Dangos 575 canlyniad

A manuscript in three hands comprising fliting poetry between Edmwnd Prys and Wiliam Cynwal; and North Wales pedigrees.

A composite manuscript containing:
(i) pp. 1-2. A large folio sheet, folded, containing pedigrees in the hand of Robert Vaughan, evidently part of the draft of his lost ‘Llyfr Achau y Deheudir’ [see P.C. Bartrum, ‘Notes on the Welsh genealogical manuscripts’, Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1968, 63-98, esp. 86].
(ii) pp. 3-106, 151-334. An informal collection of Welsh pedigrees mainly written by Gruffudd Hiraethog in a variable hand over the period 1554-64 (see dates on, e.g., pp. 47, 229, 237, 239, 264, 269, 281). There are substantial sections (e.g. pp. 5-19, 23, 25-6, 31-5) and many additions in the hand of Wiliam Llŷn, some dated, e.g. 1570 (p. 250) and 1572 (p. 312). Foliated by Wiliam Llŷn; his ‘Tabl’ is on pp. 5-19. There are contributions by other hands, all contemporary with Wiliam Llŷn if not also with Gruffudd Hiraethog: A, an educated secretary hand, concerned with Edeirnion (pp. 36-7 and 58); B, Simwnt Fychan (p. 39); C, Huw Llŷn (‘Llyma gof am yr amser y bu Eisteddvod ynghaerwys … 1567’, pp. 59-63); D (pp. 174-5, where he offers a deviant opinion on the ancestry of Owain ap Bradwen, citing ‘rai yneheubarth’ and ‘John Wynn Unllawiawc’, and pp. 219-22); E (pp. 191-2); F, apparently from south-west Wales (pp. 193-4 and 196-211); G, ostensibly ‘per me Morgan Elfel’, but in a hand not recognizably his (pp. 275-7); H, a bold secretary hand, concerned with Cegidfa (pp. 283-90); I (pp. 297-9). Predominantly, the pedigrees relate to north Wales, but those on pp. 153-229 are mainly south Welsh. Gruffudd throughout is characteristically helpful in naming his sources [see P.C. Bartrum, ‘Genealogical sources quoted by Gruffudd Hiraethog’, National Library of Wales Journal, 26 (1989-90), 1-9]. Apart from pedigrees, other texts in the manuscript include ‘Dosbarth Arvau … o gynulliad Wmffre Llwyd o dref Ddinbych’, in the hand of Wiliam Llŷn [printed in Transactions of the Denbighshire Historical Society, 17 (1968), 66-82] (pp. 67-90). On p. 102, Gruffudd notes ‘Henwe hen brydyddion’, evidence of his acquaintance with the contents of the Hendregadredd manuscript (NLW MS 6680).
(iii) pp. 107-50. A valuable collection of genealogical tracts, of south Wales bias, written by an excellent hand temp. Henry VIII (see pp. 143, 149). Tracts include Y Pedwar Brenin ar Hugain, Pum Oes Byd, Bonedd y Saint, Rhandiroedd Powys, besides south Wales pedigrees. Of the hand, Robert Vaughan notes on p. 107, ‘llaw Lewys Morganwc sydd yn calyn medd Rys Cain’. This attribution is rightly rejected in P.C. Bartrum, ‘Notes on the Welsh genealogical manuscripts’, Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1968, 63-98, esp. 74, and id., 1988, 37-46, esp. 41-2, where it is observed that these pages are cited elsewhere by Gruffudd Hiraethog as ‘Llyfr Lewys ap Edwart’ and as ‘Llyfr Ieuan ap Huw Kae Llwyd’. Gruffudd Hiraethog added text on pp. 141-2, which had been left blank.

A well laid-out but unstructured collection of Welsh pedigrees, predominantly north-east Welsh, on the pattern of achau’r mamau, with decoration in red and green, in the excellent hand of Thomas ap Llywelyn ab Ithel of Bodfari. Written not before 1561 [see Peniarth MS 139ii, p. 403, once part of our manuscript] and not later than 1568 (there are additions in the hand of Humphrey Llwyd who died that year). Apart from some corrections and additions made by the scribe, it is otherwise little annotated. In addition to illustrative englynion (e.g. pp. 170, 348, 558) and short genealogical tracts it includes: an armorial, blazon in Welsh (pp. 98-112); annals, in Welsh, 1468-1551 (pp. 243-9); Y Tri Thlws ar Ddeg (p. 370); ‘llyma hen gymraec’ (pp. 495-503). The scribe’s foliation i-cclxxxxix survives on pp. 23-607; his index, the beginning wanting, is on pp. 1-21 (it includes references up to f. cccxiiii). The ink on some pages is faded and the upper edges of some leaves towards the end are damaged. Sections in Peniarth MS 139i and 139ii that are in the hand of Thomas ap Llywelyn but without his foliation appear to belong to the end of Peniarth MS 138.

