Anwyl of Tywyn family
Anwyl of Tywyn are a Welsh noble family who are descended in unbroken male-line from Owain Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd from 1137 to 1170 and a scion of the royal House of Aberffraw that ruled Gwynedd for almost five hundred years during the Middle Ages. The family motto is: Eryr eryrod Eryri, which translates as "The Eagle of the Eagles of Snowdonia". The family lives in Gwynedd and speak Welsh.
The name Anwyl means "beloved", "dear", or "loved one" in English.
A summary of their pedigree is:
Descent from Owain Gwynedd (died 1170) to James ap Maredudd (died c.1402)
- Owain Gwynedd, Prince of Gwynedd (d. November 1170) = Cristina ferch Gronw ap Owain ap Edwin
- Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd, Lord of Anglesey (d.1195 [sixth son of Owain]) = Annest ferch Rhys ap Gruffudd
In the book Annals and antiquities of the counties and county families of Wales; Section V (Old and Extinct Families of Merionethshire) (published 1872) by Thomas Nicholas the descendants of Rhodri ab Owain are described;
"Thomas (ap Rhodri ap Owain), Lord of Rhiw Llwyd, married Agnes, daughter of Einion ap Seissyllt, Lord of Mathafarn, widow of Owain Brogyntyn, Lord of Edeirnion. His descendants, Lords of Rhiw Llwyd, were successively Caradog, Gruffydd, Dafydd, and Hywel, who married Efa, daughter of Ifan ap Howel ap Meredydd of Ystumcegid, of the line of Collwyn ap Tangno, founder of the fifth noble tribe of Wales.">
- Tomas ap Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd = Annest ferch Einion ap Seisyllt
- Caradog ap Tomas = Efa ferch Gwyn ap Gruffudd ap Beli
- Gruffudd ap Caradog = Lleuca ferch Llywarch Fychan ap Llywarch
- Dafydd ap Gruffudd of Rhos = Efa ferch Gruffudd Fychan
- Hywel ap Dafydd = Efa ferch Evan ap Hywel ap Maredudd
- Maredudd ap Hywel (d. after 1353) = Morfydd verch Ieuan ap Dafydd ap Trahaern Goch. He had issue two sons;
- Robert ap Maredudd
- James (Evan) ap Maredudd
According to Philip Yorke in his book The Royal Tribes of Wales (published 1799);
"The father of James and Robert was Maredudd ab Hywel ab Dafydd ab Gruffudd ab Thomas ab Rodri, Lord of Anglesey, ab Owain Gwynedd, as is evident by the Extent of North Wales, in the twenty-sixth of Edward the Third. During Robert ab Maredudd's time, the inheritance, which descended to him and his brother James, was not parted after the custom of the country, by gavelkind, but James being married -enjoyed both houses, Cefn y fan and Cesail Gyfarch. From Robert, who did not marry till near eighty, descended the houses of Gwydir, Cesail Gyfarch, and Hafod Lwyfog; and Sir John Wynn, the historian, his descendant, says, he was the elder brother; from James ab Maredudd, who was Constable of Cricieth, the families of Rhiwaedog, Clenenneu, Ystumcegid, Brynkir and Park."
The family who resided at Park (Parc) came to be known as the Anwyl of Park family, with Anwyl taking various spellings over the years. The sons of Maredudd ap Hywel, Robert and James, took opposing sides during the last war of Welsh independence led by Owain Glyndŵr between 1400 and c.1412. Robert, the elder brother and the ancestor of the Wynn of Gwydir family sided with Glyndŵr but survived the war receiving a Royal Pardon from Henry IV and later by his son Henry V. James, the younger son, opposed Glyndŵr. According to Philip Yorke he had matched his son Maredudd ab James with the daughter of Einion ab Ithel, who belonged to the House of Lancaster. James ab Maredudd held steadfastly to that house when Owain Glyndŵr rebelled so that in the time of that war he had the charge of Caernarfon town and held it for the Crown of England. In revenge for this Owain Glyndŵr burned his two houses; Cefn y fan or Ystumcegid and Cesail Gyfarch. James ap Maredudd was killed during the continuance of this war at Caernarfon and his body evacuated by sea to be buried atPenmorfa.