Welsh Journals

David Martin, Bishop of St. Davids from 1293 to 1328. However, I have found no evidence to support that view, and indeed what evidence exists tends towards the opposite direction. When the male line of the Martins of Cemaes failed in 1325, one would have expected that the succession would have passed to the Martins of Rickeston, but that did not happen. This surname was by no means uncommon in medieval Pembrokeshire, and there is no reason why we should believe that all Martins were related any more than to believe that all Joneses living today are akin. Descendants of the Martins of Rickeston in late Tudor times bore two coats-of-arms, namely argent two bars gules (Martin of Cemaes) and argent three castles azure, but there is no proof that they had been borne in earlier times. References to the Martins occur in The Black Book of St. Davids compiled in 1326, which states that the lady (Domina) Wenthliana Martyn held one fee at Tankardyston, and the manor of Ricardiston, for which she paid twelve shillings to the Bishop as Lord of Pebidiog2. Her husband, Robert Martyn, is recorded as holding one carucate of land at Asseriston (Tre-asser in Brawdy parish) as a free tenant, one fee at Trefclemens (Treglemes in Llanhowell parish) for which he paid five shillings yearly, and three carucates of land at Landegof. The name Gwenllian suggests that the Le Moignes had espoused Welsh women. It continued to be borne by their descendants and in 1392 Weliheana Martyn, John Joce, and Walter Dyer held three and a half carucates of land by knight's service at Trefran in the parish of Roch3. The Martins continued at Rickeston for nearly two centuries, during which they acquired further properties by intermarriage with substantial landed families like Marlos, Ramsey, Dyer of Fishguard, and Warlow of Bernardswell in Henrysmoat. The last head of the main line was Arnold Martin who married Isabel verch Owen of Lochmeyler in Llandeloy parish. Their only child Alice, called Alson in the Welsh fashion, became heiress of Rickeston. About 1490, Alice married David ap Rhys, a natural son of the illustrious Sir Rhys ap Thomas, K.G., of Dynevor, by a daughter of Gwilym ap Harry ap Gwilym Fychan, a landowner of Court Henry in Llangathen, Carmarthenshire. On his father's side Sir Rhys came from distinguished lineage tracing to the British prince Urien Rheged, and through his mother descended from the same stock as the Tudor dynasty. Henry VII owed much of his fortune at Bosworth to the partisanship of Sir Rhys whom he loaded with honours and appoint- ments, while his son, Henry VIII continued to extend friendship and favour to "good father Rhys" as he termed him. Owing to his en- thusiasm for unconventional dalliance, Sir Rhys became father of a considerable number of natural children most of whom found no difficulty in marrying aristocratic wives and founding families of their own. Among these was David ap Rhys. The Rickeston line adopted the name Rhys as their permanent patronymic, and in records the name appears as Rhys, Rees, Price, sometimes with and sometimes without