Ellis Price or Prys (by 1514-8 October 1594) was a Welsh administrator and MP. He was a younger son of Robert ap Rhys of Plas Iolyn near

Ysbyty Ifan Ysbyty Ifan (often formerly anglicised as Yspytty Ifan) is a small, historic village and community in the Conwy County Borough of Wales. The population in 2011 was 196 in 76 households (29 household spaces had no usual residents), over 79% of t ...

, the chaplain to

Cardinal Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figu ...

. His grandfather Rhys Fawr ap Maredudd had fought (and thought to have carried the red dragon flag) at Bosworth with Henry VII . Ellis studied at St Nicholas Hostel, Cambridge and was awarded BCL in 1533 and DCL in 1534 and from the red gown of his degree was known as ‘Y Doctor Coch’ (‘The Red Doctor’). In 1535 he was appointed visitor of monasteries in Wales by

Thomas Cromwell Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as List of English chief ministers, chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the kin ...

and played a leading role in their subsequent destruction. There were complaints about his immorality and arrogance and he was dismissed. In 1538 he became chancellor and commissary-general of the

Diocese of St Asaph The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese of the Church in Wales in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop. Geography The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester ...

and sinecure rector of Llangwm,

Llandrillo-yn-Rhos Llandrillo yn Rhos is the name of an electoral ward in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Its boundaries are coterminous with those of the community of Rhos-on-Sea ( cy, Llandrillo-yn-Rhos), on the North Wales coast, with the Mochdre and Rhiw wards ...

and

Llanuwchllyn Llanuwchllyn () is a village and community in Gwynedd, Wales, near the southern end of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid). It is one of the most sparsely populated communities in Wales. The electoral ward includes the small settlement of Llangywer. The ...

. At about this time he was sued in

Chancery Chancery may refer to: Offices and administration * Chancery (diplomacy), the principal office that houses a diplomatic mission or an embassy * Chancery (medieval office), responsible for the production of official documents * Chancery (Scotlan ...

by the vicar of Llanarmon, Denbighshire, who complained that Price aided and abetted in the misappropriation of tithes; he also took part in an assault upon the Welsh scholar and translator of the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

into Welsh, William Salesbury of Llanrwst, Denbighshire, who was his brother-in-law. He was a Justice of the Peace for Merioneth in 1543 and from 1555 to his death, for Denbighshire from 1555 to his death, for Caernarvonshire from 1561 to his death, for Anglesey and Montgomeryshire in 1564, and for most Welsh counties by 1575. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Denbighshire The first High Sheriff of Denbighshire was John Salusbury, snr, appointed in 1540. The shrievalty of Denbighshire, together with that of Flintshire, continued until 1974 when it was abolished after the county and shrievalty of Clwyd was create ...

for 1548–49, 1556–57, 1568–69 and 1572–73 and

High Sheriff of Merionethshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Merionethshire (or Sheriffs of Meirionnydd). The historic county of Merioneth was originally created in 1284. The administrative county of Merioneth was created from the historic county under the Local Government Act ...

for 1551–52, 1555–56, 1563–64, 1567–68, 1573–74, 1578–79 and 1583–84. In the intervening years he also served as

High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire (or Carnarvonshire). The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in a county but over the centuries most of the responsibil ...

(1558–59) and

High Sheriff of Anglesey This is a list of Sheriffs of Anglesey. Following the conquest of Wales by Edward I, Anglesey was created a county of Wales under the Statute of Rhuddlan, 1284.Prior to 1974 the office now known as "High Sheriff" were styled "Sheriff" () On 1 A ...

(1577–78 and 1585–86). He was elected MP for

Merioneth , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

in 1558 and 1563. Other offices included

Custos Rotulorum of Merionethshire This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Merionethshire. * John "Wynn" ap Maredudd 1543 – bef. 1558 * Lewis ap Owen 1553–1555 History of Parliament Online * Ellis Price bef. 1558 – bef. 1562 * Owen ap Jo ...

from 1558/59 to 1577 or later, member of the Council in the Marches of Wales from 1560 to his death, and Master in Chancery extraordinary. In 1560, the Crown awarded him the manor of Tir Ifan, with lands at

and Penmachno. When Queen Elizabeth gave the lordship of Denbigh as a gift to

Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years. Dudley's youth was ov ...

in 1564, Price, as steward of the estates, carried out acts of oppression in the area. He was on the commission granted by Elizabeth to hold the

Eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

Caerwys Caerwys is a town in Flintshire, Wales. It is just under two miles from the A55 North Wales Expressway and one mile from the A541 Mold-Denbigh road. At the 2001 Census, the population of Caerwys community was 1,315, with a total ward populati ...

in 1567. He married twice: firstly to Catherine, the daughter of Thomas Conway of Bodrhyddan, Flintshire, who bore him a son; and secondly to Ellyw, the daughter of Owain Pool, rector of Llandecwyn, Merioneth, who delivered two further sons and four daughters. His third son was the adventurer poet

Tomos Prys Tomos Prys (c.1564–1634) was a Welsh soldier, sailor and poet. He was the eldest son of Ellis Price MP, of Plas Iolyn, Pentrefoelas, Denbighshire. Life He followed a seafaring life for many years, joining expeditions under both Sir Walter R ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Ellis 1594 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Denbighshire Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales High Sheriffs of Denbighshire High Sheriffs of Merionethshire High Sheriffs of Anglesey High Sheriffs of Caernarvonshire Year of birth uncertain English MPs 1558 English MPs 1563–1567