Rhys Mechyll (died 1244) was a Welsh prince, Lord of Dinefwr, of the

House of Dinefwr The Royal House of Dinefwr was a cadet branch of the Royal House of Gwynedd, founded by King Cadell ap Rhodri (reign 872–909), son of Rhodri the Great. Their ancestor, Cunedda Wledig, born in late Roman Britain, was a Sub-Roman warlord who f ...

and

Kingdom of Deheubarth Deheubarth (; lit. "Right-hand Part", thus "the South") was a regional name for the realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under the House of ...

in southern Wales from 1234 to 1244. He was a son of prince

Rhys Gryg Rhys Gryg ('Rhys the Hoarse') (died 1234), real name Rhys ap Rhys, also known as Rhys Fychan ('Rhys the Younger') was a Welsh prince who ruled part of the Kingdom of Deheubarth. Lineage Rhys was the fourth son of Rhys ap Gruffydd (The Lord Rhy ...

(died 1234) ("Rhys the Hoarse"), son of prince

Rhys ap Gruffydd Rhys ap Gruffydd, commonly known as The Lord Rhys, in Welsh ''Yr Arglwydd Rhys'' (c. 1132 – 28 April 1197) was the ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth in south Wales from 1155 to 1197 and native Prince of Wales. It was believed that he ...

(1132–1197),Walker, 1990, p. 98 "The Lord Rhys", ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth.

Marriage

He married Matilda de Braose (died 1248) who betrayed the dynasty's chief castle of

Carreg Cennen Carreg Cennen Castle (Welsh: ''Castell Carreg Cennen'') is a castle sited on a high rocky outcrop overlooking the River Cennen, close to the village of Trap, four miles south east of Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, Wales. ''Castell Carreg Cennen' ...

to the Anglo-Normans in 1248, against the interests of her son Rhys. A Welsh chronicle, the ''Brut y Tywysogyon'', records under the year 1248: ''"Rhys Fychan ap Rhys Mechyll regained the castle of Carreg Cennen, which his mother had treacherously placed in the power of the French, out of enmity for her son."''

Progeny

He had four sons and a daughter, Gwenllian, who married Gilbert Talbot (died 1274), the grandfather of Gilbert Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot (died 1345/46),, who claimed the ancient armorials of the House of Deheubarth, assumed as

arms of alliance Arms of alliance are those coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of th ...

to a great princess in place of his own paternal arms. The assumption about Gwenllian, however, was unfounded as Rhys Mechyll, Lord of Dinefwr, also had male heirsSiddons M P: 'The Development of Welsh Heraldry', Vol. 1, p. 289, NLW 1991. who acceded to the arms of the House of Deheubarth.

Notes

* Walker, David.
Medieval Wales
', Cambridge University Press, 1990, p. 98.

References

Monarchs of Deheubarth 1244 deaths Year of birth unknown 13th-century Welsh monarchs {{UK-royal-stub