Vaughans of Glanllyn
The coat of arms of the Vaughan's of Glanllyn is descended from
Rhirid Flaidd Lord of Penllyn, Eifionnydd and Pennant Melangell;
he resided at Rhiwaedog, near Bala. Late medieval genealogists make
Rhirid the son of Gwrengau, claiming
pedigree going back to Cunedda Wledig. The appellation of blaidd (wolf) he inherited from his maternal
grandmother, daughter and heiress of Blaidd Rhudd (Bloody Wolf) of Gest, a township in Eifionydd.

Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr the foremost bard in Powys, composed three poems to Rhirid, one returning thanks to his patron
for a fine sword with which he had presented him, and the other two lamenting his hero's premature death. Cynddelw
refers to Rhirid's intimate
connection with Madog ap Maredudd (died 1160) the last prince of the entire Kindom of Powys.
There is reference to Rhirid combating the English at the swamplands of Tern
beyond Shrewsbury. The lordship of Oswestry was in Madog ap Maredudd
possession for some years, and it is likely that
Rhirid was the
recipient of a gift of land from him. Rhirid was a leading nobleman of the time, a noted warrior greatly favoured in the courts of Powys and a proprietor
of land throughout the breadth of two provinces. He may well have deserved the
status attributed to him by Cynddelw, 'Priodawr Pennant pennaf, uchelwr uchelwyr vodrydaf' (The greatest of landowners,
a magnate of magnates).
Rhirid Flaidd was succeded by his eldest son
Madog ap RHIRID of Rhiwaedog.
Another son
Einion Greulon (Cruel Einion) was Lord of Grugaeth, in the lordship of Croes
Oswald (Oswestry).
Gwenllian ferch RHIRID married
Gruffydd of Henglawdd, son of Ednyfed Fychan, Lord of Bryn Ffanigl, by whom she was the mother of Sir Howel Pedolau, who was
knighted by Edward II and was noted for his great strength.
Einion ab ITHEL of Rhiwaedog great great grandson of
Madog ap RHIRID was
Esquire of the Body to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and was High Sheriff for the county of Meirioneth for life;
he died in 1401 leaving issue a son and two daughters.
The Vaughans of Glanllyn branch were descended from
Iorweth ap MADOG of Rhiwaedog.
Ieuan ap GRUFFYDD
of Llanuwchllyn and Cefn Treflaith, in the parish of Llanstundwy in Eifionydd died circa 1370; the below effigy at Llanuwchllyn Church shows him represented in armour
with a shield charged with his coat of arms, with the following
inscription:
"HIC IACET IANNES AB GRIFFIT AB MADOG AB IERVERTH, CVIVS ANIME PROPITIETVR DEVS. AMEN. ANO. DNI. MCCCLXX."

Lloyd (1881) states that
Ieuan ap GRUFFYDD "lived in great credit and
esteem in the days of Edward III (1327-77)". Ieuan ap GRUFFYDD married Anne,
second daughter of Sir Griffith VAUGHAN, knight bannert, by whom he had Dafydd ap IEUAN, the father of
Dafydd Llwyd ap DAFYDD,
who purchased the demesnes of Glanllyn in 1503-4.
Dafydd ap IEUAN's other son, Rhys ap DAFYDD, was of Tre Prysg, Llanuwchllyn.
The Vaughans of Glanllyn had a close connnection with the
Vaughans of Llwydiarth.
Dafydd Llwyd ap DAFYDD of Glanllyn married
Lowri
ferch Howell VAUGHAN of Llwydiarth, their son
being
Howell VAUGHAN of Glanllyn, his son
John VAUGHAN
of Glanllyn was the Sheriff of Meirionethshire in 1595.
Edward VAUGHAN (1600-1661) of Llwydiarth left the Llwydiarth estate in trust to his nephew Charles SALUSBURY and his
sister
Dorothy VAUGHAN for the benefit
of any male heirs of his brother
Rowland VAUGHAN, should he marry. If no such heirs were produced the estate was to go to the
male heirs of
Howell VAUGHAN of Glanllyn, 'succesively one after another as they shall happen to be in seniorite';
the Llwydiarth estate was eventually inherited by Howell Vaughan's son
Edward VAUGHAN of Glanllyn.
Edward VAUGHAN of Glanllyn the son of
Howell VAUGHAN
reunited the Vaughans of Glanllyn and Llwydiarth by marrying
Mary PURCELL,
daughter of
John PURCELL of Nantcribba and
Eleanor VAUGHAN
daughter and heiress of
Sir Robert VAUGHAN of Llwydiarth
and Llangedwyn.
The estates of Llwydiarth, Llangedwyn and Glanllyn were inherited by
Anne Josephine VAUGHAN daughter of
Edward VAUGHAN,
her husband being
Sir Watkin WILLIAMS WYNN (1692-1749) 3rd bart of Wynnstay.
Anne Josephine VAUGHAN
died with no surviving issue.
Sir Watkin WILLIAMS WYNN (1749-1789) 4th bart was the first borne of the second marriage of
Sir Watkin WILLIAMS WYNN 3rd bart with
Francis SHACKERLEY; therefore, he wasn't a direct descendant of the Vaughans of Glanllyn.
In 1944, Sir Watkin WILLIAMS WYNN (1891-1949) 8th bart
succeeded to the title facing crushing death duties. The Llwydiarth estate was sold in 1947 whilst the Glanllyn estate was accepted by the HM Revenue and Customs in lieu of death duties
due. In 1949, Urdd Gobaith Cymru (Welsh League of Youth) aquired Glan Llyn and it was turned into a
residential adventure centre.
John JONES (b. 1632), Rhydyfen, Llanycil, Bala was the son of
Dorothy VAUGHAN, Trawscoed, Llanuwchllyn and 4 x great grandson of
Dafydd Llwyd ap DAFYDD, Glanllyn.
Robert VAUGHAN (d 1662) of Llwynhir, Llanfihangel yng Ngwynfa - who was married to Gwen Bynner - was a descendant of
Dafydd Llwyd ap DAFYDD of Glanllyn
and
Lowri ferch HOWELL VAUGHAN of Llwydiarth.
Robert VAUGHAN's
great granddaughter
Gwen JONES (b. 1711) married
Oliver JONES (b. 1710) of Coedtalog, Llanerfyl.
References:
Rev. W V Lloyd (1881),
Description of the Armorial Insignia of the Vaughans of Llwydiarth, T. Richards, London.