Morgan Gam
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Morgan Gam (died February 1241) was a Welsh lord of Afan, a small Welsh lordship in
Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...
.


Origin

Morgan Gam was a younger son of Morgan ap Caradog and presumably Gwenllian, a daughter of
Ifor Bach Ifor Bach (meaning Ivor the Short) (fl. 1158) also known as Ifor ap Meurig and in anglicised form Ivor Bach, Lord of Senghenydd, was a twelfth-century resident in and a leader of the Welsh in south Wales. Welsh Lord of Senghenydd At this period ...
. After the death of his older brother Lleision, he became lord of Afan in 1213, which stretched across the hill country between
River Afan The River Afan () is a river in Wales whose valley formed the territory of the medieval Lords of Afan. The Afan Valley encompasses the upper reaches of the river. The valley is traversed by the A4107 road. Settlements in the area include Cwma ...
and
River Neath River Neath () is a river in south Wales running south west from the point at which its headwaters arising in the Brecon Beacons National Park converge to its mouth at Baglan Bay below Briton Ferry on the east side of Swansea Bay. Course U ...
. As head of the oldest line of the descendants of
Iestyn ap Gwrgan Iestyn ap Gwrgant (or Jestyn ap Gwrgant) () (1014–1093) was the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg, which encompassed the counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. Lineage Iestyn ap Gwrgant was the last ruler of the royal house o ...
, he claimed supremacy over the neighbouring Welsh lords of Meisgyn and Glynrhondda.


Life

Both Morgan's father and brother had been loyal supporters of the
English king This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself king of the Anglo-Sax ...
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
after he had handed Newcastle Castle over to Morgan ap Caradog in 1189. After his brother Lleision's death Morgan Gam did not inherit the castle. Instead King John gave it to his first wife, Isabella, Countess of Gloucester, after their marriage had been annulled. Morgan Gam tried to regain possession of the castle throughout his life. In the fight against Gilbert de Clare, who was the heir of Isabella and thus in 1217 came into the possession of Newcastle as Lord of Glamorgan, he was supported by his relative Morgan ab Owain from Glynrhondda, who attacked Margam Abbey in 1224. Over the next few years, Morgan Gam raided other English settlements, including Laleston, St Nicholas and Newcastle in 1226. Nevertheless, he could not enforce his claims, but he received increasing support from Prince
Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...
of Gwynedd, who wanted to expand his influence in Glamorgan. In 1228 Gilbert de Clare undertook a campaign in the mountains of Glamorgan, during which he was able to capture Morgan Gam. Morgan was taken to
Clare Castle Clare Castle is a high-mounted ruinous medieval castle in the parish and former Manorialism, manor of Clare, Suffolk, Clare in Suffolk, England, anciently the ''caput'' of a English feudal barony, feudal barony. It was built shortly after the ...
in eastern England and did not regain his freedom until the hostages were released in 1229. After his release, Morgan Gam allied again with Llywelyn the Great and destroyed
Neath Castle Neath Castle () is a Norman castle located in the town centre of Neath, Wales. Its construction was begun by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the nominal Lord of Glamorgan, at a date estimated between 1114 and 1130. It is also referred to as "Gra ...
in 1231 during the Anglo-Welsh War. In the following year he attacked the castle and settlement of
Kenfig Kenfig () is a village and former borough in Bridgend, Wales. It is situated inland on the north bank of the Bristol Channel, and just south-west of the M4 motorway. To the east is the town of Bridgend, at approximately , and the capital city ...
, but failed to capture the keep of the castle. In 1233 he supported together with Llywelyn the Great a failed revolt of
Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke ( 1191 – 15 April 1234), was the son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and brother of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, whom he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England ...
against the English King Henry III. With the support of the Anglo-Norman lords of Glamorgan, Richard Marshal had occupied Glamorgan during this rebellion, leading to the unusual situation when Morgan Gam and the other Welsh lords of Glamorgan became allies of the Anglo-Norman lords. Marshal promised the native Welsh rulers parts of Glamorgan as a reward. When the rebellion failed,
Richard Siward Richard Siward (died 1248) was a distinguished 13th-century soldier, adventurer and banneret. He rose from obscurity to become a member of King Henry III's Royal Council and husband of Philippa Basset, the widowed countess of Warwick. Origins L ...
, the new royal administrator of Glamorgan, demanded the return of these areas. Morgan Gam refused to return the territories taken until Llywelyn the Great convinced Morgan Gam to concede.R. F. Walker: ''The supporters of Richard Marshal, earl of Pembroke, in the rebellion of 1233–1234'' in: ''Welsh History Review/Cylchgrawn Hanes Cymru'', 17 (1994–95), p. 63


Family and issue

Morgan Gam was married twice, first to Janes ferch Elidyr Ddu and second to Ellen, daughter of Gronw ap Einion. He had at least three sons, including: * Lleision (died before 1262) * Morgan Fychan (died 1288) He was buried in
Margam Abbey Margam Abbey () was a Cistercian monastery, located in the village of Margam, a suburb of modern Port Talbot in Wales. History The abbey was founded in 1147 as a daughter house of Clairvaux by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, and was dedicated to ...
. His heir was first his son Lleision, after his death his younger son Morgan Fychan.


Further sources

* Thomas Jones Pierce
Morgan Gam
(Dictionary of Welsh Biography, National Library of Wales)


References


Sources

*{{cite book , last=Altschul , first=Michael , title=A Baronial Family in Medieval England: The Clares , publisher=The Johns Hopkins Press , year=1965 13th-century Welsh nobility 12th-century births 1241 deaths