Bartrum played games
with his generational dating system to make it seem there was no missing generation here. Had he correctly assigned
Bleddyn to his Generation 1 (about 1030), the missing generation would be obvious. He DID place Bleddyn's wife (Elen,
sister of Rhys ap Tewdwr) in his Generation 1, but labeled Bleddyn as born in Generation 2 (about 1070). We suggest the opposite
was true, that Bleddyn was born c. 1045 and Elen near 1055
OUR EARLIER LOOK AT THIS FAMILY:
In 2011. we published
a paper on Einion ap Llywarch [4]which included a chart showing the marriage of Catryn ferch Sir Elidyr Ddu with Gruffudd
Gwyr ap Cadifor. We noted that there was a full generation missing in those citations which claim "Gruffudd Gwyr ap
Cadifor ap Gwgan ap Bleddyn ap Maenyrch". Some years later, we added a note to that chart to disclose:
"NOTE: Subsequent research indicates the son of Bleddyn was called Gwgan Blaidd Gwyrdd (the green wolf)
and his son was Gwgan ap Gwgan born c. 1105"
Since this is our first subsequent paper to mention this family, we should explain why we came to the conclusion asserted
in this notice. Almost all the source authorities known to us say the father of both of the men named Trahaearn in our
two above charts, and the father of both of the men named Cadifor, was named Gwgan. It is not chronologically possible
that this was a single Gwgan, so a "Gwgan ap Gwgan" seems to be indicated. There is, however, an outlier citation found
in Llyfr Baglan, 316 and repeated in Burke's Commoners, vol 3 page 176, which claims this ancestry:
"Einion Sais ap Rhys ap Hywel ap Trahaearn ap Gwgan ap Blegwryd ap Bleddyn ap Maenyrch".
While this citation contains the correct number of generations between the c. 1225 Einion Sais and the c. 1045 Bleddyn, the
overwhelming weight of evidence tells us that the son of Bleddyn who was the ancestor of Einion Sais, was actually named Gwgan.
Thus we explored the possibility that this pedigree had cited the man by his nickname, but contorted it into the rare male
name "Blegwryd" (alternately spelled Blegywryd). What possible nickname might yield to such a tortured misspelling?
We could understand "gwyrdd" or "green" being mistaken for "gwryd", but what was added to such a nickname to account for the
"bl" initial sound?
Another outlier citation in Dwnn ii, 43 traces this line to "Rhys ap Hywel ap Trahaearn ap Gwgan ap Blaidd ap Gwirydd ap Bleddyn",
which incorrectly inserts three generations between Trahaearn and Bleddyn. However, if we delete one "ap", we'd have
"Blaidd Gwirydd" or "wolf" plus a minor misspelling of the Welsh word for "green". Dwnn ii,
38 actually deletes that "ap" with the pedigree rendered as "Gwgan ap Blaidd Gywrydd ap Bleddyn", a lesser misspelling
of "green". Thus, we would identify "Gwgan Blaidd Gwyrdd" (Gwgan green wolf) as the son of Bleddyn and the father
of another Gwgan.
The probable ancestry of Bleddyn ap Maenyrch was charted in a prior paper [5] and will not be rehashed here.
SIBLINGS OF BLEDDYN:
No sisters are cited for Bleddyn. He had a younger brother, Drymbenog born c. 1050, who is the subject of another paper
on this site. [6]
Bleddyn had another brother, Rhiwallon, born c. 1046, whose wife is not known. He may have died before 1093 and left
a son, Ifor, born c. 1075. This line ended with a daughter, unnamed but born c. 1110, who married Robert (1095) ap Bledri
(1065) ap Cadifor Fawr (1030). [7]
The final sibling of Bleddyn was Dryffin, discussed below.
SONS OF BLEDDYN:
No daughters are cited for Bleddyn, but his eldest son was the Gwgan we have dubbed "green wolf". We suggest that this
boy, about age 17 when his father was killed, was deemed to be no threat to contend for kingship and perhaps even given
a young Norman lady for his wife when he reached his late 20's. It is not known how or why he earned his nickname.
Bleddyn also had a younger son, Caradog, who was under age 14 when their father was killed. He appears to have
also been treated kindly by the conquering Normans, as he later married and had sons, Ithel and Rawlff. Caradog had
likely married a Norman lady, which accounts for naming a son "Ralph", a distinctly non-Welsh name. King Bleddyn did
NOT have a son named Cadwgan.
ANOTHER BLEDDYN
ap MAENYRCH:
King Bleddyn had a brother, Dryffin ap Maenyrch, who named a son Maenrych, born c. 1075. That later Maenyrch had sons
Madog, Drymbenog and Bleddyn. That c. 1110 Bleddyn ap Maenyrch had sons Gwgan and Cadwgan:
