“The Longhunters”: Second Edition

By Les Blevins

As the author of this work; I have accumulated some 200 documents about Blevins Families in America and drawing on around an additional 400 pages of manuscript, I will be working to add additional information on the descendants of - William Blevins of Virginia – as these people are discovered - beginning with fifth generation descendants of the fourth American born generation. Therefore, anyone who can provide corrections or any additional Blevins information I hope they will do so by emailing me at [e-mail] .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669819141

Les Blevins

Les Blevins was born and raised in Kansas. His background is in the mechanical trades. Blevins believes advancements in cleaner energy generation and conservation can play a major role in solving many difficult problems humanity faces as a result of greenhouse emissions. And he favors developing and deploying improved combustion, pyrolysis and gasification methods, and implementing these new concept systems in distributed and on-site installations as the best means to better utilize very diverse biomass sources, better manage solid, liquid and gaseous wastes, and produce from these a new source of heat, power, liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel along with methane and hydrogen gasses. Look for Les Blevins on Facebook under Les Blevins and Les Blevins2

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 by Les Blevins.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 05/11/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

840785

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

FOREWORD

BLEVINS DNA ORIGINS

THE CELTS AND DRUIDS

BLEDDYN AP CYNFYN

BLEVINS WELSH ANCESTRY

DID WELSH EXPLORERS REACH AMERICA BEFORE COLUMBUS?

THE MARINERS

THE FIRST GENERATION TAKES ROOT

THE WILDERNESS TRAIL

CHRONOLOGY OF EARLY BLEVINS FAMILY

BLEVINS CHEROKEE CONNECTIONS

THE LEGEND OF PRINCESS CORNBLOSSOM

THE LONGHUNTERS

THE CHEROKEE WAR OF 1776-1777

THE SECOND GENERATION

THE THIRD GENERATION

THE WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

BLEVINS PATRIOTS AND LOYALISTS

THE BATTLE OF KINGS MOUNTAIN

THE SECESSIONIST MOVEMENT

THE FOURTH GENERATION

THE WATAUGA PURCHASE

THE KID AND THE COMMODORE

NOTICE, I’VE ADDED THIS INFORMATION ON TROUBLES IN APPALACHIA WHICH I FIND INTERESTING

In ancient times Anglo-Saxon invaders forced the indigenous Celtic (Cymry) people, living in the region called Wales, into the hills in the far-west where they thrived and developed a distinct nationality, language and culture that remains to this day.

The surname Blevins originated in Wales as Bleddyn which means Little Wolf as Bledd means wolf and the suffix yn means diminutive in the Celtic languages.

Gruffudd AP Llywelyn, the king of Gwynedd, became king of most of Wales by 1055, and he also held parts of England near the border after victories over the English armies.

However in 1063 Gruffudd was defeated by Harold Godwinson and then killed by his own men. Then Bleddyn AP Cynfyn and his brother Rhiwallon were able to come to terms with Godwinson and take over as the rulers of Gwynedd and Powys.

After the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Norman invaders began to exert pressure on the eastern border of Gwynedd. They were also helped by the internal strife that followed the killing of Bleddyn AP Cynfyn, in southern Wales, in 1075. Bleddyn’s cousin Trahaern AP Caradog next seized the throne but then he too was challenged by Gruffydd AP Cynan who had been in exile in Ireland. Gruffydd briefly gained control of Gwynedd, but was forced to flee back to Ireland.

The eventual union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284.

INTRODUCTION

This is a work in progress. DO NOT ASSUME all information is correct as many sources are other researchers. Some information and its sources have not been documented. Any help anyone can provide having to do with errors or additional information is appreciated.

Readers should note; the information contained herein has largely been contributed by others, or gleaned from various books and other sources. It was then researched and cross checked to determine what pertained to the various Blevins lines, and where the best documentation and consensus exists among the sources. The information was then re-organized and edited in an attempt to modify or eliminate any inaccurate information and make it somewhat more understandable. The author makes no claim to having proof of the accuracy of information contained herein, therefore it should be considered theoretical rather than absolute. The author hopes others will continue Blevins family research and expand on this work to include other branches of the family tree including those family lines we know today as Blivins, Blivens, Blevens, Blevans, etc.

