My paternal grandmother did a great deal of family history work. She was an active member of the Mayflower Society and DAR. My wife and I have extended the family history back into the 1400s. The Welsh side is documented perfectly to 1777. I'm literally going have to spend a few weeks in Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn cleaning up the cemetery to take it much further. The family surname is on headstones into the 1400s, but I have documentation gaps. Fortunately, I can read Welsh just fine. That proved useful when I found the great great grandparents marriage record in 1833. That finished the tie back to 1777. Microfiche takes a little practice to handle at the library.
If you want to pursue the family records, the GENUKI site has information and references to people in the UK that can help track down records if it is too difficult to visit in person. The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth has huge archives. Many of the parish records that resided in individual church buildings have been rounded up and recorded on microfiche at the National Library.