The Description of Wales
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The Description of Wales
FIRST PREFACE to Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury
I, who, at the expense of three years' labour, arranged, a short
time ago, in three parts, the Topography of Ireland, with a
description of its natural curiosities, and who afterwards, by two
years' study, completed in two parts the Vaticinal History of its
Conquest; and who, by publishing the Itinerary of the Holy Man
(Baldwin) through Cambria, prevented his laborious mission from
perishing in obscurity, do now propose, in the present little work,
to give some account of this my native country, and to describe the
genius of its inhabitants, so entirely distinct from that of other
nations. And this production of my industry I have determined to
dedicate to you, illustrious Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, as
I before ascribed to you my Itinerary; considering you as a man no
less distinguished by your piety, than conspicuous for your
learning; though so humble an offering may possibly be unworthy the
acceptance of a personage who, from his eminence, deserves to be
presented with works of the greatest merit.
Some, indeed, object to this my undertaking, and, apparently from
motives of affection, compare me to a painter, who, rich in
colours, and like another Zeuxis, eminent in his art, is
endeavouring with all his skill and industry to give celebrity to a
cottage, or to some other contemptible object, whilst the world is
anxiously expecting from his hand a temple or a palace. Thus they
wonder that I, amidst the many great and striking subjects which
the world presents, should choose to describe and to adorn, with
all the graces of composition, such remote corners of the earth as
Ireland and Wales.
Others again, reproaching me with greater severity, say, that the
gifts which have been bestowed upon me from above, ought not to be
wasted upon these insignificant objects, nor lavished in a vain
display of learning on the commendation of princes, who, from their
ignorance and want of liberality, have neither taste to appreciate,
nor hearts to remunerate literary excellence. And they further
add, that every faculty which emanates from the Deity, ought rather
to be applied to the illustration of celestial objects, and to the
exultation of his glory, from whose abundance all our talents have
been received; every faculty (say they) ought to be employed in
praising him from whom, as from a perennial source, every perfect
gift is derived, and from whose bounty everything which is offered
with sincerity obtains an ample reward. But since excellent
histories of other countries have been composed and published by
writers of eminence, I have been induced, by the love I bear to my
country and to posterity, to believe that I should perform neither
an useless nor an unacceptable service, were I to unfold the hidden
merits of my native land; to rescue from obscurity those glorious
actions which have been hitherto imperfectly described, and to
bring into repute, by my method of treating it, a subject till now
regarded as contemptible.
What indeed could my feeble and unexercised efforts add to the
histories of the destruction of Troy, Thebes, or Athens, or to the
conquest of the shores of Latium? Besides, to do what has been
already done, is, in fact, to be doing nothing; I have, therefore,
thought it more eligible to apply my industry to the arrangement of
the history of my native country, hitherto almost wholly overlooked
by strangers; but interesting to my relations and countrymen; and
from these small beginnings to aspire by degrees to works of a
nobler cast. From these inconsiderable attempts, some idea may be
formed with what success, should Fortune afford an opportunity, I
am likely to treat matters of greater importance. For although
some things should be made our principal objects, whilst others
ought not to be wholly neglected, I may surely be allowed to
exercise the powers of my youth, as yet untaught and unexperienced,
in pursuits of this latter nature, lest by habit I should feel a
pleasure in indolence and in sloth, the parent of vice.
I have therefore employed these studies as a kind of introduction
to the glorious treasures of that most excellent of the sciences,
which alone deserves the name of science; which alone can render us
wise to rule and to instruct mankind; which alone the other
sciences follow, as attendants do their queen. Laying therefore in
my youth the foundations of so noble a structure, it is my
intention, if God will assist me and prolong my life, to reserve my
maturer years for composing a treatise upon so perfect, so sacred a
subject: for according to the poet,
"Ardua quippe fides robustos exigit annos;"
"The important concerns of faith require a mind in its full
vigour;"
I may be permitted to indulge myself for a short time in other
pursuits; but in this I should wish not only to continue, but to
die.
But before I enter on this important subject, I demand a short
interval, to enable me to lay before the public my Treatise on the
Instruction of a Prince, which has been so frequently promised, as
well as the Description of Wales, which is now before me, and the
Topography of Britain.
Of all the British writers, Gildas alone appears to me (as often as
the course of my subject leads me to consult him) worthy of
imitation; for by committing to paper the things which he himself
saw and knew, and by declaring rather than describing the
desolation of his country, he has compiled a history more
remarkable for its truth than for its elegance.
