The patron of poems 12 and 13 was Dafydd ap Tomas. Lewys Glyn Cothi composed poems for his wife, Gwenllïan, and for his son, Rhys (GLGC poems 41–4). Furthermore, Sir Phylib Emlyn composed a poem to request a white horse from Rhys ap Dafydd (GSPhE poem 2).

Lineage
Dafydd was a descendant of Rhydderch ap Tewdwr Mawr of the royal line of Deheubarth. The genealogical table below is based on WG1 ‘Rhydderch ap Tewdwr’ 3; WG2 ‘Rhydderch ap Tewdwr’ 3 A1. Those named in Guto’s poems to Dafydd are shown in bold print.

Lineage of Dafydd ap Tomas of Blaen-tren

His career
Dafydd held the office of beadle for the commote of Mabelfyw for twenty five years between 1436 and 1461, like his father and grandfather before him, and was deputy forester of Glyncothi and Pennant in 1456–8 (Griffiths 1972: 360–1, 399). His home was Blaen-tren in the parish of Llanybydder. That is the name given in one of Guto’s poems to him (poem 13) and also in the poems by Lewys Glyn Cothi to his wife Gwenllïan and their son Rhys (see above). That name does not occur in Guto’s other poem to Dafydd, but the name Rhiw Tren (12.25) is mentioned in a context which suggests that it was another name for Dafydd’s home. The name Coed-tren is also noted by Bartrum (WG1). The house was probably on the same site as Glantren-fawr today (Jones 1987: 11–12). Tren is a small river which flows into the Dyar near Llanybydder, which in its turn flows into the river Teifi.

Bibliography
Griffiths, R.A. (1972), The Principality of Wales in the Later Middle Ages: The Structure and Personnel of Government, i: South Wales 1277–1536 (Cardiff)
Jones, F. (1987), Historic Carmarthenshire Homes and their Families (Carmarthen)