William AP THOMAS

  General Notes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_ap_Thomas
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The main entrance of Raglan Castle, now ruined

William ap Thomas (died 1445) was a member of the Welsh gentry family that came to be known as the Herbert family through his son William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and is an ancestor of the current Earls of Pembroke.

Raglan manor, attained through marriage through heiress Elizabeth Bluet, was greatly expanded by William and his son, William Herbert, into the well-fortified Raglan Castle, one of the finest late medieval Welsh castles.

William served King Henry V of England during his first French campaign and in numerous subsequent capacities and was knighted in 1426.

Family

William ap Thomas was the son of Sir Thomas ap Gwyllym, Knt (d. 1438) of Perth Hir and Maud Morley, daughter and co-heir of Sir John Morley of Llansantffraed. In 1400 Thomas and his wife Maud inherited Llansantffraed Court, the country seat and estate of Sir John Morley.[1][2] Llansantffraed Court was located approximately 2 miles west of the town of Raglan and Raglan Castle,[3] near Clytha and Abergavenny,[2] Wales. Thomas is buried in the church where a plaque records his death and that of his successors until 1624.[1]

After Sir Thomas' death, Llansantffraed Court passed through William's brother, Philip.[3] In 1449 Philip was given 'advowson of the living' by Sir Edward Nevill, 3rd Baron Abergavenny and Elizabeth de Beauchamp, Lady of Abergavenny. Llansantffraed Court was held by the Philip's descendants in an unbroken line until the 17th century.[2]
The Blue Knight of Gwent
Battle of Agincourt, 1415

Sir William fought in France with Henry V of England and at the famous Battle of Agincourt. In 1415, Sir William was created knight banneret. In 1426, ap Thomas was knighted by King Henry VI, becoming known to his compatriots as "Y marchog glas o Went" (the blue knight of Gwent), because of the colour of his armour.[4][5] he gradually began to establish himself as a person of consequence in South Wales.

Important Offices In Wales

William held the following positions:[5]

William was Steward of the Lordship of Abergavenny by 1421.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire in 1435.
In 1440, he was appointed the position as High Sheriff of Glamorgan.
In 1442 or 1443, William became Chief Steward of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York's estates in Wales.
Was a member of the Duke of York's military council.

While William played an active role for the Duke of York, his sphere of influence was generally limited to South Wales.[5]
Marriage

William married firstly in 1406 Elizabeth or Isabel Bluet (also spelled Bloet), the daughter of Sir John Bluet of Raglan manor and widow of Sir James Berkeley. Elizabeth, "the lady of Raggeland,"[6] inherited Raglan Castle with her husband James Berkeley, who later died in 1405 or 1406. Elizabeth died in 1420.[5][6][7][8][9] Prior to Elizabeth's marriage to Berkeley she married and became the widow of Sir Bartholomew Picot. Elizabeth's third marriage to William ap Thomas had no issue.[9]

William married secondly heiress Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam, described by Welsh poet Lewys Glyn Cothi as 'The Star of Abergavenny' for her beauty. She was the daughter of Sir Dafydd Gam and the widow of Sir Roger Vaughan of Bredwardine. All three men had been part of the Welsh contingent that fought with King Henry V of England in France, including the Battle of Agincourt.[1][7][10]
Issue

William and Gwladys had the following issue:

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423– 1469) took the surname Herbert.[10][11] William's allegiance to Richard, Duke of York, and Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, branded him Edward IV's Welsh "master-lock". He was the first full-blooded Welshman to enter the English peerage and he was knighted in 1452. He married Anne Devereux daughter of Sir Walter Devereux in 1449, by whom he had issue.[12]

Sir Richard Herbert of Coldbrook, near Abergavenny; died on the battlefield of Danesmoor.[10][11]

Elizabeth married Sir Henry Stradling[10][11] (1423– 1476), son of Sir Edward Stradling (d. c.1394) and Gwenllian Berkerolles, sister and co-heir of his neighbour, Sir Lawrence Berkerolles. Reversing alliances from the previous generation, Henry and his brothers-in-law were hostile to the Henry VI reign. Henry went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1476. Henry died on 31 August 1476 on his journey back to England and was buried at Famagusta, Cyprus. Thomas, Elizabeth and Henry's young son died on 8 September 1480.[13]

Margaret married Sir Henry Wogan,[10][11] steward[14] and treasurer of the Earldom of Pembroke, tasked with securing war material for the defence of Pembroke Castle.[15] Henry and his father, John Wogan of Picton, witnessed an act of Bishop Benedict in 1418. Their son, Sir John Wogan, was killed at the battle of Banbury in 1465, fighting by the side of his uncle, William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke.[16]

Other issue less consistently attributed to Gwladys and William include: Maud, Olivia, Elizabeth (who married Welsh country gentlemen, John ab Gwilym),[10] and Thomas Herbert.[11]

William married.