namely that it was
one of the many strongholds, which at one time belonged to Griffith ap
Nicholas, Lord of Dinevor, one of the most remarkable men which South
Wales has ever produced, of whom a brief account here will not be out of
place.

Griffith ap Nicholas flourished towards the concluding part of the reign
of Henry the Sixth. He was a powerful chieftain of South Wales and
possessed immense estates in the counties of Carmarthen and Cardigan.
King Henry the Sixth, fully aware of his importance in his own country,
bestowed upon him the commission of the peace, an honour at that time
seldom vouchsafed to a Welshman, and the captaincy of Kilgarran, a strong
royal castle situated on the southern bank of the Teivi a few miles above
Cardigan. He had many castles of his own, in which he occasionally
resided, but his chief residence was Dinevor, half way between Llandovery
and Carmarthen, once a palace of the kings of South Wales, from whom
Griffith traced lineal descent. He was a man very proud at heart, but
with too much wisdom to exhibit many marks of pride, speaking generally
with the utmost gentleness and suavity, and though very brave addicted to
dashing into danger for the mere sake of displaying his valour. He was a
great master of the English tongue, and well acquainted with what
learning it contained, but nevertheless was passionately attached to the
language and literature of Wales, a proof of which he gave by holding a
congress of bards and literati at Carmarthen, at which various pieces of
eloquence and poetry were recited, and certain alterations introduced
into the canons of Welsh versification. Though holding offices of trust
and emolument under the Saxon, he in the depths of his soul detested the
race, and would have rejoiced to see it utterly extirpated from Britain.
This hatred of his against the English was the cause of his doing that
which cannot be justified on any principle of honour, giving shelter and
encouragement to Welsh thieves, who were in the habit of plundering and
ravaging the English borders. Though at the head of a numerous and
warlike clan, which was strongly attached to him on various accounts,
Griffith did not exactly occupy a bed of roses. He had amongst his
neighbours four powerful enemies who envied him his large possessions,
with whom he had continual disputes about property and privilege.
Powerful enemies they may well be called, as they were no less personages
than Humphrey