In December 1282, Edward I succeeded in conquering Wales when Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was killed in battle. Not only did the king deprive the Welsh of their independence but he saw off the last of their countrymen to hold the title Prince of Wales. Llywelyn may be dead, but his family members survived, and the most important of them was his baby daughter Gwenllian, who was born just six months earlier to his wife, Eleanor de Montfort who had died in childbirth.
After her father’s death, Gwenllian was taken into the guardianship of her paternal uncle Dafydd ap Gruffud, but by June Dafydd was also dead.
After her father’s death, Gwenllian was taken into the guardianship of her paternal uncle Dafydd ap Gruffud, but by June Dafydd was also dead.
Edward I ordered that six month old Gwenllian be sent to Sempringham Priory, where it is noted that she arrived ‘in her cradle.’ Gwenllian was never rescued, and no rebellion was made in her name, so she remained in this isolated priory for fifty-four years until her death on the 7th June in 1337.
How long did it take for her to be forgotten by her own people I wonder, and she ever speak Welsh? A charter to the priory states that money was given for her keep, so it is likely that she did know who she was. However, nothing is known of Gwenllian’s time in Lincolnshire, but we do know that she was there because priory records list her as Wenilane ~ her signature shows that she referred to herself as Wentilane.
When Edward hid Gwenllian from those Welsh rebels who might use her as a figurehead, he also hid her cousin Gwladys, the daughter of Dafydd ap Gruffud, at the Gilbertine Priory of Sixhills near Market Rasen. Gwladys died in 1336.
When Edward hid Gwenllian from those Welsh rebels who might use her as a figurehead, he also hid her cousin Gwladys, the daughter of Dafydd ap Gruffud, at the Gilbertine Priory of Sixhills near Market Rasen. Gwladys died in 1336.
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