only legitimate son of
Howell
Vaughan
(d.
1639
), of
Gwengraig
, in the township of
Garthgynfor
and parish of
Dolgelley
on the eastern slope of
Cader Idris
, who traced his ancestry from
Cadwgan
,
lord of Nannau
, son of
Bleddyn ap Cynfyn
(q.v.)
,
prince of Powys
. His mother was
Margaret
, daughter of
Edward
Owen
of
Hengwrt
, parish of
Llanelltyd
, and granddaughter of
Lewis
Owen
(q.v.)
,
baron
of the
Exchequer of North Wales
.
Robert Powell
Vaughan
, or
Robert
Vaughan
as he came to be known, was b. at
Gwengraig
,
about 1592
, judging by the record of his entry into
Oriel College
,
Oxford
, at the age of 20, in
1612
.
He left college without taking his degree. The early period of his life is obscure, but it can be argued from his friendship with
Rhys
and
Siôn
Cain
(qq.v.), whom he acknowledged to be his
tutors in genealogy
, that he spent some time at
Oswestry
. The date of his marriage to
Catherine
(
1594
-
1663
), daughter of
Griffith
Nanney
(b.
1568
)
is not known, but he was living at
Gwengraig
in
1624
and it is likely that he settled at
Hengwrt
soon after his marriage.
Between 1608 and 1612
Hengwrt
had been mortgaged by
Robert
Owen
to his brother-in-law,
Howell
Vaughan
.
Robert
Vaughan
was
on the commission of the peace
for
Merioneth
and
took an active part in local affairs
. He appears to have acted as
receiver of bridge mises
in the county during the Commonwealth. The controversies of that period do not seem to have greatly disturbed his life. His chief interests were
genealogy
,
early Welsh history and antiquities
, and the
collection of books and manuscripts
. In these pursuits he corresponded with
Rhys
and
Siôn
Cain
,
Dr.
John
Davies
of
Mallwyd
,
Evan Lloyd
Jeffrey
of
Palé
,
John
Jones
of
Gellilyfdy
(whose manuscripts became his property in
1658
),
Meredith
Lloyd
of
Welshpool
,
William
Maurice
of
Cefn-y-braich
, the
Wynne
s
of
Gwydir
,
Sir
Simonds
d'Ewes
,
John
Selden
,
James
Ussher
,
archbishop
of
Armagh
, and others. The library of manuscripts which he collected at
Hengwrt
is the finest collection of
Welsh
manuscripts ever assembled by an individual. It remained at
Hengwrt
until
1859
, when it passed by the will of
Sir
Robert Williames
Vaughan
to
W. W. E.
Wynne
of
Peniarth
(q.v.)
. The purchase of the reversion of the
Hengwrt-Peniarth library
to
Aberystwyth
by
Sir
John
Williams
in
1905
was one of the deciding factors for establishing the
National Library of Wales
there.
Robert
Vaughan
also
collected books
, but they were dispersed by
Thomas
Kerslake
, a
bookseller
of
Bristol
, early in the 19th cent. The catalogue which
Robert
Vaughan
compiled of his library is extant (
N.L.W. MS. 9095
). He
transcribed a large number of literary and historical texts
,
compiled a concordance of scripture
,
genealogical books
, notably the great collection of
Peniarth MS. 287
, and
tracts on early Welsh history and chronology
, and
translated
‘
Brut y Tywysogion
’ into
English
. He published at
Oxford
in
1662
a small book entitled
British Antiquities Revived
, containing a refutation of
Sir
Thomas
Canon
's arguments that
Cadell
was the eldest son of
Rhodri Mawr
(q.v.)
and that, consequently, the
princes of Deheubarth
had superiority over those of
Gwynedd
, a correction of the pedigree of the
earl of Carbery
as given in
Percy
Enderbie
's
Cambria Triumphans
, distinguishing between
Gwaethfoed
of
Powys
and
Gwaethfoed
of
Ceredigion
, and a short tract on the
Five Royal Tribes of Wales
.
Robert
Vaughan
d. on
Ascension Day (16 May) 1667
.
Anthony
Wood
, on the authority of
Thomas
Ellis
,
rector
of
Dolgelley
, states that he was buried in the church of that parish in
1666
. The burial is not recorded in the
parish register, but in a draft will, made
1 May 1665
, he left instructions for his burial there. He left four sons and four daughters.
HOWELL
VAUGHAN
, of
Vanner
,
sheriff
of
Merioneth
,
1671
, who m. (1)
Jane
, daughter of
Robert
Owen
,
Ystumcegid
, and relict of
Hugh
Tudor
of
Egryn
, and (2)
Lowry
, daughter of
Griffith
Derwas
of
Cemes
, and widow of
Humphrey
Pugh
of
Aberffrydlan
;
YNYR
VAUGHAN
, who was unmarried but who had issue
John ab Ynyr
, who emigrated to
Pennsylvania
;
HUGH
VAUGHAN
, who m.
Elizabeth
, daughter of
Edmund
Meyrick
of
Ucheldre
; and
GRIFFITH
VAUGHAN
who had
Dolmelynllyn
and who m.
Catherine
, daughter of
John ap Robert ap John ap Lewis ap Meredith
of
Glynmaelda
;
MARGARET
, who m. (1)
William
Price
,
rector
of
Dolgelley
, and (2)
Robert
Vaughan
, son of
Tudor
Vaughan
of
Caerynwch
;
JANE
, who m.
Robert
Owen
(d.
1685
) (q.v.)
, of
Dolserau
;
ELIN
, who m.
David
Ellis
, son of
Rowland
Ellis
of
Gwanas
; and
ANN
, who m.
Hugh
Evans
of
Berth-lwyd
in
Llanelltyd
.
