Dafydd ap Llewelyn ap Hywel (c. 1380 - October 25 1415), better known as
Dafydd Gam or
Davy Gam, was a
WelshWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
medieval
noblemanAristocracy is a form of government, in which a few of the most prominent citizens rule. This may be a hereditary elite, or it may be by a system of cooption where a council of prominent citizens add leading soldiers, merchants, land owners, priests, and lawyers to their number...
, a prominent opponent of
Owain GlyndŵrOwain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower and also sometimes styled Owain IV of Wales by modern historians, was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welsh person to hold the title Prince of Wales...
, who died at the
Battle of AgincourtThe Battle of Agincourt was an English victory against a much larger French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday 25 October 1415 , in northern France...
fighting for
Henry VHenry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule.-Early life:Henry was born...
. The name "Gam" is taken from a
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
word for "lame/deformed" and stories that concern him give him a characteristic squint which may have led to his nickname 'gam' (from which derivation 'gammy' comes, as in 'gammy leg'). It is possible that he may have lost an eye. Regarded as a traitor, (Crooked David), by some Welshmen, he is regarded as a hero by others, his reputation has waxed and waned with his enemy Glyndŵr and his ally King Henry V.
Biography
Dafydd Gam was a member of one of the most prominent Welsh families in Breconshire. His recent pedigree was 'Dafydd Gam ap Llywelyn ap Hywel Fychan ap Hywel ap Einion Sais', but beyond that the family claimed an ancient Welsh lineage going back to the Kings of
BrycheiniogBrycheiniog was a small independent kingdom of South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the powerful south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans between 1088 and 1095, though it remained...
. Dafydd Gam was the grandson of Hywel Fychan, who held the manor of Parc Llettis near
LlanoverLlanover is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom.- Location :Llanover is located four miles south of Abergavenny just off the A4042 road to Pontypool.- History & Amenities :...
in
MonmouthshireMonmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a larger area.-Historic county:...
near
AbergavennyAbergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales.It is located 24 km west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 10 km from the English border within the Welsh Marches...
, and fourth in descent from Einion Sais who held a castle at Pen Pont on the
River UskThe River Usk rises in the Carmarthen Fans mountains or Fan Brycheiniog of mid-Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park then flows south-east through Brecon , Crickhowell, Abergavenny and the eponymous town of Usk past the Roman legionary fortress of Caerleon, through...
near
BreconBrecon is a long-established market town in southern Powys, mid Wales, with a population of roughly 8,000 with around 6,000 in the surrounding area...
and who had served at both the
Battle of CrecyThe Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 near Crécy in northern France, and was one of the most important battles of the Hundred Years' War...
and the
Battle of PoitiersBattle of Poitiers may refer to one of the following battles:* Battle of Tours , also known as Battle of Poitiers between Frankish and Islamic armies* Battle of Poitiers , between England and France....
. Their power base had developed mainly as consistently loyal supporters of the de Bohun family who were both
earls of HerefordThe title of Earl of Hereford was created six times in the Peerage of England. See also Duke of Hereford, Viscount Hereford. Dates indicate the years the person held the title for.-Earls of Hereford, First Creation :*Swegen Godwinson...
and Lords of Brecon from the thirteenth century onwards. Dafydd Gam's father, Llywelyn ap Hywel, purchased the estate of Penywaun near
BreconBrecon is a long-established market town in southern Powys, mid Wales, with a population of roughly 8,000 with around 6,000 in the surrounding area...
and Dafydd is thought to have been born there. His family was described as “a striking example of a native family that flourished under the rule of an English aristocratic family.” Under Llywelyn ap Hywel, the family’s traditional loyalty was transferred to the new Lord of Brecon,
Henry BolingbrokeHenry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . Like other kings of England, at that time, he also claimed the title of King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence the other name by which he was known, Henry Bolingbroke...
, who had married
Mary de BohunMary de Bohun , was the first wife of King Henry IV of England and the mother of King Henry V, but was never queen, as she died before her husband came to the throne.-Early life:...
in the 1380s. Some say Dafydd was previously in service to Henry's father John of Gaunt and, having killed a rival in Brecon High Street, had to leave Wales temporarily. Dafydd Gam was certainly being paid the substantial annuity of 40 marks by Henry’s estate in 1399, even before Bolingbroke became King, and later he and his brothers were described as King’s esquires. It seems likely they were prominent partisans of Henry in South East Wales as he gathered support for his overthrow of
Richard IIRichard II was the eighth King of England of the House of Plantagenet. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
around 1399.
