Ednyfed Vychan ap Kendrig (Seneschal) of GWYNEDD

Ednyfed Vychan (died 1246), full name Ednyfed Vychan ap Kendrig (Cynwrig), was seneschal to the Kingdom of Gwynedd in northern Wales, serving Llywelyn the Great and his son Dafydd ap Llywelyn. He was the ancestor of Owen Tudor and thereby of the Tudor dynasty. Ednyfed is said to have first come to notice in battle, fighting against Ranulf, Earl of Chester and cutting off the heads of three Englishmen. He displayed three heads on his coat of arms in memory of the feat. In 1215 he succeeded Gwyn ab Ednywain as seneschal ("distain" in Welsh) of Gwynedd. He was involved in the negotiations leading to the Peace of Worcester in 1218 and represented Llywelyn in a meeting with the king of England in 1232. He had estates at Rhos Fyneich, near Colwyn Bay and a residence at Bryn Euryn in Rhos-on-Sea. He also held lands in South Wales and presumably on Anglesey where the family later had their headquarters. He was married twice, first to Tangwystl Goch the daughter of Llywarch ap Bran then to Gwenllian, daughter of Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth. Ednyfed is said to have made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1235, and the following year the death of his wife Gwenllian is recorded. On Llywelyn the Great's death in 1240 he continued as seneschal in the service of Llywelyn's son, Dafydd ap Llywelyn, until his death in 1246. One of his sons was captured and killed by the English in the war of 1245. Two other sons were successively seneschals of Gwynedd under Llywelyn the Last. After Llywelyn's death in 1282 the family made its peace with the English crown. Ednyfed's son Goronwy gave rise to the Penmynydd branch of the family, from whom Owen Tudor and later Henry VII were descended. http://en.wikipedia.org

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