Gwenllian of Wales has perhaps one of the most tragic stories I have read in awhile. She was born in Abergwyngregyn, near Bangor in Gwynedd in June 1282. She was the only child of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales and Eleanor de Montfort. Eleanor was the daughter of Simon de Montfort and Eleanor of England, who herself was a daughter of King John of England. Thus, Gwenllian was a descendant of Welsh royalty and English royalty. Gwenllian’s mother died giving birth to her.
King Edward I of England conquered Wales a few months after Gwenllian’s birth, and her father was killed in battle. Her uncle became her guardian, but he was later captured and executed.
Gwenllian was imprisoned for life in the Gilbertine priory at Sempringham. The aim was, naturally, that by placing her in the priory that she would never marry and produce offspring that may threaten Edward I. The Gilbertine priory was particularly remote and the nuns were hidden from view behind high walls. Gwenllian never learned the speak Welsh and didn’t even know how to correctly pronounce and write her own name. Apparently, she signed her name as ‘Wentliane.’
Gwenllian would live for 54 years behind the walls of the Gilbertine priory before disappearing from the pages of history. She left no apparent mark on the world, except for the cruelty of the longevity of her imprisonment. We don’t even know where she is buried after the dissolution of the priory.
She does have a society dedicated to keeping her memory alive, and there’s even a memorial for her now. You can visit the Princess Gwenllian Society here.
Thank you for writing this, it’s a story rarely heard. There is a Wikipedia page about her https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwenllian_of_Wales
You may be interested in this song by Elin Fflur https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUSEuRvHwrI
The song is in Welsh, the lyrics and an English translation are included on the Youtube page.
Gwenllian mor ddrud dy gosb yn y byd!
Dygwyd dy deulu o dy dras o dy grud.
Gwenllian, so dear was your punishment!
You were stolen from your family, deprived from your lineage and ancestry from your cradle.
I just emailed you about her! I didn’t see your post about her when I was searching 🙂
Was Gwenillian the mistress of Edmund de Mortimer c.1251-1304? Did this union produce a child Isolde de Mortimer who went on to marry Walter de Balun and then a second marriage to Hugh de Audley? If so Isolde’s children would have claim to the English throne.
Surely Mortimer would have had easier ”mistress sources” than a random politically imprisoned Welsh/Anglo-Norman nun?
Thank you for all this information.
The English conquest and genocidal invasions of Wales are often overlooked in the light of Edward I’s later hijinks in Scotland and the English crown’s murder sprees in Ireland. It has always struck me as particularly tragic and unjust that Wales should both remain in their possession and be so connected in terms of title to the heir to the English throne.