Anwyl family
A Welsh family of Gwynedd whose traditional lineage is associated with Park, Llanfrothen, and Tywyn.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Anwyl of Tywyn family is a Welsh family associated with Gwynedd and with the historic houses of Park or Parc, Llugwy, and Ty Mawr near Tywyn. It is not a commercial brand or incorporated business. The family is notable for a claimed patrilineal descent from Owain Gwynedd, Prince of Gwynedd, who died in 1170, and through him from the medieval Welsh royal line connected with the House of Aberffraw. Genealogical accounts describe the family as Welsh-speaking and rooted in the historic counties and communities of north-west Wales. The lineage presented in genealogical and heraldic sources proceeds through Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd and a succession of medieval landholding families to Maredudd ap Hywel and his sons Robert and James. Their division is especially important to the later family story. Robert became associated with the line that produced the Wynn family of Gwydir, while James ap Maredudd became connected with the branches later linked to Rhiwaedog, Clenenneu, Ystumcegid, Brynkir, and Park. During the rebellion led by Owain Glyndŵr in the early fifteenth century, the brothers are described as having taken opposing political positions. James supported the English Crown, held Caernarfon for the Crown, and was killed during the conflict; properties associated with him were reportedly burned in retaliation. By the sixteenth century, descendants of Robert ap Morys were known as the Anwyl family of Parc, reflecting their residence near Penrhyndeudraeth in Merionethshire. Lewis Anwyl and his descendant William Lewis Anwyl were among the most prominent early-modern members of the line. William Lewis Anwyl of Park, who died in 1642, served multiple terms as High Sheriff of Merionethshire and also served as High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire. His marriage into the Herbert family of Maes Machre and his rebuilding of Parc strengthened the family's position among Welsh landed families. William Lewis Anwyl had a large family, and his sons established or continued several branches. The branch descended from Evan Anwyl, William's sixth son, eventually became senior in the male line after other branches ended. This line moved through Brynkir, Llugwy, Bacheiddan, Hendre Seifion, Gelli, and Ty-Mawr. The modern Anwyl of Tywyn line is represented by Evan Vaughan Anwyl, born in 1943, who is described as the current head of the family. He lives at Ty Mawr in Tywyn, Gwynedd, speaks Welsh, and was educated at Tywyn Grammar School and the University of Wales Aberystwyth. The family's identity is expressed through genealogy, residence, Welsh language, heraldry, and an inherited motto rather than through products or commercial services. Its arms incorporate imagery associated in the genealogical tradition with several Welsh and border families, including eagles, fleurs-de-lis, wolves' heads, lions, and the Herbert family. The motto, “Eryr eryrod Eryri,” is generally rendered in English as “The eagle of the eagles of Snowdon.” Claims concerning medieval descent are presented in published genealogical and antiquarian sources and should be understood as historical family claims rather than independently verified modern corporate or genealogical records.
History
The Anwyl of Tywyn family belongs to the history of Welsh landed families rather than to the history of a commercial brand. Its traditional pedigree traces the male line to Owain Gwynedd, the twelfth-century prince of Gwynedd, through Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd and later medieval families of north Wales. Genealogical narratives identify Maredudd ap Hywel as an important fourteenth-century ancestor whose sons Robert and James became founders of divergent branches. Robert's descendants were associated with the Wynn family of Gwydir, while James's descendants became linked with several houses in Merionethshire and Caernarfonshire, including Park. The political division between the brothers acquired particular significance during the Glyndŵr rebellion, fought from 1400 into the early fifteenth century. Robert is described as a supporter of Owain Glyndŵr who later received royal pardons, whereas James remained loyal to the Lancastrian Crown and held Caernarfon for it. The conflict reportedly resulted in the burning of James's houses at Cefn y fan or Ystumcegid and Cesail Gyfarch. James died during the war and was buried at Penmorfa after his body was transported by sea. The family became known as Anwyl of Parc after Robert ap Morys established the branch at Parc near Penrhyndeudraeth. Lewis Anwyl, born in the sixteenth century, and William Lewis Anwyl, who died in 1642, are prominent figures in the documented early-modern history. William served as High Sheriff of Merionethshire in 1611 and 1624 and as High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire in 1637. He acquired Llwyn Hall, rebuilt Parc, and left eight sons who produced several later branches. His descendants included officeholders, clergy, landowners, and members of lines that later ended through the lack of male heirs. The branch descended from Evan Anwyl, William's sixth son, eventually became the senior surviving male line. It passed through Brynkir and Llugwy before dividing into further branches. One line ended with Jonathan Bunce Anwyl in the nineteenth century, while another continued through Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire to Ty-Mawr at Tywyn. The succession recorded in modern genealogical accounts includes Evan Anwyl of Ty-Mawr, born in 1858, his son Evan Anwyl, born in 1911, and Evan Vaughan Anwyl, born in 1943. Evan Vaughan Anwyl is identified as the present head of the Anwyl of Tywyn family. He studied at Tywyn Grammar School and the University of Wales Aberystwyth, receiving a BSc in 1967 and a Diploma in Education in 1968. He has been described as living at Ty Mawr, Tywyn, and as speaking Welsh. A 2011 profile connected with Byron Rogers's book Three Journeys presented his own modest account of the family, emphasizing farming and teaching rather than aristocratic self-promotion. The family's heraldic tradition includes a shield assembled from motifs attributed to several ancestral houses, together with a gold eagle crest. Its motto, “Eryr eryrod Eryri,” refers to the eagle of Snowdon and reinforces the family's connection with the landscape and historical identity of north Wales. The descent claims and heraldic interpretations are reported in works including Philip Yorke's The Royal Tribes of Wales, Thomas Nicholas's nineteenth-century county-family history, the Dictionary of Welsh Biography, and Burke's Landed Gentry. Because medieval Welsh pedigrees can combine documentary evidence, oral tradition, heraldic interpretation, and later genealogical reconstruction, the lineage should be presented as a historical claim documented by those sources rather than as an unquestionable modern fact.
- 1943
Birth of Evan Vaughan Anwyl
[1]Evan Vaughan Anwyl, later identified as the current head of the family, was born on 9 December 1943.
- 1831
Evan branch becomes senior
[1]The male-line branch descended from Evan Anwyl became senior after other branches ended or lost their male succession.
- 1642
Death of William Lewis Anwyl
[1]William Lewis Anwyl died after establishing a substantial Park branch and leaving eight sons who continued several family lines.
- 1611
William Lewis Anwyl serves as High Sheriff
[1]William Lewis Anwyl of Park began one of his recorded terms as High Sheriff of Merionethshire.
- 1535
Birth of Lewis Anwyl
[1]Lewis Anwyl, later associated with the Park line, was born in the sixteenth century and is recorded as an ancestor of William Lewis Anwyl.
- 1400
The Glyndŵr rebellion begins
[1]The family tradition places Robert and James ap Maredudd on opposing sides of the Welsh revolt led by Owain Glyndŵr.
Death of Owain Gwynedd
[1]Owain Gwynedd, the prince from whom the family claims patrilineal descent, died in 1170. Later family genealogies connect the Anwyl line to him through his son Rhodri ab Owain Gwynedd.
Products and positioning
Historic Welsh family identity grounded in genealogy, landed-family history, Welsh language, place, and heraldic tradition.
Sources3 sources
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