The Boys in Blue

Dingad(JD-3), the baby boy of Tudor Trevor(JC-1) is the line that my JONES surname descends. His linage is colored "blue" and is shown in the family tree which displays all the children of Tudor. As late as 1584, the land of Dingad(JD-3) is recorded. It is in the records of the Hanmer family of Pentrepant, Shropshire, that a field called "Eryn Dingad and the mountain there" is recorded. This land is near Selattyn-Porkington, which continues to be an area of my JONES family down through the generations. [Shropshire Archives:Catalogue Ref. 894 and 1144/ ref.1144/9- 23 November 1584.] Selattyn [frequently called Porkington] is a strategic location just about equal distance between the River Dee and the River Severn. It is in the middle of the small land bridge which allows access to the mountains. Head north and you gain access to the mouth of the Dee (trade to the north lands). Head south and you gain access to the mouth of the Severn, an access to the channel. Just a few miles away was the large hill fort "Old Oswestry" and the southern most anchor to the family's land.

The son of Dingad(JD-3), Rhiwallon(JE-1) receives a great deal of attention as "Lord of Bromfield". Bromfield is a latter name for the Welsh Maelor, which was family's land from Gadforch(JA-1). Rhiwallon's son Cynrig(JF-1), has his death date recorded in many of the early records [1073 A.D.] It is his death that leads to a lot of family retribution and conflict. Much more to come.

The Orange Side of The Family

The second son of Tudor Trevor(JC-1) is Llydocka(JD-2). His lineage has been color coded "orange" and any figure [square or circle] from this point onward colored orange, will be of this descent. The granddaughter of Llydocka(JD-2), named Gweyrl(JE-7), marries a Ednowain Bendew(JE-8). This Ednowain is credited with founding the XIII(13th) Noble Tribe of Wales. On page 438 of Nicholas [Vol. I], is described that "Bendew" means "thick-headed" or "stupid". I suspect this carries the connotation of stubbornness, but I know that thick-headed certainly runs in our family. In Burke, p. lxv., is recorded:

"Ednowian Bendew, Lord of Tegaingle, A.D. 1079, Founder of the XIII Noble Tribe. Ar. a chev. betw. three boars' heads couped sa."

Tegeingl(Tegaingle) is the district between Rhuddlan, Caerwys, Flint, and Holywell. (see Nicholas, Vol. I, p.438.)

The linage of Llydocka(JD-2) has a large number of associated family surnames. Trying to keep all this straight will be a task, but careful tree climbing will be a help. The figure to the right again shows the six generations from Gadforch(JA-1).

The Pink Side of The Family

The following picture shows six generations of the family from Gadforch(JA-1) to the great-grandsons of Tudor Trevor(JC-1). They have been colored coded as well as coded using my JONES Family coding system. The first generation to be listed is coded "JA". The second generation is coded "JB", third "JC", fourth "JD", fifth "JE", and the sixth "JF". So, from now on, a letter of the alphabet will code for the generation from Gadforch(JA-1). Thus, "JZ-23" will be the 26th generation from Gadforch, and be the 23rd person coded in this generation. [I have had to code for more than 26 generations but we will get to that latter.]

The "pink" side of the family represents the linage of the oldest son of Tudor Trevor(JC-1), Gronwy(JD-). [Pink was the first marker I drew out of my stack, and all descendants through Gronwy(JD-) will be coded "pink".] Gronwy(JD-1) is recorded as having married Tangwyst(JD-5) with only one surviving daughter Rhingor(JE-3). This only daughter marries as here 2nd husband Cynelyn(JE-6) Their son Elystan Glodrydd(JF-6) is credited with being the founder of a "Royal Tribe of Wales", Tribe IV. IN Burke, p.lxii, the following is recorded:

"Ethelystan Glodrydd, Tributary Prince of Ferlys (the country between the Wye and the Severn), Founder of the IV. Royal Tribe. Quarterly, first and fourth, az three boars' heads cabossed sa.; second and third, per bend sinister, ermine and erminois, over all a lion ramp. or., which latter was the coat of his mother Rhingor, dau. and heir or Gronwy ap Tudor-Trevor, Lord of Whittington, co., Salop." In my JONES family coding system, Elystan Glodrydd is JF-6, and his mother is JE-3. This linage receives much attention in the Welsh genealogies. This branch of the family is discussed in great detail in a reference titled:

"Ireland, Wales, and England in The Eleventh Century", by K.L. Maund, which in the second chapter titled "The Eleventh-Century Rulers of Wales: Their Political and Genealogical Relationships", gives the original Welsh documents that Elystan Glodrydd(JF-6) is documented.

Thus, the eldest son of Tudor Trevor(JC-1) reaches out to the generations through his great-grandson Elystan Glodrydd(JF-6), the pink side of the family.

[note: You may need to click on the picture to enlarge it. This will help see the figures and drawing.]