Giraldus therefore follows Gildas, whom he wishes he could copy in
his life and manners; becoming an imitator of his wisdom rather
than of his eloquence - of his mind rather than of his writings -
of his zeal rather than of his style - of his life rather than of
his language.
SECOND PREFACE to the same
When, amidst various literary pursuits, I first applied my mind to
the compilation of history, I determined, lest I should appear
ungrateful to my native land, to describe, to the best of my
abilities, my own country and its adjoining regions; and
afterwards, under God's guidance, to proceed to a description of
more distant territories. But since some leading men (whom we have
both seen and known) show so great a contempt for literature, that
they immediately shut up within their book-cases the excellent
works with which they are presented, and thus doom them, as it
were, to a perpetual imprisonment; I entreat you, illustrious
Prelate, to prevent the present little work, which will shortly be
delivered to you, from perishing in obscurity. And because this,
as well as my former productions, though of no transcendent merit,
may hereafter prove to many a source of entertainment and
instruction, I entreat you generously to order it to be made
public, by which it will acquire reputation. And I shall consider
myself sufficiently rewarded for my trouble, if, withdrawing for a
while from your religious and secular occupations, you would kindly
condescend to peruse this book, or, at least, give it an attentive
hearing; for in times like these, when no one remunerates literary
productions, I neither desire nor expect any other recompense. Not
that it would appear in any way inconsistent, however there exists
among men of rank a kind of conspiracy against authors, if a
prelate so eminently conspicuous for his virtues, for his
abilities, both natural and acquired, for irreproachable morals,
and for munificence, should distinguish himself likewise by
becoming the generous and sole patron of literature. To comprise
your merits in a few words, the lines of Martial addressed to
Trajan, whilst serving under Dioclesian, may be deservedly applied
to you:
"Laudari debes quoniam sub principe duro,
Temporibusque malis, ausus es esse bonus."
And those also of Virgil to Mecaenas, which extol the humanity of
that great man:
"Omnia cum possis tanto tam clarus amico,
Te sensit nemo posse nocere tamen."
Many indeed remonstrate against my proceedings, and those
particularly who call themselves my friends insist that, in
consequence of my violent attachment to study, I pay no attention
to the concerns of the world, or to the interests of my family; and
that, on this account, I shall experience a delay in my promotion
to worldly dignities; that the influence of authors, both poets and
historians, has long since ceased; that the respect paid to
literature vanished with literary princes; and that in these
degenerate days very different paths lead to honours and opulence.
I allow all this, I readily allow it, and acquiesce in the truth.
For the unprincipled and covetous attach themselves to the court,
the churchmen to their books, and the ambitious to the public
offices, but as every man is under the influence of some darling
passion, so the love of letters and the study of eloquence have
from my infancy had for me peculiar charms of attraction. Impelled
by this thirst for knowledge, I have carried my researches into the
mysterious works of nature farther than the generality of my
contemporaries, and for the benefit of posterity have rescued from
oblivion the remarkable events of my own times. But this object
was not to be secured without an indefatigable, though at the same
time an agreeable, exertion; for an accurate investigation of every
particular is attended with much difficulty. It is difficult to
produce an orderly account of the investigation and discovery of
truth; it is difficult to preserve from the beginning to the end a
connected relation unbroken by irrelevant matter; and it is
difficult to render the narration no less elegant in the diction,
than instructive in its matter, for in prosecuting the series of
events, the choice of happy expressions is equally perplexing, as
the search after them painful. Whatever is written requires the
most intense thought, and every expression should be carefully
polished before it be submitted to the public eye; for, by exposing
itself to the examination of the present and of future ages, it
must necessarily undergo the criticism not only of the acute, but
also of the dissatisfied, reader. Words merely uttered are soon
forgotten, and the admiration or disgust which they occasioned is
no more; but writings once published are never lost, and remain as
lasting memorials either of the glory or of the disgrace of the
author. Hence the observation of Seneca, that the malicious
attention of the envious reader dwells with no less satisfaction on
a faulty than on an elegant expression, and is as anxious to
discover what it may ridicule, as what it may commend; as the poet
also observes:
"Discit enim citius meminitque libentius illud
Quod quis deridet, quam quod probat et veneratur."
Among the pursuits, therefore, most worthy of commendation, this
holds by no means the lowest rank; for history, as the moral
philosopher declares, "is the record of antiquity, the testimony of
ages, the light of truth, the soul of memory, the mistress of
conduct, and the herald of ancient times."
