The Life of Katheryn of Berain
by Catherine

We are not sure about Katheryn’s date of birth; it was probably in 1534 or 1535.

We do know that she was the only child of Robert Fychan of Berain. Her mother was Jane Velville, the daughter of Sir Roland Velville.
Roland was a son of Henry Tudor, born when his father was in exile in Brittany. He was given lands in Anglesey when his father became King of England.

This meant that Katheryn, who was the great granddaughter of Henry VII, was a relative of Queen Elizabeth, who was the granddaughter of Henry.

In those days, children were promised in marriage to other children in wealthy families. When the children grew up they would have to marry.
There was a marriage settlement between Katheryn and John Salusbury of Lleweni, a member of another powerful family.

When Katheryn was 22 years old she married John. They had two sons, Thomas, born in about 1564 and John, born in 1566. John Salusbury died in 1566,shortly after his younger son John was born.

It was at his funeral that Katheryn is supposed to have accepted and refused the marriage proposals of her second and third husbands.

Katheryn now owned lands in Anglesey and the Berain estate in Denbighshire.

Katheryns second husband, Richard Clough who lived in Antwerp, probably visited Berain on business after John Salusbury’s death in 1566. He married Katheryn in 1567.

Clough was a partner in a trading company and lived and worked in Amsterdam, then an important trading city. The business was very successful and Richard Clough was said to be one of the richest men in England.

Katheryn and Richard lived abroad for most of their married life, first in Amsterdam and then in Hamburg, where he died only three years after they married. At the age of 35, Katheryn was a widow for the second time. Richard was buried in Hamburg, but his heart was removed and buried in Denbigh.

They had two daughters, who were left a lot money by their father. Katheryn was also a very wealthy woman by now.
She went back in Berain soon after Richard’s death and stayed   there until the beginning of 1573. She agreed to marry her third husband Maurice Wynn of Gwydir Castle, Llanrwst.

The following year a marriage agreement was drawn up between Katheryn’s son Thomas, aged 10 and Maurice’s daughter who was only a little younger. The agreement also said that if either of the children died, then another of their brothers or sisters would be married in their place. Katheryn and Maurice had two children.

In 1580, when they had been married for seven years, Maurice died.
Katheryn was back at Berain with her daughter-in-law Margaret (who was daughter of Maurice). Kathryn’s son and Margaret’s husband Thomas was now a student at Oxford University.

In 1583 Katheryn married a man much younger than herself Edward  Thelwell, he was a member of an old North Wales family from near Rhuthin. They lived together at Berain.

A marriage was also arranged between Katheryn’s daughter, Jane and Edwards’s son, Simon. She was nine years old and he was twelve years old. VERY COMPLICATED ISN’T IT?

Thomas Salusbury, Katheryn’s son who was a student at Oxford University became a Roman Catholic. He joined a group of young men led by Anthony Babington. This group wanted to replace Queen Elizabeth with her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, as QUEEN OF ENGLAND.

In the August of 1586, Babington was arrested for plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth.

Thomas Salusbury escaped to Cheshire, but was arrested soon afterwards.

He was found guilty of trying to raise a rebellion in Denbighshire if the plot to kill the queen was successful. He was executed as a traitor, along with six other members of the group.
It must have been a very difficult time for Katheryn as she was a relative of Queen Elizabeth. She fought hard to stop the lands belonging to her son from becoming the property of the Crown. She pretended that she had never given him to them.

Katheryn died at the age of 56 in 1591 and is probably buried at Llanefydd Church.

Katheryn was famous during her lifetime for her great kindness. It is said that her death was though to be a great sadness to Wales and many famous bards wrote poems telling of her goodness. She was known as “Mam Cymru” which means mother of Wales. Katheryn’s descendents were members of all the rich and famous families from North Wales.