DOCSLIB.ORG

Welsh Studies EARLY and MEDIEVAL LITERATURE

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Welsh Studies EARLY AND MEDIEVAL LITERATURE By MARGED HAYCOCK, Lecturer in the Department of Welsh Language and Literature, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth Gododdin studies are booming: A. 0. H.J arman, Aneirin: The Gododdin, Britain's Oldest Heroic Poem, Llandysul, Gomer, ciii + 205 pp., gives the text in Mod. W. orthography, an English transl. and notes, and a judicious if traditionalist introd. Newer approaches are investigated in B. F. Roberts (ed.), Early Welsh Poetry: Studies in the Book ofAneirin, Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, xii + 2I2 pp. B. 0 Hehir, 'What is the Gododdin?', ib., pp. 57-95, believes that the A-text uses two distinct sources: a 'funerary anthology' of 5 I poems in which the concentration on the Catraeth story is most evident, and a general Gododdin anthology starting at CA LV.A, with which the B-text may be compared. K. A. Klar, 'What are the Gwarchanau?', ib., pp. 97-I37, regards the gwarchan as an old form whose original purpose was to retain and transmit traditional material, as opposed to material composed for a specific situation. D. N. Dumville, 'Early Welsh poetry: problems ofhistoricity', ib., pp. I-I6, questions assumptions about the date and context of the alleged events in the Gododdin, outlining possible modes of written and/or oral transmission. J. T. Koch, 'The Cynfeirdd poetry and the language of the sixth century', ib., pp. I 7-42, deals with the cyjlythyraeth apparent when the text is restored to pre-Old Welsh orthography, with word-order and morphology; he discerns an archaic stratum of 6th- and 7th-c. diction. An accentual prosody is favoured both by E. E. Sweetser, 'Line-structure and rhan-structure: the metrical units of the Gododdin corpus', ib., pp. I 39-54, and by M. Haycock, 'Metrical models for the poems in the Book of Taliesin', ib., pp. I55-78. D. Huws, 'Canu Aneirin: the other manuscripts', ib., pp. 43-56, shows how all the copies derive ultimately from the Book of Aneirin; he suspects that, even in the I3th c., MSS of the text were few.J. Rowland, 'Genres', ib., pp. I 79-208, classifies the wide range of genres in the hengerdd (the Gododdin being sui generis), and warns that poems in the englyn form are not necessarily 'popular' productions. Also on the Gododdin: P. K. Ford, 'The death of Aneirin', BEGS, 34, I987: 4I-50, who compares Aneirin's subterranean 'imprisonment' with rituals of bardic composition; B. 0 Hehir, 'Manuscript sources of the Gododdin', in Proceedings ... (Ottawa), pp. 52I-29; and K. A. Klar and E. E. Sweetser, 'Remarks on the development of medieval Welsh metrics', ib., pp. 499-5Io. J. T. Koch, 'Llawr en asseo (CA 932) "the laureate hero in the war-chariot": some recollections of the Iron Age in the Gododdin', EC, 24, I 987: 253-78, edits CA LXXV, xxvi, and parts of Early and Medieval Literature Gorchan Cynfelyn, noting possible memories of members of the Catuvellaunian dynasty and parallels with their iconographic representations. M. Rockel, 'Wer war Urien Rheged?', WZHUB, 37: ro5g-63, lists terms used for U rien; I d., 'Die Dichtungen Aneirins und Taliesins als Gegenstand linguistischer Betrachtung', ib., I064-67, is an elemen­ tary summary of the early language and poetic usages. M. Pennar, Taliesin Poems: New Translations, Llanerch Press, I I9 pp., is an attractive literary introduction to the I 2 poems of the 'historical' Taliesin whose source, the Book of Taliesin, and four other MSS in the same hand are assigned by M. Haycock, 'Llyfr Taliesin', NLW}, 25:357-86, to the first quarter of the I 4th c. Also ofpalaeographical interest are D. Huws, 'The making ofLiber Landavensis', NLWJ, 25, I987: I 33-60, and Id., Peniarth 28: Darluniau o Lyfr Gyfraith Hywel Dda: Illustrations from a Welsh Lawbook, Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, I3 pp. Assiduous detective work by G. C. G. Thomas reveals interesting material: from Peniarth 2 I come seven lines of the Cadwallon 'saga': 'A verse attributed to Cadwallon fab Cadfan', BEGS, 34, I987:67-70. Id., 'An Early Welsh seasonal poem', ib., 6 I -67, prints three ?early- I 2th-c. stanzas previously unnoted, and Id., '"Kanu y Swyddogyon Llys y Brenin": verses attributed to Taliesin', ib., I 32-33, gives the text of'Kanv y Kynydd' and 'Kanv y Meichiad' from Peniarth 27, the hitherto unidentified source ofJohn Jones, Gellilfydy's copy in Peniarth I I 3· A current project on the Poets of the Princes is described by R. G. Gruffydd, 'Editing the "Gogynfeirdd"', in Proceedings ... (Ottawa), pp. 46 I -8o, with sample eds of the work ofEinion ap Gwalchmai, and a short love poem by Cynddelw. C.'s long eulogy to the princess Efa is translated and sensitively discussed by A. Parry Owen, 'Rhieingerdd Efa ferch Madog ap Maredudd: Cynddelw a'i cant', YB, I4:56-86, while N. A. Jones, 'Cerdd ymryson Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr a Seisyllt Bryffwrch', ib., 4 7-55, takes a sceptical look at the englynion which purport to record his contest for professional advancement witt his rival at the court of Powys. This is complemented by the meticulous analysis of the domains of different kinds of poets by D. Jenkins, 'Pencerdd a bardd teulu', ib., Ig-46. Rh. Andrews, 'Amrywiad ar Doddaid Byr a Thraeanog', BEGS, 35: I4-I9, lists lines of I 2th-c. toddaid byr and traeanog in which the gwant (rather than the line-ending) is ornamentally linked with the following line. The most significant work on I 4th-c. poetry is D. R.Johnston (ed.), Gwaith lolo Goch, Cardiff, Univ. ofWales Press, xxxii + 4I2 pp. Two poems are placed in their historical contexts by D.J. Bowen, 'Cywydd Iolo Goch i Syr Hywel y Fwyall', LlG, I5: 275-88, and by D. Johnston, 'Awdl Llywelyn Goch i Rydderch a Llywelyn Fychan', .
Recommended publications
  • ROBERT GERAINT GRUFFYDD Robert Geraint Gruffydd 1928–2015

    ROBERT GERAINT GRUFFYDD Robert Geraint Gruffydd 1928–2015

    ROBERT GERAINT GRUFFYDD Robert Geraint Gruffydd 1928–2015 GERAINT GRUFFYDD RESEARCHED IN EVERY PERIOD—the whole gamut—of Welsh literature, and he published important contributions on its com- plete panorama from the sixth to the twentieth century. He himself spe- cialised in two periods in particular—the medieval ‘Poets of the Princes’ and the Renaissance. But in tandem with that concentration, he was renowned for his unique mastery of detail in all other parts of the spec- trum. This, for many acquainted with his work, was his paramount excel- lence, and reflected the uniqueness of his career. Geraint Gruffydd was born on 9 June 1928 on a farm named Egryn in Tal-y-bont, Meirionnydd, the second child of Moses and Ceridwen Griffith. According to Peter Smith’sHouses of the Welsh Countryside (London, 1975), Egryn dated back to the fifteenth century. But its founda- tions were dated in David Williams’s Atlas of Cistercian Lands in Wales (Cardiff, 1990) as early as 1391. In the eighteenth century, the house had been something of a centre of culture in Meirionnydd where ‘the sound of harp music and interludes were played’, with ‘the drinking of mead and the singing of ancient song’, according to the scholar William Owen-Pughe who lived there. Owen- Pughe’s name in his time was among the most famous in Welsh culture. An important lexicographer, his dictionary left its influence heavily, even notoriously, on the development of nineteenth-century literature. And it is strangely coincidental that in the twentieth century, in his home, was born and bred for a while a major Welsh literary scholar, superior to him by far in his achievement, who too, for his first professional activity, had started his career as a lexicographer.
  • Ancient Origins of Lordship

    Ancient Origins of Lordship

    THE ANCIENT ORIGINS OF THE LORDSHIP OF BOWLAND Speculation on Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norse and Brythonic roots William Bowland The standard history of the lordship of Bowland begins with Domesday. Roger de Poitou, younger son of one of William the Conqueror’s closest associates, Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, is recorded in 1086 as tenant-in-chief of the thirteen manors of Bowland: Gretlintone (Grindleton, then caput manor), Slatebourne (Slaidburn), Neutone (Newton), Bradeforde (West Bradford), Widitun (Waddington), Radun (Radholme), Bogeuurde (Barge Ford), Mitune (Great Mitton), Esingtune (Lower Easington), Sotelie (Sawley?), Hamereton (Hammerton), Badresbi (Battersby/Dunnow), Baschelf (Bashall Eaves). William Rufus It was from these holdings that the Forest and Liberty of Bowland emerged sometime after 1087. Further lands were granted to Poitou by William Rufus, either to reward him for his role in defeating the army of Scots king Malcolm III in 1091-2 or possibly as a consequence of the confiscation of lands from Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria in 1095. 1 As a result, by the first decade of the twelfth century, the Forest and Liberty of Bowland, along with the adjacent fee of Blackburnshire and holdings in Hornby and Amounderness, had been brought together to form the basis of what became known as the Honor of Clitheroe. Over the next two centuries, the lordship of Bowland followed the same descent as the Honor, ultimately reverting to the Crown in 1399. This account is one familiar to students of Bowland history. However, research into the pattern of land holdings prior to the Norman Conquest is now beginning to uncover origins for the lordship that predate Poitou’s lordship by many centuries.
  • Early Christian' Archaeology of Cumbria

    Early Christian' Archaeology of Cumbria

    Durham E-Theses A reassessment of the early Christian' archaeology of Cumbria O'Sullivan, Deirdre M. How to cite: O'Sullivan, Deirdre M. (1980) A reassessment of the early Christian' archaeology of Cumbria, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/7869/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Deirdre M. O'Sullivan A reassessment of the Early Christian.' Archaeology of Cumbria ABSTRACT This thesis consists of a survey of events and materia culture in Cumbria for the period-between the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain circa AD ^10, and the Viking settlement in Cumbria in the tenth century. An attempt has been made to view the archaeological data within the broad framework provided by environmental, historical and onomastic studies. Chapters 1-3 assess the current state of knowledge in these fields in Cumbria, and provide an introduction to the archaeological evidence, presented and discussed in Chapters ^--8, and set out in Appendices 5-10.
  • Kingdom of Strathclyde from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

    Kingdom of Strathclyde from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

    Kingdom of Strathclyde From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Strathclyde (lit. "Strath of the Clyde"), originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the Kingdom of Strathclyde Celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Teyrnas Ystrad Clut Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the ← 5th century–11th → post-Roman period. It is also known as Alt Clut, the Brythonic century name for Dumbarton Rock, the medieval capital of the region. It may have had its origins with the Damnonii people of Ptolemy's Geographia. The language of Strathclyde, and that of the Britons in surrounding areas under non-native rulership, is known as Cumbric, a dialect or language closely related to Old Welsh. Place-name and archaeological evidence points to some settlement by Norse or Norse–Gaels in the Viking Age, although to a lesser degree than in neighbouring Galloway. A small number of Anglian place-names show some limited settlement by incomers from Northumbria prior to the Norse settlement. Due to the series of language changes in the area, it is not possible to say whether any Goidelic settlement took place before Gaelic was introduced in the High Middle Ages. After the sack of Dumbarton Rock by a Viking army from Dublin in 870, the name Strathclyde comes into use, perhaps reflecting a move of the centre of the kingdom to Govan. In the same period, it was also referred to as Cumbria, and its inhabitants as Cumbrians. During the High Middle Ages, the area was conquered by the Kingdom of Alba, becoming part of The core of Strathclyde is the strath of the River Clyde.
  • A Welsh Classical Dictionary

