Bleddyn, William (d.1590)
Archdeacon of Brecon from 1567 to 1577. In his day the archdeaconry covered all of Brecknock, most of Radnorshire and parishes in Herefordshire, Montgomeryshire and Monmouthshire. Eight years before he became Archdeacon, Protestantism had been established by law. At first fairly tolerant of catholicism, the establishment became more suspicious after Pope Pius V encouraged English catholics to oppose their Queen. Bleddyn became a scourge of Welsh catholics, both as Archdeacon and, after 1575 as Bishop of Llandaff. He was granted a dispensation to hold both posts together for two years by the Archbishop of Canterbury, because of the poverty of his diocese. He was thus also allowed to retain the post of prebend of Llandaff as well as livings in Monmouthshire and Berkshire. When he did give up the archdeaconry, he passed it on in typical nepotist fashion to his son-in-law. At his death in 1590 he left substantial properties across England and Wales.
[B 26]
[B 26]
Blyke, Richard (fl.1544)
The younger son of Humfrey Blyke of Astley in Shropshire. He was married first to Catherine Dwn by which marriage he claimed what was known as "Radnorsland". He later married Eleanor daughter of James Vaughan of Hergest. He was a wealthy man said to own over 1,000 head of livestock. He served as Sheriff of Radnorshire in 1543/4 and went on to be both Escheator and MP for the county . [The escheator was the officer for each county appointed by the Lord Treasurer to record cases where a feudal tenant died without heir and the property reverted to the Crown].
[RT 36]
[RT 36]
Bollers, Baldwyn de (fl.1110)
Baldwin de Bollers I was a confidant of Henry I, and may have been one of his companions in Normandy before 1100, and was married to his niece. After the fall of the house of Montgomery in 1102 Baldwin was granted the castlery of Montgomery. When the last of his direct descendants died c. 1207 the barony escheated to the English Crown. (The Welsh name for Montgomery, Trefaldwyn, "Baldwin's town" is named after him.) [G.R.]
[R.R. Davies, Haslam, Lloyd]
[R.R. Davies, Haslam, Lloyd]
Bowen, Ivor (1862-1934)
The son of Rev. J. Bowen Jones, minister of the Plough Chapel, Brecon, Ivor Bowen later dropped the Jones from his name. Although born at Bridgend, Glamorgan, he was brought up in the town of Brecon and was first apprenticed to a local chemist before moving to London to work in a bank. Once there he decided on the law as his profession, entering Gray's Inn in 1886 and being called to the Bar in 1889. He established a practice in Cardiff, working on the South Wales Circuit for which in 1905 he was appointed revising barrister. In 1912 he became a King's Counsel and was elected a Bencher of Gray's Inn. He served as Recorder for Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil before being appointed a County Court Judge on the Mid Wales Circuit in 1918 becoming also Chairman of the Breconshire Quarter Sessions.
Throughout his career he was interested in the history of his own country beginning with his prize-winning entry at the 1889 National Eisteddfod on the origins of the name Brecon/Brecknock. His publications reflected his legal interests with volumes on "The Statutes of Wales" and "The Justices of the Peace and Quarter Sessions in Wales". He also was instrumental in raising two London Welsh battalions of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers during the First World War.
[DWB; Davies]
Throughout his career he was interested in the history of his own country beginning with his prize-winning entry at the 1889 National Eisteddfod on the origins of the name Brecon/Brecknock. His publications reflected his legal interests with volumes on "The Statutes of Wales" and "The Justices of the Peace and Quarter Sessions in Wales". He also was instrumental in raising two London Welsh battalions of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers during the First World War.
[DWB; Davies]
Bownd, William (fl.1658)
Of Garth Fawr in the parish of Llandinam in Montgomeryshire. He was a member of the Radnorshire Arminian Baptist congregation and took part in a public debate with local Quaker leaders Alexander Parker and John Moor at Esgairrhiw, Nantmel. In 1658 he published The Sun outshining the Moon with co-author John Price of Maes-y-Gelli, Nantmel.
