MONASTIC DEVELOPMENT AND DISSOLUTION IN WALES: CONTINUITY OR CHANGE FOR UCHELWYR? A CASE STUDY OF STRATA FLORIDA’S BLAENAERON GRANGE Heather Para Submitted to the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD University of Wales Trinity Saint David 2020 Declarations This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree. Signed … ....................................................... (candidate) Date .......28 March, 2020................................................................. STATEMENT 1 This thesis is the result of my own investigations, except where otherwise stated. Where correction services have been used the extent and nature of the correction is clearly marked in a footnote(s). Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references. A bibliography is appended. Signed … .................................................... (candidate) Date .......28 March, 2020................................................................. STATEMENT 2 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for photocopying and for inter-library loan, and for the title and summary to be made available to outside organisations. Signed… .............................................. (candidate) Date .......28 March, 2020................................................................. STATEMENT 3 I hereby give consent for my thesis, if accepted, to be available for deposit in the University’s digital repository. Signed … ....................................................... (candidate) Date ........28 March, 2020................................................................. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract Acknowledgements Abbreviations List of figures Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Historiography, Sources, and Methodology 8 Chapter 2: Continuity: Cultural, Physical and Ritual 38 Chapter 3: Strata Florida as a Political, Social, and Economic Agent 87 Chapter 4: Blaenaeron 150 Chapter 5: Estate Building after the Dissolution 218 Conclusion 262 Appendix 1: Castle Flemish Property Records 269 Appendix 2: Esker Bervedd Property Records 275 Appendix 3: Esker Bervedd Ycha Property Records 278 Appendix 4: Fullbrook Mill Property Records 281 Appendix 5: Talken Eskerbervedd Property Records 283 Appendix 6: Tref y Coll Property Records 284 Appendix 7: Esker Saison Property Records 287 Appendix 8: Bron y Cappell Property Records 289 Appendix 9: Bryn y Kippill Property Records 290 Appendix 10: Maes Glas Property Records 291 Appendix 11: Monachty Blaenaeron Property Records 296 Appendix 12: Llwyn y Gwyn Property Records 298 Appendix 13: Esgir Maen Property Records 302 Appendix 14: Vaughan Ancestry Chart 303 Appendix 15: Devereux Ancestry Chart 306 Appendix 16: Thomas Family Land Occupancy Records 307 Bibliography 310 Abstract This thesis addresses the question of what happened to monastic estates in Wales following the Dissolution of the Monasteries between 1536 and 1540, when the majority of former monastic land in Wales was absorbed into the estates of secular Welsh elites, or uchelwyr. The lens through which this broad topic is viewed is one of the granges of the Cistercian abbey of Strata Florida, namely Blaenaeron grange. Through this case study the thesis accomplishes two things: it identifies elements of continuity in land use and occupancy despite the change from monastic to secular lordship, and at the same time, determines the impact of that newly-acquired land on the social and political lives of the landowners. The effects of the Dissolution on former Welsh monastic land has not been studied in the same depth as for England. Yet Wales cannot be treated as a shadow of England. The dissolution occurred at the same time as the passage of the Acts of Union with Wales (1535-1542), making the period immediately post-dissolution a time of great change for Wales in more ways than one. It saw not only an availability of large swathes of former monastic land, but also changes in laws allowing native Welshmen more freedoms in landownership, society, and government. How these changes were felt by the uchelwyr, and the importance of these monastic lands in the processes of the changes, were previously left unaddressed. This thesis addresses two questions: was there continuity of land use from the pre-monastic period to post-dissolution, and how did the sudden availability of land for purchase in Wales coinciding with legal changes allowing native Welsh to purchase land impact on the Welsh elite class, or uchelwyr? Strata Florida’s grange of Blaenaeron was the case study selected for this research as there is a large body of documentary evidence for the grange post-dissolution through estate records, most notably the Trawscoed Estate records belonging to the Vaughan