Madog Crypl (or Madog Crippil), also known as Madog ap Gruffydd Fychan (c. 1275–1304/6) was a descendant of the sovereign Princes of

Powys Fadog Powys Fadog (English: ''Lower Powys'' or ''Madog's Powys'') was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys, which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd in 1160. The realm was divided under Welsh law, with Madog's ...

and Lords of

Dinas Bran Dinas may refer to: Places England * Dinas, an area of Padstow, Cornwall * Castle an Dinas, St Columb Major, an Iron Age hillfort at the summit of Castle Downs, Cornwall * Treryn Dinas, a headland near Treen, on the Penwith peninsula, Cornwa ...

. He is sometimes described as Madog III of Powys Fadog. However, he was only lord of some of the family lands under the

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 ...

crown. He was still a child at the death of his father, Prince

Gruffydd Fychan Gruffudd or Gruffydd ( or , in either case) is a Welsh name, originating in Old Welsh as a given name and today used as both a given and surname. It is the origin of the Anglicised name '' Griffith[s]'', and was historically sometimes tre ...

in 1289, so that the lands were placed in the custody of the queen and then of Reginald de Grey,

Justice of Chester The Justice of Chester was the chief judicial authority for the county palatine of Chester, from the establishment of the county until the abolition of the Great Sessions in Wales and the palatine judicature in 1830. Within the County Palatine (w ...

and then Thomas of Macclesfield. Madog ap Gruffydd asked the king for a suitable provision to be made for him, and seems to have been granted his father's lands. These apparently consisted of

Glyndyfrdwy Glyndyfrdwy (), or sometimes Glyn Dyfrdwy, is a village in the modern county of Denbighshire, Wales. It is situated on the A5 road halfway between Corwen and Llangollen in the Dee Valley (the river Dee is ''Afon Dyfrdwy'' in Welsh). History A ...

and half of the

commote A commote (Welsh ''cwmwd'', sometimes spelt in older documents as ''cymwd'', plural ''cymydau'', less frequently ''cymydoedd'')''Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales ...

Cynllaith Cynllaith or Cynllaeth was a ''cwmwd'' (commote) of north east Wales in the cantref of Swydd y Waun which was once part of the Kingdom of Powys and later part of the smaller kingdom of Powys Fadog. Cynllaith, or at least the part of it called '' ...

, comprising the area around

Sycharth Sycharth is a motte and bailey castle and town in Llansilin, Powys, Wales. Until 1996 Sycharth was in the historic county of Denbighshire, but was then transferred to the Shire area of Montgomeryshire within Powys. Sycharth Castle was the bi ...

. Madog married Gwenllian, daughter of Ithel Fychan of Halkin and had a son Gruffydd of Rhuddallt, who was married on 8 July 1304 at the age of six to Elizabeth, daughter of John LeStrange of

Knockin Knockin ( cy, Cnwcin) is a village and civil parish in north-west Shropshire, England. It is located on the B4396 road, around south-east of the town of Oswestry, and from the county town of Shrewsbury. History The former name of Knockin w ...

Death and Burial

Madog died circa 1304/1306 in his manor of Rhuddallt, probably in Glyn Dyfrdwy. He was buried at

Valle Crucis Abbey Valle Crucis Abbey (Valley of the Cross) is a Cistercian abbey located in Llantysilio in Denbighshire, Wales. More formally ''the Abbey Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Valle Crucis'' it is known in Welsh both as ''Abaty Glyn Egwestl'' and ''A ...

Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community, situated on the River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beau ...

, an abbey founded by his grandfather,

Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor Madog ap Gruffudd, or Madog ap Gruffudd Maelor, was Prince of Powys Fadog from 1191 to 1236 in north-east Wales. Early life He was elder son of Prince Gruffydd Maelor and his wife, Angharad, a daughter of King Owain Gwynedd. He succeeded his fa ...

. In 1956 the heraldic tomb slab of Madog was found at the Abbey and is now on display there. It is said to be the best preserved example of a stone monument in North Wales from this period. The carving shows a shield with a lion rampant, surrounded by the inscription in the upper half of the slab. A sheathed sword is diagonally set behind the shield and a spear runs vertically along the slab. The whole is decorated with vine leaves and bunches of grapes. The inscription reads: ::HIC IACET : MA/DOC' : FIL' : GRIFINI : DCI : VYCHAN This translates as: Here lies Madog son of Gruffydd called Fychan

Posterity

Gruffydd of Rhuddallt became a ward of his father in law, who died in 1309. Custody of his lands was then granted to Edmund Hakluyt, who sold the wardship to Roger Mortimer of Chirk. However, he probably stayed with the LeStrange family, as Roger Mortimer disputed the validity of the marriage in 1305. Gruffydd ultimately obtained possession of his lands in March 1321. He held the two lordships by Welsh barony (''pennaeth''), which required him to serve in the king's army with his men at the king's expense. In 1328, he settled his lands on himself and his wife in tail. In 1332 he had custody of the manor and castle of Ellesmere, recently granted to his brother in law Eubolo LeStrange. He died sometime after 1343. Gruffydd was probably succeeded by his son

Gruffydd Fychan II Gruffudd Fychan II was Lord of Glyndyfrdwy and Lord of Cynllaith Owain c.1330–1369. As such, he had a claim to be hereditary Prince of Powys Fadog. Ancestry The epithet 'Fychan' implies that his father was also called Gruffudd. However c ...

who is reported to have died shortly before 1370, and was the father of

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...

.Davies, R.R., ''The Revolt of Owain Glyn Dwr'' (Oxford University Press, 1995:repr. 2001), p.130. However, some genealogical tables insert another generation with a

Madog Fychan Madog Fychan was a member of the family of Princes of Powys Fadog, though he never gained the title, being brother of Gruffydd Maelor II. He was an ally to Dafydd ap Llywelyn in his campaign to attack English possessions in Wales in 1245 and sided ...

as son of Madog Crypl.

References

Welsh Princes
based on ''Burkes Royal Families'' (1973) {{DEFAULTSORT:Crypl, Madog Monarchs of Powys 1270s births 1300s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain