Hi Robin - if you get two versions of this message its because I'm not sure if I lost the first one - anyway, just to say I haven't forgotten about the photo and will work on it. Yesterday I cleared out a cupboard at home and came across a tatty paperback entitled The Carmarthenshire Historian vol. xvii, which has a chapter in it dedicated to Laques and its Families by Major Francis Jones - Wales Herald Extraordinary!!
The chapter makes specific reference to the Redes - it specifies the Reeds as having either built the first mansion at Laques or possibly improved and extended an existing building in the 1400's. It describes Edward Reed of Carmarthen, in a letter to a kinsman, blazoned the family coat-of-arms as a "a golde griffwn in green feld and 3 ffesont or merliwns, for there is men alyve that saw there a glas windo in the sayd housse of gren kastell and in the housse of Edwrt Reed in kaer merddin, but the buk of arms is lost and the window perished" Might be interesting to know you have a coat of arms !! How posh is that..
The book goes on to describe Hugh Reed marrying Janet daughter of Robert Don by whom he had three sons, Owen, Thomas and John. Owen and Thomas died young and unmarried (?) so that it was the youngest brother who inherited Laques. However, it seems there was another Thomas (just in case you were beginning to doubt your heritage! ) who "at the beginning of the 15th century held the castle of Llanstephan in his demesne as of fee from Henry, Prince of Wales. However, he was obliged to "release" it to Owain Glyndwr and other Welsh rebels whereby it forfeited to the Prince (West Wales Historiacl records, xiii, 43)."
If you want me to send you the relevant pages please let me know (I need to learn how to do these things anway !!)
This is all quite addictive ...
GJ