Welsh Journals

3 YLlwydteg YLlwydteg ('the fine grey-haired one') was probably a slightly senior kinsman of Cynwrig Bencerdd: he precedes him in the Gwysaney list, which describes him as 'Y Llwydteg ach Kynverig Ben Kerdd', 'ach' indicating kinship. Cynwrig was perhaps the composer of an elegy on Y Llwydteg: a lost 'Barnad Llwyteg' is listed by Robert ap Huw on page 103 of his manuscript. A cywydd attributed variously to Dafydd Trefor (d.1528?) and Hywel Rheinallt (fl. 1461-1506/7)12 indicates that Y Llwydteg was also the grandfather of Edward of Chirk (Edward Sirk), who follows Cynwrig in the Gwysaney list. Edward's status as pencerdd telyn was confirmed at the 1523 Caerwys Eisteddfod,13 suggesting that he flourished c.1510-c.1550. On this assumption, his grandfather Y Llwydteg was probably born in the first half of the fifteenth century, flourishing c. 1450-c. 1475. The 'Gosteg Lwyteg' (no. 4) is the last of the four gostegion in the Robert ap Huw manuscript, and consists of only a single cainc, although the cywydd cited above suggests that he wrote other compositions, now lost. The gosteg is also listed in several earlier manuscripts (see Table 4). AB MS Peniarth 55, p. 106, dated c.1475, refers to 'gosdeg bedn trevddvn', 'trevddvn' perhaps signifying Treuddyn, a small parish between Holywell and Hanmer, which would place Y Llwydteg in the same area as his kinsman Cynwrig. 4 Ieuan ap y Gof, Dafydd Athro, Llywelyn ab Ieuan ap y Gof and Llywelyn Delynior Ieuan ap y Gof (literally 'Ieuan son of the smith'), Dafydd Athro and Llywelyn ab Ieuan ap y Gof were almost certainly from one family, since the Dafydd Athro of the Robert ap Huw manuscript appears to be the Dafydd ap y Gof of AB MS Peniarth 55, described elsewhere as Dafydd Ddu Athro (see Tables 4 and 5). Llywelyn ab Ieuan ap y Gof may also have been known as Llywelyn Delynior. This was perhaps a family of smiths working in fine metal, an occupation which would have well accorded with harp-making.14 Ieuan (Ifan) ap y Gof was the most senior of the three. He follows Adda ap Hildir in the chronological Gwysaney list, preceding Dafydd Athro (possibly his younger brother) who in turn precedes Llywelyn ap Ieuan ap y Gof (Ieuan's son). Both Dafydd and Llywelyn wrote elegies on Ieuan (listed in Table 7). Ieuan ap y Gof may be synonyomous with the Ieuan ap Adda of the 'Cell Ieuan ap Adda' in AB MS 37, p. 6 (item 8) and the anonymous 'Caniad marwnad Ieuan ap Adda ap Hildir' in AB MS 2023-B (Panton 56),