Hawys Gadarn

Hawys Gadarn (Hawys ferch Owain ap Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn), also known as the Hardy, the Powerful, the Intrepid, and Hawise de la Pole, (1291 – ) was the daughter of Owen de la Pole and the heir to Powys Wenwynwyn in Wales. She was married to John Charleton after seeking the intervention of Edward II of England to support her inheritance against the schemes of four of her uncles to take her lands.

Early life Hawys Gadarn was born on 25 July 1291 to Owen de la Pole, also known as Owain ap Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn, and Joan Corbet.

Inheritance of Powys On the death of her father, Hawys's only brother, Gruffydd, inherited his land in Powys. Gruffydd died in 1309, leaving Hawys as his heiress. According to the nineteenth-century historian Llywelyn Prichard, her uncles informed her that they would be taking the land she had inherited, and that she would live out the rest of her life in a nunnery, however Prichard does not give a primary reference, and there is no evidence of this.

She travelled to the Parliament of Shrewsbury and petitioned Edward II of England in person. She met with him twice, and on the second occasion he asked her to nominate someone to act on her behalf as the champion of her rights. She named John Charleton, whom she subsequently married, in July 1309. the Powerful, and the Intrepid. Hawys became known for investing in monasteries, including beginning the work on the Franciscan monastery in Shrewsbury, where she was buried after her death in 1353. She had sons, John, who became the second Baron Cherleton, Lewis de Charlton, Bishop of Hereford and Owen, who died without issue. She also had a daughter, Isabella.