Guto composed an elegy for Llywelyn ab y Moel (poem 82), or Llywelyn ab y Moel o’r Pantri, to give him his full name. He may well have been Guto’s bardic teacher. Only ten poems survive which can be confidently ascribed to him, and the only patron with whom he can be closely associated is Sir William ap Thomas of Raglan. Llywelyn’s son, Owain, was also a poet (see GOLlM).

Lineage
The genealogical table below is based on WG1 ‘Bod Hen’ 1, 2, ‘Moel y Pantri’; GSCyf 75–6; Bartrum 1963–4: 108. Those named in Guto’s elegy for Llywelyn are shown in bold print.

Lineage of Llywelyn ab y Moel

The name of Llywelyn’s paternal grandfather is known from one manuscript only, namely Wy 143–4, 876–8 (Moel y Pantri is not named as Maredudd Benwyn’s son in Bartrum’s genealogies). Furthermore, the manuscript names one Guto Moel as Llywelyn’s son, yet it seems likely that he was in fact Llywelyn’s brother. On his son’s family (the poet Owain ap Llywelyn), see WG2 ‘Moel y Pantri’ A.

His career
Llywelyn was a poet, an outlaw and a lover who had a striking career. He was probably brought up in the locality of Llanwnnog in Arwystli and had strong connections too, on his mother’s side, with the parish of Meifod in the commote of Mechain. He fought with Owain Glyndŵr during the uprising, and a number of his poems reflect in an exciting and memorable way his years as an outlaw. He also had a famous sweetheart called Euron. After the failure of the uprising he modified his political allegiance, like many other Welshmen, and is found singing to Sir William ap Thomas of Raglan, who was no friend of Glyndŵr. Llywelyn died in February 1440 and was buried at the Cistercian monastery of Strata Marcella. On his life and work, see GSCyf.

Bibliography
Bartrum, P.C. (1963–4), ‘Pedigrees of the Welsh Tribal Patriarchs’, Cylchg LlGC xiii: 93–146