Morgan Gam (died February 1241) was a Welsh lord of Afan , a small Welsh lordship in Glamorgan .
18-483: Morgan Gam was a younger son of Morgan ap Caradog and presumably Gwenllian, a daughter of Ifor Bach . After the death of his older brother Lleision, he became lord of Afan in 1213, which stretched across the hill country between River Afan and River Neath . As head of the oldest line of the descendants of Iestyn ap Gwrgan , he claimed supremacy over the neighbouring Welsh lords of Meisgyn and Glynrhondda . Both Morgan's father and brother had been loyal supporters of
36-604: A nightclub in Cardiff 's castle quarter is named after him, as is Ysgol Ifor Bach, a Welsh medium primary school in Senghennydd , Caerphilly. William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester (23 November 1116 – 23 November 1183) was the son and heir of Sir Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester , and Mabel FitzRobert of Gloucester , daughter of Robert Fitzhamon , and nephew of Empress Matilda . William FitzRobert
54-489: A natural daughter of Robert , Earl of Gloucester, and half sister of the kidnapped earl. Ifor's descendants included his grandson Morgan Gam and his great-grandson Llywelyn Bren and, through Gruffudd and Mabel, Franklin Pierce . The Lewis of the (Van) family are known direct descendants of Ifor Bach. Ifor ap Meurig is reputed to have built a medieval castle on the site now occupied by Castell Coch . Clwb Ifor Bach ,
72-624: A town in Glamorgan , a charter. He was Lord of the manor of Glamorgan , as well as Caerleon , residing chiefly at Cardiff Castle . It was there that, in 1158, he and his wife and son were captured by the Welsh Lord of Senghenydd , Ifor Bach ("Ivor the Little"), and carried away into the woods, where they were held as prisoners until the Earl redressed Ivor's grievances. In 1173, the earl took
90-674: The Anglo-Welsh War . In the following year he attacked the castle and settlement of Kenfig , but failed to capture the keep of the castle. In 1233 he supported together with Llywelyn the Great a failed revolt of Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke against the English King Henry III . With the support of the Anglo-Norman lords of Glamorgan, Richard Marshal had occupied Glamorgan during this rebellion, leading to
108-468: The English king John after he had handed Newcastle Castle over to Morgan ap Caradog in 1189. After his brother Lleision's death Morgan Gam did not inherit the castle. Instead King John gave it to his first wife, Isabella, Countess of Gloucester , after their marriage had been annulled. Morgan Gam tried to regain possession of the castle throughout his life. In the fight against Gilbert de Clare , who
126-528: The Baronial estates, when his father fell into the hands of partisans at Winchester . His father was exchanged for King Stephen, and, during his father's absence from Normandy in 1144, he served as Governor of Wareham . In 1147, he overthrew Henry de Tracy at Castle Cary . In 1154, he made an alliance with Roger de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford , by which they agreed to aid each other against all men except Henry II of England . FitzRobert granted Neath ,
144-624: The Earl's daughters, if the Church would allow it, they being related in the third degree. Earl William was present in March 1177 when the King arbitrated between the Kings of Castile and Navarre, and, in 1178, he witnessed Henry's charter to Waltham Abbey. But, during the King's struggles with his sons, when he imprisoned a number of magnates of whose loyalty he was doubtful, Earl William was among them. He
162-492: The Great of Gwynedd, who wanted to expand his influence in Glamorgan. In 1228 Gilbert de Clare undertook a campaign in the mountains of Glamorgan, during which he was able to capture Morgan Gam. Morgan was taken to Clare Castle in eastern England and did not regain his freedom until the hostages were released in 1229. After his release, Morgan Gam allied again with Llywelyn the Great and destroyed Neath Castle in 1231 during
180-399: The King's part against his sons, but, thereafter, he appears to have fallen under suspicion, given that the following year he submitted to the King and in 1175 surrendered to him Bristol Castle . Because his only son and heir, Robert, died in 1166, Earl William made John, the younger son of King Henry II , heir to his earldom, in conformity with the King's promise that John should marry one of
198-489: The land he had lost "and a lot more". Ifor ap Meurig was son of Meurig Fychan Cydifor (Father) and Gwyladys Verch Ithel (Mother). He married Nest, sister of Rhys ap Gruffudd (also known as The Lord Rhys ). Descendants of Ifor ap Meurig continued to hold sway in the area and to harry the Normans for at least another century. He was succeeded by his son Gruffudd before 1170. Gruffudd ap Ifor married Mabel FitzRobert,
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#1732772380705216-435: The unusual situation when Morgan Gam and the other Welsh lords of Glamorgan became allies of the Anglo-Norman lords. Marshal promised the native Welsh rulers parts of Glamorgan as a reward. When the rebellion failed, Richard Siward , the new royal administrator of Glamorgan, demanded the return of these areas. Morgan Gam refused to return the territories taken until Llywelyn the Great convinced Morgan Gam to concede. Morgan Gam
234-437: Was a tenant of William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester , who held Cardiff Castle . Gloucester was trying to take land which under Welsh law belonged to Ifor. Ifor scaled the walls of Cardiff Castle using his bare hands, seized the Earl, his Countess Hawise, a daughter of the Earl of Leicester, and their young son Robert, and kidnapped all of them to the woods of Senghenydd. He refused to release them until he had recovered
252-623: Was a twelfth-century resident in and a leader of the Welsh in south Wales . At this period the Normans had conquered England, but large areas of Wales were still under the control of the native Welsh Princes and Lords. Whilst parts of the old Welsh Kingdom of Morgannwg (which was to become Glamorgan ) had fallen to the Normans, Ifor ap Meurig held land in Senghenydd , a region of Morgannwg which had not yet fallen completely. Broadly Senghennydd
270-535: Was married twice, first to Janes ferch Elidyr Ddu and second to Ellen, daughter of Gronw ap Einion. He had at least three sons, including: He was buried in Margam Abbey . His heir was first his son Lleision, after his death his younger son Morgan Fychan. Ifor Bach Ifor Bach (meaning Ivor the Short ) ( fl. 1158) also known as Ifor ap Meurig and in anglicised form Ivor Bach , Lord of Senghenydd ,
288-432: Was the heir of Isabella and thus in 1217 came into the possession of Newcastle as Lord of Glamorgan, he was supported by his relative Morgan ab Owain from Glynrhondda, who attacked Margam Abbey in 1224. Over the next few years, Morgan Gam raided other English settlements, including Laleston, St Nicholas and Newcastle in 1226. Nevertheless, he could not enforce his claims, but he received increasing support from Prince Llywelyn
306-602: Was the son of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester , an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England , during whose reign William was born. Thus William was a nephew of the Empress Maud and a first cousin once removed of King Stephen , the principal combatants of the English Anarchy period. It also meant that William was the great-grandson of the famed William the Conqueror . In October 1141, William looked after
324-622: Was the upland area bounded by Brecknock to the north, between the River Taff and the Rhymney River and abutting Cefn Onn in the south. The Norman Lord of the region was William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester . In 1158 he attacked and killed Morgan ab Owain, Welsh Lord of Caerleon and Gwynllwg (anglicised as Wentloog ). According to Giraldus Cambrensis in the Itinerarium Cambriae , in 1158 Ifor Bach
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