This study is the more delightful, as it is more honourable to
produce works worthy of being quoted than to quote the works of
others; as it is more desirable to be the author of compositions
which deserve to be admired than to be esteemed a good judge of the
writings of other men; as it is more meritorious to be the just
object of other men's commendations than to be considered an adept
in pointing out the merits of others. On these pleasing
reflections I feed and regale myself; for I would rather resemble
Jerome than Croesus, and I prefer to riches themselves the man who
is capable of despising them. With these gratifying ideas I rest
contented and delighted, valuing moderation more than intemperance,
and an honourable sufficiency more than superfluity; for
intemperance and superfluity produce their own destruction, but
their opposite virtues never perish; the former vanish, but the
latter, like eternity, remain for ever; in short, I prefer praise
to lucre, and reputation to riches.
BOOK I
CHAPTER I
Of the length and breadth of Wales, the nature of its soil, and the
three remaining tribes of Britons
Cambria, which, by a corrupt and common term, though less proper,
is in modern times called Wales, is about two hundred miles long
and one hundred broad. The length from Port Gordber (1) in
Anglesey to Port Eskewin (2) in Monmouthshire is eight days'
journey in extent; the breadth from Porth Mawr, (3) or the great
Port of St. David's, to Ryd-helic, (4) which in Latin means VADUM
SALICIS, or the Ford of the Willow, and in English is called
Willow-forde, is four days' journey. It is a country very strongly
defended by high mountains, deep valleys, extensive woods, rivers,
and marshes; insomuch that from the time the Saxons took possession
of the island the remnants of the Britons, retiring into these
regions, could never be entirely subdued either by the English or
by the Normans. Those who inhabited the southern angle of the
island, which took its name from the chieftain Corinaeus, (5) made
less resistance, as their country was more defenceless. The third
division of the Britons, who obtained a part of Britany in Gaul,
were transported thither, not after the defeat of their nation, but
long before, by king Maximus, and, in consequence of the hard and
continued warfare which they underwent with him, were rewarded by
the royal munificence with those districts in France.
CHAPTER II
Of the ancient division of Wales into three parts
Wales was in ancient times divided into three parts nearly equal,
consideration having been paid, in this division, more to the value
than to the just quantity or proportion of territory. They were
Venedotia, now called North Wales; Demetia, or South Wales, which
in British is called Deheubarth, that is, the southern part; and
Powys, the middle or eastern district. Roderic the Great, or
Rhodri Mawr, who was king over all Wales, was the cause of this
division. He had three sons, Mervin, Anarawt, and Cadell, amongst
whom he partitioned the whole principality. North Wales fell to
the lot of Mervin; Powys to Anarawt; and Cadell received the
portion of South Wales, together with the general good wishes of
his brothers and the people; for although this district greatly
exceeded the others in quantity, it was the least desirable from
the number of noble chiefs, or Uchelwyr, (6) men of a superior
rank, who inhabited it, and were often rebellious to their lords,
and impatient of control. But Cadell, on the death of his
brothers, obtained the entire dominion of Wales, (7) as did his
successors till the time of Tewdwr, whose descendants, Rhys, son of
Tewdwr, Gruflydd, son of Rhys, and Rhys, son of Gruffydd, the
ruling prince in our time, enjoyed only (like the father) the
sovereignty over South Wales.
CHAPTER III
Genealogy of the Princes of Wales
The following is the generation of princes of South Wales: Rhys,
son of Gruffydd; Gruffydd, son of Rhys; Rhys, son of Tewdwr;
Tewdwr, son of Eineon; Eineon, son of Owen; Owen, son of Howel Dda,
or Howel the Good; Howel, son of Cadell, son of Roderic the Great.
Thus the princes of South Wales derived their origin from Cadell,
son of Roderic the Great. The princes of North Wales descended
from Mervin in this manner: Llewelyn, son of Iorwerth; Iorwerth,
son of Owen; Owen, son of Gruffydd; Gruffydd, son of Conan; Conan,
son of Iago; Iago, son of Edoual; Edoual, son of Meyric; Meyric,
son of Anarawt (Anandhrec); Anarawt, son of Mervin, son of Roderic
the Great. Anarawt leaving no issue, the princes of Powys have
their own particular descent.