    A Welsh Classical Dictionary

    A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY DACHUN, saint of Bodmin. See s.n. Credan. He has been wrongly identified with an Irish saint Dagan in LBS II.281, 285. G.H.Doble seems to have been misled in the same way (The Saints of Cornwall, IV. 156). DAGAN or DANOG, abbot of Llancarfan. He appears as Danoc in one of the ‘Llancarfan Charters’ appended to the Life of St.Cadog (§62 in VSB p.130). Here he is a clerical witness with Sulien (presumably abbot) and king Morgan [ab Athrwys]. He appears as abbot of Llancarfan in five charters in the Book of Llandaf, where he is called Danoc abbas Carbani Uallis (BLD 179c), and Dagan(us) abbas Carbani Uallis (BLD 158, 175, 186b, 195). In these five charters he is contemporary with bishop Berthwyn and Ithel ap Morgan, king of Glywysing. He succeeded Sulien as abbot and was succeeded by Paul. See Trans.Cym., 1948 pp.291-2, (but ignore the dates), and compare Wendy Davies, LlCh p.55 where Danog and Dagan are distinguished. Wendy Davies dates the BLD charters c.A.D.722 to 740 (ibid., pp.102 - 114). DALLDAF ail CUNIN COF. (Legendary). He is included in the tale of ‘Culhwch and Olwen’ as one of the warriors of Arthur's Court: Dalldaf eil Kimin Cof (WM 460, RM 106). In a triad (TYP no.73) he is called Dalldaf eil Cunyn Cof, one of the ‘Three Peers’ of Arthur's Court. In another triad (TYP no.41) we are told that Fferlas (Grey Fetlock), the horse of Dalldaf eil Cunin Cof, was one of the ‘Three Lovers' Horses’ (or perhaps ‘Beloved Horses’).
  • Cian's First Pony Edwin's Sister, Wife of Æthelfrith

    Cian's First Pony Edwin's Sister, Wife of Æthelfrith

    Acærn Cian's first pony Acha Edwin's sister, wife of Æthelfrith Æbbe sister of Oswald, an Iding Ædilgith gemæcce to Folcwyn, a Northumbrian lady Ælfwyn Hild's niece, daughter of Hereswith and Æthelric Æthelberht previous king of Kent Æthelburh queen of Northumbria, Edwin's wife, princess of Kent Æthelfrith Iding first king of Northumbria, father of Oswald and Oswiu Æthelric Short Leg a/k/a Egric, a Wuffing, prince of East Anglia, husband of Hereswith Æthelric Spear an Yffing, Hild's grandfather, king of Deira Æthelwald an Oiscinga, ætheling of Kent, Hild's cousin Æthelwyn Hild's niece, daughter of Hereswith Anna a Wuffing, prince of East Anglia Arddun bodywoman to Wllnoð Balthild natural daughter of Æthelric Shortleg Bán Irish willow man of Mulstanton Bassus chief swordman to Queen Æthelburh Bebba Æthelfrith's wife Begu Hild's gemæcce, daughter of Mulstan Beli king of Alt Clut Beli Mawr grandson of Belenos, the sun god Berenic a shepherd near Goodmanham Berhtnoth gesith, one of Hild's hounds Berhtred gesith, one of Hild's hounds Blæcca thegn of Edwin Bote milkmaid, sister to Cædmon Branwen character from Y Gododdin Breguswith an Oiscinga, Hild's mother, princess of Kent Burgmod son of Burgræd Burgræd chief swordman to Breguswith Cadfan ap Iago king of Gwynedd Cadwallon ap Cadfan prince, then king, of Gwynedd, son of Cadfan Cædmon cowherd at Mulstanton Ceadfryth daughter of Saxfryth and Ceadwulf of Elmet Ceadwin son of Saxfryth and Ceadwulf of Elmet Ceadwulf husband of Saxfryth, landholder of Elmet Cealred Northumbrian thegn Celfled widow
  • The Battle of Dunnichen, AD 685

