books, terriers, etc. All field names should be marked on the maps, and such old names as cannot be identified should be recorded under the head of the parish to which they belong, together with full particulars of their occurrence. Much information on these points can often be obtained from the maps and estate-plans issued in auctioneers' catalogues on the sale of estates. Members are requested to send sale-catalogues of any estates in their neighbourhood to the headquarters of the Society.

It was resolved that the attention of archæological societies be also called to a Domesday Map of Somerset just published by Bishop Hobhouse in the Proceedings of the Somersetshire Archæological and Natural History Society for 1889.

The question of the desirability of constructing, on a uniform scale, models of ancient monuments, was discussed at some length, and a fine series of such models, made under the direction of the Inspector of Ancient Monuments, was exhibited. It was ultimately resolved that the archæological societies of Great Britain memori. alise the Government to increase the allowance at present made under the Ancient Monuments' Act, in order that such models of other monuments might be constructed, and a Committee was appointed to draw up a draft of a memorial to that effect.

The Antiquary, Sept. 1890.

Ir is with the greatest regret that we have to announce the death of our Treasurer, R. W. Banks, Esq., which took place on Wednesday, June 24th. A fuller obituary notice will appear in the October No. of the Journal.

ERRATA.

P. 166, for Edmund read Edward
n., for Kewi read Keui

P. 167, 1. 22, for Rolent read Roelent
P. 168, n., for 1885 read 1835

P. 169, n. 1, for Iarl read Iarll.

Archaeologia Cambrensis.

FIFTH SERIES.-VOL. VIII, NO. XXXII.

OCTOBER 1891.

CHIEF OF THE NOBLE TRIBES OF
GWYNEDD.

BY H. F. J. VAUGHAN, ESQ.

GWYNEDD, the most northerly of the portions into which Rhrodri Mawr divided his kingdom, though enjoying a precedence over Deheubarth and Powys, was in the earlier stages of its career less fortunate than either of them, so that the Welsh History observes,— "It had seldom been known before but that one of the princes was an usurper, and particularly in North Wales, where from the time of Edwal Foel none had legally ascended to the crown excepting Edwal, the son of Meiric, eldest son to Edwal Foel, in whose line the undoubted title of North Wales lawfully descended." Nor, on the other hand, must we presume that one usurper obtained Gwynedd, and left his descendants peaceably possessed of it generation after generation. Such a supposition is dispelled by comparing the line of actual or de facto kings with that of the kings de jure.

We will take the last first, and the succession is as follows from Rhrodri Mawr, Anarawd, Edwal Voel, Meirig, Edwal, Iago, Cynan, and Gruffydd, who was the last to bear the title of King of Wales. Now let us take the de facto kings,-Anarawd, Edwal Voel, Howel Dda of South Wales, Ieuaf and Iago (sons of

5TH SER., VOL. VIII.

16

Edwal Voel), Howel ab Ieuaf, Cadwallon ab Ieuaf, Meredydd ab Owain of South Wales, Edwal ab Meirig, Aeddan ab Blegwryd ab Owain ab Morgan Mwynvawr of Glamorgan. According to the Iolo MSS., Llywelyn ab Seissyllt, Iago ab Edwal, Gruffydd ab Llywelyn, Bleddyn and Rhiwallon, Bleddyn, Trahaiarn ab Caradoc ab Gwyn ab Collwyn, and Gruffydd ab Cynan.

These several changes took place by force of war and bloodshed, so that the whole country must have suffered severely, and little time had the studious, and few places of resort, secluded from the din of arms, where they could commit to writing or store up an accurate history of their country. It is natural that such a confusion of affairs in the kingdom should produce a corresponding confusion in its annals; and this is borne out by facts, for we have no knowledge of the consort of any of these kings of North Wales until we arrive at Iago, who married Avandred or Avandrech (sometimes shortened into Vandred), daughter of Gweir ab Pyll; and so we find his son Cynan, the father of King Gruffydd, called by Gutyn Owen, Cynan ab Iago from his father, and Cynan ab Avandred from his mother.

