Ifor Bach
Encyclopedia
Ifor Bach (fl.
1158) also known as Ifor ap Meurig and in anglicised form Ivor Bach, lord of Senghenydd, was a twelfth century resident in and a leader of the Welsh in south
Wales
.
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 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
).
in the Itinerarium Cambriae, in 1158 Ifor Bach was a tenant of William, 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 the land he had lost "and a lot more".
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. These descendants included his grandson Morgan Gam and his great-grandson Llywelyn Bren
.
Ifor ap Meurig is reputed to have built a medieval castle
on the site now occupied by Castell Coch
.
, a Welsh Language
nightclub
in Cardiff
city centre is named after him, as is Ysgol Ifor Bach, a Welsh
medium primary school in Abertridwr.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1158) also known as Ifor ap Meurig and in anglicised form Ivor Bach, lord of Senghenydd, was a twelfth century resident in and a leader of the Welsh in south
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Welsh Lord of Senghenydd
At this period the NormansNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
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
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
) had fallen to the Normans, Ifor ap Meurig held land in Senghenydd
Senghenydd
Senghenydd is a town in the Aber Valley, roughly four miles north-west of the town of Caerphilly and is within the county borough of Caerphilly, Wales. It is traditionally within the county of Glamorgan...
, a region of Morgannwg which had not yet fallen completely. Broadly Senghennydd was the upland area bounded by Brecknock to the north, between the River Taff
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
and the Rhymney River
Rhymney River
The Rhymney River is a river in the Rhymney Valley, south-east Wales, flowing through Cardiff into the Severn estuary.The river forms the boundary between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.-Path of the river:...
and abutting Cefn Onn in the south.
The Norman Lord of the region was William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester
William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester
William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester was the son and heir of Sir Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester, and Mabel FitzHamon of Gloucester, daughter of Robert Fitzhamon.- Lineage :...
.
In 1158 he attacked and killed Morgan ab Owain, Welsh Lord of Caerleon
Caerleon
Caerleon is a suburban village and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is a site of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hill fort...
and Gwynllwg
Gwynllwg
Gwynllŵg was a kingdom of mediæval Wales and later a Norman lordship and then a cantref.-Location:It was named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century or 6th century ruler and consisted of the coastal plain stretching between the Rhymney and Usk rivers, together with the hills to the north...
(anglicised as Wentloog
Wentloog
Wentlooge , sometimes known as Wentloog, is a community in the southwest of the city of Newport, South Wales, in the Marshfield ward.The name Wentlooge is a corruption of the earlier name Gwynllŵg, which itself was named after Gwynllyw, its 5th century or 6th century ruler.The community is bounded...
).
Kidnapped the Earl of Gloucester
According to Giraldus CambrensisGiraldus Cambrensis
Gerald of Wales , also known as Gerallt Gymro in Welsh or Giraldus Cambrensis in Latin, archdeacon of Brecon, was a medieval clergyman and chronicler of his times...
in the Itinerarium Cambriae, in 1158 Ifor Bach was a tenant of William, Earl of Gloucester, who held Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian architecture Gothic revival mansion, transformed from a Norman keep erected over a Roman fort in the Castle Quarter of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The Castle is a Grade I Listed Building.-The Roman fort:...
. Gloucester was trying to take land which under Welsh law
Welsh law
Welsh law was the system of law practised in Wales before the 16th century. According to tradition it was first codified by Hywel Dda during the period between 942 and 950 when he was king of most of Wales; as such it is usually called Cyfraith Hywel, the Law of Hywel, in Welsh...
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 the land he had lost "and a lot more".
Descendants
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. These descendants included his grandson Morgan Gam and his great-grandson Llywelyn Bren
Llywelyn Bren
Llywelyn Bren , or Llywelyn ap Gruffudd ap Rhys or Llywelyn of the Woods , was a nobleman who led a revolt in Wales during the reign of King Edward II of England in 1316. The revolt would be the last serious challenge to English rule in Wales until the attempts of Owain Lawgoch to invade Wales with...
.
Ifor ap Meurig is reputed to have built a medieval castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
on the site now occupied by Castell Coch
Castell Coch
Castell Coch is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle built on the remains of a genuine 13th-century fortification. It is situated on a steep hillside high above the village of Tongwynlais, to the north of Cardiff in Wales, and is a Grade I listed building as of 28 January 1963.Designed by William...
.
Modern times
Clwb Ifor BachClwb Ifor Bach
Clwb Ifor Bach is a Cardiff nightclub, music venue, Welsh-language club and community centre. It is known to the Cardiff Welsh-speaking community as Clwb and is often known by others on the Cardiff music scene as The Welsh Club....
, a Welsh Language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
city centre is named after him, as is Ysgol Ifor Bach, a Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
medium primary school in Abertridwr.