It is worthy of remark, that the Welsh bards and singers, or
reciters, have the genealogies of the aforesaid princes, written in
the Welsh language, in their ancient and authentic books; and also
retain them in their memory from Roderic the Great to B.M.; (8) and
from thence to Sylvius, Ascanius, and AEneas; and from the latter
produce the genealogical series in a lineal descent, even to Adam.
But as an account of such long and remote genealogies may appear to
many persons trifling rather than historical, we have purposely
omitted them in our compendium.
CHAPTER IV
How many cantreds, royal palaces, and cathedrals there are in Wales
South Wales contains twenty-nine cantreds; North Wales, twelve;
Powys, six: many of which are at this time in the possession of
the English and Franks. For the country now called Shropshire
formerly belonged to Powys, and the place where the castle of
Shrewsbury stands bore the name of Pengwern, or the head of the
Alder Grove. There were three royal seats in South Wales:
Dinevor, in South Wales, removed from Caerleon; Aberfraw, (9) in
North Wales; and Pengwern, in Powys.
Wales contains in all fifty-four cantreds. The word CANTREF is
derived from CANT, a hundred, and TREF, a village; and means in the
British and Irish languages such a portion of land as contains a
hundred vills.
There are four cathedral churches in Wales: St. David's, upon the
Irish sea, David the archbishop being its patron: it was in
ancient times the metropolitan church, and the district only
contained twenty-four cantreds, though at this time only twenty-
three; for Ergengl, in English called Urchenfeld, (10) is said to
have been formerly within the diocese of St. David's, and sometimes
was placed within that of Landaff. The see of St. David's had
twenty-five successive archbishops; and from the time of the
removal of the pall into France, to this day, twenty-two bishops;
whose names and series, as well as the cause of the removal of the
archiepiscopal pall, may be seen in our Itinerary. (11)
In South Wales also is situated the bishopric of Landaff, near the
Severn sea, and near the noble castle of Caerdyf; bishop Teilo
being its patron. It contains five cantreds, and the fourth part
of another, namely, Senghennyd.
In North Wales, between Anglesey and the Eryri mountains, is the
see of Bangor, under the patronage of Daniel, the abbot; it
contains about nine cantreds.
In North Wales also is the poor little cathedral of Llan-Elwy, or
St. Asaph, containing about six cantreds, to which Powys is
subject.
CHAPTER V
Of the two mountains from which the noble rivers which divide Wales
spring
Wales is divided and distinguished by noble rivers, which derive
their source from two ranges of mountains, the Ellennith, in South
Wales, which the English call Moruge, as being the heads of moors,
or bogs; and Eryri, in North Wales, which they call Snowdon, or
mountains of snow; the latter of which are said to be of so great
an extent, that if all the herds in Wales were collected together,
they would supply them with pasture for a considerable time. Upon
them are two lakes, one of which has a floating island; and the
other contains fish having only one eye, as we have related in our
Itinerary.
We must also here remark, that at two places in Scotland, one on
the eastern, and the other on the western ocean, the sea-fish
called mulvelli (mullets) have only the right eye.
The noble river Severn takes its rise from the Ellennith mountains,
and flowing by the castles of Shrewsbury and Bridgenorth, through
the city of Worcester, and that of Gloucester, celebrated for its
iron manufactories, falls into the sea a few miles from the latter
place, and gives its name to the Severn Sea. This river was for
many years the boundary between Cambria and Loegria, or Wales and
England; it was called in British Hafren, from the daughter of
Locrinus, who was drowned in it by her step-mother; the aspirate
being changed, according to the Latin idiom, into S, as is usual in
words derived from the Greek, it was termed Sarina, as hal becomes
SAL; hemi, SEMI; hepta, SEPTEM.
The river Wye rises in the same mountains of Ellennith, and flows
by the castles of Hay and Clifford, through the city of Hereford,
by the castles of Wilton and Goodrich, through the forest of Dean,
abounding with iron and deer, and proceeds to Strigul castle, below
which it empties itself into the sea, and forms in modern times the
boundary between England and Wales. The Usk does not derive its
origin from these mountains, but from those of Cantref Bachan; it
flows by the castle of Brecheinoc, or Aberhodni, that is, the fall
of the river Hodni into the Usk (for Aber, in the British language,
signifies every place where two rivers unite their streams); by the
castles of Abergevenni and Usk, through the ancient city of
Legions, and discharges itself into the Severn Sea, not far from
Newport.
