| Barony of Hendwr | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Creation date | 22 July 1284 |
| Created by | Edward I |
| Peerage | Peerage of England |
| First holder | Dafydd ap Gruffydd |
| Status | Dormant |
Baron of Hendwr, in the County of Merioneth, is a dormant title in the English Baronage which was created on 22 July 1284 for Dafydd ap Gruffydd ap Owain Brogyntyn (a cousin of Gruffydd ap Iorwerth, 1st Baron of Kymmer-yn-Edeirnion) by letters patent issued by Edward I at Caenarfon.[1] Dafydd and his cousins were great grandchildren of Madog ap Maredudd, King of Powys, and had fought against Edward I during his Conquest of Wales. After coming into the King's Peace, they received a Royal pardon and were among the few members of the old Welsh royal dynasties to have their lands confirmed per Baroniam.[2]
The name Hendwr or properly 'Yr Hendwr' is Welsh for 'the Old Tower' and refers to the old motte and bailey castle of the Kings of Powys which was inherited by the 1st Baron and became the caput of the barony of Hendwr.[3]
The 2nd Baron was summoned to Quo Warranto proceedings on 7 December 1334 at Harlech to assess by what authority he claimed his title and he cited the charter granted to his father in 1284.[4] The daughter of the 3rd Baron, Gwerful ferch Madog, was the wife of Goronwy ap Tudur, and therefore 3rd great-grandmother of King Henry VII.[5] The 4th Baron, David de Hendwr married Sibella de Cornwall, daughter and heiress of John de Cornwall, great-grandson of Richard 1st Earl of Cornwall on 8 July 1343 at Westminster Abbey, by whom he inherited vast lands in Cornwall.[3]
The brother of the 9th Baron, Dafydd ap Ieuan, was the constable of Harlech Castle during the War of the Roses and his brave defence is commemorated in the song Men of Harlech.[3]
In 1652, the two halves of the barony of Hendwr were united when Nathanael Jones, who had inherited from the Jones of Hendwr the half of the barony centred on Ty Ucha, married the heiress of the principle half of the barony, centred on Hendwr house. For the later history of the barony and the 19th century court case see Giwn Lloyd.
- ^ Calendar of various Chancery rolls: Supplementary Close rolls, Welsh rolls, Scutage rolls. Preserved in the Public record office / prepared under the superintendence of the deputy keeper of the records. A.D. 1277–1326. 1912. p. 286.
- ^ Burke, Bernard (1847). Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland, volume 1. pp. 603–11.
- ^ a b c Lloyd, J.Y.W. (1887). The history of the princes, the lords marcher, and the ancient nobility of Powys Fadog, and the ancient lords of Arwystli, Cedewen, and Meirionydd. Volume 6. p. 18.
- ^ Carr, A.D. (1961–1964). "'The barons of Edeyrnion 1282–1485'". Journal of the Merioneth Historical and Record Society. 4: 191–2.
- ^ Paget, Gerald (1977). Lineage and Ancestry of HRH Prince Charles. p. 146.