VAUGHAN , ROBERT ( 1592? - 1667 ), antiquary, collector of the famous Hengwrt library ; only legitimate son of Howell Vaughan (d. 1639 ), of Gwengraig , in the township of Garthgynfor and parish of Dolgelley on the eastern slope of Cader Idris , who traced his ancestry from Cadwgan , lord of Nannau , son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn (q.v.) , prince of Powys . His mother was Margaret , daughter of Edward Owen of Hengwrt , parish of Llanelltyd , and granddaughter of Lewis Owen (q.v.) , baron of the Exchequer of North Wales . Robert Powell Vaughan , or Robert Vaughan as he came to be known, was b. at Gwengraig , about 1592 , judging by the record of his entry into Oriel College , Oxford , at the age of 20, in 1612 . He left college without taking his degree. The early period of his life is obscure, but it can be argued from his friendship with Rhys and Siôn Cain (qq.v.), whom he acknowledged to be his tutors in genealogy , that he spent some time at Oswestry . The date of his marriage to Catherine ( 1594 - 1663 ), daughter of Griffith Nanney (b. 1568 ) is not known, but he was living at Gwengraig in 1624 and it is likely that he settled at Hengwrt soon after his marriage. Between 1608 and 1612 Hengwrt had been mortgaged by Robert Owen to his brother-in-law, Howell Vaughan . Robert Vaughan was on the commission of the peace for Merioneth and took an active part in local affairs . He appears to have acted as receiver of bridge mises in the county during the Commonwealth. The controversies of that period do not seem to have greatly disturbed his life. His chief interests were genealogy , early Welsh history and antiquities , and the collection of books and manuscripts . In these pursuits he corresponded with Rhys and Siôn Cain , Dr. John Davies of Mallwyd , Evan Lloyd Jeffrey of Palé , John Jones of Gellilyfdy (whose manuscripts became his property in 1658 ), Meredith Lloyd of Welshpool , William Maurice of Cefn-y-braich , the Wynne s of Gwydir , Sir Simonds d'Ewes , John Selden , James Ussher , archbishop of Armagh , and others. The library of manuscripts which he collected at Hengwrt is the finest collection of Welsh manuscripts ever assembled by an individual. It remained at Hengwrt until 1859 , when it passed by the will of Sir Robert Williames Vaughan to W. W. E. Wynne of Peniarth (q.v.) . The purchase of the reversion of the Hengwrt-Peniarth library to Aberystwyth by Sir John Williams in 1905 was one of the deciding factors for establishing the National Library of Wales there. Robert Vaughan also collected books , but they were dispersed by Thomas Kerslake , a bookseller of Bristol , early in the 19th cent. The catalogue which Robert Vaughan compiled of his library is extant ( N.L.W. MS. 9095 ). He transcribed a large number of literary and historical texts , compiled a concordance of scripture , genealogical books , notably the great collection of Peniarth MS. 287 , and tracts on early Welsh history and chronology , and translated ‘ Brut y Tywysogion ’ into English . He published at Oxford in 1662 a small book entitled British Antiquities Revived , containing a refutation of Sir Thomas Canon 's arguments that Cadell was the eldest son of Rhodri Mawr (q.v.) and that, consequently, the princes of Deheubarth had superiority over those of Gwynedd , a correction of the pedigree of the earl of Carbery as given in Percy Enderbie 's Cambria Triumphans , distinguishing between Gwaethfoed of Powys and Gwaethfoed of Ceredigion , and a short tract on the Five Royal Tribes of Wales .
Robert Vaughan d. on Ascension Day (16 May) 1667 . Anthony Wood , on the authority of Thomas Ellis , rector of Dolgelley , states that he was buried in the church of that parish in 1666 . The burial is not recorded in the parish register, but in a draft will, made 1 May 1665 , he left instructions for his burial there. He left four sons and four daughters. HOWELL VAUGHAN , of Vanner , sheriff of Merioneth , 1671 , who m. (1) Jane , daughter of Robert Owen , Ystumcegid , and relict of Hugh Tudor of Egryn , and (2) Lowry , daughter of Griffith Derwas of Cemes , and widow of Humphrey Pugh of Aberffrydlan ; YNYR VAUGHAN , who was unmarried but who had issue John ab Ynyr , who emigrated to Pennsylvania ; HUGH VAUGHAN , who m. Elizabeth , daughter of Edmund Meyrick of Ucheldre ; and GRIFFITH VAUGHAN who had Dolmelynllyn and who m. Catherine , daughter of John ap Robert ap John ap Lewis ap Meredith of Glynmaelda ; MARGARET , who m. (1) William Price , rector of Dolgelley , and (2) Robert Vaughan , son of Tudor Vaughan of Caerynwch ; JANE , who m. Robert Owen (d. 1685 ) (q.v.) , of Dolserau ; ELIN , who m. David Ellis , son of Rowland Ellis of Gwanas ; and ANN , who m. Hugh Evans of Berth-lwyd in Llanelltyd .195

