House of Aberffraw
Traditional Arms of the Aberffraw House of Gwynedd
Country	Wales
Parent house	House of Manaw
Titles	Prince of Wales, Prince of the Welsh, Prince of Gwynedd, of Powys, of Aberffraw, Lord of Snowdon, of Ynys Môn, of Meirionnydd, and of Ceredigion.[1]
Founder	Anarawd ap Rhodri
Final ruler	Owain Lawgoch (in exile)
Current head	Evan Vaughan Anwyl (pretender)
Founding year	c. 9th Century
Ethnicity	Welsh
Cadet branches	House of Rhiw Llwyd; leading to Wynn of Gwydir, Anwyl of Tywyn

The House of Aberffraw is a historgraphical and genealogical term historians use to illustrate the clear line of succession from Rhodri the Great of Wales through his eldest son Anarawd.^[1][2][3]

Anarawd and his immediate heirs made the village of Aberffraw on Ynys Môn (Anglesey) as their early principle family seat.

In the 10th century, Rhodri the Great had inherited Gwynedd from his father and Powys from his mother, and added Seisyllwg (Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire) through a dynastic marriage to Angharad of Seisyllwg.^[2] Rhodri’s influence was significant in the rest of Wales and he left a lasting legacy. According to tradition Rhodri formalised the de-facto pre-eminent position of Gwynedd in Wales;

"Rhodri the Great, King of all Wales, divided his dominion into three kingdoms, which he distributed among his three sons, — namely, Cadell, who had Dinevor ; Mervyn, who had Mathravael, in Powis Wynva; and Anarawd, who had Aberffraw, in Anglesea; and he conferred on the eldest of these diademed princes the paramount sovereignty of Wales; enjoining an annual tribute to him from each of the other two, to enable him to make up the tribute due from Wales to the King of London — that is, £60 in gold. The said three Kings are called the three diademed princes [see Llywelyn's coronet]; and it was in the aforesaid manner that the sovereignty of Wales was divided among them." Iolo manuscripts By Taliesin ab Iolo, Iolo Morganwg, Thomas Price, Owen Jones, Society for the Publication of Ancient Welsh Manuscripts, Abergavenny (1843) p.449

The family was able to assert their influence within the traditional family sphear of Gwynedd, but by the 11th century were ousted from Powys (Mid Wales) and Deheubarth (West Wales) by a series of strong rulers from the House of Dinefwr in Deheubarth, their dynastically junior cousins. The Dinefwr family were decended from the second son of Rhodri the Great.

However, by 1216 Llywelyn the Great received the fealty and homage of the Dinefwr rulers of Deheubarth at the Council of Aberdyfi, giving substance to the long standing Aberffraw claims as the primary princes of Wales and heirs of Rhodri the Great.^[2][4] With homage and fealty paid by other Welsh lords to Llywelyn at the Council of Aberdyfi, Llywelyn the Great became the defacto first Prince of Wales in the modern sense, though it was his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn who was the first to adopt the title Prince of Wales.^[4]

The 1282 Edwardian Conquest of Wales greatly reduced the influence of the family. King Edward I of England forced the remaining members of the family to surrender their claim to the title of Prince of Wales with the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, which also abolished the independent Welsh peerage. The Aberffraw family members closest to Llywelyn II were imprisioned for life by Edward I of England, while the more distant Aberffraw members were spared or went into deep hiding and falling into obscurity. Other members of the family did lay claim to their heritage and included Owain Lawgoch in the 14th century.

