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Rhys ap Thomas , Sir

Born: c. 1449   Died: 1525   

A soldier and landowner, Rhys was a loyal subject of Henry VII and one of the most powerful men in Wales.

He held a number of offices in Wales including chief lieutenant of South Wales, steward of Brecon, constable of Aberystwyth Castle and justiciar of S. Wales. His main residence was Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire and he attracted a number of bards to his household, including Tudor Aled (d. 1525). Rhys was buried in the Franciscan friary at Carmarthen but following the Dissolution his tomb was transferred to St Peter's Church, Carmarthen, where it remains. A biography of Rhys was written in the sixteenth century.

Sites associated with this person

, (benefactor)

Brecon Friary, Powys (benefactor)

Carmarthen Friary, Carmarthenshire (benefactor and burial)

Cwmhir Abbey, Powys (benefactor)

Bibliographical sources

Printed sources

Griffiths, R. A., Sir Rhys ap Thomas and his Family: A Study in the Wars of the Roses and Early Tudor Politics (Cardiff, 1993)

Harper, Sally, Music in Welsh Culture before 1650: A Study of the Principal Sources (Ashgate: Aldershot, 2007) p. 275

Web links (open in new window)

St Peter's Church, Carmarthen, website (View website)

Griffiths, R. A., Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online - Sir Rhys ap Thomas (View website) (Subscription reqd.)