Robert Powell Vaughan (?1592 - 16 May 1667) was an eminent Welsh antiquary and collector of manuscripts. His collection, later known as the Hengwrt-Peniarth Library from the houses in which it was successively preserved, formed the nucleus of the National Library of Wales, and is still in its care.[1]


[edit] Biography
Vaughan was born at Gwengraig, Dolgellau, around 1592. Very little is known of his early life, but he was recorded as entering Oriel College, Oxford in 1612, though he left without taking his degree. He later settled at the mansion of Hengwrt (English: Old Court), Llanelltyd, also near Dolgellau, which had belonged to his mother's family. Vaughan was active in the legal affairs of Merioneth and served on its Commission of the peace.[2]

Vaughan's main interests lay in the early history of Wales and in genealogy. Though these were common enough pursuits for the rural gentry of the time, Vaughan devoted himself to them with great energy and diligence, as well as to the collection of early manuscripts and books which he amassed at Hengwrt, preserving many unique texts which might otherwise have been lost. He was able to increase his holdings further after making an arrangement with the calligrapher and manuscript collector John Jones of Gellilyfdy, Flintshire, in which one would combine both collections on the other's death.[3] Vaughan also transcribed texts himself, carried out genealogical research, made an English translation of the Brut y Tywysogion (or Chronicle of the Princes), and wrote several short historical tracts as well as the book British Antiquities Revived, first published at Oxford in 1662.[4]

He died in 1667 and was buried at Dolgellau. Vaughan had four sons and four daughters, and his descendants remained prominent in the area and its politics for many years. His daughter Jane was amongst the Quakers who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 17th century under the leadership of Rowland Ellis.[5]


[edit] The Hengwrt-Peniarth Library

Opening folio of the Hengwrt MS. of the Canterbury Tales, preserved in Vaughan's manuscript collectionVaughan's remarkable collection of manuscripts remained at Hengwrt in the care of his descendants, though his collection of early printed books was dispersed by a Bristol bookseller early in the 19th century.[2] In 1905, after a long period of negotiation, Sir John Williams acquired a reversionary interest in the manuscripts from the Wynne family of Peniarth, William Watkin Wynne (1801-1880) having added substantially to the collection after being bequeathed it by Sir Robert Vaughan (1803-1859), the Member of Parliament for Merioneth.[6][7] The Hengwrt-Peniarth library was then moved to Aberystwyth, where the National Library of Wales was to be established.

Vaughan's collection contains several texts of great historical or literary importance, such as the Book of Taliesin, the so-called Hengwrt Manuscript of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, now thought to be the earliest known copy, and the Black Book of Carmarthen.


[edit] References
^ The Peniarth Manuscripts, National Library of Wales
^ a b Robert Vaughan: Dictionary of Welsh Biography, National Library of Wales
^ John Jones, of Gelli Lyfdy: Dictionary of Welsh Biography, National Library of Wales. The story of Jones and Vaughan's 'arrangement' is given by Saunderson in his 1834 edition of Vaughan's book British Antiquities Revisited, but it is also suggested that Vaughan may have obtained the manuscripts as payment for a debt (Jones, a lawyer by profession, was heavily in debt and repeatedly incarcerated in the Fleet Prison).
^ British Antiquities Revived, or a Friendly Contest touching the Soveraignty of Three Ancient Princes of Wales in Ancient Times, Bala: R. Saunderson, 1834
^ Glenn, T. A. Welsh Founders of Pennsylvania, Genealogical Publishing Co, 1970, ISBN 9780806304304, pp. 57-59
^ Wynne family, of Peniarth: Dictionary of Welsh Biography, National Library of Wales
^ Koch, J. Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopaedia, ABC-CLIO, 2005, ISBN 9781851094400 ,p.905

