Home of the family of Jones the old mansion a four-fronted edifice, stood on a slope immediately below the parish church, about a mile inland from the hamlet of Penycwm above St. Brides Bay. In the same parish also stood the early mansions of Castle Villa, Eweston, Llether, Newgale, and Rickeston. Brawdy was the house of landowning families from medieval days. In 1670 it contained four hearths, and an inventory of 1704 mentions The White Chamber, Porch Chamber, Dark Chamber, Dining Room, Parlour, The Hall and kitchen. Two closed-in early windows in the southern gable showed that it had been a three-storeyed building, the upper storey having been removed about 1825. One room, now the parlour, retains its original oak panelling. An ancient arch connected the rear part of the house to the walled garden, the walls continuing in good state of preservation. One of the outbuildings bears the date 1740.

        In 1796 Brawdy was let to a George Gwyther whose family bought the freehold in 1919, and whose descendant, Richard Gwyther, still farms there. About 1825 a large part of the dwelling-house was pulled down and the remainder adapted to farming usages. In 1921 a corn-drying kiln collapsed, formerly connected with the house by a gallery leading from a window on the first storey. One of the mansion walls is hollow, said to have been used to hold smuggled wines borne from the cove of Cwm Mawr, along the hidden dingle below Llether.

        Brawdy remained in the blood of one family for 17 generations, covering some 530 years. The first known member of the family was David of Brawdy whose son Philip ap David was living there in the years 1400-1437, whose grandson Henry ap David ap Phillip had an only child, Alice sole heiress of Brawdy; who, about 1510, married Richard Jones a younger son of John ap Thomas of Treowen, Mon., and from the Treowen family the family of Herbert Earls of Pembroke descended. By this marriage, Brawdy passed to Richard Jones who died in 1546-7. His descendants improved the estate by marriage with daughters of landowning families – Warren of Trewern, Bowen of Upton Castle, Philipps of Woodstock, Stokes of Cuffern, Reynish of Camrose, Protheroe of Nantyrhebog and Lloyd of Wenallt (both in Carms). By 1600 the Brawdy estate consisted of 30 farms and 1,344 acres, an acreage maintained until 1800.

        Dwnn recorded the family pedigree in 1613, duly signed by John Jones. The family filled numerous public offices – commissioners of Acts of Parliament, officers of Train Bands, Grand Jurors, High Constables of Dewsland, Justices of the Peace, a coroner, and two High Sheriffs. William Jones was Standard Bearer to Henry VIII. Cadet branches settled at Llether, Eweston, Grinston, Penberi, Cruglas, Llangungar Fawr and Ludlow (Salop). Brawdy, Pointz Castle, and Trenarydd formed an episcopal manor of the Bishop of St. Davids, and Joneses of Brawdy were lords of the lay manor of Trefinent (St. Davids). The family bore the well-known arms, per pale azure, and gules, 3 lions rampant, argent, with crest, a woman’s head and breast affrontee; Motto Asgre lan diogle ei pherchen.

References

Francis Jones was a direct descendant of the Joneses of Brawdy. His earliest memories were of his grandparents and parents telling him of the family’s lineage and history. This kindled his life-long love of antiquity and genealogy.