[DWB]
[DWB]
Bradshaw, John (c.1490-1567)
John Bradshaw the Elder was of a prosperous Ludlow merchant family. His career in public office was helped by the support of Rowland Lee, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield and President of the Council of Wales and the Marches and he began to build up a large estate on the Herefordshire/Radnorshire border and Pembrokeshire in the 1530’s out of former monastic lands. He was bailiff of Ludlow on three occasions and and one of its two MP’s in 1545. He seems to have moved to Presteigne in the mid-1540’s living at Manor House in St. Davids Street and continuing to build up his estate locally. He was Sheriff of Radnorshire in 1542/3 and again in 1553/4 and held the lordship and manor of Presteigne. His influence may have been important in securing county town status for Presteigne in 1542.
[RT; Keith Parker - Presteigne Parish Magazine]
[RT; Keith Parker - Presteigne Parish Magazine]
Bradshaw, John (c.1519-1588)
John Bradshaw the younger, continued the Bradshaw family tradition of accruing wealth and influence in the border area. During the later years of his father’s life he looked after the family Pembrokeshire estates and was a client and ally of the Earl of Pembroke who was the President of the Council of Wales. Bradshaw was Sheriff of Radnorshire in 1551 and 1586 and was MP for the county in 1554. He continued his father’s ambitions and married his eldest son to a member of the Price family of Monaughty.
[Keith Parker - Presteigne Parish Magazine]
[Keith Parker - Presteigne Parish Magazine]
Braose, family
Came from Briouze in southern Normandy; after the Conquest William I de Briouze (d. c.1095) was given the rape of Bramber in Sussex, where he built a castle; by the end of the 11th C. the family was settled at Radnor and moved on to Builth: it is not known what brought them to the border. William's son, Philip (d. c.1150) was lord of Radnor and Builth.
His son, William II (d. 1190) married Bertha, the daughter of Miles of Gloucester; this was the making of the family, for all of Miles' male heirs died without issue and his inheritance was divided between Miles' daughters: Bertha brought William II the lordships of Brecon and Abergavenny, and he made Brecon the centre of his marcher interests. William was responsible for the "Massacre of Abergavenny" in 1175: in reprisal for the death of his brother-in-law Henry of Hereford at the hands of Seisyll ap Dyfnwal of Gwent Uwchcoed, William invited Seisyll and other Welsh leaders to Abergavenny, where he had them murdered.
His son, William III (d.1211) married Maud de St. Valery, by whom he had three children, William IV, Giles (who became bishop of Hereford) and Reginald. He rose under Henry II and Richard I (and was with Richard at his death at Chalus in 1199), and became a trusted intimate: the lordships of Gower, Kington and the "three castles" of Whitecastle, Grosmont and Skenfrith were added at this time. But in 1207 he fell out of favour for an unknown reason, and was forced to flee: he sought refuge in Ireland, then in 1210 he went to France, where he died in 1211. His wife and son, William IV, were taken, handed over to the king, and starved to death in 1210. (William IV's children, John, Giles, Philip and Walter were kept in prison until 1218: John was technically the main heir to the Braose estates which King John had confiscated.)
Now Reginald (d.1228), younger son of William III and uncle to the imprisoned John, saw his chance to grab the estates for himself at the expense of his nephew. In 1213 he sided with Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, prince of Gwynedd, in his war with the king and was able to recover the lordships; he also married for the second time, to Gwladus, daughter of Llywelyn. But when in 1217 he made peace with the new king, Henry III, he found himself at war with his father-in-law Llywelyn, who, in a remarkable demonstration of military power, marched down the Wye, threatened Brecon and crossed the mountains to Swansea (where Reginald submitted).
In 1218 John, son of William IV, and his brothers were released from prison. He recovered his father's lordships of Bramber and Barnstaple without difficulty, but failed to recover the Welsh lordships from his uncle by legal action. In fact only one lordship in the March was restored to him: in 1219 he married Margaret, another daughter of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, and she brought him the Gower.
