VAUGHAN
family of
Bredwardine
,
Herefordshire
.
This was the main branch of the
Vaughans
who traced their descent, through
WALTER
SEYS
, to
MOREIDDIG
WARWYN
(to whom the origin of the family's coat of arms, three boys’ heads with a snake entwined about their necks, was ascribed), and thence to
DRYMBENOG AP
,
lord
of
Brycheiniog
. The family had accumulated property at
Llechryd
in
Elvael
and
Cwm Du
before
Walter
Seys
had won renown and wealth in the wars of
Edward
III
. In the pedigree books, he is said to have m. the heiress of
Sir
Walter
Bredwardine
, and to have taken up residence at
Bredwardine
, followed by his son,
RHOSIER
‘
HEN
,’ who m. a daughter of
Sir
Walter
Devereux
, and his grandson,
ROGER
VAUGHAN
, who m.
Gwladys
, daughter of
Dafydd
Gam
(q.v.)
, and fell with his father-in-law in the personal defence of
Henry
V
on the field of
Agincourt
,
1415
. According to a document given at
Cwm Du
,
26 Nov. 1383
,
Walter
Seys
had a son called
ROGER
VYCHAN
, whose mother was
Matilda
verch
Ieuan ap Rees
, then wife of
Howel ap William ap Jankyn
and holding land in the lordship of
Talgarth
(
Cardiff Library
,
Brecknock Deeds, 3
). It is certain that
Roger
Vaughan
left three sons by
Gwladys
, daughter of
Dafydd
Gam
—
Watkin
, heir of
Bredwardine
,
Thomas ap Roger
— see
Vaughan
of
Hergest
family
, and
(
Sir
)
Roger
Vaughan
— see
Vaughan
of
Tretower
family
— and that they were brought up with their uterine brothers,
William
Herbert
,
earl of Pembroke
(d.
1469
) (q.v.)
, and
Sir
Richard
Herbert
(d.
1469
), sons of
Sir
William ap Thomas
of
Raglan
(d.
1446
)
.
Gwladys
d. in
1454
.
Hywel Swrdwal
or
Hywel Dafi
(qq.v.) composed an elegy on her death.
WATKIN
VAUGHAN
was
slain by an arrow
at
Hereford
, according to his elegy by
Hywel Swrdwal
. This elegy does not support the suggestion made by
Evans
(
Wales and the Wars of the Roses
, 128-9) that this incident took place at the
battle of Mortimer's Cross
.
Watkin
's wife was
Elizabeth
, daughter of
Sir
Henry
Wogan
. He is described in the pedigree books as
lord
of
Bredwardine
,
Cwm
,
Tir Ralph
,
Llechryd
, and the
Gorred
. At least fifteen children are ascribed to him. Mention must be made of the second son,
WILLIAM
VAUGHAN
of
Rhydhelig
, of whom
Dr.
John David
Rhys
reports that a family tradition maintained that it was he who slew the
earl of Warwick
when the kingmaker was stealthily escaping from
Barnet field
,
1471
. He was regarded as a
champion in the field of battle
with no one to equal him, after the death of his uncle,
Thomas ap Roger
of
Hergest
. He was at one time
constable
of
Aberystwyth castle
and his praises were sung by
Dafydd Nanmor
and
Lewis Glyn Cothi
(qq.v.).
Lewis Glyn Cothi
also sang to
Lewis ap Watkin
,
calling him the
Roland
of
Llanbedr Painscastle
and
Rhulen
. According to
Lewis
Dwnn
, the
Vaughans
of
Pont-faen
, in
Cemais
, were descended from
John
Vaughan
, another son. It is also said that
John
Vaughan
, father of
Sir
Hugh
Johneys
,
knight of the Sepulchre
,
1441
, was an illegitimate son of
Walter
Vaughan
.
Walter
Vaughan
's heir was
Sir
THOMAS
VAUGHAN
, who m.
Eleanor
, daughter of
Robert
Whitney
.
