Sir William Griffith Lord of Penrhyn, Chamberlain of North Wales ^{1 2 3 4 5 6}

   Another name for William was Sir William Gruffydd of Penrhyn, Chamberlain of North Wales.

  Research Notes:

Descended from Ednyfed Fychan, forebear of the TUDOR dynasty

From http://www.rootsweb.com/~wlsccaer/hall.html :

"This Sir William Griffith was, I think, the third in succession in the office of Chamberlain of North Wales from the appointment to it of his grandfather, Sir William Griffith, a gentleman whose name has become famous in the history of the country for his contentions with John ap Meredydd of Istumcegid, chief of the descendants of Owen Gwynedd. The Sir William whose monument we are now viewing was married twice, had nineteen children, and died in 1587. His first wife was Jane, the daughter of Sir Thomas Stradling of St Donats Castle in Glamorganshire; the second was Jane, the daughter of John Puleston, Esqr., Chamberlain of North Wales. By his numerous children the family became connected with the Stanleys of Hooton, the Bulkeley family, with the Phillips of Picton Castle, with the Mostyns, with the Myttons and the Thelwalls, besides numerous other families."
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From Reifsnyder-Gillam Ancestry, p. 58:

"VII. SIR WILLIAM GRIFFITH, Knight, of Penrhyn, eldest son and heir. He was of the Court of Henry VIII, and accompanied the King into France, where he distinguished himself at the siege of Tourraine, where he was knighted, 25 December 5 Henry VIII, and was Chamberlain of North Wales. He married, secondly (marriage settlement 2 August, 1522), Jane, widow of Robert Meredith and daughter of John Puleston, of Bers, and Havod, y Wern, Caernarvonshire, constable of Caernarvon Castle, 16 April, 1506, 30 July, 1509, 1 October, 1423, Chamberlain of North Wales, High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire, 1544; died about this date.

"The wife of John Puleston was descended from Edward III, King of England. Sir William Griffith had issue by Jane, his second wife:

"IX SIBELL GRIFFITH..."

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From Welsh Biography Online (http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s1-GRIF-PEN-1300.html) :

"His son, WILLIAM GRIFFITH (c. 1480-1531), does not appear in office until 1508 when he was described as 'King's Servant' and 'squire for the body,' and appointed chamberlain of North Wales; he continued to hold the office until his death, with the exception of a short break in 1509 when he made way for Charles Brandon, later duke of Suffolk. (Cal. Pat. Rolls, 1494-1509, 569; Davies, Conway and Menai Ferries, 57; L. and P. Henry VIII, vol. I, part i, 257, 78, and vol. IV, part i, 1941; D.N.B., vi, 218.) There is some evidence of personal links between the two men. Both were squires of the body at the same time, and in 1516 Brandon appointed Griffith as one of his deputy justices of North Wales, describing him in the instrument of appointment as his 'blood relation.' (Penrhyn MSS. 48.) Griffith served under Brandon in the French campaign of 1513; he was at the siege of Thérouanne, the battle of the Spurs, and the siege of Tournai in Aug. 1513, and was knighted at Tournai 25 Sept. 1513. (L. and P. Henry VIII, vol. I, part i, 1176, 1496, part ii, 2301, 2480, 2575.) Poems by Lewis Môn , Huw Llwyd ap Dafydd , Tudur Aled , and Gruffydd ap Tudur ap Hywel (qq.v.) refer to his part in the campaign. (Mostyn MSS. 148, 233, 520, 523, 537, 585; Cardiff MSS. 2, 103; Gwaith Tudur Aled, ed. T. Gwynn Jones , i, 146.) He appears also to have maintained close relationships with Sir Rhys ap Thomas of Dynevor (q.v.) . His first wife was Jane, daughter of Sir Thomas Stradling of S. Donats, Glam. , and his wife, Joan, daughter of Thomas Mathew of Radyr, Glam. Sir Thomas Stradling d., 1480, and his widow m. shortly after Sir Rhys ap Thomas , as his second wife. Poems to William Griffith by Lewis Môn emphasize the links between him and Sir Rhys , whose son, Griffith ap Rhys (b. c. 1480 - see under Rice ) was a contemporary of William Griffith at Court. A Griffith of Penrhyn (almost certainly William Griffith) was present at the tournament held by Sir Rhys at Carew in 1507 (see articles Stradling and Mathew ; Mostyn MSS. 148, 470, 581; Cambrian Register, 1795, 49-144). His second wife was Jane, daughter of John Puleston 'Hen' (the Old) of Bersham (see article Puleston family ); William, his eldest son by this marriage, founded the family of Griffith of Trefarthen (Griffith , Pedigrees, 125, 185, and article Griffith, John, 16th cent. ). Apart from those named, the following poets (qq.v.) wrote to him: Mathew Brwmffild , Dafydd Pennant , Ifan Dylyniwr , Dafydd Trefor , Ifan ap Madog , Lewis Daron , and Tudur Aled . (Mostyn MSS. 148, 529, 532, 556, 559, 562, 566, 569, 572, 575; Cynfeirdd Lleyn, ed. Myrddin Fardd , 195; Gwaith Tudur Aled, ed. T. Gwynn Jones , i, 145.) He was one of three squires who were concerned with the Caerwys eisteddfod in 1523. (Llên Cymru, ii, 130.)"
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  Noted events in his life were:

• Knighted, 25 Dec 1513, Touraine, France. From Welsh Settlement of Pennsylvania by Charles H. Browning, Philadelphia, 1912, p. 286: "knighted at Touraine, Christmas, 1513, 'after the king came from mass, under the banner in the church'"

• Made: Chamberlain of North Wales, 1520.

William married Jane Stradling of St. Donat's, daughter of Sir Thomas Stradling of S. Donats, Glam. and Joan Mathew of Radyr, Glam.

William next married Jane Puleston of Bers and Hafod y Wern, daughter of John Hên Puleston of Hafod-y-Wern, Constable of Caernarfon Castle and Eleanor Whitney, on 2 Aug 1522 in <Penrhyn, Llandegai, Caernarfonshire>, Wales. (Jane Puleston of Bers and Hafod y Wern was born about 1479 in Bersham, (Denbighshire), Wales.)

  Marriage Notes:

Verify marriage date. Varies from 1505 to 1520. According to Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700, they were married in 1520. (Dwnn II: 154-159)