Finding the descendants of William Blevins Sr. has been the object of researchers for many decades. The author was happy to learn much about William Blevins Sr. and his ascendants and descendants as he sought information from his family and genealogical researchers who were willing to share information, books that have been written, and a wide range of information available on the Internet. Without all these sources this work would not have been possible. The author thanks all who have generously contributed to the information contained herein. They know who they are.

Blevins origin;

The name Blevins derives from the old Welsh name Bleddyn, a well-known name of Medieval England and Wales. An early variation of the name spelling is Blethyn. Later variations include Bliven, Blivens, Blevan, and Blevans. In the old Welsh language dd is sounded as th is in the English language. The name Blethyn is a derivative of Bleddyn.

Henry Blethyn was a son of James Blethyn. William #1 and his six sons descend from Henry Blethyn of Lancashire England. It is believed Henry was born near or perhaps moved to the western coastal area of England and became a seaman. William Blethyn #1 and his sons were among those who immigrated to the American Colonies in the early 1600s, shortly after Henry had taken up seafaring it would seem.

Henry Blethyn may have been encouraged to become a seaman through the influence of Joshua Blethyn, another son of James Blethyn b. 1602 and thus one of Henry’s brothers. Joshua is the earliest known seaman in the Blevins family, but there may have been even earlier connections to the sea that aren’t known about. (see pages 18- 20)

Following a family tradition; Henry Blethyn and others of the Blethyn family became seagoing mariners. Joshua Blethyn was master of the ship Polly. Joshua settled in Newport, RI and had sons Edward Bliven and James Blivin. Blivin and Bliven are derivatives with spelling variations of the old Welsh family name Blethyn.

FOREWORD

This volume is a continuation of efforts which began in the 1930s by my father’s late cousin Frances Nichols-Eckert (1916-2009). At first, as I became interested in the 1960s, I intended to do no more than examine what she had gathered to see what I could learn about my ancestors. Back then, the idea of a longer project, which would take many years and result in the publication of a family history, was inconceivable. However, as I soon discovered, my father’s cousin had gathered enough information to pique my interest to learn more. Over time, as the years were passing and the Internet became available for research, my curiosity was still growing and my files were continuing to expand, and the scope of my project seemingly had become an examination of the entire Blevins family history in North America and before. In the late 1990s I began to think I might write somewhat of a limited history and genealogy of the Blevins family. Feeling a bit apprehensive over this, I nevertheless felt an obligation to carry forward the family stories my father’s cousin related and the many interesting discoveries she had made and I continued to make, and to dispel if possible, some of the errors and misperceptions which I found were preserved in Blevins family folklore and family histories.

I’ve searched for every scrap of information referencing the Blevins family I could find. Research was also conducted by helpful genealogists in America and in Britain. And even as the research phase continued, the task to organize, analyze and interpret the data which had been accumulated also continued. In accomplishing this work, my lack of knowledge of American and British history; and a lack of formal training in the methods of historical analysis made many of the tasks that much more difficult. The many reconstructions of the branches of the Blevins family, as contained in this volume, are based upon conclusions drawn from my own analysis of the data of others. It is, for the most part, grounded in substantial evidence found amongst many sources. But in a few cases it was necessary to rely on circumstantial evidence where accurate records never existed, had degenerated over time, or had been destroyed.

This effort has provided me with other benefits. For example I have broadened my knowledge of the history of England, Wales and America and acquired a number of new skills which I had not previously possessed. The interpretation of Welsh and British data however required that I rely on those proficient in deciphering Medieval Welsh and English script and spelling as I was simply not up to it.

Much of what is reported here was obtained from authoritative works and obscure data, unobtainable in any single source. Some was also furnished by other genealogists who, with a great deal of patience, answered my questions with detailed responses. Without the information my father’s cousin Frances Nichols-Eckert provided, and the material and encouragement of so many generous persons; this report could not have been written. My wish is that those who have contributed both time and information to this project may read it and forgive me for the errors which have surely crept into it. I pray it proves worthy of their expectations and that others continue to research and expand on it, for without a clear understanding of what has transpired in the past it is difficult to understand the possibilities for the future.

