Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [late 16 cent.]-[18 cent., first ½]. (Creation)
Level of description
File
Extent and medium
236 ff.
Guarded and filed at NLW.
Context area
Name of creator
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
A composite manuscript of loose papers and fragments of manuscript volumes. It contains poetry and prose, mostly in Welsh, much of the poetry being addressed to the Owen family of Brogyntyn and Clenennau and other related families. Apart from a late-sixteenth century awdl by Wiliam Llŷn (ff. 57-58), the other items all belong between the first half of the seventeenth century and the first half of the eighteenth century.
Fragments apparently once part of books, some of which perhaps were never bound, are: a narrow folio of cywyddau and englynion by Mathew Owen, in the hand of Nathanael Jones (ff. 20-26), written not before 1656 (see ff. 24 verso-25), with autograph englynion added by Harri Howel (f. 20 verso) and by Nathanael Jones (f. 20 verso, 23); a folio manuscript containing cywyddau to Lewis Anwyl of Parc and his family, dated 1627-1636 (ff. 38-55), written by two good hands of the first half of the seventeenth century, one responsible for ff. 38-50 verso, the other ff. 51-55; a quarto manuscript with transcripts of poetry of the Gogynfeirdd (ff. 113-122; paginated 1-20), by a seventeenth-century hand similar to that of Morris Evans (cf. ff. 93-94, 123-141); pedigrees of Welsh royal lines, the Maurices of Clenennau, etc., in English (ff. 123-141; original foliation 1-12 survives), in the hand of Morris Evans (ff. 123-127 verso, 129-134 verso) and a second hand (ff. 128 recto-verso, 135-141); a narrow folio of canu brud attributed to Myrddin, Taliesin, etc. (ff. 178-186), written by Nathanael Jones, not before 1651 (ff. 182 verso, 183 verso 'aetatis suae a 21o Feb: 1650 27'); a folio manuscript of canu brud, mainly cywyddau, by Dafydd Llwyd and others (ff. 189-207), in a poor hand of the mid seventeenth century, probably that of Thomas Edwards to judge by pentrials on f. 196 verso, who refers to Tregeiriog (f. 199 verso) and 'Llanfylling fairings' (f. 207 verso); an octavo manuscript containing poems by Robin Clidro, etc., in a seventeenth or eighteenth century hand (ff. 210-219); and a folio manuscript of autograph cywyddau and englynion by Huw Morys, some addressed to William Owen and Sir Robert Owen (ff. 222-226 verso). Poetry written on loose papers includes autograph poems by Huw Morys (ff. 12-18), John Owens (ff. 59-71; f. 69 recto-verso may be his italic hand), Harri Howel (ff. 75-76 verso, 90 recto-verso), Owen Gruffydd (ff. 84-89, 230-231), William Phylip (ff. 97-98 verso), John Morgan, later vicar of Conwy (f. 101 recto-verso, the poem incomplete and anonymous, dated 1688, the hand his), Siôn Rhydderch, 1732 (ff. 104-105, 227-228), and Edward Lloyd, Brewis (f. 221 recto-verso). There are probable autograph poems by Edward Rowlant (ff. 72-74 verso, 79-80) and John Richard (f. 81), and possible autograph poems by 'J. Ll.' (f. 26 verso), Mathew Owen (ff. 77-78, 232 recto-verso), Siôn Roberts (ff. 91-92), Huw Cadwaladr (ff. 106-108) and 'R.C.' (f. 163). Other poetry is in the hands of Morris Evans (ff. 93-94) and 'Theo: Ro:' (ff. 152-154 verso). Also included is a letter, 1652, from the antiquary Meredith Lloyd to Thomas Vaughan, the alchemist and poet (ff. 1-3 verso), followed by a copy of Hanes Taliesin (ff. 5-10 verso). The 'Cywydd Marwnad i Mr William Owen o Borkynton' by Huw Morys, beginning 'Mae gwaedd oer lem Gweddw [yw'r wlad]', discussed in E. D. Jones, 'The Brogyntyn Welsh Manuscripts', National Library of Wales Journal, 7 (1951-2), 165-198 (pp. 186-189, 196-197), has not been found.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Item: 1.1 Manuscript Volume (Brogyntyn MS II.55). Action: Condition reviewed. Action identifier: 4585750. Date: 20030207. Authorization: Selected for conservation. Authorizing institution: NLW. Action agent: J. Thomas. Status: Manuscript Volume (Brogyntyn MS II.55) : some items at the end of sequence not repaired. Institution: WlAbNL.
Item: 1.2 Manuscript Volume (Brogyntyn MS II.55). Action: Conserved. Action identifier: 4585750. Date: 20031014. Authorizing institution: NLW. Action agent: D. Williams. Status: Manuscript Volume (Brogyntyn MS II.55) : Repaired damaged documents and guarded and filed, lettered volume in black. Institution: WlAbNL.
Accruals
System of arrangement
Arranged in the order of description by E. D. Jones in 'The Brogyntyn Welsh Manuscripts' in the National Library of Wales Journal (see below); ff. 233-235 were not mentioned by him.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Access to the original manuscript by authorised permission only. Readers are directed to use surrogate copies.
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Welsh, English.
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Many folios affected by damp, and repaired at NLW.
Finding aids
A detailed list of the contents is available at https://archives.library.wales/external_documents/brogii55.pdf
Generated finding aid
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Available on microfilm at the Library.
Related units of description
Publication note
E. D. Jones, 'The Brogyntyn Welsh Manuscripts', National Library of Wales Journal, 7 (1951-2), 165-198, 277-315, and ibid., 8 (1953-4), 1-32.
Notes area
Note
Title based on contents.
Note
Preferred citation: Brogyntyn MS II.55 [RESTRICTED ACCESS].
Alternative identifier(s)
Virtua system control number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Anwyl, Lewis, 1596-1641 (Subject)
- Owen, William, 1624-1678. (Subject)
- Owen, Robert, Sir, 1658-1698 (Subject)
- Owen, Mathew, 1631-1679. (Subject)
- Jones, Nathanael, fl. 1681-1682. (Subject)
- Howel, Harri, fl. 1637-1671. (Subject)
- Evans, Morris, copyist. (Subject)
- Taliesin. (Subject)
- Edwards, Thomas, of Tregeiriog. (Subject)
- Robin Clidro, fl. 1545-1580. (Subject)
- Morys, Huw. (Subject)
- Owens, John, fl. 1666-1677. (Subject)
- Phylip, William, 1579-1669. (Subject)
- Morgan, John, 1662-1701. (Subject)
- Roderick, John, 1673?-1735. (Subject)
- Lloyd, Edward, Brewis. (Subject)
- Rowlant, Edward. (Subject)
- Richard, John, fl. late 17 cent. (Subject)
- Ll., J. (Subject)
- Roberts, Siôn, fl. late 17 cent. (Subject)
- Cadwaladr, Huw, 17th cent. (Subject)
- Cadwaladr, Rhys, Sir, d. 1690 (Subject)
- Ro., Theo. (Subject)
- Lloyd, Meredith, ca. 1620-1695. (Subject)
- Vaughan, Thomas, 1621-1666 (Subject)
- Merlin (Legendary character) (Subject)
- Owen family, of Brogyntyn, Clenennau, and Glyn. (Subject)
- Anwyl family, of Park (Subject)
- Maurice family, of Clenennau (Subject)
- Gruffydd, Owen, approximately 1643-1730 (Subject)
- Dafydd Llwyd, of Mathafarn, approximately 1420-1500 (Subject)
- Wiliam Llŷn, 1534 or 5-1580 (Subject)