Maredudd ab Ifan Fychan is the subject of poem 39, where Guto asks him for a horse on behalf of Rheinallt ap Rhys Gruffudd, to whom he was related. Little more is known of him other than what the poem reveals, and his lineage is unknown. No more can be said about his dates than that it is possible that he lived c.1450.

Information about him
Maredudd lived in bro Hafren ‘the land of the river Severn’ (2) and in Cedewain dir ‘the land of Cedewain’ (15), was pious, generous, learned, friendly and a conscientious farmer (11–20). He had a forebear – possibly a grandfather – called Owain Rwth (4). Guto also connects him with Hwfa ap Cynddelw, (Bleddyn ap) [C]ynfyn, Elise ap Gwylog, Alo ap Rhiwallon Fychan and Elystan Glodrydd (6–8 and see the notes), but the genealogical testimony is insufficient to define his relationship with any of these more precisely.

According to WG1 ‘Elystan Glodrydd’ 45, a man called Maredudd ab Ieuan Fychan of Maelienydd married Elen daughter of Dafydd ab Einion ap Hywel of Newtown who was born around 1400. That is all, yet, as stated already, Guto locates his patron in the environs of the river Severn in Cedewain, and interestingly there is a place called Plas Meredydd there between the village of Garthmyl and Newtown not far from the northern bank of the river Severn (SO 185 977; cf. also 57n). So Maredudd (Guto’s patron) lived in the same area as the father-in-law of Maredudd ab Ieuan Fychan of Maelienydd, and if Elen’s husband had moved from Maelienydd to Cedewain to live with her (rather than her moving from Cedewain to Maelienydd to live with him), it is not inconceivable that he was Guto’s patron.

Lewys Glyn Cothi presented a poem to Lewis, son of Maredudd ab Ieuan Fychan of Llanwrin (GLGC poem 197; WG1 ‘Seisyll’ 1), but it is very unlikely that he was Guto’s patron.