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Ial or Yale (Welsh: Iâl) was a commote of medieval Wales within the cantref of Maelor in the Kingdom of Powys. When the kingdom was divided in 1160, Maelor became part of Powys Fadog (English: Lower Powys or Madog's Powys). Iâl had its capital at Llanarmon-yn-Iâl at the site of a shrine to Saint Germanus of Auxerre (Welsh: Garmon). The nearby castle was called Tomen y Faerdre. During the Conquest of Wales by Edward I, Iâl was taken very early on and added to the county of Shropshire, anglicised as Yale. However, it remained Welsh in culture and retained Welsh laws and customs until the Statute of Rhuddlan.
Lords of Yale
Yale was retaken from the Danish in the early 10th century. It was possibly held by the kings of Powys directly or possibly granted to:
Along with Ystrad Alun, it was certainly granted to:
The arms of this family were azure, a lion rampant guardant or.
The title of Yale was eventually reclaimed by or reverted to Madog ap Gruffudd Maelor of Powys Fadog before 1236. Following the Norman conquest, Yale was combined with Maelor into the title "Lord of Yale and Bromfield".