VAUGHAN, ROBERT (1592?-1667), antiquary, collector of the famous Hengwrt library; only legitimate son of Howell Vaughan (d. 1639), of Gwengraig, in the township of Garthgynfor and parish of Dolgelley on the eastern slope of Cader Idris, who traced his ancestry from Cadwgan, lord of Nannau, son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn (q.v.), prince of Powys. His mother was Margaret, daughter of Edward Owen of Hengwrt, parish of Llanelltyd, and granddaughter of Lewis Owen (q.v.), baron of the Exchequer of North Wales. Robert Powell Vaughan, or Robert Vaughan as he came to be known, was b. at Gwengraig, about 1592, judging by the record of his entry into Oriel College, Oxford, at the age of 20, in 1612. He left college without taking his degree. The early period of his life is obscure, but it can be argued from his friendship with Rhys and SiÙn Cain (qq.v.), whom he acknowledged to be his tutors in genealogy, that he spent some time at Oswestry. The date of his marriage to Catherine (1594-1663), daughter of Griffith Nanney (b. 1568) is not known, but he was living at Gwengraig in 1624 and it is likely that he settled at Hengwrt soon after his marriage. Between 1608 and 1612 Hengwrt had been mortgaged by Robert Owen to his brother-in-law, Howell Vaughan. Robert Vaughan was on the commission of the peace for Merioneth and took an active part in local affairs. He appears to have acted as receiver of bridge mises in the county during the Commonwealth. The controversies of that period do not seem to have greatly disturbed his life. His chief interests were genealogy, early Welsh history and antiquities, and the collection of books and manuscripts. In these pursuits he corresponded with Rhys and SiÙn Cain, Dr. John Davies of Mallwyd, Evan Lloyd Jeffrey of PalÈ, John Jones of Gellilyfdy (whose manuscripts became his property in 1658), Meredith Lloyd of Welshpool, William Maurice of Cefn-y-braich, the Wynnes of Gwydir, Sir Simonds d'Ewes, John Selden, James Ussher, archbishop of Armagh, and others. The library of manuscripts which he collected at Hengwrt is the finest collection of Welsh manuscripts ever assembled by an individual. It remained at Hengwrt until 1859, when it passed by the will of Sir Robert Williames Vaughan to W. W. E. Wynne of Peniarth (q.v.). The purchase of the reversion of the Hengwrt-Peniarth library to Aberystwyth by Sir John Williams in 1905 was one of the deciding factors for establishing the National Library of Wales there. Robert Vaughan also collected books, but they were dispersed by Thomas Kerslake, a bookseller of Bristol, early in the 19th cent. The catalogue which Robert Vaughan compiled of his library is extant (N.L.W. MS. 9095). He transcribed a large number of literary and historical texts, compiled a concordance of scripture, genealogical books, notably the great collection of Peniarth MS. 287, and tracts on early Welsh history and chronology, and translated ëBrut y Tywysogioní into English. He published at Oxford in 1662 a small book entitled British Antiquities Revived, containing a refutation of Sir Thomas Canon's arguments that Cadell was the eldest son of Rhodri Mawr (q.v.) and that, consequently, the princes of Deheubarth had superiority over those of Gwynedd, a correction of the pedigree of the earl of Carbery as given in Percy Enderbie's Cambria Triumphans, distinguishing between Gwaethfoed of Powys and Gwaethfoed of Ceredigion, and a short tract on the Five Royal Tribes of Wales.
Robert Vaughan d. on Ascension Day (16 May) 1667. Anthony Wood, on the authority of Thomas Ellis, rector of Dolgelley, states that he was buried in the church of that parish in 1666. The burial is not recorded in the parish register, but in a draft will, made 1 May 1665, he left instructions for his burial there. He left four sons and four daughters. HOWELL VAUGHAN, of Vanner, sheriff of Merioneth, 1671, who m. (1) Jane, daughter of Robert Owen, Ystumcegid, and relict of Hugh Tudor of Egryn, and (2) Lowry, daughter of Griffith Derwas of Cemes, and widow of Humphrey Pugh of Aberffrydlan; YNYR VAUGHAN, who was unmarried but who had issue John ab Ynyr, who emigrated to Pennsylvania; HUGH VAUGHAN, who m. Elizabeth, daughter of Edmund Meyrick of Ucheldre; and GRIFFITH VAUGHAN who had Dolmelynllyn and who m. Catherine, daughter of John ap Robert ap John ap Lewis ap Meredith of Glynmaelda; MARGARET, who m. (1) William Price, rector of Dolgelley, and (2) Robert Vaughan, son of Tudor Vaughan of Caerynwch; JANE, who m. Robert Owen (d. 1685) (q.v.), of Dolserau; ELIN, who m. David Ellis, son of Rowland Ellis of Gwanas; and ANN, who m. Hugh Evans of Berth-lwyd in Llanelltyd.

