Meurig ab Idwal Foel ab Anarawd

Annales Cambriæ (s.a. 974) records that Meurig was blinded in 974: “Meuric filius Idwal cæcatus est.” One manuscript states that he was killed (“occiditur”). Brut y Tywysogion (s.a. 972) records that he “fell sick” in 972.

Events

Date of Birth: about 930.

This estimated date is given by Bartrum (EVWG Early Series [41]).

Date of Death: 986 (?).

This date is given by Annales Cambriæ (s.a. 986): “Meuric filius Idwal occisus est.” Bartrum has the date 986 crossed out in EVWG (Early Series [41]).

Relationships

Father: Idwal Foel ab Anarawd ap Rhodri Mawr (about 890 - 942).

This relationship is shown by Bartrum (EVWG Early Series [41]) and given by Thornton (WHR 18:4 p. 571) and in Kings p. 38.

(supposed) Mother: Mereddon ferch Cadwr.

This relationship is shown by Bartrum (EVWG Early Series [41]), citing Lewys Dwynn ii 100. Baldwin (LaI) states that Dwnn is too late an authority to be trusted for a marriage this early.

Spouse: unknown.

Children:

(Complete source citations for facts about the children on this page are currently outside of the scope of this project. Most information below comes from Bartrum.)

Idwal (about 960 - 996).

Ionafal (died 985).

References

Baldwin, Stewart. Llywelyn ap Iorwerth ancestor table. (Hosted at Rootsweb.ancestry.com. Accessed 23 May 2014).

Bartrum, Peter C (ed.) Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts. (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1968).

The sources Bartrum gives for Meurig include:

Hanes Gruffudd ap Cynan -- the biography is probably from the 1170s, but Bartrum believes the pedigrees may be later (1200s).

1. “...Yago m. Idwal (m. Elissed) m. Meuryc mab Idwal foel m. Anaraut m. Rodri….”

Mostyn MS. 117. -- a MS from the late 1200s.

1. “...Gruffyd m. Kynan m. Iago m [Idwal m. Meuric m.] Idwal voel m. Anarawt m. Rodri m. Meruyn vrych, gwr priawt Esyllt verch Kynan Tindaethwy…”

Jesus College MS. 20 -- (dated to the first part of the 14th century):

26. “Gruffud m. Kynan m. Iago m. Idwal m. Meuric m. Itwal voel m. Anarawt mab Rodri mawr.”

Achau Brenhinoedd a Thywysogion Cymru (probably based on 15th century MSS):

1. “...Owain Gwynedd m. Gruffudd m. Kynan m. Iago m. Idwal m. Meirig m. Idwal voel m. Anarawd m. Rodri mawr…”

7. “Idwal m. Meurig, oddyna Iago mab Idwal, oddyna Kynan mab Iago tad Gruffudd mab Kynan.”

Brut y Tywysogion 13.

Bartrum, Peter C., “Early Series [41] , and “Gruffudd ap Cynan 1 ” in An Electronic Version of Welsh Genealogies AD 300-1500.

The source Bartrum cites for Meurig is his own Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts.

Guy, Ben. Medieval Welsh Genealogy. (The Boydell Press, 2020).

From Guy’s critical edition of the Llywelyn ab Iorwerth genealogies, which were based on an archetype created no later than the first half of the fourteenth century from an original compilation dating to the early thirteenth century, partly based on earlier written sources (Note that Guy is striving for textual rather than genealogical accuracy):

11.1 Llywelyn ap Iorwerth ap Ywein ap Gruffyd ap Kynan ap Iago ap Idwal ap Meurig ap Idwall Foel ap Anarawt ap Rodri Mawr ap Essyllt ferch Kynan Dyndaethwy …[back to Adam]

Jones, Arthur (ed.) The History of Gruffydd ap Cynan. (Manchester U.P., 1910).

Lloyd, John Edward, A History of Wales. 2 volumes (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1911-1912).

Thornton, David E. "Maredudd ab Owain (d. 999): The Most Famous King of the Welsh" in Welsh History Review Vol. 18, no. 4 (Dec. 1997), pp. 567-597.

Thornton, David E. “Kings, chronicles and genealogies: Reconstructing mediaeval Celtic dynasties” in Family Trees and the Roots of Politics: The Prosopography of Britain and France from the Tenth to the Twelfth Century (Boydell Press, 1997).

Williams ab Ithel, John (ed.). Annales Cambriæ (London: Longman, Green, Longman, and

Roberts; 1860).

Williams ab Ithel, John (ed.). Brut y Tywysogion; or, The Chronicle of the Princes (London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts; 1860).