Gruffydd ap Nicolas (abt. 1385 - abt. 1461)

Born about 1385 in Wales

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1461 at about age 76 in England

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Biography

Gruffudd ap Nicolas was probably born about 1393 in Llandeilo Fawr, Maernordeilo, Carmarthenshire, Wales.^[6] He is the grandson of Philip ab Elidr Ddu.

"Sir Gruffydd ab Niclas, of Dinefawr, called the 'Eagle of Caermarthen,' ... was the most unflinching and staunchest supporter of the House of York. In more peaceful times he was a great patron of the bards...."^[7]

He married Mably ferch Mredydd ap Henri Dwnn,^[8] and they had at least one son:^[6]

Thomas ap Gruffudd, born about 1425 in Maenordeilo, Cantref Mawr, Carmarthenshire, Wales^[6]

Gruffud's known sons:^[9]

• Thomas (by Mabel, daughter of Maredudd Dwnn)
• John ("...in 1439, and [Gruffud's] son John shared the office with him")
• Owen ("In 1442-3, ...the Privy Council ordered the arrest of [Gruffud's] son Owen")

It is said that he was thrice married:^[10]

• (1) to Mabel, daughter of Meredith Ap Henry Dwnn,
• (2) to a daughter of Sir Thomas Perrot, and
• (3) to Jane, daughter of Jenkin Ap Rhys Ap Dafydd of Gilfach-wen.

Three of his sons have been named, John who disappears early from the records, Owen, heir of Bryn y Beirdd, ... and Thomas, who was slain in a skirmish at Pennal, probably during lord Herbert's expedition into North Wales in 1468. He was the father of Sir Rhys ap Thomas (1449-1525).

Gruffydd ab Niclas married thrice:^[11]

• 1st, Mabli, eldest daughter of Meredydd ab Harri Dwnn of Cydweli and Cwrt Pibwr, after whose death he married,
• 2ndly, Marged, third dau. of Sir Thomas Perrot, of Haroldston (Tref Harallt), in the county of Pembroke by his wife Alis (Alice) Picton, of Cemmaes, descended from one of the original Knights of the Garter, temp. Edward III. viz., Sir Guy de Bryan, of Llacharn (Laugharne), K.G.,... Alis (Alice) Picton was paternally descended from a younger brother, Phylip, of Sir William Picton, of Picton Castle, Knt.; and,
• thirdly, Jane, daughter and coheiress to Siencyn ab Rhys, of Gilfach Wen, co. Cardigan, descended from Cadifor ab Dinawol, Lord of Castell Hywel."

"Gruffud ap Nicholas (fl. 1425-1456), an esquire and a leading figure in the local administration of the principality of South Wales in the middle of the 15th cent. Nothing is known of his early years, but it is said that he was the posthumous son of Nicolas ap Phylip ap Syr Elidir Ddu (one of the knights of the Sepulchre) by his wife Jennet, daughter of Gruffydd ap Llewelyn Foethus. ... The first authentic record of him is as holder of the office of king's approver for the lordship and new town of Dynevor in 1425. He was sheriff of Carmarthenshire in 1436. With Edmund Beaufort, parts of the lands of Phillip Clement were demised to him in 1437."^[6]

"On the verge of the Wars of the Roses, he was on good terms with the court of Henry VI, and after the Yorkist victory at S Alban's, 1455, he lost some of his offices. ...

"However, he and his sons, Thomas and Owen, were granted general pardons on 26 Oct 1456. His name then disappears from the records. Had he been alive on 1 March 1459 it is difficult to imagine that his name would have been left out of a commission entrusted to his two sons, Thomas and Owen, with Jasper and Owen Tudor. It is, therefore, impossible to accept the reports that he was mortally wounded either at the battle of Wakefield, 1460, or at Mortimer's Cross, 1461."^[6]

"Gruffudd's last known act was to make over to his son Owain the castle and lordship of Narberth in February 1460/1,^[12] and he is likely to have died soon afterwards (Griffiths,«i» Sir Rhys «/i»p.24).^[13]