BLEVINS DNA ORIGINS

Blevins DNA samples prove to be haplogroup type E3b1, a lineage that is found often in North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. It is estimated to have originated around 23,000 years ago. It is the second most common Hebrew linage after J, and a gene type found frequently in Moorish and Berber families. It expanded into the Mediterranean during the Pleistocene Neolithic expansion. Haplogroup E3b is distributed widely in the Mediterranean, southern Europe, and in north and east Africa.

By around 8,000 to 9,000 years ago, Neolithic peoples of the Middle East that had developed agriculture began migrating to Europe. Indications are there were several haplogroups involved but they were mainly E3b, F, J2 and G2.

These Neolithic haplogroups came in several waves over time and are still found along the Mediterranean coast. Around 20% of the present-day population there are from these Neolithic haplogroups. What is interesting to note is that the agricultural technology they developed spread much further than the people who invented’ it.

56273.png

Source: The information on haplotypes comes from various DNA sites on the web as well as more recent information on recently discovered evidence.

Blevins Family DNA indicates ancestors migrated from Europe to the British Isles about 6,000 years ago. Many Blevins and related family lines in North America today descend from an old Welsh family linage. A few immigrated to North America in the early 1600s. A few came early to Rhode Island and then eventually became active in the early settlement of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky before spreading in several directions, but obviously most who migrated went south and west from our eastern coastal areas.

THE CELTS AND DRUIDS

The Celts (Kel’tz) were a group of people whose empire once spanned the European continent. Archeological digs from Halstadt, Germany to the Orkney Isles of Scotland have uncovered evidence of Celtic settlements as far back as the late Bronze Age. But where did these brash, nomadic people come from, and what became of them?

The fact that the original Celtic stocks were primarily a dark haired people with swarthy complexions only verifies a new theory. This is the migratory theory; when applied the Celtics sometime in the millennia of the Bronze Age entered Europe from somewhere in Asia Minor. It wasn’t long before they settled in the Danube River basin and soon began raiding and conquering their neighbors. The Celtic conquest continued until their tribal lands covered most of Western Europe.

Though their rise to power was quick, the Celtic domination of Europe was short, as empires go. Over the centuries following the Celtic Golden Age seen at Halstadt, the Celtic people were pushed farther west by new conquerors and empires, sprouting up in Athens, Macedonia, and, eventually, Rome.

If the origins of the Celts are historically dubious, the name they identified themselves with remains a mystery. While historical accounts exist, as well as a few Celtic carvings referencing tribal names, Celtic writings don’t make any reference to a racial name. The only surviving accounts to make reference to the Celtic people were written by Roman and Greek historians. In fact, it is from Greek texts that the Celts received their ethnic name, Keltoi, a Greek word for stranger or outsider.

Many historians and archeologists believe that the original people who entered Europe millennia before the birth of Christ had no name to identify themselves as a people. They were nomadic and little more than a loose conglomeration of independent tribes and family groups. If this theory is true, it adds a new dimension to the mystery of the Celts with a question that might never be truly answered: Who were the Celts?

Historical records and archeological evidence have much to say about Celtic culture and society. Predominantly in Roman histories, reference is made to the deep racial pride of the Celts, and their stubborn refusal to be dominated or ruled. According to Roman chroniclers, a Celt would choose suicide over surrender. Nor was Celtic society a fluid structure like the Hellenic or Roman empires, but rather a loosely-linked group of autonomous tribes, each headed by a separate chieftain. Within each tribe, the people were further divided into extended family units known as clans. Each clan was subdivided into lineages, called ‘fine’, represented by the paternal kinship. Roman writers, examining this pastoral mind frame from their urban vantage point, no doubt found much to disdain as barbaric and primitive in Celtic society.