Members of the House of Aberffraw would include Idwal Foel, Iago ab Idwal, Cynan ab Iago, Gruffydd ap Cynan, Owain Gwynedd, Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, Llywelyn the Great, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, and Owain Lawgoch. Succeeding surviving branches emerged and included the Wynn family of Gwydir. Today the Anwyl family of Tywyn may represent the surviving direct male line decedents of Rhodri the Great and heirs of the Aberffraw legacy.^[5]

Since its founding in 1925, leading Plaid Cymru members such as Saunders Lewis, D.J. Davies, and Lewis Valentine advocated that an independent Wales would be better served by a Welsh constitutional monarchy, one which would engender the affection and allegiance of the Welsh people and legitimize Welsh sovereignty.^[6] An hereditary constitutional monarch would, they argued, embody and personify Welsh national identity above party politics, while political parties formed governments in a parliamentary system similar to those of Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands.^[6]

Plaid socialist and economist D.J. Davies wrote an article in Y Faner in 1953, and later published in English in the 1958 book Towards Welsh Freedom, in which he advocated the elevation of a Welsh gentry family as the Royal Family of Wales.^[7] Among the criteria for consideration, argued Davies, was that the family had to have a history of contributing to Welsh life and reside in Wales.^[6]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Aberffraw senior line 1.2 Wynn family of Gwydir 1.3 Anwyl family of Tywyn 2 Footnotes 3 References

[edit] History

[edit] Aberffraw senior line

[edit] Wynn family of Gwydir

Later direct male descendants would include the Wynn of Gwydir and Anwyl of Tywyn families, claiming direct male decent from Owain Gwyneddand bearing his coat of arms.

• Owain Gwynedd, Prince of Gwynedd (died November 1170) = Cristina ferch Gronw ap Owain ap Edwin
• Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd, Lord of Anglesey (d.1195) = Annest ferch Rhys ap Gruffudd
• Thomas ap Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd = Annest ferch Einion ap Seisyllt
• Caradog ap Tomas = Efa ferch Gwyn ap Gruffudd ap Beli
• Gruffudd ap Caradog = Lleuca ferch Llywarch Fychan ap Llywarch
• Dafydd ap Gruffudd of Rhos = Efa ferch Gruffudd Fychan
• Hywel ap Dafydd = Efa ferch Evan ap Hywel ap Maredudd
• Maredudd ap Hywel (d. after 1353) = Morfydd verch Ieuan ap Dafydd ap Trahaern Goch

Maredudd ap Hywel had two sons; Robert and Ieuan. The Wynn of Gwydir family claim descent from Robert while the Anwyl of Tywyn family claims to descend from Ieuan.

The Wynn of Gwydir family died out in the male line on the death of Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet in 1719. After this the Anwyl Family represented the only proven surviving branch in the male line of the House of Aberffraw. The head of the house (Evan Vaughan Anwyl b.1943) currently resides close to Tywyn in Gwynedd, his son, Dafydd, lives in Manchester.

From Robert ap Maredudd the Wynn family descend:

• Robert ap Maredudd = Angharad ferch Dafydd ap Llywelyn
• Ifan ap Robert (b. 1438, d. 1469) = Catherine ferch Rhys ap Hywel Fychan
• Maredudd ap Ifan (Ieuan) ap Robert (b. c1459, d. 18 March 1525) = Ales ferch William Gruffudd ap Robin
• John "Wynn" ap Maredudd (d. 9 July 1559) = Ellen Lloyd ferch Morys ap John
• Morys Wynn ap John (d.1580) = Jane Bulkeley (1) Ann Grevill (2) Katherine of Berain (3)

The Wynn Baronets of Gwydir were created in the Baronetage of England in 1611—one of the initial creations—for John Wynn, of Gwydir. The members of this line were heirs to the Aberffraw claim to the Principality of Gwynedd and Wales as direct descendents of Owain Gwynedd. The family continued to be prominent in politics, all the baronets save Owen sat as members of parliament, often for Carnarvon or Carnarvonshire. This creation became extinct in 1719, on the death of the fifth baronet. Wynnstay, near Ruabon, passed to Sir Watkin Williams, who took the name of Williams-Wynn.

Under the native Welsh system of agnatic succession the leadership (by Welsh Law) of the House of Aberffraw passed to the Anwyl Family (see below) in 1719.