When the
Owain GlyndŵrOwain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower and also sometimes styled Owain IV of Wales by modern historians, was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welsh person to hold the title Prince of Wales...
rebellion broke out in 1400, the family’s traditional loyalty to their liege lord remained unshaken and they played a leading role in opposition to the rebellion in the area. Their lands in and around
BreconBrecon is a long-established market town in southern Powys, mid Wales, with a population of roughly 8,000 with around 6,000 in the surrounding area...
became a target for Glyndŵr's attacks, and were extensively damaged as early as 1402-1403. The Scottish chronicler
Walter BowerWalter Bower or Bowmaker , Scottish chronicler, was born about 1385 at Haddington, East Lothian.He was abbot of Inchcolm Abbey from 1418, was one of the commissioners for the collection of the ransom of James I, King of Scots, in 1423 and 1424, and in 1433 one of the embassy to Paris on the...
names Dafydd as a leader in the crushing defeat of Glyndŵr’s men at the
Battle of Pwll MelynThe Battle of Pwll Melyn, also known as the Battle of Usk, was part of the Welsh revolt against English rule that lasted from 1400 to 1415. This key battle in the Glyndŵr Rising occurred in the spring of 1405. The defeat of the Welsh rebels here was devastating and included the loss of important...
near
UskUsk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.Usk is noted for its rural setting, tranquil lifestyle and quality of life. It feels more like a village than a town. The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at...
on 5 May 1405. After the battle, 300 of Glyndŵr's men were executed and his son,
Gruffudd ab Owain GlyndŵrGruffudd ab Owain Glyndŵr Gruffudd ab Owain Glyndŵr Gruffudd ab Owain Glyndŵr (c.1375-c.1412 was the eldest son of Margaret Hanmer and Owain Glyndŵr the disinherited Prince of the old Royal house of Powys Fadog who led a major revolt in Wales between 1400 and c.1416.- Early life :...
, was captured. Gam’s local knowledge might well have played a part in the Crown’s victory here and in other battles like that at
GrosmontGrosmont is a village situated in Monmouthshire, Wales near Abergavenny.- History :Grosmont Castle is a major feature of the village and was the birthplace of Henry, 1st Duke of Lancaster. St...
around the same time, and may have won over local Welshmen to fight against Glyndwr. The family’s loyalty was rewarded with the gift of some of the rebels' estates in
CardiganshireCardiganshire was an ancient county of Wales created in 1282. In extent it is more or less identical to Ceredigion, a county constituted as Cardiganshire in 1996, with the name reverting to Ceredigion a day later.-History:...
. In 1412 Dafydd Gam was captured by Glyndwr’s men and estimates of the amount paid as his ransom recorded at the time, range from 200 to 700 marks, a large amount. That it was paid directly and speedily from the King’s estates in Wales indicates the esteem in which Gam was held by Henry. Glyndwr had made Gam swear an oath to never bear arms against him again or oppose him in any other way. On his release Gam told King Henry of Glyndwr's whereabouts and attacked Glyndwr's men. Glyndwr had Gam's Brecon estates attacked and burned in retaliation and his Brecon house was razed.
Agincourt
Given
King Henry VHenry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule.-Early life:Henry was born...
’s leadership in the campaign against Glyndwr, Dafydd would have known the new King crowned in 1413 personally, and perhaps even fought alongside him. Records show that Dafydd Gam served with three foot archers in the
Battle of AgincourtThe Battle of Agincourt was an English victory against a much larger French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday 25 October 1415 , in northern France...
campaign. His death in the battle was a fact noted in several contemporary chronicles. There is much controversy about whether Gam was knighted at the battle. His example shows that Welshmen continued to fight in the English army, even after the Glyndwr rebellion.