    The Battle of Dunnichen, AD 685

    East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2002 The irsF t Battle for cottS ish Independence: The Battle of Dunnichen, A.D. 685. Julie Fox Parsons East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Parsons, Julie Fox, "The irF st Battle for cS ottish Independence: The aB ttle of Dunnichen, A.D. 685." (2002). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 657. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/657 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The First Battle for Scottish Independence: The Battle of Dunnichen, A.D. 685 __________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of History East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in History __________________ by Julie Fox Parsons May 2002 __________________ Dr. Ronnie M. Day, Chair Dr. William Douglas Burgess Dr. Colin Baxter Keywords: Scottish Independence, Northumbria, Bede ABSTRACT The First Battle for Scottish Independence: The Battle of Dunnichen, A.D. 685 by Julie Fox Parsons This study is an examination of the historiography of the ancient-medieval texts that record events related to the Northumbrian and the Pictish royal houses in the seventh century. The Picts, the Scots and the Celtic Britons fell into subjugation under the control of the expansionist Northumbrian kings and remained there for most of the seventh century.
  • The Figure of Taliesin in Charles Williams' Arthuriad

    The Figure of Taliesin in Charles Williams' Arthuriad

    Volume 10 Number 1 Article 4 4-15-1983 The Figure of Taliesin in Charles Williams' Arthuriad Richard Woods Stritch School of Medicine, IL Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Woods, Richard (1983) "The Figure of Taliesin in Charles Williams' Arthuriad," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 10 : No. 1 , Article 4. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol10/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Discusses Taliesin as a historical personage and as a legendary and mythological figure, and specifically the sources for Williams’s portrayal of Taliesin in his Arthurian poetry. Speculates on why Williams chose Taliesin as the “romantic focus” of his poems, how he conceived his role, and why he departed from traditional sources.
  • Wales and the Britons of the North Author(S): Professor Anwyl Source: the Celtic Review, Vol

    Wales and the Britons of the North Author(S): Professor Anwyl Source: the Celtic Review, Vol

    Wales and the Britons of the North Author(s): Professor Anwyl Source: The Celtic Review, Vol. 4, No. 14 (Oct., 1907), pp. 125-152 Published by: Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30069930 Accessed: 28-10-2015 05:44 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 192.122.237.41 on Wed, 28 Oct 2015 05:44:12 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions WALES AND THE BRITONS OF THE NORTH 125 young men and girls stood grouped in the shadows, and women spoke low in each other's ears. And so another hour passed, and the great fire sank. For a moment the golden sparks danced on the dark as the red logs fell, then the hedgerows blended into the darkness, the figures by the bank grew vague, and night curtained us around. And, lo! before we had fully realised that the night had fallen there was the dawn. And as the stars were quenched, and the boys leapt over the embers of the fire,-as in far gone ages their forefathers had driven their cattle through- we rose and welcomed the shining face of Lugh.
  • Durham E-Theses