family, and government documents. Documentary evidence is supported by landscape clues found in place names, monuments, maps, and narrative histories, all of which are applied to the manorial template established in the Llyfr Iorwerth. What emerges through this material is the story of long family connections with their lands, and the application of previously established social and political connections to return the land to the control of the family. The Vaughan family of Trawscoed had obtained ownership of Blaenaeron grange in its entirety by 1630, nearly a hundred years after dissolution. However, their documented family associations with that land began as early as the thirteenth century. Estate records support Vaughan relationships with landholdings within Blaenaeron grange beginning with the earliest surviving records, offering a picture of multilevel continuity on the land. The Vaughan family’s pre-existing political and social standing appears to have aided in their 1630 land purchase, rather than the land purchase facilitating their rise in standing. All of this indicates a strong affiliation with family land in Wales leading to a determination to remain in place despite changes happening in the larger political and social spheres. Acknowledgements None of this would have been possible without the unwavering faith my late father had in my ability to do anything I set my mind to. He would have loved every minute of this adventure. I so wish he had been here for it. My most heartfelt thanks to my supervisor, Professor Janet Burton, whose guidance was offered with kindness and patience unsurpassed; and Dr Harriett Webster, who unfailingly helped me see the forest for the trees when I got off track. It was an absolute honour to learn from you both. I am also grateful to Dr Jemma Bezant for her friendship, knowledge, and encouragement; Dr David Petts for answering my questions and providing other ones to ponder; Dr Howard Williams for suggesting new directions to research; and numerous others who generously shared their time and expertise. Thanks to the good folks at the Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, who provided access to piles of primary sources; and to the Medieval Academy of America, who helped fund my research travel. Huge thanks to Dr William Rathouse for believing in me and cheering me on from start to finish, and to Steve Austin-Drennan for endless philosophical discussions, a warm meal, and a safe haven on a regular basis. Thank you to FLFT and GC, two groups of astoundingly bright minds, for calmly answering my weird questions. Much gratitude to the many good people who helped me track down research material on several continents. Thanks especially to my mother, who supported my determination to do this, even though I suspect she frequently had no idea what I was actually doing. All my love to Aoibhe and Dave, my County Meath family, for a home away from home, the best craic on the planet, and unconditional love and support. Lastly, I am so very grateful for my best friend Titus, who helped me maintain a sense of humour when I was stressed and ensured I had a daily walk, where I did some of my best thinking. Abbreviations Repositories NLW: Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales PRO: Public Record Office TNA: The National Archives, Kew, Surrey C: Chancery E: Exchequer SC: Special Collections Periodicals AC: Archaeologia Cambrensis Primary Sources Augm: Records of the Court of Augmentations relating to Wales, ed. E. A. Lewis and J. Conway Davies, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1954 AWR The Acts of Welsh Rulers 1120–1283, ed. Huw Pryce (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2010) BT Brut y Tywysogion, Peniarth MS 20 Version, ed. by T. Jones (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1952) Charter: Calendar of the Charter Rolls (London: HMSO, 1903–) Close: Calendar of the Close Rolls (London: HMSO, 1902–) GW Journey The Journey Through Wales/ The Description of Wales, trans. by Lewis Thorpe (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1978) LC: Letters to Cromwell, ed. by G. H. Cook (London: J. Baker, 1965) LP: Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII (London: HMSO, 2nd edn. 1920–) Monasticon: William Dugdale, Monasticon Anglicanum (London: Brown & Smith, 1718), revised by J. Caley, H. Ellis, and B. Bandinel, 6 vols in 8 (London, 1817–30) Patent: Calendar of the Patent Rolls (London: HMSO, 1903–) VE: Valor Ecclesiasticus, temp. Henry VIII, ed. J. Caley et al (London: Record Commission, 1810–1834) List of figures Figure 2.1 The physicality of place: gravestones and house placard 57 Figure 2.2 Place Names in the Mabinogi 60 Figure 2.3 Marginalia of the Lichfield Gospels 64 Figure 2.4 West doorway of Strata