However, far from the barbarians with which they were often identified, the Celts had a highly developed society. The basic structure of Celtic society divided the people into three classes: namely the royal clans, the warrior aristocracy, and the common people, often referred to as Freemen. And, though slaves did constitute a small percentage of the population, slavery was generally frowned upon in Celtic society. However, though Celtic social structure appeared loose and primitive to the Romans and Greeks, the Celts were by no means the savage race which the Roman scholars often slurred them by. Archeological evidence has shown the Celts to be an advanced race, for their era. They made use of chain mail in battle and utilized machines for reaping grain. There is evidence that the Celts had begun extended roadways across Europe centuries prior to the Roman Empire’s much-lauded road system, and it is widely believed by historians that it was from the Celts that the Romans and Greeks first learned the use of soap, so clearly they were inventive pathfinders.

However, regardless of their apparent advancements, the Celts were not an urbanized people, and their tastes ran to simple rather than extravagant. Certain themes appear repetitively in reference to Celtic culture, including the predominance of rural settlements, the traditions governing hospitable feasts, and the evidence of fellowship drinking. Pork tended to be a primary item of diet, and clothing often followed a plaid design. However, though rural themes predominated, their society and settlements were merely farming communities but the Celts were far from uneducated. They placed high regard on thorough education and life-longstudy. The Druids, who are believed to be the Celtic scholars and priests, were required to undergo a period of training which lasted around twenty years. Also contrary to popular belief, historians have concluded that the Celts had a written language as early as the third century BCE, but made little use of it except on coinage and memorials, placing a higher value on the ability to remember vast quantities of information correctly.

Celtic society declined in the face of Rome’s advancing power, however. As Roman culture stamped more of the face of world politics and trade, the Celts soon found themselves with no choice but to accept Roman rule. And, as Roman culture began dominating the Celtic tribes, the tribal culture was replaced by a racial identity. By the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain in approximately 340 CE, Celtic culture had waned nearly into oblivion. It would enjoy a brief period of renewal with the fall of Rome, only to be quickly conquered by the Germanic culture advancing across Europe. And so, the proud people who had once dominated the European continent would be lost to myth and legend, leaving more unanswered questions than road signs to their once-golden culture.

The group of people known as the Druids, their practices, beliefs, and lives shrouded in mystery, emerged in Britain among the Celts. Many are fascinated by Druidism and the tales of clandestine wizards-quietly working their magic under the cloak of night. But who were they? Where did they come from? Some clues can be found in the study of languages.

Virtually all languages spoken today and throughout time stem from early dialects called Proto Indo-European (PIE) Languages. Though it is impossible to discern the exact date that these first forms of communication were created but Latin, Sanskrit, and Greek all owe their origins to this early dialect.

These PIE’s, as they are called, and the people who spoke them, influenced culture and society the world over as they spread from their origins in the area that is now Southern Russia. Among these early tribes are people we know as the Celts. They first appeared as migrants from the Eastern Mediterranean to Britain in two waves- the first around 2300 B.C., and the next around 2000B.C. From their ranks, arose the Druids.

Among the Celts, Druids established themselves as a spiritual class of healers, teachers, and rulers. They were a group that observed and worshipped the patterns and elements of nature around them, viewing these patterns as reflections of themselves and their world. The Druids are responsible for many occult systems and religious symbolisms used today by practitioners of many beliefs and traditions, among them Christianity, Judaism and Wicca.

The Druids were viewed by their own people as the equivalent of a clergy, or ruling class. There existed within their ranks a hierarchy, consisting of the following:

The Arch-Druid, the wisest or eldest ranking in a particular group, equivalent to a king, and there were the Druids, who were equivalent to clergy.

Also there were Sacrificers, who were of a warrior-type class. Then there were the Bards, the equivalent of artists or trade classes, and there were of course the many new initiates or followers, who were like serfs and assisted with the menial and mundane duties. They possessed a highly sophisticated system of order for their peoples’ time, and it is this time order that is reflected in many of their rituals and workings. Stonehenge is both a church and burial ground and an astronomical time piece. It was designed so that Midsummer sunrise and Midwinter moonrise fall within an inner horseshoe of stones that are thought to be some of the first stones placed there. Stonehenge was likely used to mark other astronomical events.

