Elizabeth Ferrers was a daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby

William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby

William III de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby was an English nobleman and head of a family which controlled a large part of Derbyshire including an area known as Duffield Frith....

 and his second wife Margaret de Quincy (born 1218). Her maternal grandparents were Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester

Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester

Roger de Quincy, 2nd Earl of Winchester was a medieval nobleman who was prominent on both sides of the Anglo-Scottish border, as Earl of Winchester and Constable of Scotland....

 and Helen of Galloway

Helen of Galloway

Helen of Galloway was a daughter and co-heiress of Alan, Lord of Galloway and his first wife, a daughter of Roger de Lacy, Constable of Chester. Helen was the first wife of Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester . Although Helen was the first of Roger's three wives, his only descendants were three...

.

Elizabeth was married first to William Marshal, 2nd Baron Marshal, and after his death to Dafydd ap Gruffydd

Dafydd ap Gruffydd

Dafydd ap Gruffydd was Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 by King Edward I of England...

, a prince of Gwynedd and brother of Llywelyn the Last

Llywelyn the Last

Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf , sometimes rendered as Llywelyn II, was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England....

. Dafydd was at that time in favour with King Edward I of England

Edward I of England

Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...

, but later rebelled and was executed in 1283. Elizabeth's fate is not known for certain, but she is thought to have been buried at the parish church in Caerwys

Caerwys

Caerwys is a town in Flintshire, Wales. It is situated just under two miles from the A55 North Wales Expressway and one mile from the A541 Mold-Denbigh road. At the 2001 Census, the population of Caerwys civil parish was 1,315, with a total ward population of 2,496.Caerwys is mentioned in the...

, north Wales, where local tradition identifies a stone effigy on display in the church as hers.

Elizabeth's daughter Gwladys

Gwladys ferch Dafydd

Gwladys ferch Dafydd was the daughter of Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the last free Prince of Wales, and Elizabeth Ferrers. She probably spent most her life in the company of her father in England and Gwynedd....

 was sent to Sixhills convent for the rest of her life. Her husband Dafydd is thought to have had other daughters who may have been illegitimate. Her sons Llywelyn

Llywelyn ap Dafydd

Llywelyn ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the eldest son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and his wife Elizabeth Ferrers. Nothing is known of his early life, though it is thought he was probably born some time around 1267...

 and Owain

Owain ap Dafydd

Owain ap Dafydd , de jure Prince of Gwynedd , was the younger son of Dafydd ap Gruffydd the last free ruler of Gwynedd and self-proclaimed Prince of Wales...

were imprisoned and never released.