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.