Sources include·

• Bonewits, Issac, Real Magic, Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1991

• Bonewits, Issac, The Druids, Lecture given in Belleville, NJ, 10/15/99

• Monroe, Douglas, The 21 Lessons of Merlyn, Llewellyn Publications, 1997

• Monroe, Douglas, The Lost Books of Merlyn, Llewellyn Publications, 1998

• Nichols, Ross, The Book of Druidry, Harper Collins Publishers, 1990

It would appear that many of the ingrained characteristics of the Celts and Druids, like being inclined to be highly independent, resourceful, free thinking, unyielding and yet always willing to explore further and push westward in spite of hardships and danger that kept others behind. Traits which carried forward through time to the very cultural makeup of the Welsh speaking people who arrived in North America in large numbers and are still evident among some of the descendants of William #1 and his extended family as they thrive in North America and elsewhere around the world today. Even the author of this report has conducted his own quest for a method humanity can use to contain human induced global warming. Readers could search Google for more on that.

BLEDDYN AP CYNFYN: Source; Wikipedia

Bleddyn Ap Cynfyn (1027- 1075) was a Prince of the Welsh Kingdoms of Gwynedd and of Powys. Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the Roman period until the 13th Century when it was conquered and subjugated by England.

Bleddyn was the son of Princess Angharad ferch Maredudd (of the Dinefwr dynasty of Deheubarth) and her second husband Cynfyn Ap Gwerstan, a Powys Lord, who was a son of *Gwaethfoed Mawr ap Gwynnan. His mother Angharad was previously the widow of Llywelyn Ap Seisyll and also the mother of Gruffudd Ap Llywelyn.

His Marriage

Bleddyn was married to the heir of Powys Haer Verch Gillin AP Blaidd Rhydd, Lord of Guest and Eivionydd.,

About Bleddyn’s submission to Harold Godwinson and his reward

When Gruffydd Ap Llywelyn was killed by his own men after being defeated by the Saxon Harold Godwinson in 1063, his realm was divided among several Welsh Princes. Bleddyn and his brother Rhiwallon Ap Cynfyn, as half-brothers to Gruffudd, succeeded to his lands, first as allies of the Saxon King of England, Edward the Confessor, and then submitted to Harold and from him received Gwynedd and Powys.

They continued Gruffudd’s policy of allying with the Mercian Saxons to resist the threat from William the Conqueror.

The Anti-Norman alliance

In 1067 Bleddyn and Rhiwallon joined with the Mercian Eadric the Wild in an attack on the Normans at Hereford, ravaged the lands as far as the River Lugg, then in 1068 allied with Earl Edwin of Mercia and Earl Morcar of Northumbria in another attack on the Normans.

His Challenges at home

Bleddyn was challenged by the two sons of Gruffydd Ap Llywelyn, but defeated them at the Battle of Mechain in 1070, one being killed and the other dying of exposure after the battle. Bleddyn’s brother Rhiwallon was also killed in this battle, while Bleddyn himself emerged as the only one of the four to survive the bloody encounter, and he ruled Gwynedd and Powys alone until his death.

In 1073 Robert of Rhuddlan stealthily established his forces on the banks of the River Clwyd and attempted to ambush and capture Bleddyn, narrowly failing but seizing valuable booty from the raids further south.

Prince Bleddyn’s Death

Bleddyn was killed in 1075 by Rhys Ap Owain of Deheubarth and the nobility of Ystrad Tywi in South Wales, a killing which caused much shock throughout Wales.

When Rhys Ap Owain was defeated at the Battle of Goodwick and forced to become a fugitive by Bleddyn’s cousin and successor as King of Gwynedd, Trahaearn Ap Caradog in 1078, and then killed by Caradog Ap Gruffydd of Gwent shortly afterwards, this event was hailed as vengeance for the blood of Bleddyn Ap Cynfyn.

Bleddyn is said in the Brut y Tywysogion (in English: Chronicle of the Princes) to have been a benevolent ruler:

the most lovable and the most merciful of all kings ... he was civil to his relatives, generous to the poor, merciful to pilgrims and orphans and widows and a defender of the weak ...

the mildest and most clement of kings and he did injury to none, save when insulted.... openhanded to all, terrible in war, but in peace beloved.

