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Gwyther in Wales pre 1650

Gwyther in Wales pre 1650

Posted: 20 Jun 2012 4:22AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 20 Jun 2012 4:23AM GMT
Surnames: Gwyther
I can trace back to a Thomas , a George and an Edward Gwyther, all around 1650 in Pembroke/Monkton area then trail goes cold.
Any suggestions or any family trees going further back please. I live in Australia so cannot pop down to the Welsh national Archives. Any ideas where the family may have originated as Gwyther is "North Welshish"
|hanks

Re: Gwyther in Wales pre 1650

Posted: 21 Jun 2012 7:23AM GMT
Classification: Query
Colin,
I haven't got back as far as 1650's yet but my Gwythers are also from Monkton area. My earliest one is a Thomas GWYTHER married to Lettice DAVIES 12 Jul 1755 in Rhoscrowther. Thomas was born in Monkton. I am descended from his son Peter who married Rebecca MORCE. You can contact me on ewa06271@bigpond.net.au and like you also in Australia.
I have a good researcher in Pembroke I can put you in touch with who should be able to help you.
All the Gwythers in the Monkton area are related.
Cheers Ellenor

Re: Gwyther in Wales pre 1650

Posted: 20 Aug 2012 7:04AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: Gwyther
I have now dated the Gwyther name back to 1530, a Dafydd Gwyther is recorded, however most records from National Library of Wales, shows GWITHER up to late 1600's/early 1700's after which it changes to GWYTHER even for the same person. It is also recorded that Sir John Wynn was the 1st person to use GWYTHER in his title, his ancestor having bought the land known as GWYDIR from Dafydd, the hereditary owner. Dafydd uses both the patronymic naming system and in once instance "Gwyther". Dafydd's lineage can be traced back to 1105 to Neffyd Hardd, not to Owain, a common misconseption due to copying of the same information. This can be checked at
Ancient Welsh Studies web site and The Development of Welsh Heraldry who have used land titles to prove heredity lineage.
The name itself is also made up of "GWY" ancient Welsh for water and "DIR" or "TIR" for land . This seems to be more realistic than some ideas baseing the name from latin for "Victor" (just a personal observation there)

Re: Gwyther in Wales pre 1650

Posted: 22 Jan 2013 8:53AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 14 Mar 2013 6:12AM GMT
Surnames: Gwyther/Gwither/Gwythur
Adding to my own posting here :) Have been spending the last few months examining and copying Wills from 1550's onwards, from the National Library of Wales, and have nearly always found the spelling of the name to be Gwither with the name changeing to Gwyther later. The earliest Wills nearly all come from the Llanrhidian (Swansea) area, , Oxwich, Oystermouth etc, with the earliest dated Will 1534, a Thomas Gwither from Cheriton, Glamorgan, and I could not work out why the family group appears to shift over to the Tenby - Manorbier area from mid-late 1600's. I now believe this may have been a consequence of the plague that decimated the area, in the early 1600's, Tenby is reported to have lost up half its citizens, either forcing families to move to avoid the plague, or moving to areas that were now unpopulated or depopulated with farmland available for cheap tenancies. We also have Wills using both spellings of the name for the same person,used within the same Will. This is also a time of great civic upheaval due to the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell is reported to have visited Tenby and was so shocked at the poverty and decimation of the plague he gives the Mayor 10 Pounds towards burying persons who have died from the plague. I would be interested for any other thoughts or any input to pre-date Gwither in the 1500's. Another interesting note, all the early Wills are written in English, not Welsh and not Latin, yet with the probate, it signed off by a Probatum, and is written in Latin. Letters of Adminstration (te paperwork authorising and proving the Executor, are written in Latin at the Start and then transcribed into English underneath.
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