Historical and genealogical miscellanea,

A composite volume containing miscellaneous material, mainly historical and genealogical, in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). The contents, pagination in brackets, include notes relating to the parish of Penmark [co. Glamorgan] including notes on East Aberthaw Chapel, Penmark Castle, Roose Chapel, the parish church, Robert Jones of Fonmon Castle, ob. 1715 and interred at Penmark, Mary, his wife, ob. 1756, and their children (1-8); a list of fifteen queries presumably forming a questionnaire compiled for gathering descriptive and historical data relating to a parish (9-10; this appears with the name and address of Nicholas Carlisle of the Society of Antiquaries noted above); brief data, geological, botanical, historical, etc., relating to the aforesaid parish of Penmark (10-12); a note on the place-name Penmark and an account of the local legend concerning the skull of St. Mark and the site of the church of Penmark (13-14); miscellaneous observations relating ? to the parish of Porth Ceri [adjoining Penmark] (15); examples of the element pen in Welsh place-names and a comment on the writer's source for the aforementioned tradition relating to St. Mark's skull (16); 'An account of the cause of the conquest of Glamorgan by Sir Robert fitz Haymon and his twelve Knights By Sir Edward Mansel of Margam' [ob. 1585] relating the story of the disputes between Iestin, son of Gurgant, lord of Glamorgan, and Rhys, son of Theodor, prince of South Wales, and subsequently between the said Iestin on the one hand, and Enion, son of Calloyn, and Cedrych, son of Gwaethvoed, on the other, the invitation to Sir Robert Fitz Haymon and the Normans to intervene, and the consequent subjection and division of Glamorgan by the said Sir Robert and his knights, and describing the twelve lordships into which the country was divided and the pre- and post- conquest system of courts of law, etc. (19-55; the text has been published in J. H. Matthews (ed.): Cardiff Records . . ., vol. IV, 1903, pp. 6-22; for an incomplete variant version see NLW MS 13114B above, pp. 211-17, and for the opinion that the account was compiled by Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') himself and not Edward Mansell see TLLM, tt. 200-203); 'Another account of the coming in of the Normans, in a shorter storry than that before, by Sir Edward Mansel of Margam' (56-85; for part text part summary see J. H. Matthews: op. cit., pp. 23-9, and for a note on see TLLM, ut supra); a list of the kings or lords of Glamorgan from the time of Morgan Mwynfawr to the third quarter of the eighteenth century with notes on their attributes, activities, marriages, family connections, etc., and incorporating an account of the coming of Sir Robert Fitz Aymon and the Normans into Glamorgan in the time of Iestin, son of Gwrgan, and the consequent subjection and division of the country (93-116; see J. H. Matthews: op. cit., pp. 29-34); further notes relating to the aforementioned Iestyn ab Gwrgan, prince of Glamorgan, his marriages and children, the coming into Glamorgan of Sir Robert Fitzhamon and his Norman knights in the time of the said Iestin, the subjection and division of the country, etc. (117-27; see Matthews: op. cit., pp. 34-7); (continued)
Genealogical and other data relating to the families of Bevan of Tref y Rhyg [in] Lantrisant, Kemis of Ceven Mabli, Powel of Maesteg and Lanharan, Powel of Lysworney, etc. [co. Glamorgan] (128-51; see Matthews: op. cit., pp. 37-9); notes relating to the descent of the lordship of Coetty [co. Glamorgan] in the hands of successive members of the family of Twrbil (Turberville) until the death of Sir Risiart Twrbil who died without heirs [second half 14th cent:], the holding of the said lordship by Sir Lawrens Berclos, nephew of the said Sir Risiart, and by Sir William Gamais, great-nephew of the said Sir Risiart, successively, and the subsequent loss of certain of the lordship's rights (? iura regalia) to the crown, and comments ? attributed to [the fifteenth century poet] Ieuan Deulwyn concerning the loss of such rights by the said lordship of Coetty, the ? lordship of Aberavan, and the Welsh nation (159-69); transcripts of 'englynion' attributed to Ieuan Gethin ab Ieuan ab Lleison (169-70); miscellaneous notes relating to various churches, church towers, organs provided for specified churches, etc., all in co. Glamorgan (171-3); a transcript of the tract entitled 'The winning of the Lordship of Glamorgan or Morganwc out of the Welshmen's Hands' compiled by Sir Edward Stradling [and published in David Powel: The Historie of Cambria now called Wales, 1584] (175-221; a note by [Edward Williams] 'Iorwerth Gwilym' to the effect that there were manuscript copies 'of the foregoing History . . . by Sir Edward Stradling in several hands in Glamorganshire' and that he had transcribed one 'from Mr. Thos. Truman's Book' (222); a list of 'Hen Gromlechau, Crynnau, Kist feini, Gorseddau, Twmpathau, Beddfeini, &c. ym Morganwg' (227-9); a sketch and brief description of a druidic circle on Mynydd Gwryd, Wales Llangiwg [co. Glamorgan] (230); and notes, geographical and historical, headed 'The Signorie or Lordship of Gower situate in the west part of the County of Glamorgan in South Wales' (235-8).

Title based on contents.

Formerly known as Llanover C. 74.

Preferred citation: NLW MS 13161A.

The description is also available in the Handlist of Manuscripts in the National Library of Wales, Volume IV (Aberystwyth, 1971).

For an historical evaluation of the tract entitled 'The winning of the Lordship of Glamorgan ..' see R. A. Griffiths: 'The Norman Conquest and the Twelve Knights of Glamorgan', Glamorgan Historian, vol. III, 1966, pp. 153-69, and the sources referred to there.

Published