Bibliography:
Wood, Athen. Oxon., iii, 729;
D.N.B.;
Nannau documents at U.C.N.W., Bangor;
Dwnn, ii, 237;
Pen. MSS. 287-8;
J. Y. W. Lloyd, Powys Fadog, iv, 292-3; vi, 22;
N.L.W. Wynnstay MSS. 144, 766;
Jnl. W.B.S., ii, 76-83, 123-8;
R.W.M., especially vol. i, parts ii and iii;
N.L.W. Handlist of MSS., i;
Jnl. of Meironeth Hist. Soc., i, 21-30.
Author:
Evan David Jones, F.S.A., (1903-87), Aberystwyth

A Brief Memoir of the Life of Robert Vaughan,
of Hengwrt, Esq.
1592 ñ 1667

BY ROBERT SAUNDERSON (Bala, Wales, March 1, 1834)


The Age of Robert Vaughan. The seventeenth century was fertile in great characters, in the state and in the church, as well as in every department of science and literature. It was a period in our history full of action and enquiry, lamentable indeed often in its progress, but terminating in many beneficial results. ó In the literary annals of the Principality [of Wales] no name stands higher than that of Robert Vaughan; but much as he contributed to raise the reputation of his country, it is to be regretted that our accounts of him and his studies are so slender. That was not an age of memoir and anecdote; men were satisfied with discharging their private and public duties, and but little solicitous to gratify curiosity by details of their own or of the private life and habits of others.


Heritage. Robert Vaughan, as Wood in his AthÊnÊ justly says, was of an ìeminent and genteel family in Merionethshire,î being the eldest son of Howel Vaughan, Esq. and Margaret his wife, a grand-daughter of Lewis Owen, Chamberlain and Baron of North Wales, whose tragical death at a place called since Llidiart y Barwn, or the Baronís Gate, near Dinas Bowddu, is to this day a subject of horror and reprobation among our countrymen. [Vide Pennantís Wales, and Yorkeís Royal Tribes.] Mr. Vaughan was born in 1592, at Hengwrt, near Dolgelleu; his grand-father having married the heiress of that place, had removed the family mansion from Gwengraig, where his ancestors had resided for many generations. But the seat of the parent or original stock was Nannau, from which in the sixth descent from Cadwgan of Nannau, the second son of Bleddyn ap Cynvyn, the founder of the Royal Tribe of that name, Howel Vychan separated and settled at Gwengraig. And it is somewhat extraordinary, that after many ages and changes in human affairs, the two branches became united again, and remain so at this day in their patriotic descendant and representative, Sir Robert Williames Vaughan, of Nannau, Baronet, and Member of Parliament for the County of Merioneth.


Schooling. It is often gratifying to trace the earliest steps of those who have done honour or service to their country; but at this distance of time we have no certain information under what masters or at what school Robert Vaughan was first educated. When he was about twenty years of age he entered in 1612 a Commoner of Oriel College in Oxford. Having passed through the regular course of studies pursued at that period in Logic and Philosophy, he left the University without taking a degree, and retired to his patrimony at Hengwrt in his native county.


Studying antiquities. Enjoying the advantages of a good estate, and incited by a patriotic spirit, he here cultivated those studies that have rendered his name so celebrated, and of such authority on all subjects connected with British history and antiquities. To this end also he was engaged in an extensive correspondence with persons of similar taste and pursuits, among whom we may with pride justly enumerate the great and good Archbishop Usher, two of his letters to whom are printed in the life of that prelate by his chaplain Parr, and also in the second volume of that excellent work the Cambrian Register. In one of these letters it is grievous to find Mr. Vaughan obliged to tell his friend, ìMy love and zeal to know the truth and certainty of things past moves me sometimes to a passion, when I call to mind the idle and slothful life of my countrymen, who, in the revolution of a thousand years almost, afford but only Caradoc of Lancarvan, and the continuation therof, to register any thing, to purpose, of the acts of the Princes of Wales, that I could come by, or hear of, some piece-meals excepted.î With Sir Symonds DíEwes, an eminent antiquarian of his day, and the learned Selden, he corresponded on the ancient British laws and philology, and gave them his assistance in their researches on these points. In all his letters his modesty in propounding his opinions is observable, and exceeded only by his learning. Another of his friends and correspondents was the Rev. Thomas Ellis, B. D. born at Dolbenmaen, in Caernarvonshire, some time Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and latterly rector of Dolgelleu. Mr. Ellis was elected Fellow of his College when Dr. Mansell was Principal, who was noted for his prudence and impartiality in selecting young men of talent and conduct on the foundation. Much indeed of the welfare of the Principality, and particularly of its Church, will always depend on the discipline and learning maintained in that society. ìEllis,î as Wood says, ìwas a person of solid learning, and a singular lover of the antiquities of his country.î He left behind in manuscript a History of the Life of Owain Glyndwr, which was afterwards published by the Rev. John Thomas, Head Master of Beaumaris School, as an Appendix to his Supplement of Rowlandís Mona Antiqua. In one of his letters to the Archbishop, alluding to the troubles of the times, and his own abhorrence of them, Mr. Vaughan speaks of his friend Ellis, as one ìwho in these dangerous times hath suffered many assaults and storms from his adversaries, with patience and constancy.î


