Welsh Journals

it is conceivable, for example, that the descendants of Cunedda might have formed defensive and offensive alliances for many centuries after his death. Precisely how far this principle operated in later times is not known. There might, too, be ties other than those of common descent, such as alliances by marriage between powerful members of two tribes. Of course it is obvious that such clan alliances did not prevent internecine strife -the History of the Gwydir Family contains abundant proof of this-but there does not seem to be any evidence that this ever expanded into tribal conflict. The influence of kinship in determining the groupings of the Welsh for the Red Rose and White is clear. I select two instances out of many. Sir William Herbert, afterwards Earl of Pembroke, was a staunch Yorkist, and under his influence all Siluria became Yorkist. This was undoubtedly due to the vast ramifications of his family in that country where every chieftain of importance was a descendant of Sir David Gam, the grandfather of Sir William Herbert. The lord of Herast, Thomas ap Rhosser, a second son of Sir Roger Vaughan, the son-in- law of David Gam, was beheaded as a Yorkist partisan at Banbury. He had two brothers, both of whom were powerful chiefs in Siluria and both were Yorkists. Sir Thomas Vaughan of Tretower, the son of one of these brothers, served Edward IV in eighteen engagements; his brother, Watkin Vaughan of Talgarth, was a captain under the Duke of York and was rewarded for his services by the office of constable of Carmarthen. William Vaughan, another great-grandson of Sir David Gam, was appointed constable of Aberystwyth Castle and mayor of the town in the reign of Edward IV. All the members of the various branches of Sir David Gam's family seemed to have followed Sir William Herbert, who represented the