Gwrgan Fawr (meaning ''Gwrgan the Great''; also, in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, Gurgantius;

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Fergus; died c. 645) was a king of

Ergyng Ergyng (or Erging) was a Welsh kingdom of the sub-Roman and early medieval period, between the 5th and 7th centuries. It was later referred to by the English as ''Archenfield''. Location The kingdom lay mostly in what is now western Herefordshir ...

, a south-east Welsh kingdom of the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

. He was the son of

Cynfyn King Cynfyn ( la, Conbinus; died c. 615) was the King of Ergyng, a kingdom of south-east Wales in the early medieval period. He was the son of Peibio Clafrog Peibo Clafrog (alternatively, Pepiau Glavorawc, or in Latin, Pepianus Spumosu ...

and rightful heir to the Ergyng throne which, however, was initially usurped by

Gwrfoddw King Gwrfoddw ( la, Gurvodius rex Ercyg, died c. 619) was the King of Ergyng, a south-east Welsh kingdom of the early medieval period. He usurped the throne from Gwrgan ap Cynfyn. Life According to the Book of Llandaff, Gwrfoddw was victoriou ...

around AD 615. Gwrgan probably fled Ergyng when his inheritance was seized by Gwrfoddw Hen. He appears in four charters in the Book of Llandaff during the episcopate of Bishops Euddogwy and Inabwy. Later, Gwrgan features as king in charters in the

Book of Llandaff The Book of Llandaff ( la, Liber Landavensis; cy, Llyfr Llandaf, ', or '), is the chartulary of the cathedral of Llandaff, a 12th-century compilation of documents relating to the history of the diocese of Llandaff in Wales. It is written primaril ...

associated with

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Oudoceus Saint Oudoceus (Latin) or Euddogwy (Welsh) (c.536–c.615 or 625) is generally known as the third Bishop of Llandaff in South Wales. In reality he was probably a 7th-century bishop at Llandeilo Fawr. Wendy Davies puts his episcopal reign bet ...

and Iunapeius. Gwrgan is referred to as King of Damnonia by

William of Malmesbury William of Malmesbury ( la, Willelmus Malmesbiriensis; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as "a ...

, who reports the terms of a grant of land made by him to the "old church" at

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...

in AD 601 in the time of Abbot Worgret.Edward Huttom, London, 1919, ''Highways and Byways of Somerset'', p.156. Little else is known of this monarch, despite his epithet "the Great". However, the overlordship of Glywysing and Gwent may be indicated if he is identified with Gwrgan Frych (the Freckled) who features in the ''Life of Saint

Cadog Saint Cadoc or Cadog ( lat-med, Cadocus; also Modern Welsh: Cattwg; born or before) was a 5th–6th-century Abbot of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorgan, Wales, a monastery famous from the era of the British church as a centre of learnin ...

''. This powerful lord who ruled further west in

Glywysing Glywysing was, from the sub-Roman period to the Early Middle Ages, a petty kingdom in south-east Wales. Its people were descended from the Iron Age tribe of the Silures, and frequently in union with Gwent, merging to form Morgannwg. Name a ...

, granted the Saint half the fishing rights on the Rivers Usk and Neath in return for the great sword of King Rhun Hir of Gwynedd and a fine new horse with all the trappings. Cadog died a few years before Gwrgan's reign, but the association may have been with the Saint's successors at

Llancarfan Abbey Llancarfan is a rural village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The village, located west of Barry and near Cowbridge, has a well-known parish church, the site of Saint Cadoc's 6th-century clas, famed for its learning. Cainnech of A ...

. Gwrgan ruled until around AD 645 when his sons, Caradog and Morgan, should have inherited the throne of Ergyng. When Gwrgan died, the throne of

was inherited, not by his sons, but by Athrwys, the son of his daughter, Onbrawst. It appears that his son-in-law, King Meurig of Glywysing and Gwent, managed to seize power in the name of his son, Athrwys.

References

7th-century deaths Monarchs of Ergyng 7th-century Welsh monarchs Year of birth unknown {{Wales-bio-stub