Stories of Gam’s exploits at
Battle of AgincourtThe Battle of Agincourt was an English victory against a much larger French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday 25 October 1415 , in northern France...
in which he saved Henry V’s life, and that he was knighted either posthumously or as he was dying on the field of victory at Agincourt by King Henry V as a result, are not vouched for in contemporary sources and have thus been discounted by many historians. According to the legend the intervention occurred during the counter-charge of
John I, Duke of AlençonJohn I of Alençon, called the Sage , was the son of Peter II of Alençon and Marie de Chamaillard. In 1404, he succeeded his father as Count of Alençon and Perche. He was made Duke of Alençon in 1414.He commanded the second division of the French army at the Battle of Agincourt...
, which certainly is historical, leading to the wounding of
Humphrey, Duke of GloucesterHumphrey, Duke of Gloucester was "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV Bolingbroke, King of England by his first wife, Mary de Bohun, brother to Henry V of Monmouth, King of England, and uncle to the latter's son, Henry VI, King of EnglandThe place of his...
, and Henry fighting hand-to-hand in the late stage of the battle. The King was hard pressed and the Duke of Alençon supposedly cut an ornament from Henry’s crown with a sword blow. Then a group of Welsh knights in the King’s bodyguard led by Dafydd Gam intervened to save Henry’s life, only for some to be killed in doing so, including Dafydd himself, and his son in law Sir Roger Vaughan. One of those supposedly involved in this exploit was Sir William ap Thomas who survived the battle. Some accounts claim Dafydd slew the Duke of Alencon himself. This story was being frequently told by the Tudor period in histories of the campaign and by the descendants of those involved and was widely accepted as the truth at that time. Although both Gam and Vaughan did die in the battle. the exact circumstances of their death are unknown. Gam’s reputation was still very much alive in nineteenth-century Wales.
George BorrowGeorge Henry Borrow was an English author who wrote novels and travelogues based on his own experiences around Europe. Over the course of his wanderings, he developed a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe. They figure prominently in his work...
said of him: “where he achieved that glory which will for ever bloom, dying, covered with wounds, on the field of Agincourt after saving the life of the king, to whom in the dreadest and most critical moment of the fight he stuck closer than a brother.” Juliet Baker, while not accepting the rest of the legend, states in her authoritative history of Agincourt that "Llewelyn was knighted on the field, only to fall in the battle." She says Dafydd's Welsh comrade, and posthumous son-in-law, Sir
William ap ThomasWilliam ap Thomas was a member of a minor Welsh gentry family and was responsible for beginning the construction of Raglan Castle one of the finest late medieval Welsh castles.- Marriage :...
may have been knighted at Agincourt.
Descendants
Some of Dafydd’s descendants, who adopted the surname 'Games' to mark their connection to him, remained one of the most powerful families in the Breconshire area till Stuart times. They were noted for their support for Welsh bards. His beautiful daughter Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam, the 'Star of Abergavenny', made two good marriages, the first to Sir Roger Vaughan, who also died at Agincourt. Her second was to Sir
William ap ThomasWilliam ap Thomas was a member of a minor Welsh gentry family and was responsible for beginning the construction of Raglan Castle one of the finest late medieval Welsh castles.- Marriage :...
of
Raglan CastleRaglan Castle is a significant late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. Its origins lie in the 12th century but the ruins visible today date from the 15th century and later...
who survived the battle. Her son became the extremely powerful
William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423-1469)William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke , known as "Black William", was the grandson of Dafydd Gam, an adherent of King Henry V of England.Herbert supported the Yorkist faction during the Wars of the Roses, as had his father, William ap Thomas...
and took the surname Herbert, later to become one of the most well known names in the nobility. All these noble connections ensured Dafydd Gam’s name remained a celebrated one.
Legacy
Like his opponent Glyndŵr, Gam has gained a sheen of legend and many stories about him are late oral traditions, folklore and family legends which may be unreliable. Chief amongst them is the tale that he tried to assassinate Glyndŵr at his parliament at
MachynllethMachynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads....
in 1404. The still standing Royal House in that town is where, according to local lore, he was imprisoned when the attempt failed. The legends differ on his fate after the attempt failed some state Owain in a generous gesture let Gam go soon after the Parliament, despite Gam’s refusal to submit, a decision he was later to regret. Others claim he was imprisoned for years, but given Gam’s seeming participation in the
Battle of Pwll MelynThe Battle of Pwll Melyn, also known as the Battle of Usk, was part of the Welsh revolt against English rule that lasted from 1400 to 1415. This key battle in the Glyndŵr Rising occurred in the spring of 1405. The defeat of the Welsh rebels here was devastating and included the loss of important...
in 1405 they certainly cannot be true. The stories concering his rivalry with Glyndŵr include satirical
englynEnglyn is a traditional Welsh and Cornish short poem form. It uses quantitative metres, involving the counting of syllables, and rigid patterns of rhyme and half rhyme. Each line contains a repeating pattern of consonants and accent known as cynghanedd.-The Eight Types:There are eight types of...
in Welsh supposedly composed by Glyndywr himself on his rival after burning his house to the ground.
