Career
Until recently Llewelyn was little known even in his home area, but has become celebrated as a "Welsh Braveheart" after a campaign to construct a monument to him in Llandovery. After his death his lands were granted to one of Henry"s supporters, Gruffydd ap Rhys. A more detailed version of the story suggests that Llewelyn was specifically charged with having deliberately led the English forces the wrong way while pretending to guide them to Glyndŵr.
Adam however states only that Llewelyn "willingly preferred death to treachery".
Llewelyn is also thought to have had two sons fighting in Glyndŵr"s forces. While Llewelyn undoubtedly existed, concrete details of his life are scant (it has been stated that all that is known of him is "his name, his politics and his alcohol consumption").
However, his name and ancestry may be recorded in genealogies: for example Lewys Dwnn"s Heraldic Visitations lists "Llywelyn, Tomas Morgan meibion Gwilim ap Llewelyn ap Gruffydd vachan ap Dafydd vongam ap David ap Meurig goch" as holding Mallaen in the parish of Caeo, and traces the family back to Selyf, King of Dyfed. His father Gruffydd Fychan (described as "lord of Caeo and Cilycwm") was recorded as holding the constableship of Caeo in 1359 for the sum of £8 per annum.
Gruffydd"s wife (and therefore Llewelyn"s mother) was said to have been Jonnett, daughter of Gruffydd ap Llewelyn Foethus of Dryslwyn Castle.
Llewelyn"s (probable) grandson, Llewelyn ap Gwilym ap Llewelyn, was said by Edward Lhuyd to have lived at the mansion of Neuadd Fawr at Cilycwm, where his "motto over his door was Gresso pan dhelech, a chennad pan vynnech, a phan dhelech tra vynnecli trig" A campaign was started in 1998 in Llandovery to construct a monument to Lelwelyn. Financial support came both from the community and the Arts Council of Wales. After an exhibition of proposed designs in 2000, a public vote chose a submission by Toby and Gideon Petersen of Street Clears.
The 16-foot-tall (49 m) stainless steel statue, a figure with an empty helmet, cloak and armour stands on a base of stone brought from Caeo.
Petersen described the statue as representing a "brave nobody", with the empty helmet and armour representing both the universal nature of Llewelyn"s actions and the violence of his death.
