James Owen of Penrhos

and his descendants

Complex inheritance

Until now the story of the Owen family tree has been relatively straight forward but the next section is quite complex with regard to inheritance. Five years after the death of John Owen (senior) in 1611, his widow, Ellin, married Sir Francis Eure, Chief Justice of North Wales, and they had a son, Compton. She was then living at Constable's Hall, Porkington (later called Brogyntyn). Sir Francis died in 1621 and Ellin in 1626, leaving her Clenennau estate to her eldest son from her first marriage, colonel Sir John Owen (previous page), and Porkington to his brother colonel William Owen (last paragraph) (1607-1670) who was sheriff of Merioneth, defended Harlech Castle during the Civil War and was imprisoned in Nottingham Castle. Ellin left estates in Anglesey to her third son, Maurice.

William married Mary, widow of bishop John Hanmer, but they had no children so on his death, Porkington was reunited with the estate of Clenennau, both being inherited by Sir John Owen's son, William Owen.

Sir John Owen had married Janet, daughter of Griffith Vaughan of Cors-y-gedol, Mer; as well as their son William they had daughters Catherine and Jane.

William Owen (1624-1677/8) had been with his father at the siege of Bristol in July 1643. In 1648 he married Katherine (aka Catherine) Anwyl, only child of Lewis Anwyl, Parc, Llanfrothen, and they lived during the Interregnum on the Anwyl estate of Llanddyn. He inherited both Clenennau and Porkington from his father and his uncle respectively, but he based his family home at Llanddyn.