The Children of Tudor Trevor

There were four children of record giving distinct lines from the life of Tudor Trevor. Gronwy (JD-1) was the oldest male, but daughtered out in the next generation.[This means that his line became a maternal line.] A daughter was Ardryn (JD-4). Tudor's second son was Llydocka (JD-2) who married Angharad (JD-6) and gave rise to a great number of future Welsh families. His baby boy was Dingad (JD-3) who married Sysli(Cicely)(JD-7) and gave rise to my JONES family. It was through this baby boy that my Y-DNA was passed.

The figure to the right is my drawing of the start of this family tree. Five generations are shown. At the top is Gadforch (Kadfarch)(JA-1). The numbers are the references to this individual in the records present in the last post. The number (1) is Dwnn, the number (2) is Nicholas, and the number (3) is Burke. Near each name on the family tree is the list of reference from which the family as been pieced together. Starting with the children of Tudor Trevor, a color code is used the help separate the children's descendents. Pink is Gronwy (JD-1). Yellow is Llydocka (JD-2). Blue is Dingad (JD-3). This color code will also be used to help keep straight the various family lines as they evole. This is only the beginning!

Take a Deep Breath

By now, many of those reading these post would certainly question "how in the world" could anyone claim such a family tree. I have asked myself that very question on many occasions. Each family member has been carefully traced and documented. The major documents for this early part of my JONES family tree are to be found in the following references:

1)Dwnn, Lewys, Heraldic Visitations of Wales and Part of the Marches. Published by for the Welsh MSS. Society, 1846. Genealogies are recorded between the years 1586 to 1613 and transcribed from the original manuscripts by Samuel Meyrick. This reference has been republished, 2005, by Bridge Books, 61 Park Avenue, Wrexham. It is in two volumes, and hereafter referred to as Dwnn.

2)Nicholas, Thomas, Annals and Antiquities of The Counties and County Families of Wales. These records are stated to have been compiled by direct visitation of the counties of Wales, and from reliable and original sources. It was first published in London, 1872. It is in two volumes and has been reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1991. Hereafter referred to as Nicholas.

3)Burke, Bernard, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. First published, London, 1884. Hereafter referred to as Burke.

There are a great number of additional reference taken from The Patent Rolls of England, Anglo-Saxon Charters, The Public Record Office of England, and the Archives of England, and multiple other sources. These will be given as they present themselves through my family members on the Welsh and English side. So take a deep breath, and follow me through the family tree of Tudor Trevor. I will used the coding system presented in a previous post, and start with the children of Tudor Trevor.

My JONES Family Coding System

You might imagine how difficult it would be to keep all these JONES family names straight...generation after generation, from Gadforch to me! This would be more than 30 generations. It became clear fairly early that a coding system would be most helpful. The one I now describe is the first pass at a coding system I have used since the early 1990s. It only deals with my family as I tried to organize and keep straight all those generations who passed down the same names and shared many of the same geographic locations. There is a second coding system I have developed which can be used to organize all families, but that is yet to come.

My JONES family coding system is simple. Starting with the letter "J", all members of my family are given this tag. Then, the alphabet is used to tag each generation starting with the first generation at "A". Of course you have to decide which is the first generation which is usually how far back you have gotten in your tree climbling. For me, in the early 1990s, it was Gadforch who flourished around 850 A.D. Thus, the first of my family was coded JA-1. "J" was for JONES. "A" was for the first generation. "-1" was for the first member of this first generation. The wife of Gadforch, who remains unknown to this day, was tagged "JA-2". Simple and straight forward it is!

The son of Gadforch was Ynyr who flurished around 890 A.D. He was the second generation and would be tagged "JB-1". "J" is for JONES, "B" is for the second generation, and "-1" for the first member of this second generation. His wife was Rhiengar (Ryeingar) would be labeled "JB-2".

Now Tudor Trevor (Tydyr Trefor) was the third generation. He was born around 900 A.D. and a primary document records his life at Winchester, 934 A.D.! He was coded "JC-1" and was the son of "JB-1". His wife Angharad, was the daughter of Howel Dda who came into Powys 942 A.D. She was coded "JC-2". The brother of Tudor Trevor was "Ynyr frych Abad Dor" [Abbot of Dore Abbey, in the Golden Vale, Herefordshire). He was coded "JC-3". His wife would be coded "JC-4".

By now, you should get the idea. The first letter, capitalized, would be the first letter of your surname. The second letter, capitalized, would be the generation, from "A" = first generation, "B" = second generation, "C" = third generation...on and on for at least 26 generations. The individals in each generation would be given a number, thus labling and separating each family member. Give it a try!