"Gruffydd ab Niclas, although a follower and staunch adherent of Edward, Earl of March, as he had been of his father the Duke of York, was nevertheless highly complimented in an ode by the bard Lewys Glyn Cothi (vide his work). He was at last slain at the battle of Wakefield on the side of York, leaving a numerous issue by his three wives, ... [Pedigree of the ancient family of Dolau Cothi]..."^[14]

Sources

1. ↑ Ancient Wales Studies, accessed May 26, 2015
2. ↑ "said to have been posthumous son of..." (from Janet Ariciu's webpage, John/Jones Family, accessed April 2, 2015)
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Nicolas & Jonet (Bartrum's Chart: Einion ap Llywarch 7)
4. ↑ Ancient Wales Studies, accessed May 26, 2015
5. ↑ "said to have been posthumous son of..." (from Janet Ariciu's webpage, John/Jones Family, accessed April 2, 2015)
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4} John/Jones Family, Janet's Genealogy (website by Janet Ariciu, accessed April 2, 2015)
7. ↑ from Janet's page, from John Rowland's "Pedigree of the ancient family of Dolau Cothi (page 10)
8. ↑ Dwnn's Visitations of Wales, page 131, footnote 5, for "Gwladys v Mredydd ap Henri Dwnn" is "Her sister, Mably, was the first wife of her husband's nephew, Gruffydd ap Nicolas, to whom Lewys Glyn Cothi addressed an Ode, in which he styles him "the Eagle of Carmarthen" and mentions his descent from Urien Rheged."
9. ↑ son's names extracted from narrative by Janet Ariciu, John/Jones Family, Janet's Genealogy (accessed April 2, 2015)
10. ↑ from Janet's page, apparently from "Dictionary of Welsh Biography" (p 313)
11. ↑ also from Janet's page, apparently from "Pedigree of the ancient family of Dolau Cothi"
12. ↑ transcription errors arising from confusion in recording dates prior to 1752 from January through March make it possible that this reference to an act in February 1460/1 actually occurred in February 1459, which would be compatible with Janet's conclusion that he died prior to March 1, 1459
13. ↑ from Janet's page, source unclear
14. ↑ from Janet's page, the reference to Gruffud's death that she refers to when she gives information to support her statement that it is "impossible to accept the reports that he was mortally wounded at the battle of Wakefield..."

• The Bartrum Project, digitization of "Welsh Genealogies AD 300- 1500" by Peter C. Bartrum (mirrored from the defunct Cadair site by Geni: Bartrum Genealogical Project - free login required to access the charts). See additional information about Cadair in G2G.
  • Einion ap Llywarch 4: Elidir Ddu
  • Einion ap Llywarch 7: Philip ab Elidir Ddu

• Carl Boyer, 3rd. Medieval Welsh Ancestors of Certain Americans. Santa Clarita, CA: n.p., 2004. [ ] , Page 129

• FamilySearch Welsh database histfam links removed by FS, following closest match:
  • "Community Trees," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:3KHK-YVD : accessed 6 December 2020), entry for Gruffudd ap Nicolas, cites sources; "Wales. Welsh Medieval Database Primarily Nobility and Gentry lines. Date range: 100s-1900s." file (2:2:2:MMDR-CFK), submitted 22 July 2016 by FamilySearch.

See also:

• Biography for GRUFFUDD ap NICOLAS, "Dictionary of Welsh Biography" (online courtesy of The National Library of Wales, accessed April 21, 2015)
  • refers to the article "Gruffydd ap Nicholas and the rise of the House of Dinefwr," by Ralph A. Griffiths
• Janet Ariciu's "John/Jones Family" page for additional information about the life of Griffudd ap Nicolas and a list of her sources.

Acknowledgements

• Janet Ariciu, whose research of the Awbreys is invaluable. Thank you Janet!!
• Liz Shifflett
• Travis Wagner created this profile on Travis Wagner, May 11, 2012 (no sources given).