These stories also contain descriptions of Gam recorded by
George BorrowGeorge Henry Borrow was an English author who wrote novels and travelogues based on his own experiences around Europe. Over the course of his wanderings, he developed a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe. They figure prominently in his work...
: “He was small of stature and deformed in person, though possessed of great strength. He was very sensitive of injury, though quite as alive to kindness; a thorough-going enemy and a thorough-going friend.” Whatever the truth of these tales there seems no doubt that Glyndŵr and his men, and popular tradition, regarded Dafydd as one of the chief enemies of the rebellion.
Gam is a key character in
John Cowper PowysJohn Cowper Powys was a British writer, lecturer, and philosopher.-Biography:Powys was born in Shirley, Derbyshire, the son of a Victorian clergyman whose ancestors had estates on the Welsh borders. His mother was descended from the poet William Cowper, hence his middle name...
's novel
Owen Glendower.
The stories certainly testify to Dafydd Gam’s position as typifying the loyal and valiant Welshman by the Tudor period. He is better known in England as "Davy Gam," by which name he is mentioned briefly in
Shakespeare'sWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
Henry VHenry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, written in 1599. It is based on the life of King Henry V of England, and focuses on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years' War....
(4.8.102) as the last name in the short list of the fallen read out to King Henry. He may have made an even larger contribution to the play for as the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography states Dafydd: “may indeed, as has been suggested, be the model for Shakespeare's
FluellenFluellen is a fictional character in the play Henry V by William Shakespeare. Fluellen is a Welsh Captain, a leader of a contingent of troops in the small army of the English King while on campaign in France during the Hundred Years' War.-The name:...
, the archetypal Welshman.” This theory making Dafydd Gam one of the sources for the play has long been discussed, as early as 1812 it was said “There can be little doubt but that Shakspeare, in his burlesque character of Fluellen, intended David Gam.”
Fluellen: "If your Majesty is remembered of it, the Welshmen did good service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps, which your Majesty knows, to this hour is an honourable badge of the service, and I do believe, your Majesty takes no scorn to wear the leek upon Saint Tavy's day".
King Henry: "I wear it for a memorable honour; for I am Welsh, you know, good countryman".
Shakespeare captures the local Monmouthshire
dialectThe term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by scholars of language. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other...
(still readily to be heard in the town of Monmouth and the hill villages of
TrellechTrellech is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales at , near Monmouth and the location of an archaeological site...
and
CatbrookCatbrook is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, United Kingdom.- Location :Catbrook is located six miles south of Monmouth and one mile north west of Tintern.- History & Amenities :...
) with its glottal sounds.
Monmouthshire Traditions
According to local legend one of Gam’s homes was a moated manor house
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/55245 at
Llantilio CrossennyLlantilio Crossenny is a small village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, in the United Kingdom.- Location :The rural village of Llantilio Crossenny is situated between the two towns of Abergavenny and Monmouth on the B4223 road.- Amenities :...
, near
AbergavennyAbergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales.It is located 24 km west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 10 km from the English border within the Welsh Marches...
in
MonmouthshireMonmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a larger area.-Historic county:...
(where just the moat remains today
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/142271, at Hen Gwrt near the modern-day village). There is a legend or story that persists in this part of Monmouthshire that Davy Gam, and all his children had a turn in their eye making them cross-eyed and that if they all linked hands they could reach from the church door to Hen Gwrt. Dafydd Gam is commemorated in a stained glass window, of unknown date, at Llantilio Crossenny church, in the north wall. The inscription is in Latin and the transcription reads 'David Gam, golden haired knight, Lord of the manor of Llantilio Crossenny, killed on the field of Agincourt 1415'.
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