Lewis ap Richard, son of Richard Lewis, married Catherine Morgan who grew up near Llantilio Pertholy.

Lewis ap Richard died young.  Lewis Prichard (Lewis ap Richard), was buried May 4, 1616.  His wife, Catherine Richard (Richard is her Patronic name, her maiden name was Catherine Morgan), was buried Sept 29, 1615.  They were both buried in the churchyard of St Telio’s of the Bright Bush Church in Llantilio Pertholy.

Lewis ap Richard – Family notes:

After Lewis ap Richard’s early death, his son John Lewis Prichard (our emigrant ancestor, later called John Lewis after the end of the Patronymic naming system) was raised by his Uncle Edward.

For around 1,000 years, our ancestors lived in Breconshire in the area of Crickhowell and Llanelly.  Lewis ap Richard left Breconshire and moved a short distance down the Usk River valley to Abergavenny / Llantilio Pertholy in Monmouthshore where he married Catherine.  His son John was born and lived there before immigrating to Virginia.

Lewis ap Richard’s wife Catherine was the daughter of Watkin Morgan, gentleman of Triley and Gwenllian Powell (ap Howell).  It is possible that emigrant John inherited some of his wealth from his grandfather Watkin or Grandmother Gwenllian.

Triley, home of the Morgans, was an ancient estate on the slope of Deri Mountain just North of Abergavenny and Llantilio Portholey.  Llantilio Pertholy is a small community two kilometers Northeast of Abergavenny, on the road to Hereford, England.  The Morgan home on the estate was named Ty-Hir (long house), an old stone house that is still lived in but no longer owned by descendents of the Morgan family.  The Morgan hunting lodge, named <name>, has been converted to a group home and is actively used to this day.

Whose family was from Triley – Catherine Morgan, mother of emigrant John, or Catherine Lewis, wife of Emigrant John???????

Watkin Morgan was buried at St Teilos March 18, 1592/93.  Gwenllian Morgan was buried there July 24, 1596. (GM p31 The Church of St.Teilo, historically known as St. Teilo in the Bright Bush, is the heart of the Parish of Llantillo Pertholey.  It was founded in the sixth century.  The original church is gone, but it was rebuilt in the 13^th century.  After a fire in 1974, it was restored.  Fortunately for us, many church records are preserved and we can learn information about our early family from them.

Whose?? Children: Thomas, Maudelen,

Richard Lewis born before 1537 in the area of Llangattock Crickhowell.  He  was a gentleman who lived his life in that same area.  His will was written March 15, 1627 and proved April 18, 1628, so he died between those dates.

Richard Lewis – Family Notes:

His parents were Lewis ap Thomas who married Maud, daughter of Thomas Lewis John ap Gwilym, Lord of Turbeville and Cotys??? Ref.  Maude’s family owned the Castle of Crickhowell in the market town of Crickhowell.  This castle was in ruin during Maude’s life, so although her family owned it they were not living there

The third quartering in the coat-of-arms of emigrant John Lewis was “Argent Three Chevronels Gules”.  This was the coat of the de Turberville family of Crickhowell, and came to our emigrant John Lewis through his great-grandmother Maude de Turbeville.

Crickhowell is a market town, where farmers from the surrounding countryside would come to sell their produce and goods on market day.  It is on the River Usk, between the towns of Brecon thirteen miles to the North and Abergavenny six miles to the South.  It is in the present-day Brecon Beacons National Park.

Richard’s oldest son William was educated at Oxford and became a lawyer in London.   He is named as attorney in several family land transactions.  William died before Richard’s will was testated, and his wife <name> and children <names> are among those named in Richard’s will.

Another son was given the name Lewis (our emigrant ancestor’s father), so he was called Lewis ap Richard under the Patronymic naming system used in Wales at that time. Lewis ap Richard had also died by the time Richard’s will was testated, and Lewis’s son John Lewis, our emigrant ancestor, was named in the will.

Two younger sons of Richard were Edward and Thomas who both died in 1635.