The great-grandfather was thus always looked back to as the common ancestor, whose name was still given to the family holding of his co-heirs. The family tie reached from him to his great-grandchildren, and then ceased to bind together further generations.[230] «The Gwely or family couch.» We have seen that even in the twelfth century the household all used one couch, extending round the wall of the single room of the house; this couch was called the 'gwely.' The 'tir gwelyawg' was thus the land of the family using the same couch; and the descendants of one ancestor living together were a 'gweli-gordd.'[231] As late as the fourteenth century, in the _Record of Carnarvon_, the holdings [p195] are still called 'Weles' and 'Gavells.' They are essentially 'family' or tribal holdings.[232] And now as to the tenure upon which these holdings of the free tribesmen were held. «The Gwestva or food rent.» It was a free tenure, subject to the obligation to pay _Gwestva_, or 'food rent,' to the chief, and to some incidents which marked an almost feudal relationship to the chief, viz.:-- (1) The _Amobr_, or marriage fee of a female. (2) The _Ebediw_,[233] or death payment (heriot). (3) Aid in building the king's castles. (4) Joining his host in his enterprises _in_ the country whenever required, _out_ of the country six weeks only in the year.[234] These were the usual accompaniments of free tenure everywhere, and are no special marks of serfdom. «The _tunc pound_ in lieu of it.» Several homesteads were grouped together in '_maenols_' or '_trevs_' for the purpose of the payment of the _Gwestva_, as we shall see by-and-by. This consisted in _Gwent_, of a horse-load of wheat-flour, an ox, seven threaves of oats, a vat of honey, and 24 pence of silver.[235] And as the money value of the _Gwestva_ was always one pound, so that its money equivalent was known as 'the tunc pound,' holdings of family land were spoken of, as late as the fourteenth century, as 'paying tunc'[236]--the _gwestva_, or _tunc pound_ in lieu [p196] of it, being the distinctive tribute of the free tribesmen. Such was the tenure of the family land, and these were the services of the free tribesmen. «A free tribal tenure.» There is no trace here of villenage, or of the servile _week-work_ of the Saxon serf. The tribesmen had no manorial lord over them but their chief, and he was their natural and elected tribal head. So, when Wales was finally conquered, the _tunc_ was paid to the Prince of Wales, and no mesne lord was interposed between the tribesman and the Prince. Thus the freedom of the free tribesman was guarded at every point. * * * * * «The _aillts_ or _taeogs_.» «Their tyddyns and ploughs.»