Goronwy ap Tudur Hen (died 1331), also known as Goronwy ap Tudur or Goronwy Fychan, was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
aristocrat and Lord of
Penmynydd
Penmynydd (; ), meaning "top of the mountain" in Welsh, is a village and community on Anglesey, Wales. It is known for being the birthplace of the Tudors of Penmynydd, which became the House of Tudor.
The population according to the United Kingd ...
. He was a member of the
Tudor family of Penmynydd,
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
, North Wales, and a direct ancestor of
Owen Tudor
Sir Owen Tudor (, 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty.
Background
Owe ...
and thereby the Royal
House of Tudor. He was a soldier for the English crown, who fought in the
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty ...
, including in the English invasion which led to the
Battle of Bannockburn. He remained loyal to King
Edward II of England
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
until the king's death, and was both a
yeoman
Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...
and forester of
Snowdon. After his death in 1331, his body was interred in
Llanfaes Friary
Llanfaes Friary was a Franciscan friary in the now vanished medieval town of Llanfaes, close to what is now Beaumaris, in south east Anglesey, Wales. It was founded around 1237 in memory of Joan, wife of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth. The Friary survive ...
, near
Bangor, Gwynedd.
Ancestry and family
Goronwy ap Tudur Hen was one of three sons of Welsh noble
Tudur Hen
Tudur Hen (English: Tudur the Elder) or Tudur ap Goronwy (died 11 October 1311) was a Welsh aristocrat and original founder of the House of Tudor. He was one of three sons of Goronwy ab Ednyfed who received lands from King Edward I of England ...
(English: Tudur the Elder) and Anghared fil Ithel Fychan, alongside Madog ap Tudur Hen and Hywel ap Tudur Hen.
Tudor Hen had first been in service to
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...
(also known as Llywelyn the Last), the King of
Gwynedd, but retained his titles under the
conquest of Wales by King
Edward I of England
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...
. But during the rebellion of
Madog ap Llywelyn
Madog ap Llywelyn (died after 1312) was the leader of the Welsh revolt of 1294–95 against English rule in Wales and proclaimed "Prince of Wales". The revolt was surpassed in longevity only by the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr in the 15th century. Ma ...
, Tudur acted as his steward. After the rebellion failed, Tudur pledged his loyalty to Edward.
Utilising the more advantageous property laws of England, Tudur saw to it that his lands were passed seamlessly upon his death in 1311 into the hands of Goronwy.
Service to the English crown
Goronwy ap Tudur Hen was Lord of Penmynydd and a soldier in the service of the English crown. He joined King
Edward II of England
Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...
for his invasion of Scotland in 1314 as part of the
First War of Scottish Independence
The First War of Scottish Independence was the first of a series of wars between English and Scottish forces. It lasted from the English invasion of Scotland in 1296 until the ''de jure'' restoration of Scottish independence with the Treaty ...
, which included service at the
Battle of Bannockburn in June of that year. In 1316, a rebellion took place in
Glamorgan under the leadership of
Llywelyn Bren
Llywelyn Bren (), or Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ap Rhys / Llywelyn ap Rhys (also Llewelyn) or in en, Llywelyn of the Woods. He was a nobleman who led a 1316 revolt in Wales in the reign of King Edward II of England. It marked the last serious challen ...
, at the same time Edward was campaigning in Scotland.
Despite this, there was little concern that it would spread to North Wales, with the royal officials instead concerned with the threat of invasion from Ireland. Some 1,500 troops were summoned from the area to support the King, and among those leading those troops were
Iorweth ap Gruffudd,
Gruffudd Llwyd
Gruffudd Llwyd (fl. c.1380–1410) was a Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colo ...
and his cousin Goronwy ap Tudur Hen. After these troops, under the command of Gruffudd Llwyd, moved to
Chester, they were dismissed on 4 August 1316 to return to North Wales in order to protect the area from the Irish threat.
Goronwy and his troops were again summoned into the King's service to retake
Berwick in 1319, after Scottish forces had
taken it a year earlier. The majority of the forces from Wales came from the southern
Marcher Lords
A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales.
A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in F ...
, but Goronwy, Gruffudd Llwyd and Hywel ap Gruffudd ap Geruath led those from the northern part of the country. Around the same time, as a
yeoman
Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...
of the king, Goronwy was made forester of
Snowdon. He remained loyal to Edward II, but following the king's death, he resumed service to
Edward III.
Goronwy married Gwerfyl ferch Madog, daughter of Madog ap Iorwerth, 3rd
Baron of Hendwr. Goronwy and Gwerfyl had three sons,
Tudur, Hywel, and Gruffydd.
Goronwy was interred after his death in the west wall of the
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
Llanfaes Friary
Llanfaes Friary was a Franciscan friary in the now vanished medieval town of Llanfaes, close to what is now Beaumaris, in south east Anglesey, Wales. It was founded around 1237 in memory of Joan, wife of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth. The Friary survive ...
near
Bangor, Gwynedd on 11 December 1331. His father had overseen the reconstruction efforts of the friary, and in 1311 was the first of the family to be placed there following his death.
Other members of the family were placed there following death, until some were moved following the
Dissolution of the Monasteries under the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
imposed by King
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, with Goronwy's being moved to
St Gredifael's Church, Penmynydd.
Legacy
Goronwy's eldest son Hywel ap Goronwy joined the priesthood, and became a canon of
Bangor Cathedral. In 1357, Hywel became the Archdeacon of
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
. Gruffydd drowned in 1344.
Goronwy ap Tudur Hen was one of the direct ancestors of the Royal
House of Tudor.
His son, Tudur ap Goronwy, became a knight in the service of Edward III, and was the grandfather of Owain ap Maredudd ap Tudur (through his son,
Maredudd ap Tudur
Maredudd ap Tudur (died c. 1406) was a Welsh soldier and nobleman from the Tudor family of Penmynydd. He was one of five sons of Tudur ap Goronwy, and was the father of Owen Tudor. Maredudd supported the Welsh patriot Owain Glyndŵr in 1400, a ...
, grandson to Goronwy ap Tudur Hen). Owain Anglicised his name, becoming
Owen Tudor
Sir Owen Tudor (, 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty.
Background
Owe ...
, and was himself the grandfather of King
Henry VII of England
Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...
, the founder of the House of Tudor.
Lineage
Notes
References
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* (2 vols)
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* (2 vols in 4 parts)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tudur Hen, Goronwy
14th-century births
1331 deaths
Goronwy
Welsh soldiers
People from Anglesey
Year of birth unknown
14th-century Welsh people