According to early modern genealogist Lewys Dwnn, Dafydd ap Dafydd ap Llywelyn was the illegitimate son of

Dafydd ap Llywelyn Dafydd ap Llywelyn (''c.'' March 1212 – 25 February 1246) was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was the first ruler in Wales to claim the title Prince of Wales. Birth and descent Though birth years of 1208, 1206, and 1215 have ...

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...

and

King of Gwynedd Prior to the Conquest of Wales, completed in 1282, Wales consisted of a number of independent kingdoms, the most important being Gwynedd, Powys, Deheubarth (originally Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed) and Morgannwg (Glywysing and Gwent). Bounda ...

between 1240 and 1246. He is considered the ancestor of the Prys or Price of Esgairweddan family, who bore the royal arms of

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...

as their own. It is generally considered that this family, in the direct male line descent, died out on the death of Robert Price of Esgairweddan in 1702. Dafydd ap Dafydd ap Llywelyn was presumably a minor when his father, the prince, died in 1246 and was unable to contest the throne of Gwynedd which was claimed by Owain Goch and his brother

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...

, his cousins. Even if he had reached his majority by the time of his father's death his path to the throne would have been contested. This was because under the settlements made between his grandfather

Llywelyn Fawr Llywelyn the Great ( cy, Llywelyn Fawr, ; full name Llywelyn mab Iorwerth; c. 117311 April 1240) was a King of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually " Prince of the Welsh" (in 1228) and "Prince of Wales" (in 1240). By a combination of war and d ...

and King John of England only the legitimate sons of

could accede to the throne. Owain and Llywelyn were themselves the sons of a bastard and also barred from the throne which suggests they were adults and in a position to press their claim while he was not. The identity of his mother is not known. According to ''Old & Extinct Families of Meirionyddshire'' the last known heir male of Dafydd, Robert Price, died in 1702.

References

* Dwnn, Lewys; ''Heraldic Visitations of North Wales and Part of the Marches'', Volume II, page 240 (plate CLXXII) as attested by William ap Dafydd Lloyd, 2 August 1588. The original manuscript was copied by William Hughes and John Davies for publication by Sir Samuel Rush Meyrick in 1846. This work was reprinted by Bridge Books 2005 (). * Nicholas, Thomas; ''Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales'', page 686. {{authority control Welsh royalty House of Aberffraw