Fifteen Tribes of Wales

The Fifteen Tribes of Wales (also called the Royal and Noble Tribes of Wales)were a number of families in Wales endowed with inherited noble or royal qualities from pre-Roman times. From their number came arguably the first governments of the nation before consolidation into the Welsh tri-archy of Gwynedd, Powys and Deheubarth. Some sources state that there were fifteen tribes of which five were 'royal', other sites list twenty tribes, with five royal and fifteen noble. Presumably there would have been noble and royal 'tribes' from other parts of Britain prior to the English and Gaelic conquests, for instance the powerful House of Lothian (see Morcant Bulc), and the rulers of Dunbarton, Rheged and Dumnonia but the names of these have been largely lost and only those for Cambria are included in this list.

The Five Royal Tribes

• House of Cunedda - the descendants of Cunedda Wledig of Gododdin who became the traditional rulers of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and who through Merfyn Frych founded the Houses of Aberffraw, Mathrafal and Dinefwr.

• House of Gwerthyrnion - the descendants of the marriage of Vortigern and Sereva, daughter of Emperor Macsen Wledig

• House of Dyfed - of the old tribe of Demetia perhaps.

• House of Morganwg - of the old tribe of the Silures perhaps.

• House of Gwent - believed to come from the hereditary Magistrates of Gloucester who are thought to be descendants of the sons of Caratacus.

The Fifteen Noble Tribes

• Hwfa ap Cynddelw (or Awfa ap Cynddellw) of Presaddfed, Anglesey appears as the first of the Fifteen Tribes, He was Lord of Llysllivon. He was also a Steward to Owain Gwynedd King & Later Prince of Gwynedd.

• Llywarch ap Bran, Lord of Cwmmwd Menai appears as the Second of the Fifteen Tribes. He resided at Porthamel Uchaf, Anglesey circa 1137. His wife was a daughter of Gronw ap Owain ap Edwin of Tegeingl & sister to Owain Gwynedd's Queen. Llywarch was also a Steward to Owain Gwynedd.

• Gweirydd ap Rhys Goch appears as the Third of the Fifteen Tribes. He occurs at the beginning of the 12th. Century and resided at Talybdion, Anglesey. He was an ancestor of the Wynn Family of Bodewryd, Anglesey.

• Cilmin Troed - du (The Black Foot) appears as the Fourth of the Fifteen Tribes. He occurs circa 830. He was the Son of Cadrod ap Gwiriad the Brother of Mervyn Vrych. The Salusbury Family claims descent from this tribe according to Victorian literature.

• Collwyn ap Tango appears as the Fifth of the Fifteen Tribes. He was Lord of Eifionydd, Ardudwy & part of Llyn.

• Nefydd Hardd of Nant Conway (The Handsome) appears as the Sixth of the Fifteen Tribes. He appears to have also lived at Crygnant, Llanrwst. William Morgan (1545~1604), Bishop of St Asaph and translator of the Bible into Welsh, was descended of this line.

• Maelog Crwm (The Hunch Back) appears as the Seventh of the Fifteen Tribes. He was Lord of Llech Wedd Isaf & Creuddyn, Caernarfonshire. He is said to be a descendant of Helig ap Glannawg and lived circa 1175

• Marchudd ap Cynan Lord of Abergeleu appears as the Eighth of the Fifteen Tribes. He resided at Brynffanigle circa 846. He was an ancestor of Hari Tudyr (Henry VII (Tudor) of England)

• Hedd Molwynog appears as the Ninth of the Fifteen Tribes. He was Lord of Llanfair Talhaiarn, Duffryn Elwy & Nant Aled and He resided at Is. Dullas and Uwch Aled, Denbighshire during the last half of the 12th Century

• Braint Hir Lord of Is.Dullas appears as the Tenth of the Fifteen Tribes. According to Phillip Yorke (1887 edition) he lived circa 850.

• Marchweithian Lord of Isaled in Denbighshire appears as the Eleventh of the Fifteen Tribes. He was an Ancestor to Rhys Fawr ap Maredudd the Standard Bearer of Hari Tudyr (Henry VII (Tudor) of England) at Bosworth Field on the 22nd August 1485.

• Edwin ap Gronwy appears as the Twelfth of the Fifteen Tribes. He was Lord of Tegaingl (sometimes styled King). His Mother was Æthelflæda the daughter of Edwin Earl of Mercia who was a descendant of Alfred the Great. Edwin Married Ewerydd the Sister of Bleddyn Prince of Powys and had three Sons Owain, Uchdryd & Hywel. Edwin was killed in 1073 and Buried at Northop.

• Ednywain Bendew (the Strong Skulled) appears as the Thirteenth of the Fifteen Tribes. He resided at Llys-y-coed in the parish of Cilcain, Flintshire.

• Efnydd Gwerngwy appears as the Fourteenth of the Fifteen Tribes. He was Lord of the VII townships in Dyffryn Clwyd. He was the father in law of Maredudd ap Bleddyn Prince of Powys and therefore an ancestor of Owain Glyndŵr.

• Ednowain ap Bradwen appears as the Fifteenth of the Fifteen Tribes. He was Lord of Tal-y-bont (some say Meirionydd).

References

• Shropshire Genealogies, George Morris (1836)
• The Royal Tribes of Wales, Philip Yorke (1743 ~1804) (1887 edition)
• A Pedigree of the Royal Tribes of Wales, Roderick D. Davies (1999)
• History of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian Conquest, Sir. John Edward Lloyd (1911)