Here also we may notice two other variations in this line of descent. Firstly, that in the Life of Gruffydd ab Cynan, where we are told that Cynan was the son of Iago ab Idwal ab Elisse ab Meurig ab Anarawd ; and secondly, that mentioned by Sir Peter Leycester from Giraldus, where Cynan is called son of Iago ab Edwal ab Meyric ab Anandhrec ab Mervin, Prince of North Wales, ab Rhrodri Mawr; and we are there told that Anarawd had no issue. But this is manifestly erroneous, for Anandrech is the name of a woman, and the same as the Avandred above; and other writers say that Edwal Voel married Avandred or Angharad, daughter of Mervyn, King of Powys. If, again, Anarawd had no issue, who is Prawst, daughter and heir of Elis ab Anarawd, wife of Seissyllt, and mother of Llywelyn ab Seissyllt, who thus laid a claim to Gwyn

edd? History and reason alike lead us to receive the first mentioned list of the kings of Gwynedd as the true one.

Passing on to an investigation of the claims which the several usurping monarchs advanced, we can find none other on the part of Howel Dda, than that, being known as a prudent and benignant ruler, he was preferred by the voice of the chiefs of the Tribes,-an arrangement which, though it had to some extent the sanction of Rhodri Mawr, was little conducive to peace or to that stability which is necessary for states in order to flourish. By others he is supposed to have been first chosen as Governor of Wales during the minority of his uncle Anarawd's sons, and to have resigned the sovereignty to Edwal Voel upon his coming of age.

Meredydd ab Owain ab Howel Dda slew Cadwallon and Meiric his brother, and thus seized upon North Wales; but at his death left an only daughter and heiress, her brother having predeceased his father. This Princess, Angharad by name, is one of the most important persons of her day, since her issue claimed through her a right to the sovereignties of South Wales and Powys: South Wales through her descent. from Cadell and Powys, because her grandfather, Owain ab Howel Dda, had married Angharad, daughter and heiress of Llywelyn ab Mervyn, King of Powys.

The Welsh History says that this Angharad was twice married, firstly to Llywelyn ab Seissyllt, and secondly to Cynvyn Hirdref or Cynvyn ab Gwerystan ; but an ancient MS. in the Library of Jesus College, Oxford, says, "Rhys Gruc mab merch Madawc M meredud M bledynt Kynwyn M Gwedylstan M Kynvyn. y Kynvin hwnw a gruffydd vab Llywelyn a thrahayarn M Cradawc tri brodyr oedynt meibion y hanghrat merch mared." The History observes: "Gruffudd being dead, Harold, by King Edward's orders, appointed Meredith, son of Owain ab Edwin, Prince of South Wales; and the government of North Wales to Blethyn

and Rywalhon, the sons of Confyn, brothers, by the mother's side, to Prince Gruffydh, and who probably, for the desire of rule, were accessory to the murder of that noble Prince."

The Llyfr Ieuan Brechva, in a pedigree on p. 32, says that Gwerystan married Angharad, daughter of Meredydd ab Owain, and had issue, Cynfyn, father of Bleddyn; and on p. 54 has a passage which may be freely translated, "And now let us turn to the talaith of Mathravel in Powys, which descended to Bleddyn. ab Cynfyn through Angharad, his mother, the daughter of Meredydd ab Owain ab Howel Dda ab Cadell; and she, indeed, had been the wife of Llewelyn ab Seissyllt, the mother of Gruffydd ab Llywelyn; and because of the death of her brother Rhys, the talaith descended to Gruffydd ab Llywelyn through his mother; and because of the failure of heirs of Gruffydd ab Llywelyn ab Seissyllt, the talaith descended to Bleddyn ab Cynfyn, whose descendants had it."

In the Brut y Tywysogion we read of the sons of Bleddyn ab Cynvyn Gwyn; and in The Golden Grove Book, M, p. 1971, is a pedigree wherein Karadoc ab Gwyn ab Collwyn is stated to have married, firstly, "Angharad, fh. M'red, King of N. Wales", relict to Llywelyn ab Seissyllt ab Gwerystan ab Gwaithvoed; and secondly, blank. By which second marriage he had a son, Trahaiarn ab Caradoc, King of North Wales, who married Nest, daughter to Gruffydd ab Llywelyn ab Seissyllt ("potius f. Ll'en ab Seissyllt, King of N. Wales"). But in another place of the Llyfr Ieuan Brechva, we read the following: "Gwehelyth Arwystli, Ho ap Iéuaf ap Ywain ap trahaiarn ap Kradawc ap Gwynn ap Golwyn ap bleddyn ap ednywain ap pladrwys ap Kaidiau ap Korf ap Kynoc ap Ierw hyvlawdd."

Amidst such conflicting testimony we can only offer a suggestive explanation, which is that Angharad, heiress of Meredydd, married firstly Llywelyn, who had a claim on the sovereignty of North Wales from the fact that his father, Seissyllt, had married Trawst,