• Sir John Wynn, 1st Baronet (son of Morys Wynn, d. 1627)
  • Jane Thelwall (great-granddaughter. Her husband took the name Wynn in honor of his wife's heritage, establishing the Williams-Wynn family.
    • Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, 11th Baronet, (David), descendant of Sir John Wynn
• Sir Richard Wynn, 2nd Baronet (c. 1588–1649)
• Sir Owen Wynn, 3rd Baronet (d. 1660)
• Sir Richard Wynn, 4th Baronet (c. 1625–1674)
  • Mary Wynn, Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven
    • Priscilla Bertie, 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby
• Sir John Wynn, 5th Baronet (c. 1628–1719) (extinct 1719)

A cadet branch of descendants could trace their decent from Richard Wynn, through his daughter Mary Wynn, Duchess of Ancaster and Kesteven, and his great granddaughter Priscilla Bertie, 21st Baroness Willoughby de Eresby. This cadet branch would expire with the 1915 death of Willoughby Merrik Campbell Burrell, 5th Baron Gywdyr.

[edit] Anwyl family of Tywyn

• Thomas Lloyd Anwyl of Hendremur (1695 - 1734); married Margaret, daughter of Thomas Meyrick, and died 1734.
• William Anwyl of Hendremur (1717 - 1751) = Margaret, daughter of Rice Pierce, of Celynyn.
• Rice (Rev) Anwyl (1740 - 1819) = Margaret, daughter of David Roberts, of Goppa, and died 1819.
• David Anwyl of Bala (1771 - 1831) = married Mary, daughter of Gruffyd Owen of Pencader.

David of Bala died without issue and the title passed to his cousins;

• Jonathan Bunce Anwyl of Llugwy (1789 - 1852). He died unmarried and without issue. After the death of Jonathan Bunce Anwyl in 1852 the de jure Head of House would have passed to the sons of Maurice Anwyl of Llugwy (1753 - 1832)

• Robert Anwyl of Llugwy (1787-1867)
• Evan Anwyl of Llugwy (1789 - 1872) (brother of Robert) = daughter of William Morgan, of Brynallys, Montgomeryshire.
• Robert Charles Anwyl of Llugwy (1849 - 1933) = Harriette daughter of William Hamilton.
• Maurice Ifan Hamilton Anwyl (1889 - 1942) (died without issue, line passed to his cousin)
• Evan Anwyl of Ty-Mawr Farm, Tywyn, Merionethshire (1858-1955) = Sarah daughter of Jonathan Benbow of Meifod.
• Evan Anwyl of Ty-Mawr of Tywyn (1911-1968) = Gwyneth daughter of Harold Henry Scott of Chester.
• Evan Vaughan Anwyl of Tywyn (1943-extant) educated at Tywyn Grammar School and University of Wales Aberystwyth (BSc 1967, DipEd 1968). He is the current Head of the House of Aberffraw and de jure Prince of Gwynedd as the senior direct male line descendant of Owain Gwynedd whose arms this family bears. He resides in Gwynedd and has issue one son;
• David Evan Anwyl (born 1977) who is their heir male (Edling) of the House of Aberffraw. He resides in Manchester.

Two grandsons of Jonathan the younger brother of Evan Anwyl (b.1858) are also extant and live in Surrey. Philip (b.1943) and Roger (b.1947) represent the cadet branch of this dynasty.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

Aberffraw

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Wynn

• Gwynfor Jones, J The Wynn family of Gwydir. Aberystwyth : Centre for Educational Studies, 1995.
• Wynn, Sir John History of the Gwydir family and memoirs. Edited by J. Gwynfor Jones. Llandysul : Gwasg Gomer, 1990.

Anwyl

• Burkes Peerage (online), Landed Gentry, Wales, 19th Edition. (Ref. 100057)
• Dwnn, Lewys, Heraldic Visitations of the Three Counties of North Wales above Conway (published 1613)
• Meyrick, Sir Samuel Rush, Heraldic Visitations of Wales and part of the Marches (published 1846 and again in 2005), Anwyl Family found in Volume II, pp69-71
• Nicholas, Thomas, Annals and antiquities of the counties and county families of Wales; Section V (Old and Extinct Families of Merionethshire) (published 1872), p664-700
• Welsh Kings
• Yorke, Philip, The Royal Tribes of Wales (published 1799), pp39-41

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