Gwerclas usually refers to a former castle and farmstead close to Cymmer in the parish of

Llangar Llangar is a former civil parish in Denbighshire in Wales, south west of Corwen, its post town, and north east of Bala. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Alwen and Dee, and includes the small hamlets of Bryn, Cymer, and Gwyn ...

in the ancient

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 ...

of Edeyrnion,

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. It is now just an uninhabited upland area. The modest castle found at the site during the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

is now completely ruinous. The ancient Barons of Cymmer yn Edeyrnion (known as the

Hughes of Gwerclas Hughes of Gwerclas were a native Welsh royal family descended from Owain Brogyntyn the illegitimate but acknowledged son of Madog ap Maredudd (one of the last Kings of Powys, of the House of Mathrafal) by a daughter of the "Maer du" or "black ma ...

) cite this place as their ancestral home. Prior to the resettling of the castle in 1186 by the ancestors of the Hughes family it was the power base of the mysterious ''Maer Du'' or "Black Mayors" of Edeyrnion.

Notes

References

The Royal Tribes of Wales
Philip Yorke, London (1799), *The Royal Families of England, Scotland and Wales,

John Bernard Burke Sir John Bernard Burke, (5 January 1814 – 12 December 1892) was a British genealogist and Ulster King of Arms, who helped publish ''Burke's Peerage''. Personal life Burke, of Irish descent, was born at London and was educated in London and ...

(1851), vol. 1, pedigree L11
A Genealogical History of Abeyant, Forfeited, and Extinct Peerages of the British Empire
by Bernard Burke, John Burke, Published by Harrison, 1866, Oxford University {{coord, 52.9682, N, 3.4118, W, source:wikidata, display=title History of Wales Medieval Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Denbighshire