GRUFFUDD BENRHAW, or PENRHAW
(
15th cent.
),
poet
,
of whom it is known that he was a native of
Brecknock
and related to the
family of
Awbrey
(q.v.)
[No article found]
. A series of
englynion
, attributed to him, to
Owain
Dwnn
(q.v.)
, and to
Gruffudd ap Nicolas
, is extant [but see the article on
Gruffudd ap Nicolas
]. Prose passages accompany these, and the whole relates to various incidents in the life of the
poet
, obviously an unruly person. It gives an account of his imprisonment at
Carmarthen
and his release through the influence of
Gruffudd ap Nicolas
; his second imprisonment and the payment of his debt by
Thomas ap Gruffudd ap Nicolas
; his
begging
in
Carmarthen church
and his escape to
Gwent
and
Ewias
; and lastly his return to
Gruffudd ap Nicolas
to beg his forgiveness. No other examples of the
poet
's work have yet been found, nor any explanation of his name.
Bibliography:
-
Mostyn MS. at the National Library of Wales,
Aberystwyth
131 (59);
-
Llanstephan Manuscript at the National Library of
Wales, Aberystwyth
135 (10);
-
Panton Manuscript at the National Library of Wales,
Aberystwyth
40 (61);
-
The Transactions of the Honourable Society
of Cymmrodorion
,
1941
, 131;
-
Garfield Hughes
, ‘Y Dwniaid’;
-
Jones
and
Lewis
,
Mynegai i Farddoniaeth y Llawysgrifau
, and
,
1928
.
Author:
Miss Ray Looker, (Mrs Ray Morgan), Cardiff / Rhymni
