His memory still lives on in the cemetery of a church dating back to the fourteenth century, which is dedicated to a saint who was much less famous than the most prominent parishioners. When the traveller and explorer Thomas Pennant toured the island of Anglesey in the late 18th century, meticulously documenting the copper mines on Parry's Mountain, he felt it necessary to mention 'the most prolific father' on the island in his 1778 book 'A Tour of Wales', according to the Wales Online website. From the age of 21, William had a habit of having a child every two years, a pattern he maintained until his later years. He relied heavily on dairy products in his diet and spent his leisure time bird hunting, according to the British newspaper Daily Mirror. Church records in the Welsh region indicate that he lived to the ripe old age of 105, and his mind and memory remained sharp throughout his life, which in most cases seemed ordinary and unremarkable. However, his name would not have been immortalized in memory but for one amazing feat: over 81 years, he fathered 43 children. This achievement, as it were, brought wide fame to the small parish of Tregayan on the island of Anglesey off the northwest coast of Wales. William Ap Howel was a simple man who enjoyed the simple pleasures of life; he found pleasure in fishing and tending to his own vegetable garden. At the time of his death at the age of 105, his youngest son, Griffith, was just over two and a half years old. As for the mothers, there were five women: his first wife, Elin Williams, bore him 22 children, while his second wife, Catherine Richards, bore him another 10 children. His third wife, Elin Williams, who seemed to be more aware of his nature, bore him only four children.
