1. The Penrys of Gwenddwr (BRE)

Mrs Susan Welham would appreciate help in confirming (or refuting) a story she's been given by a possible distant relative in the USA. If you can provide Sue with any firm evidence for or against the story, she would be very glad to hear from you.
Contact her by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sue says:

Walter Penry farmed at Gwenddwr, Breconshire, and married an Ann Davies on 28 October 1774. I have had correspondence with someone in Radnor, Ohio, USA who says he is related to our line. He gave me a great deal of information on the Penrys and the Davies's and I am wondering if there is any firm evidence to confirm his claim that these Penrys have a coat of arms of Elystan Gloddrydd Prince of Ferlix (Fferligs) a 10th century prince. He says the line can be traced back to Emperor Maximillian I of Rome and back through Helen of Troy. Apparently, the coat of arms is a lion rampant on a black shield and he says the lion rampant always signifies royalty. He also said that one of the Penrys was married to the sister of the Bishop of Bristol and was Historian Royal to Charles II. I don't know whether this is true but I would be grateful if anyone has any concrete evidence to confirm it.

My 3x great grandmother Ann Penry married Evan Maddy at Gwenddwr on 3 January 1798. Ann's mother was an Ann Davies born 10 March 1750 at Aberedw just across the mountain from Gwenddwr. My Ann Penry died 6 November 1816 aged 35, and is buried in Llyswen Churchyard. Her mother died in the same year at the age of 66. Ann Penry's brother David had gone to Ohio in 1806 with a friend who was given land by the then President and he sold lots to David and other families. David came home some time before 1812 but was unable to return because a war was raging in the US in 1812. When David's mother died in 1816, and his sister, I believe David persuaded his father, Walter, that there was nothing for him in Wales and he sold up and David, Walter, and the rest of the family went to Ohio. Walter died on 2 July 1830. By that time, their part of the land had been named Radnor after the area they had lived in, in Wales. Apparently, the Penry line in Radnor Ohio all stems from my Penry line in Gwenddwr.

I have also heard that there are still some Maddys up in Gwenddwr.

If you have any information relating to the Penrys, I would be very interested to hear from you.

Request submitted 15 March 2012; amended (error corrected) 23 March 2012

2. The Gwernyfed Estate (Glasbury, BRE)

Mrs Susan Welham also requests help in piecing together a number of clues relating to her Maddy family. If you can provide Sue with any clarification, she would be very glad to hear from you.
Contact her by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sue says:

I have found some records of the Gwernyfed estate owned by the Williams family. Amongst all the different papers I have found that the Maddy family owned three properties around Pipton Glasbury around the 1740's including one called the Great House. These properties were also in the hands of Parrys and Jones.

My 3x great grandfather Evan lived at Llyswen and his son Evan was born at Pipton. On my 1500 family tree, I have a Hannah Maddy marrying a Lewis Jones, Gent. He was of the Great House, Dorstone, Herefordshire. I keep finding fragments of information suggesting that my family was in the same areas at the right times but I cannot find the evidence to fit them together. I really think they must have had something to do with the Williams's Gwernyfed Estate as I had a William Maddy marrying an Elizabeth Wiilliams around the 1740's at either Llanigon or Hay.

If you have any more information I should be very interested.

Request submitted 17 March 2012