The river Remni flows towards the sea from the mountains of
Brecheinoc, having passed the castle and bridge of Remni. From the
same range of mountains springs the Taf, which pursues its course
to the episcopal see of Landaf (to which it gives its name), and
falls into the sea below the castle of Caerdyf. The river Avon
rushes impetuously from the mountains of Glamorgan, between the
celebrated Cistercian monasteries of Margan and Neth; and the river
Neth, descending from the mountains of Brecheinoc, unites itself
with the sea, at no great distance from the castle of Neth; each of
these rivers forming a long tract of dangerous quicksands. From
the same mountains of Brecheinoc the river Tawe flows down to
Abertawe, called in English Swainsey. The Lochor joins the sea
near the castle of the same name; and the Wendraeth has its
confluence near Cydweli. The Tywy, another noble river, rises in
the Ellennith mountains, and separating the Cantref Mawr from the
Cantref Bachan, passes by the castle of Llanymddyfri, and the royal
palace and castle of Dinevor, strongly situated in the deep
recesses of its woods, by the noble castle of Caermarddin, where
Merlin was found, and from whom the city received its name, and
runs into the sea near the castle of Lhanstephan. The river Taf
rises in the Presseleu mountains, not far from the monastery of
Whitland, and passing by the castle of St. Clare, falls into the
sea near Abercorran and Talacharn. From the same mountains flow
the rivers Cleddeu, encompassing the province of Daugleddeu, and
giving it their name one passes by the castle of Lahaden, and the
other by Haverford, to the sea; and in the British language they
bear the name of Daugleddeu, or two swords.
The noble river Teivi springs from the Ellennith mountains, in the
upper part of the Cantref Mawr and Caerdigan, not far from the
pastures and excellent monastery of Stratflur, forming a boundary
between Demetia and Caerdigan down to the Irish channel; this is
the only river in Wales that produces beavers, an account of which
is given in our Itinerary; and also exceeds every other river in
the abundance and delicacy of its salmon. But as this book may
fall into the hands of many persons who will not meet with the
other, I have thought it right here to insert many curious and
particular qualities relating to the nature of these animals, how
they convey their materials from the woods to the river, with what
skill they employ these materials in constructing places of safety
in the middle of the stream, how artfully they defend themselves
against the attack of the hunters on the eastern and how on the
western side; the singularity of their tails, which partake more of
the nature of fish than flesh. For further particulars see the
Itinerary. (12)
From the same mountains issues the Ystuyth, and flowing through the
upper parts of Penwedic, in Cardiganshire, falls into the sea near
the castle of Aberystuyth. From the snowy mountains of Eryri flows
the noble river Devi, (13) dividing for a great distance North and
South Wales; and from the same mountains also the large river Maw,
(14) forming by its course the greater and smaller tract of sands
called the Traeth Mawr and the Traeth Bachan. The Dissennith also,
and the Arthro, flow through Merionethshire and the land of Conan.
The Conwy, springing from the northern side of the Eryri mountains,
unites its waters with the sea under the noble castle of Deganwy.
The Cloyd rises from another side of the same mountain, and passes
by the castle of Ruthlan to the sea. The Doverdwy, called by the
English Dee, draws its source from the lake of Penmelesmere, and
runs through Chester, leaving the wood of Coleshulle, Basinwerk,
and a rich vein of silver in its neighbourhood, far to the right,
and by the influx of the sea forming a very dangerous quicksand;
thus the Dee makes the northern, and the river Wye the southern
boundary of Wales.
CHAPTER VI
Concerning the pleasantness and fertility of Wales
As the southern part of Wales near Cardiganshire, but particularly
Pembrokeshire, is much pleasanter, on account of its plains and
sea-coast, so North Wales is better defended by nature, is more
productive of men distinguished for bodily strength, and more
fertile in the nature of its soil; for, as the mountains of Eryri
(Snowdon) could supply pasturage for all the herds of cattle in
Wales, if collected together, so could the Isle of Mona (Anglesey)
provide a requisite quantity of corn for all the inhabitants: on
which account there is an old British proverb, "MON MAM CYMBRY,"
that is, "Mona is the mother of Wales." Merionyth, and the land of
Conan, is the rudest and least cultivated region, and the least
accessible. The natives of that part of Wales excel in the use of
long lances, as those of Monmouthshire are distinguished for their
management of the bow. It is to be observed, that the British
language is more delicate and richer in North Wales, that country
being less intermixed with foreigners. Many, however, assert that
the language of Cardiganshire, in South Wales, placed as it were in
the middle and heart of Cambria, is the most refined.