Nest ferch Gruffudd (1050)

Born 1050 in Kingdom of Powys

Ancestors

Descendants

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Wikidata: Item Q75382462

Biography

1050 Birth and Parents

This is the biography of Nest [I] the first Nest, daughter of Gruffydd ap Llewelyn and his first wife Nest Olafsdotter.

Nest [I], according to Wolcott, was born about 1050. ^[1]

1063 Marriage to Trahaearn ap Caradog

Wolcott cites Dwnn that Gruffudd had a daughter, Nest, who married Trahaearn ap Caradog. ^[2] This man, in 1075, succeeded Bleddyn ap Cynfyn as king of Powys, and probably also king of Gwynedd. ^{[3] [1]} Born c. 1035, Trahaearn had sons Owain and Llywarch (among others) who were born c. 1065/1070. These dates point to c. 1050 as the birthdate of Nest, with the marriage taking place shortly after Gruffudd's death in 1063.

Research Notes

Nest and the Scottish Stewart Legend

In stories of the legendary Banquo and his son Fleance, as recounted in Raphael Holinshead's Chronicles, ^[4] Fleance—in fear of Macbeth—flees to Wales and marries Nesta verch Gruffydd, daughter of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, the last native Prince of Wales.

They have a son named Walter who makes his way back to Scotland and is appointed Royal Steward. According to legend, he fathered the Stuart monarchs of England and Scotland. ^[5]

Gruffydd has a daughter, Nest -- in fact, probably two of them! They are real people, but the rest of this account has no basis in fact. Neither Banquo nor Fleance ever existed, and the Walter of this story was Walter FitzAlan, son of Alan FitzFlaald. Alan began his life in Brittany but was awarded lands by King Henry in Shropshire, adjacent to Wales. Walter grew up in Shropshire and moved on to Scotland to serve the kings there as High Steward of Scotland.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Darrell Wolcott, Ancient Wales Studies. The Consorts and Children of Gruffudd ap Llewelyn Accessed July 8, 2015
2. ↑ Dwnn ii, 107; LB 7. Cited by Darrell Wolcott, Ancient Wales Studies. The Consorts and Children of Gruffudd ap Llewelyn Accessed Jan 6, 2018. jhd
3. ↑ The first cousin of Trahaearn, Cynwrig ap Rhiwallon ap Gwyn, may have originally ruled in Gwynedd after Bleddyn's death in 1075, but was killed later that same year.
4. ↑ Bevington, David. Four Tragedies. Bantam, 1988. ISBN 0-553-21283-4, p.714. Cited by Wikipedia. Fleance Accessed Feb 6, 2018. jhd
5. ↑ Shakespeare, William and Nicholas Brooke. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-283417-7, p. 68. Cited by Wikipedia. Fleance Accessed Feb 6, 2018. jhd