Gwenllian of Wales - Confinement For Fifty Years

Confinement For Fifty Years

Gwenllian and the daughters of her uncle Dafydd ap Gruffudd were all confined for life in remote priories in Lincolnshire, Rippingale fens, and never allowed freedom. It has been speculated that the girls were taken to Lincolnshire from Gwynedd by sea.

Gwenllian was placed in the Gilbertine Priory at Sempringham, where she was held behind high walls until her death fifty-four years later. In committing her to a convent, Edward's aim was not only to prevent her from marrying and having sons who might lay claim to the Principality of Wales, but also to hide her away, unknown to the outside world. He chose the Gilbertines in Lincolnshire because of their remote location in the fenlands and because they were an order in which nuns were hidden from view behind high walls. Gwenllian's royal rank was acknowledged at least once by the English Crown. When writing to the Pope, attempting to secure more money for the Sempringham priory from the Church, the English King stated that "...herein is kept the daughter of the Prince of Wales, whom we have to maintain."

Having been taken from her native land so young, Gwenllian never learned any Welsh. Documents indicate that the priory record-keepers were not even sure how to spell her name correctly; she is listed as "Wencilian" and was herself shown to have signed her name "Wentliane".