Bleddyn’s Legacy: He was responsible for a broad revision of Welsh law in the version used in Gwynedd. After he died, Gwynedd was seized by Trahaearn Ap Caradog and recovered for the line of Rhodri the Great by Gruffydd Ap Cynan, but Bleddyn was the founder of a dynasty which lasted until the end of the 13th century.

Bleddyn’s children included Iorwerth Ap Bleddyn (b. 1053 - d. 1111).

Bleddyn’s killer, Rhys, was a son of Owain Ap Edwin of the line of Hywel Dda, and member of the Dinefwr dynasty. He followed his brother Maredudd Ap Owain as King of Deheubarth in 1072, together with the nobility of Ystrad Tywi,

In 1078 he was defeated by Trahaearn Ap Caradog, who had followed Bleddyn on the throne of Gwynedd, in a battle at Gwdig. Later the same year Rhys was killed by Caradog Ap Gruffydd of Gwent. His defeat and death were hailed in the annals as "vengeance for the blood of Bleddyn Ap Cynfyn". At that time the Lord of Caerleon was Caradog Ap Gruffydd who died in 1081 and was succeeded by his son Owain Wan (Owain the Weak). Caerleon is a small town in SE Wales, in Newport county borough on the River Usk. It is traditionally the seat of King Arthur’s court

See King Gruffydd Ap Rhydderch (#8) on page 12 for an understanding of the family connection of Bleddyn Ap Cynfyn to the long line of direct ascendants of William Blevins #1 and his descendants. King Gruffydd was undoubtedly a true King of Wales; and the majority of the Blevins in North America are surely his descendants.

BLEVINS WELSH ANCESTRY – beginning with Merfyn Frych Ap Gwriad born ca 764-780 AD Caernarfon, Gwynedd Wales

image%202.jpg

Map of Mediaeval kingdoms of Wales

1. Merfyn Frych Ap Gwriad

Merfyn Frych Ap Gwriad (Merfyn the Freckled) (born ca 764-780, died 844) was a King of Gwynedd and possibly also of Powys who styled himself King of the Britons.

Merfyn Frych seized control of Gwynedd in 825 on the death of Hywel Ap Rhodri Molwynog, though he may have held power in Anglesey since 818. Merfyn was not a member of the traditional dynasty of Gwynedd, the direct male line of Maelgwn Gwynedd, and his succession marked the start of a new dynasty. His claim was apparently based on the fact that his mother, Esyllt, was the daughter of Cynan Dindaethwy Ap Rhodri and the niece of Hywel Ap Rhodri. According to bardic tradition, Merfyn came from the land of Manaw, but it is uncertain whether this refers to the Isle of Man (Ynys Manaw in Welsh) or to Manaw Gododdin, the area around the Firth of Forth. It would seem likely that it was the latter on account of the probability he would be a blood relative of Cunedda, the founder of the Gwynedd dynasty, who was a prince of Manaw Gododdin.

Despite Danish raids, Merfyn was able to maintain his position and on his death in 844 to hand over the kingdom intact to his son Rhodri the Great. Merfyn is thought to have died in battle, but the circumstances are not recorded. His descendants came to rule not only Gwynedd but also Powys and Deheubarth and they played a major role in Welsh politics until the end of Welsh independence in 1283.

2. Rhodri Mawr; (in English Roderick the Great) (c. 820-878) was the first ruler of Wales to be called ‘Great’, and the first to rule most of present-day Wales.

The son of Merfyn Frych Ap Gwriad king of Gwynedd and Nest ferch Cadell of the royal line of Powys, inherited the kingdom of Gwynedd on his father’s death in 844. When his uncle Cyngen Ap Cadell ruler of Powys died on a pilgrimage to Rome in 855 Rhodri inherited Powys. In 872 when Gwgon, his wife’s uncle and ruler of Seisyllwg in southern Wales was accidentally drowned, Rhodri added his kingdom to his domains by virtue of his marriage to Angharad, ferch Meurig. This made him the ruler of the larger part of Wales.