Avoidance of idle pursuits. From the following imperfect account of his labours, it is evident Mr. Vaughan was seldom idle. He wrote notes or commentaries on the manuscript book of Basingwerk Abbey ó on Nennius ó on the Triads, together with an English translation ó on Caradoc of Lancarvanís Brut or Chronicle, with a collation of ten several copies, on vellum ó on Lelandís New Yearís Gift ó on Burtonís Antoninus ó on Dr. Powelís History of Wales ó on Usherís Primordia ó Ballís Catalogus Scriptorum ó Annals of Wales from Vortigern downwards, translated from the original into English, with notes ó a short Account of the Family of Cors y Gedol ó a Topography of Merionethshire ó and a Tour to St. Davidís, being short and cursory notices of the places he passed through, in going and returning.


Chief work. But his chief work, and the only one published in his life-time, is the British Antiquities Revived, to which is added the Pedigree of the Earl of Carbery, and a short Account of the Five Royal Tribes of Cambria. The object of this work was to put an end to a controversy then subsisting in the Principality on the primogeniture of the sons of Roderic the Great, who, on the unhappy division of his kingdom, had given the northern parts of Wales to Anarawd, the southern to Cadell, and Powys to Mervyn. In after times, the south Welshmen contended that their Cadell was the eldest of the three; but this is denied with such zeal and effect by our author that the advocates of Cadell have ever since given up the contest in favour of Anarawd. The dispute may appear to us in these degrading days unimportant; but it was not so then: and the learning and force of argument, together with the clearness of the language brought to bear on the subject, as well as many collateral points, will give it always an interest in the eye of an enquirer into the details of the history of the Principality of Wales.


Importance of manuscripts. The art of printing having not yet become common, British literature was at this time, and for many years afterwards, confined almost exclusively to manuscripts; and these, after the dilapidation of the monasteries in which they had been religiously preserved, had now fallen into a multitude of hands, were widely scattered, and rudely neglected. It was therefore of much consequence, and Mr. Vaughan saw the necessity, and probably was the only one of his age capable for the task, of bringing together, arranging, and illustrating these ancient treasures. To this end he spared neither pains nor expence [sic.] to procure original copies, or correct transcripts. As a proof of the zeal and diligence with which he pursued his object, we may mention the manuscript Book of Llandaff, or Liber Landavensis. The original had been long before conveyed to England, and not a copy was to be found in Wales; but Mr. Vaughan knew the original to have been once in the possession of Selden, who was late dead. [Notwithstanding the vastness of his learning, and all the books he had ever read and digested, Selden observed towards the close of his life, that nothing of them all gave him so much solid satisfaction as a single passage of St. Paul ó Titus, chap. ii. verses 11,-14.] He therefore became very anxious to get the book, or an accurate copy of it. For this purpose he wrote several letters to his friend Mr. Merdydd Lloyd of Welshpool, and his cousin Mr. Herbert of Llwyn Iorwerth, in Cardiganshire, and also to Mr. Vaughan of Trawscoed. At last he offers to enter into a bond, in conjunction with his son Robert, to a considerable amount, to warrant the security of the manuscript; which, after much enquiry, was at length discovered in the public library at Oxford, and transmitted to him. [Vide Cambrian Register, Vol III.]


