Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam
The life of Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam was one marked with power, admiration and loss.
Gwladys gained prominence in Welsh history as the Lady of Raglan Castle and had great influence during her lifetime – some even compared her to noteworthy figures like Queen Marcia, a legendary female ruler of the Britons.
But before she gained this status Gwladys faced hardship and tragedy.
Born in Breconshire in the late fourteenth century, Gwladys was the daughter of Gwladys ferch Gwilym and Dafydd ap Llewelyn ap Hywel, also known as Dafydd Gam. Her father was a Welsh landowner and a soldier who served the Lancastrian kings Henry IV and Henry V. During Owain Glyndŵr’s rebellion (which began in 1400), her family’s lands near Brecon were attacked, and her father was captured and held to ransom.
Gwladys’s first husband was a Welsh gentleman called Sir Roger Vaughan of Bredwardine. From this union Gwladys gave birth to five children; three boys and two girls. However, at the battle of Agincourt in 1415, tragedy struck when Gwladys’ father died. Worse still, according to tradition, Roger Vaughan also lost his life in battle.
Gwladys then married her second husband, Sir William ap Thomas of Raglan Castle, also known as the ‘Blue Knight of Gwent.’ According to family tradition, he built the moated Great Tower that still stands at Raglan Castle.
The marriage saw Gwladys join a family that was steadily acquiring increasing wealth and influence. Her son, William Herbert, became Earl of Pembroke and played a central role within the Wars of the Roses. Her Herbert descendants wielded power in Wales and England for centuries after.
As the Lady of Raglan, Gwladys was highly regarded and played an important role within her community. She used her influence for good and tended to the weak and vulnerable. Gwladys also supported Welsh poets and musicians and was given the title ‘Seren-y-fenni,’ the ‘Star of Abergavenny.
Following her death in 1454, Gwladys was buried beside her husband William ap Thomas in a tomb at Abergavenny Priory. Fine alabaster effigies of the couple can still be found there today.
You can visit Raglan Castle to discover more about the growth of one of Wales’ most enduring women.