Rhodri Mawr faced pressure both from the English and increasingly from the Danes, who were recorded as ravaging Anglesey in 854. In 856 Rhodri won a notable victory over the Danes, killing their leader Gorm (sometimes given as Horm). Two poems by Sedulius Scotus written at the court of Charles the Bald, king of the Western Franks, celebrate the victory of Roricus over the Norsemen.

In 877 Rhodri fought another battle against the Norse invaders on Anglesey, this time being forced to flee to Ireland. On his return the following year, he and his son Gwriad were said to have been killed by the English, though the precise manner of his death is unknown. When his son, Anarawd Ap Rhodri won a victory over the Mercians a few years later, it was hailed in the annals as God’s vengeance for Rhodri.

His son Cadell Ap Rhodri conquered Dyfed, which was later joined with Seisyllwg by Rhodri’s grandson Hywel Dda to become Deheubarth. Like his grandfather, Hywel would come to rule most of Wales.

3. Cadell Ap Rhodri (854-909) was a son of Rhodri Mawr (the Great) he inherited the kingdom of Seisyllwg from his father in 878, and passed it to his son, Hywel Dda (the Good), on his death in 909. Cadell and Hywel had conquered Dyfed in 904/905, which established Hywel as the king in that region. After his father’s death, Hywel merged the two Welsh speaking kingdoms to establish Deheubarth.

4. Hywel Dda (c 880?–950), (Howell the Good) was originally king of Deheubarth in south-west Wales but eventually came to rule most of Wales. As a descendant of Rhodri Mawr through his father Cadell, Hywel was a member of the Dinefwr branch of the dynasty. Hywel (sometimes called Howell) married Angharad Verch Llewelyn.

Hywel was born around 880, the younger son of Cadell Ap Rhodri, himself the son of Rhodri the Great. In 905, Cadell, having conquered Dyfed, gave it to his son to rule on his behalf. Hywel was able to consolidate his position by marrying Elen, whose father Llywarch Ap Hyfaidd had ruled Dyfed until his death. Following his father’s death in 909, he acquired a share of Seisyllwg, and on his brother’s death in 920, he merged Dyfed and Seisyllwg, creating for himself a new kingdom, which became known as Deheubarth. Following the death of his cousin Idwal Foel in 942, he also seized the principality of Gwynedd, becoming ruler of about three-quarters of present-day Wales.

5. Owain Ap Hywel (born 913 - died 987) was king of Deheubarth in south Wales and probably also controlled Powys. Owain was the son of Hywel Dda, and Angharad Verch Llewelyn. Hywel Dda was originally only king of Deheubarth, but by the end of his life he was king of most of Wales. On Hywel’s death in 950 Deheubarth was shared between Owain and his two brothers, Rhodri and Edwin. Owain Ap Hywel produced a son Iestyn Ap Owain.

6. Iestyn Ap Owain (born about 942) His father was Owain Ap Hywel and his mother was Angharad verch Llewelyn. He had brothers Einion, Cadwallon, Maredydd and Llywarch. He produced a son Rhydderch Ap Iestyn. He died between 980 and 1030. At one time he held Caerleon Castle. Caerleon is a town in SE Wales, near Newport on the River Usk. Iestyn Ap Owain’s linage is much disputed and often misunderstood.

7. Rhydderch Ap Iestyn (born 965 - died 1033) was king of Gwent and Morgannwg in south Wales and later the kingdom of Deheubarth and controlled Powys. He appears to have originally been ruler of Gwent and Morgannwg, where his son later continued to have his power base. When Llywelyn Ap Seisyll, king of Gwynedd and Deheubarth, unexpectedly died in 1023, Rhydderch was able to seize Deheubarth by force. In 1033 Rhydderch is recorded by Brut y Tywysogion as having been slain by the Irish, but with no explanation of the circumstances. Then the kingdom of Deheubarth returned to the original dynasty in the form of Hywel Ap Edwin and his brother Maredudd. A battle between Hywel and his brother and the sons of Rhydderch is recorded the following year. In 1045 Rhydderch’s