A Journey into the Anglesey Landscape, in the windswept, quiet scenery of Anglesey, off the north-west Welsh coast, is a tale that breaks the demographic patterns of the 16 th century. Although the family size of the typical household in 16th century Wales was relatively small, having only 4.75 members on average, one man was able to cause a local population explosion that continues to reverberate throughout the historical record.
His was the name of William Ap Howel and though he died in 1581, he had not only lived long, but had beget 43 children during his astounding 81-year reproductive life span.
Who Was William Ap Howel? The 105-Year-Old “Great Patriarch”.
William Ap Howel was a man of plain tastes, and born in 1476, he was contented with the rustic occupations. He was not a man of profligacy; and historical documents of explorer Thomas Pennant tell of him as being small in stature, with a cheerful convivial temper. His dietary practices were what made him live so long with an amazing age of 105.
It was a kind of austerity as he lived mainly on milk and dairy products, though with his advanced years he never experienced any of the afflictions of the time, gout or stones.
A Lifetime of “Basic Joys”.
William spent his time when not servicing his vast family: Tillage (Farming): Caring about his vegetable garden.
• Fishing: Fishing on the local Welsh water.
• fowling: Bird-hunting and bird-catching.
• Poaching: There are rumors in the town that he applied his talent to fill the domestic food supplies.
The Five Mothers: The Making of a Generational Legacy.
The family tree of William is two intertwined marriages and three concubines. In order to arrive at a total of 43, William was exceedingly regular in his habits, with a child or two every two years, since the time of his 21st year to the end of his 90s.
The Dissection of the 43 Siblings:
At his funeral in March, 1581, the stock of his descendants was so numerous, that it was said he had children children to the fourth generation in abundance. He had seven children who were in their seventies when he died; the first daughter, Alice, and the youngest son, Griffith, were only two-and-a-half years old.
This influence on Tregaian and the Church of Medieval St Caian..
The Anglesey parish of Tregaian was small. In a larger perspective of William, the much larger parish of Llanfairpwll that surrounded William only had approximately 80 people at the time of his life.4 William basically was the local population.
The memorial to the man who made a name, so considerable, in this rural corner of the UK, today lives on in the memory of the medieval church of St Caian’s, a Grade II* listed building, built in the 14 th century.5 A clergyman wrote in 1847 that the font of the church was scarcely large enough to immerse in–possibly a veiled allusion to the amount of baptism necessary to reach the Ap Howel clan through the years.
How Does He Compare? The World Records and the Fertile Figures.
On the one hand, William has 43 children, which makes him a legend in Wales, but on the other hand, he is a footnote in the history of human reproduction as a whole. Guinness World Records and historical archives point out even more prolific people:
Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif: The 18 th -century Moroccan Sultan supposedly had 1,042 children (some sources say 1,171) and a harem of 500 women.
Sobhuza II: the King of Swaziland that had 210 children through 70 wives in the 20th century.
• Augustus II the strong: The Polish emperor who had some 370 children.
Augustus John: An artist of the 20 th century Welsh origin who is said to have sired up to 100 children, although this is disputed.
FAQs
Q: How did William Ap Howel nurture 43 children?
A: By tilling, by angling and fowling. Most of the older kids would have left home and even started families before the younger ones were even born and burdened the immediate house hold.
Q: What was the burial place of William Ap Howel?
A: buried in the Church of St Caians, Tregaian, Anglesey. The memorial plaque to him is still there today.
Q: Are all his children still alive till they are adults?
A: So, although we do not have specific mortality figures of all the 43, it is clear that 300 of his offspring were present at his funeral, indicating a very high survival and reproduction rate in his children.
Call To Action:
What Do You Think? The tale of the “Great Patriarch” is an example of the most original Welsh genealogy. And 300 relatives at one family reunion is unthinkable. Please tell us in the remark section!
Would you have me study other ancient population boomers?
or give me a map of the landmarks of the Tregaian parish?
Disclaimer:
This paper is informative and educational in nature. It is recommended that readers should check the information in reliable sources before passing judgment.