William V (d.1230), son of Reginald, inherited the family's Welsh estates from his father in 1228. But almost immediately he was captured by Llywelyn during the Ceri campaign: his ransom was set at £2,000, plus the betrothal of his daughter Isabel to Llywelyn's son Dafydd, with the lordship and castle of Builth as a marriage portion. He was released in 1229, but during negotiations over the ransom he had an affair with Llywelyn's wife, Joan: when Llywelyn found out in 1230 he had William hanged - but still ensured that the marriage of their children took place!
William V left no sons: his inheritance was therefore divided between his daughters: Isabel, who married Dafydd, got Builth; Eleanor, wife of Humphrey be Bohun, secured Brecknock; Eva, wife of William de Cantilupe, had Abergavenny; and Matilda, who married Roger Mortimer, brought him Radnor. After 1230 the only Welsh lordship in the name of Braose was the Gower.
[R.R. Davies, Lloyd, Walker;Walker, The Lordship of Builth, B.20]
His son, William II (d. 1190) married Bertha, the daughter of Miles of Gloucester; this was the making of the family, for all of Miles' male heirs died without issue and his inheritance was divided between Miles' daughters: Bertha brought William II the lordships of Brecon and Abergavenny, and he made Brecon the centre of his marcher interests. William was responsible for the "Massacre of Abergavenny" in 1175: in reprisal for the death of his brother-in-law Henry of Hereford at the hands of Seisyll ap Dyfnwal of Gwent Uwchcoed, William invited Seisyll and other Welsh leaders to Abergavenny, where he had them murdered.
His son, William III (d.1211) married Maud de St. Valery, by whom he had three children, William IV, Giles (who became bishop of Hereford) and Reginald. He rose under Henry II and Richard I (and was with Richard at his death at Chalus in 1199), and became a trusted intimate: the lordships of Gower, Kington and the "three castles" of Whitecastle, Grosmont and Skenfrith were added at this time. But in 1207 he fell out of favour for an unknown reason, and was forced to flee: he sought refuge in Ireland, then in 1210 he went to France, where he died in 1211. His wife and son, William IV, were taken, handed over to the king, and starved to death in 1210. (William IV's children, John, Giles, Philip and Walter were kept in prison until 1218: John was technically the main heir to the Braose estates which King John had confiscated.)
Now Reginald (d.1228), younger son of William III and uncle to the imprisoned John, saw his chance to grab the estates for himself at the expense of his nephew. In 1213 he sided with Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, prince of Gwynedd, in his war with the king and was able to recover the lordships; he also married for the second time, to Gwladus, daughter of Llywelyn. But when in 1217 he made peace with the new king, Henry III, he found himself at war with his father-in-law Llywelyn, who, in a remarkable demonstration of military power, marched down the Wye, threatened Brecon and crossed the mountains to Swansea (where Reginald submitted).
In 1218 John, son of William IV, and his brothers were released from prison. He recovered his father's lordships of Bramber and Barnstaple without difficulty, but failed to recover the Welsh lordships from his uncle by legal action. In fact only one lordship in the March was restored to him: in 1219 he married Margaret, another daughter of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, and she brought him the Gower.
William V (d.1230), son of Reginald, inherited the family's Welsh estates from his father in 1228. But almost immediately he was captured by Llywelyn during the Ceri campaign: his ransom was set at £2,000, plus the betrothal of his daughter Isabel to Llywelyn's son Dafydd, with the lordship and castle of Builth as a marriage portion. He was released in 1229, but during negotiations over the ransom he had an affair with Llywelyn's wife, Joan: when Llywelyn found out in 1230 he had William hanged - but still ensured that the marriage of their children took place!
William V left no sons: his inheritance was therefore divided between his daughters: Isabel, who married Dafydd, got Builth; Eleanor, wife of Humphrey be Bohun, secured Brecknock; Eva, wife of William de Cantilupe, had Abergavenny; and Matilda, who married Roger Mortimer, brought him Radnor. After 1230 the only Welsh lordship in the name of Braose was the Gower.
[R.R. Davies, Lloyd, Walker;Walker, The Lordship of Builth, B.20]