    Durham E-Theses

    Durham E-Theses A reassessment of the early Christian' archaeology of Cumbria O'Sullivan, Deirdre M. How to cite: O'Sullivan, Deirdre M. (1980) A reassessment of the early Christian' archaeology of Cumbria, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/7869/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Deirdre M. O'Sullivan A reassessment of the Early Christian.' Archaeology of Cumbria ABSTRACT This thesis consists of a survey of events and materia culture in Cumbria for the period-between the withdrawal of Roman troops from Britain circa AD ^10, and the Viking settlement in Cumbria in the tenth century. An attempt has been made to view the archaeological data within the broad framework provided by environmental, historical and onomastic studies. Chapters 1-3 assess the current state of knowledge in these fields in Cumbria, and provide an introduction to the archaeological evidence, presented and discussed in Chapters ^--8, and set out in Appendices 5-10.
  • Who Was Malcolm, King of the Cumbrians?

    Who Was Malcolm, King of the Cumbrians?

    MALCOLM, KING OF THE CUMBRIANS -193- WHO WAS MALCOLM, KING OF THE CUMBRIANS? A STUDY OF THE KINGS OF STRATHCLYDE AND CUMBRIA AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO KING DUBH’S DESCENDANTS IN THE WORK OF FORDUN AND THE EARLY CHRONICLES. By Michael Anne Guido 1 ABSTRACT John of Fordun has been cited as the source of errors on the descendants of King Dubh by supposedly creating Malcolm mac Dubh, his eldest son, stated to be King of the Cumbrians. Was this really a fabrication or a mistake? This article proposes a solution to some of the problems in Fordun’s work by showing that the tanists were actually governors of Strathclyde based on an analysis of the early chronicles. Foundations (2007) 2 (3): 193-213 © Copyright FMG and the author The kingdom of Strathclyde (Fig.1) originated in the 5th century with the rise of many smaller kingdoms after the withdrawal of the Romans from the island of Britain. The inhabitants of Strathclyde were probably descendants of the native people called Damnonii who were first recorded on Ptolemy’s map in the second century2 (MacQuarrie, 1993, p.2; Duncan, 1975, p.17). These Britons were akin to the Welsh3 (MacQuarrie, p.2) and known in the Welsh chronicles as Gwyr y Gogledd (Men of the North). The inhabitants of Strathclyde shared the same root language with Welsh as they spoke Cumbrian which was one of the four dialects of Brythonic Gaelic, the others being Cornish and Breton. These languages form a group called P-Celtic as opposed to Q-Celtic which is the Gaelic language cluster of Irish, Scottish and Manx.
  • The Britons in Late Antiquity: Power, Identity And

    The Britons in Late Antiquity: Power, Identity And

    THE BRITONS IN LATE ANTIQUITY: POWER, IDENTITY AND ETHNICITY EDWIN R. HUSTWIT Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Bangor University 2014 Summary This study focuses on the creation of both British ethnic or ‘national’ identity and Brittonic regional/dynastic identities in the Roman and early medieval periods. It is divided into two interrelated sections which deal with a broad range of textual and archaeological evidence. Its starting point is an examination of Roman views of the inhabitants of the island of Britain and how ethnographic images were created in order to define the population of Britain as 1 barbarians who required the civilising influence of imperial conquest. The discussion here seeks to elucidate, as far as possible, the extent to which the Britons were incorporated into the provincial framework and subsequently ordered and defined themselves as an imperial people. This first section culminates with discussion of Gildas’s De Excidio Britanniae. It seeks to illuminate how Gildas attempted to create a new identity for his contemporaries which, though to a certain extent based on the foundations of Roman-period Britishness, situated his gens uniquely amongst the peoples of late antique Europe as God’s familia. The second section of the thesis examines the creation of regional and dynastic identities and the emergence of kingship amongst the Britons in the late and immediately post-Roman periods. It is largely concerned to show how interaction with the Roman state played a key role in the creation of early kingships in northern and western Britain. The argument stresses that while there were claims of continuity in group identities in the late antique period, the socio-political units which emerged in the fifth and sixth centuries were new entities.