LLYWELYN ap GRUFFYDD
or
LLYWELYN BREN
(d.
1317
)
.
He is described as son of
Gruffydd
, not
Rhys
(a patronymic which has hitherto caused some confusion), in a letter announcing his capture in
1316
. Record evidence reveals him as a man of culture with unusual
literary interests
for a person of his class and period,
possessing considerable property and personal wealth
in
Senghenydd
and
Miscin
— '
a great man and powerful in his own country
,’ as a contemporary chronicle has it. All this suggests that he was the son of
Gruffydd ap Rhys
, a native vassal of the honour of
Glamorgan
, and a great-grandson of
Ifor Bach
,
lord of Senghenydd
(q.v.)
, and
Nest
, granddaughter of
Rhys ap Tewdwr
(q.v.)
. Since
1256
Senghenydd
had been fully absorbed into the feudal organisation of the honour, and
Llywelyn
appears to have been on excellent terms with the young
earl
,
Gilbert de
Clare
, holding office under him and, possibly, acting as the
earl's leading adviser on native affairs
. With
Gilbert
's untimely death in
1314
,
Glamorgan
passed for a time into royal custody, an event accompanied by changes in local administration, particularly when
Pain de
Turberville
,
lord of Coity
, was appointed
custos
in
1315
;
Pain
, a near neighbour and enemy of
Llywelyn
's kinsmen of
Afan
, was no friend of
Welshmen
, whatever their degree.
Llywelyn
was removed from office, and there followed a short period of bitter personal recrimination on both sides, which reached a climax in
Llywelyn
's unsympathetic hearing before
Edward
II
. Fearing treachery, he returned home secretly early in
1316
, and in view of general discontent throughout the Welshries, had no difficulty in
raising a widespread revolt
among the hillsmen of
Glamorgan
. The rebellion, though attended by serious devastation of the
Vale
and a number of determined attacks on several important strongholds — including
Caerphilly
— was over in a few weeks. The rebels had little hope of success when the
marcher lords
combined under de
Bohun
and
Mortimer
, to whom
Llywelyn
made the heroic personal surrender which won the admiration of an alien chronicler. He was in prison at
Brecon
on
22 March
. From
27 July 1316 to 17 June 1317
he was held in the
Tower of London
. By that time
Glamorgan
was being exploited in the interests of the
Despenser
s
and
Llywelyn
fell a victim to their greed; his estates were seized, and he was brought to
Cardiff
where he
suffered a traitor's death
. Among the charges later brought against the
Despenser
s
was the murder of
Llywelyn Bren
. With the deposition of
Edward
II
, the estates in
Senghenydd
were resumed (
11 Feb. 1327
) by his sons —
Gruffydd
,
John
,
Meurig
,
Roger
,
William
and
Llywelyn
.
Bibliography:
-
,
1851
, 179-91;
-
;
-
Malmesbury
,
;
-
;
-
;
-
.
Author:
Corrections and additions:
LLYWELYN ap GRUFFYDD
or
LLYWELYN BREN
(
DWB
, 598-9).
See also the article by
Ralph
Griffiths
, ‘
The Revolt of Llywelyn Bren, 1316
’ in
Glamorgan Historian
, II, 186-96.
