed to be an invention, Holbach being recorded as dying without issue. His will, which was made 10 September 1421, was proved on 7 April 1423, but is no longer extant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holbache, David 14th-century births 1420s deaths 14th-century Welsh people 15th-century Welsh politicians 15th-century educators Welsh educators Welsh lawyers English MPs 1406 People from Ellesmere, Shropshire People from Oswestry The Lordship of Bromfield and Yale English MPs 1407 English MPs 1410 English MPs 1411 English MPs May 1413 English MPs April 1414 English MPs 1417 English MPs 1419