Tudur ap Goronwy (c. 1310 - c. 1367) was a Welsh landowner, soldier and administrator of the Tudors of Penmynydd family from the island of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

Origins

Born about 1310, he was one of the two sons of Goronwy ap Tudur Hen and his wife Gwerfyl ferch Madog. His father had fought for King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a va ...

and had stayed loyal to King

Edward II of England Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

. On his father's death in 1331, he inherited the family lands which had passed down from his grandfather

Tudur Hen Tudur Hen (English: Tudur the Elder) or Tudur ap Goronwy (died 11 October 1311) was a Welsh aristocrat and original founder of the House of Tudor. He was one of three sons of Goronwy ab Ednyfed who received lands from King Edward I of England ...

and lived in the village of Trecastell. His brother and ally, Hywel ap Goronwy (died about 1366), joined the priesthood, becoming a canon of

Bangor Cathedral Bangor Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Bangor) is a cathedral in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol. The site of the present building of Bangor Cathedral has been in use as a place of Christian worship since ...

, and eventually Archdeacon of Anglesey.

Career

He was a royal officer for the island of Anglesey, and served in the English army of King

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ...

during the campaigns in France in 1337. In 1345 he and his brother Hywel were involved in a prominent murder case, probably the result of local unrest. Henry Shalford, newly appointed as the Prince of Wales' representative in North Wales, was attacked and killed near Hywel's house in Bangor by a band of men led by Tudur. One report suggested that Shalford knew too much about malpractice among leading Welshmen. The result was panic among the English inhabitants of the area and suspicion of the Welsh community. Both brothers were arrested and placed in custody, with Hywel held at Launceston in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...

and Tudur in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, but both were eventually released without charge or penalty. This led to complaints by English residents that "no Welsh man dare indict them" because of their local influence. Gruffydd ap Maredudd ap Dafydd suggested that the brothers were as strong as oak trees and protected all those under their branches. In 1352, both were in peaceful possession of their ancestral lands in Anglesey. Tudur was buried in the south wall of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

at the

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

friary A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

of Llanfaes near

Bangor, Gwynedd Bangor (; ) is a cathedral city and community in Gwynedd, North Wales. It is the oldest city in Wales. Historically part of Caernarfonshire, it had a population of 18,322 in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics. Landmark ...

. The bodies of his ancestors were nearby, in the south wall of the

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

. The bard

Iolo Goch Iolo Goch (c. 1320 – c. 1398) (meaning ''Iolo the Red'' in English) was a medieval Welsh bard who composed poems addressed to Owain Glyndŵr, among others. Lineage Iolo was the son of Ithel Goch ap Cynwrig ap Iorwerth Ddu ap Cynwrig Ddew ...

composed an elegy to him.

Family

The Welsh genealogies show Tudur ap Goronwy marrying twice, to Mallt ferch Madog, daughter of Madog ap Iorwerth, and to Marged ferch Tomos, daughter of Tomos ap Llewelyn and aunt of rebel

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr or Glyn Dŵr (, anglicised as Owen Glendower), was a Welsh leader, soldier and military commander who led a 15 year long Welsh War of Independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wa ...

, and having six sons:; ; :Goronwy ap Tudur :

Rhys ap Tudur Rhys ap Tudur (died 1412) was a Welsh nobleman and a member of the Tudor family of Penmynydd. He held positions of power on behalf of King Richard II of England, including two periods as the Sheriff of Anglesey in the 1370s and 80s. Rhys accomp ...

(by Mallt) :Ednyfed ap Tudur : Gwilym ap Tudur :Rhys ap Tudur (by Marged) :

Maredudd ap Tudur Maredudd ap Tudur (died c. 1406) was a Welsh soldier and nobleman from the Tudor family of Penmynydd. He was one of five sons of Tudur ap Goronwy, and was the father of Owen Tudor. Maredudd supported the Welsh patriot Owain Glyndŵr in 1400, a ...

All rose to positions of power locally on Anglesey and in the adjoining areas of North Wales. Both Rhys and Gwilym accompanied King

Richard II of England Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...

on his expedition to Ireland in 1398 and, after he was deposed, Rhys, Gwilym and Maredudd were supporters of the Welsh uprising of their cousin

against King

Henry IV of England Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of F ...

. Maredudd's son Owain, known in English as Owen Tudor, became the grandfather of King

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...

Lineage

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Goronwy, Tudur ap 1310s births 1367 deaths 14th-century Welsh people Welsh soldiers Welsh landowners People from Anglesey Tudur