Gwerful Fychan

Gwerful Fychan (fl. 1420–1490) was a poet during the period of the Welsh Beirdd yr Uchelwyr during the Late Middle Ages. She came from a noble family, her full name in genealogies being given as Gwerful ferch Ieuan Fychan ap Ieuan ap Hywel y Gadair ap Gruffudd ap Madog ap Rhirid Flaidd. She was the heiress of the mansion of Caer-Gai, near Llanuwchllyn, Merioneth. The name Fychan was later anglicised as Vaughan.

Fields near Llanuwchllyn. Gwerful inherited lands at Caer-Gai, on the low hills in the middle distance

Gwerful was married to Tudur Penllyn, a drover and wool-trader but also a notable poet, and their son Ieuan also wrote poetry which survives in a number of sources. They may also have had a daughter, Gwenllian, though her poetic abilities have been harder to prove.[1]

No work definitely ascribed to Gwerful Fychan is known to survive, but the cywydd titled Cywydd y March Glas (the Grey Horse), sometimes ascribed either to Gwerful Mechain or Tudur Aled, has been suggested as her work.[2] Some early antiquaries confuse her with Gwerful Mechain, who was a contemporary. Her memory persisted in the area of Llanuwchllyn as late as the 20th century and a variety of traditional verses were claimed as by her.

References

  1. Bowen, E. G. et al (eds.) History of Merioneth; II: The Middle Ages, UWP, 2001, p. 584
  2. Roberts and Clarke, Women and gender in early modern Wales, UWP, 2000, p. 152
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.