Lewis Glyn Cothi
wrote a eulogy of him before he was
knighted
. His heir was
Sir
RICHARD
VAUGHAN
, who was
knighted
at
Tournai
,
13 or 14 Oct. 1513
, and who was
sheriff
of
Herefordshire
,
1530-1
, and
1541-2
. His wife was
Anne
, daughter of
John
Butler
, and heiress of
Dunraven
and
Pen-bre
. The main line now removed from
Bredwardine
, and we find
WALTER
VAUGHAN
,
Sir
Richard
's heir,
sheriff
of
Carmarthenshire
in
1557
, and living at
Dunraven
in
1584
.
Walter
's second son was
CHARLES
VAUGHAN
, ancestor of the
Vaughans
of
Cwmgwili
and
Pen-y-banc
, and his heir
was
THOMAS
VAUGHAN
,
sheriff
of
Carmarthenshire
,
1566
and
1570
. The latter m.
Catherine
, daughter of
Sir
Thomas
Johnes
of
Abermarlais
, and bought the estate of
Fallerstone, Wilts.
His heir,
Sir
WALTER
VAUGHAN
(
knighted
27 June 1603
) d.
4 June 1637
, and was buried at
Tenby
. He was followed by his son,
Sir
CHARLES
VAUGHAN
, who m.
Frances
, daughter and heiress of
Sir
Robert
Knolles
of
Porthaml
— see
Vaughan
of
Porthaml
family.
Dunraven
was sold by his son,
THOMAS
VAUGHAN
, who, dying without a male heir, left the remainder of his estates to his sister,
Bridget
, who, in
1677
, m.
John
Ashburnham
, who was created
lord Ashburnham
,
20 May 1698
. The estates remained in this family for another two centuries. The main line gave way at
Bredwardine
to another branch of the family, the
Vaughans
of
Moccas
— see
Vaughan
of
Porthaml
family
. The first of them recorded at
Bredwardine
is
Watkin
Vaughan
, who wrote a letter to
lord Burghley
from there,
17 Dec. 1584
. His wife was
Joan
, daughter of
Miles ap Harry
of
Newcourt
, in the
Golden Valley
, and niece to
Blanch
Parry
(q.v.)
,
queen
Elizabeth
's
maid of honour
. They had two sons,
Harry
, heir to
Moccas
and
Bredwardine
, and
Rowland
, heir of
Newcourt
. This
Rowland
was the
author
of the remarkable book entitled
Most approved and long experienced waterworkes
,
1610
, which contains a long epistle to
William
Herbert
,
earl of Pembroke
. His wife was
Elizabeth
, daughter of
Rowland
Vaughan
of
Porthaml
.
HARRY
VAUGHAN
'
S
wife was a grand-daughter of
Hugh
Lewis
of
Harpton
. Their heir was
ROGER
VAUGHAN
(matriculated at
Oxford
,
11 May 1604
, aged 15), who rebuilt
Bredwardine castle
,
1639-40
. His son,
HARRY
VAUGHAN
, m.
Frances
, daughter of
Walter
Pye
, in
1635
. After his death, she m.
Edward
Cornewall
, of
the
Stapleton
family, and it was his son who succeeded to
Moccas
, having purchased
Bredwardine
for himself.
Bibliography:
-
Pen. MSS. at the National Library of Wales,
Aberystwyth
118, 127, 140;
-
The Visitation of Herefordshire
,
1569
,
1569
;
-
Limbus Patrum Morganiae et
Glamorganiae
, 1886
;
-
Reade
,
Memorials of Old Herefordshire
,
1904
;
-
Evans
,
Wales and the Wars of the Roses
,
1915
;
-
Robinson
,
A History of the Castles of Herefordshire
and their Lords
, London, 1869
;
-
Heraldic Visitations
of Wales and Part of the Marches
, 1846
, i, 139, 172.
Author:
Evan David Jones, F.S.A., (1903-87), Aberystwyth