Both Maelors

Whittington and both Maelors are given as the home land of Tudor Trevor beginning with his grandfather. Whittington was discussed in the last post, and this post is my attempt to show the general geographic location of the Maleors. This area is considered a part of the Kingdom of Powys that had its origins in the period following Roman withdrawal. Powys extended over present day Shropshire and a large part of mid-Wales. The Royal Seat (capital) was called Pengwern (a name that recurs in our family). The actual location of this capital is open to discussion, some believing it was originally located at present day Shrewsberry. At any rate, the area became a borderland, first between the Anglo-Saxons (part conquered by Mercians from 655 A.D., and then the Normans starting after 1066 A.D.) "Both Maelors" refer to the fact that Maelor soon became divided between those who wanted it (the Mercians), and those who occupied it (my Jones family). Divided by the river Dee, the southwestern part became known as "Maelor Saesneg" [The English Maelor], and the northwestern became known as "Maelor Gymraeg" [The Welsh Maelor]. Wrexham was the key center of Maelor Gymraeg, and becomes a major center of our Jones family. The figure to the right is my attempt to show a rough area of Maelor (in red) and the location of Whittington and Oswestry. North to south, along the Watt's Dyke, from Oswestry to north of Wrexham, my Jones family lived. Much more to come.

Whittington

The grandfather of Tudor Trevor is identified as being from Whittington. This would place Cadforch (the grandfather) at Whittington around 870 A.D. +/- twenty years. [This is using the 30 year generation calculated from previous genealogies under "Holding the Bag" Oct. 15, 2010.]

Whittington, a parish in the hundred of Oswestry, county of Salop, is located 3 miles (E.N.E.) from the town of Oswestry. A reference in "A Topographical Dictionary of England", by Samuel Lewis, [Vol.III-IV, p.461] refers to a document titled "Archaeologia". In this document it is reported that Whittington was named Drev Wen, or the White Town, by Llowarch Hen. [Llowarch Hen is believed to have been a British bard who flourished about the close of the sixth century, or around late 590 A.D. However, Meic Stephens places this name as "Canu Llywurch Hen" and states this represents a song (story) written down around the late ninth century. This reference is found in "The New Companion to the Literature of Wales", p.87.] At any rate, Whittington was clearly a settlement before the dates of Cadforch. A British chieftain (Condolanus)is reported to have been slain here in an attempt to expel some Irish invaders.

In the reference "Topographical Dictionary of England", it states:

"According to the bards, it was subsequently the property and chief residence of Tudor Trevor."

Thus, for at least three generations, Cadforch [spelled Gadforch, Kadfarch, Kadvarch) to Ynyr, to Tudor Trevor had settled Whittington.

Anglo-Saxon Charter

From Beli mawr to Vortigern there were 10 generations. [ca. 50 B.C. - 400 A.D.] From Vortigern to Tudor Trevor there were 16 generations. [ca. 400 A.D. - 900 A.D.] These generations were given in Dwnn as discussed in previous posts. It took more than 20 years to connect the generations between Tudor Trevor and me!

The grandfather of Tudor Trevor was Cadforch, identified as being from Whittington and both Maelors. His father Ynyr was married to Rheingar the daughter of Lluddoca of South Wales. Historically, this time period in Welsh history was when South Wales ultimately unified most of Wales under the Welsh King named Hywell Dda. A daughter of Hywell Dda became the wife of Tudor Trevor. Tudor Trevor is identified in the annals of history 28 May 934 A.D. signing with his father-in-law a Saxon Charter. This was done at Winchester referenced in MSS:BL Cotton Aug. ii. 65 (s.x., BM Facs, iii. 5) This document can be viewed at Anglo-Saxons.net S 425 and in the Latin reads:
"Ego Teowdor . subregulus . consensi . et subscripsi."

When roughly translated: I Tudor, under ruler, give my concent (agreement) and sign this document (willingly).

It is unbelievable to me that as a genealogist, there is a signature from my grandfather of 943 A.D.!

Associated Surnames

There are many associated family surnames being descendants of Tudor Trevor. This is a common occurrence among Welsh genealogy which often produces very different surnames, but are actually descended from a common ancestor. My JONES surname is descended through the youngest son of Tudor Trevor. Two other older brothers also had multiple descendants. The following surnames are given as an example of this phenomena. The references are taken from Dwnn:

Broughton - Dwnn, Vol. II, p. 315.

Lloid (Lloyd) - Dwnn, Vol. II, p. 23, p. 347, p. 362.

Moiston (Mostyn) - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 307-309.

Trevor - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 328-329, p.317-318.

Edwards - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 327-328.

Dymock - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 314.

Young - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 315.

Pennant - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 305.

Eytyn - Dwnn, Vol.II, p 358.

Eyton - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 357-358.

Eton - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 360, p. 362.

By marriage:

Hanmer - Dwnn, Vol.II, p. 311-312.

Pilson (Pulston) - Vol.II, p. 150-151.

Salsberi (Salesbury) - Vol.II, p. 330-332.

Wow, what a list of surnames. More to come!