Extent of personal library. By these means the Library at Hengwrt amounted at last to one hundred and sixty five volumes in manuscript, many of which were of very ancient date, on vellum, and several of them were copies in Mr. Vaughanís own hand-writing, in which he much excelled, or in the hand-writing of a ready amanuensis, whom he constantly employed. These volumes exhibit not only much perseverance and labour, but most of them are made doubly valuable by the judicious observations and copious additions of Robert Vaughan. Of the collection indeed twenty eight volumes were in the hand-writing of Mr. [John] Jones of Gelli Lyfdy, near Caerwys, Flintshire, it having been mutually agreed upon between them, that the survivor should become the possessor of the manuscript treasures of the other; and therefore on Mr. Jones dying first, his writings were removed to Hengwrt: and this was fortunate, for Jones was merely a zealous transcriber, pursuing his labours for nearly half a century with much industry, but not always with judgement. Another cotemporary [sic.] collector was Mr. William Maurice of Cefn y Braich, in Llansilin, Denbighshire, who delighted in the designation of Llansiliensis at the foot of his labours. Maurice made a catalogue of the Hengwrt Library, of which there is a copy in the Library at Mostyn, another at Plasgwyn in Anglesey, and a transcript in the possession of that eminent British scholar and bard, the Rev. Walter Davies, the present worthy Rector of Manafon, Montgomeryshire.


Immense value of library. The difficulties attendant on forming such a collection by one person, we cannot now adequately appreciate: the benefit and advantages however of having a Library of such original materials, in the Principality, have been invariably acknowledged, and the name of Vaughan mentioned with sentiments of esteem and obligation by every author almost from that day to this who has written on the early history of the kingdom. In his valuable additions to Camden, Bishop Gibson has in many copious extracts availed himself of the learning of Robert Vaughan; and Bishop Nicholson, in his Historical Library, or view of the early writers of this kingdom, speaks most highly of him. Mr. Edward Llwyd, in a letter to Humphrey Wanley, dated Swansea, Sept. 14, 1796, says, ìMr. Robert Vaughan was the first in these latter days that could read the inscription on Elisegís column, near the Valle Crucis Abbey.î He sent a copy of it to Archbishop Usher, and the Primate sent one to Dr. Langbaine. Mr. Vaughan probably took his copy whilst the column was standing, before the Cromwellians threw it from its pedestal. Mr. Kynaston of Pant y Byrsle took a transcript of Mr. Vaughanís inscription, from which there is every reason to believe that now in general circulation was taken. To these testimonies may be added the names of the late Evan Evans, Warrington, Yorke, and those two eminent Welsh scholars, Dr. William Owen Pugh, and the Rev. Walter Davies.


Fate of library. Of the Library the greater part is still remaining, though much has been unhappily lost through negligence, and much it is to be feared borrowed and never returned; but of late, many valuable manuscripts have been recovered by the care and attention of Colonel Vaughan of Rug and Hengwrt, who takes just pride and pleasure in possessing and preserving unimpaired those ancient treasures and labours of his ancestor, and in furnishing the scholar, the bard, and the lover of antiquity with a ready access to them.


Erroneous attribution. The Honourable Daines Barrington, in his Introduction to the History of the Gwydir Family, is inclined to give Mr. Vaughan credit for skill in engraving, as his name is affixed to the well known portrait of Sir John Wynne; and which he thinks also the more probable, as he was a particular friend of Sir John Wynne, as well as of his son Sir Richard, to whom he dedicated his book, the ìBritish Antiquities Revived.î The supposition however must be a mistake, as Granger, whose authority on all such subjects is indisputable, positively says, that the name under the portrait was that of another Robert Vaughan, a native of England. [Vide our ingenious countrywoman Angharad Llwydís Edition of the history of the Gwydir Family: ó and also Granger, Vol. IV, p. 74.]


Other activities. Occupied as Robert Vaughan must necessarily have been with his learned pursuits, he did not however neglect the duties every one in his rank and station owes to society; for we are informed that he acted as a magistrate in his neighbourhood; and though, from his love of study and retirement, he did not engage in the bloody and unnatural conflicts of the civil war of those unhappy times, he maintained his loyalty inviolate, and firmly adhered to the ancient institutions of his country.


Family. He married Catharine daughter of Gruffydd Nannau, of Nannau, Esq. by whom he had eight children, the eldest of whom, Hywel, succeeded his father in his estate. Having lived to a good old age, he died at his beloved Hengwrt in the year 1666, and was buried in the parish church of Dolgelleu.

Pedigree of Robert Vaughan, of Hengwrt, Esq. (1592-1667) [size is 142 KB] The chart accompanying the original biography carries the descent of male heirs down to 1834.