Gwerful Fychan facts for kids
Gwerful Fychan was a Welsh poet who lived and wrote between about 1420 and 1490. She was part of a group called the "Beirdd yr Uchelwyr," which means "Poets of the Nobility," during the Late Middle Ages. Gwerful came from an important family and inherited a large estate called Caer-Gai, near Llanuwchllyn in Merioneth (now part of Gwynedd, Wales). Her family name, Fychan, later became the more common English name Vaughan.
Gwerful's Family Life
Gwerful Fychan was married to Tudur Penllyn. He was a drover, which means he moved animals like sheep and cattle over long distances. Tudur was also a wool-trader and a well-known poet himself.
Their son, Ieuan, also wrote poetry. Some of his poems still exist today. It's possible they had a daughter named Gwenllian, but it's harder to find proof of her writing poetry.
Her Poetry and Legacy
We don't have any poems that are definitely known to be written by Gwerful Fychan. However, there is a poem called Cywydd y March Glas (which means "The Grey Horse"). Sometimes, people think this poem might have been written by her. Other times, it's thought to be by another poet named Gwerful Mechain or Tudur Aled.
Some early historians sometimes mixed up Gwerful Fychan with Gwerful Mechain, who lived around the same time. Even though we don't have many of her poems, people in the Llanuwchllyn area remembered Gwerful Fychan for a long time. As late as the 1900s, some traditional verses were still said to be hers.