A collection of pedigrees made by Edward Davies of Rhiwlas, Llansilin (signatures, some in legal script, are on, e.g., pp. 267, 286, 289, 290). The pedigrees, set out in narrative form, are mainly of local interest. Edward Davies is the primary hand, a variable one, of pp. 23-6, 35-6, 45-50, 55-62 and 71-298. On pp. 133-4, 283-5 and 291-2 he copied cywyddau, an englyn and a cerdd rydd, of [16-17 cent.], and in his later hand added two Llywarch Hen englynion on p. 233. He was writing in 1640-1 (pp. 267, 288) and appears by 1641 to have written much of the manuscript ('rhyfedi dolene y llyfer yma ydiw un a deigain ... 1641', p. 292). Characteristic of his later additions, including ones dated 1646 (pp. 200, 201), 1663 (p. 126) and 1670 (p. 47), is ink of an orange shade. On p. 267 he cites as a source ‘Llyfr Lewys Gwynn vicar Llanrhaidr y Mochnant’ [Lewis Gwynn(e), vicar 1616–25, cf. BL Add. 9867]. Another hand, also in 1641, added ‘Iach Llwydied Llwynymaen’ on pp. 51–4. The title ‘Llyvyr Edward ap Davydd’ [see RMWL] was probably taken from the cover of ‘old limp vellum’, no longer preserved. On pp. 310–11 a neat hand of [17 cent., second ½] added the pedigree of Richard earl of Carbery. Another, writing in 1685 (see pp. 11, 16), made substantial additions to the manuscript, notably of Kynaston pedigrees, with new foliation, and on pp. 1–4 an index of names of abodes. This hand wrote, e.g., pp. 7–23, 299–309 and 313–16, besides making other additions. Further additions were made throughout by John Davies of Rhiwlas (son of Edward) (pp. 4–6, 29–34, 37–44, etc., one on p. 41 dated 1698).

First use, in [mid-16 cent.] by a university man and divine. The surviving evidence is the list of contents, in Latin, of [pages or folios] 1 to 19 (these leaves do not survive); the ‘note of the proctor Sey his book’ on f. v [William Say, died 1468] relates to university regulations; the letters A–Y (inverted) at the foot of pp. 24-112 were probably intended for a commonplace-book that was never begun. The watermark could be Briquet 11387 (dated 1544).
Thereafter, the near-empty book was used successively by three scribes. Firstly, on pp. 2-169, a scribal copy (the earliest text surviving) made for ‘R P’ [Richard Phylip] of Picton (p. 11) of Lloegr Drigiant Ddifyrrwch Brytanaidd Gymro, the compilation of proverbs and anthology of Welsh literature compiled by Gruffudd Hiraethog for Richard Mostyn. On the contents, see RMWL; on its text, see D.J. Bowen (ed.), Gwaith Gruffudd Hiraethog (Caerdydd, 1990), pp. xcviii–cxi. The dates 1561 (p. 2) and 1562 (p. 169) probably represent the dates of writing, rather than those of the exemplar [but cf. Llên Cymru, 16 (1989–91), 385-7]. Gruffudd Hiraethog’s preface is printed in T.H. Parry-Williams and Thomas Jones (eds.), Rhyddiaith Gymraeg, 2 vols (Caerdydd, 1954, 1956), I, 60-1; Y Naw Helwriaeth in Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, 6 (1931-3), 301-12 [cf. ibid., 31 (1984), 119-32]; Pedwar Mesur ar Hugain Cerdd Dant in BBCS, 1 (1921-3), 151-3; Y Lapidari in Celtica, 2 (1954), 96-116; three areithiau in D. Gwenallt Jones (ed.), Yr Areithiau Pros (Caerdydd, 1934), pp. 43-9 and 61 and Rhyddiaith Gymraeg, I, 62-4. On the texts from this compilation that were printed by William Salesbury, see Journal of the Welsh Bibliographical Society, 7, no.3 (1952), 125-43.
The second scribe, identified by Daniel Huws as X51 (see his Repertory, vol. II), added cognate texts on pp. 170-220, including ‘Dosbarth Kerdd Dafod’ (pp. 176-95), ‘Cyfrinach Beirdd Ynys Prydain’ (pp. 196-211) and cywyddau.
The third scribe, Nicholas Robinson [died 1585], added pedigrees of Anglesey families, leaving many pages blank (pp. 225-301). Both he and the second scribe link the manuscript to the diocese of Bangor.

A manuscript of two parts.
Part i (ff. 1-56 verso) contains the statutes (constitutiones) of bishop Peter Quivel (Quinel) of Exeter, dated 1287 (ff. 1-46 verso, three leaves wanting at the beginning) and his Summula (ff. 46 verso-56 verso), in a hand of [15 cent.]. Both texts are edited in Councils and Synods, with other documents relating to the English Church, eds F.M. Powicke and C.R. Cheney (Oxford, 1964), pp. 982-1077. For multiple later copies, see MMBL, II, p. 834. At the foot of f. 56 verso, in the hand of the scribe, ‘Constat Honynton’ [Honiton].
Part ii contains Mynachlog yr Ysbryd Glân, the beginning wanting (pp. 3-11); a cerdd on ‘Sidanen’ [CRhC, no. 96 (II)], the end wanting (p. 12); ‘Y Sids o Droea’, i.e. Ystoria Dared in the abbreviated version of the Red Book of Hergest text [Owens, Dares] (pp. 13-62); Brut Tysilio, the abbreviated version of Brut y Brenhinedd, the end wanting (pp. 63-152). All in the hand of Huws’ X29, a Glamorgan scribe of [16-17 cent.].

A composite manuscript, the four parts probably together from the start. Tracts on theosophy, astrology and conjuring. At first in unbound booklets (witness some soiled surviving paper covers, pp. 28, 29, 96, 120). In Welsh and English, the Welsh by four collaborating scribes, the English by three others, their texts complementing those in Welsh. All of [17-18 cent.].
(i) pp. 1-28. A tract, in Welsh, its beginning wanting; cites Peter of Abano, H.C. Agrippa and Gerard of Cremona, and on p. 14 reads: ‘Hud yma yr ysgrifenais tu ag at y ffordd blaunaf su ynghwaith Peter Albanws gwelwch wrth yr Elament fel llufr Morgan Llwud natur dyn.’ All by scribe A. The watermark of this part appears to be Churchill 243 (1707).
(ii) pp. 29-96. Beginning ‘Yn y llyfyr cynta yr hwn uw pedwerydd llyfr Agrippa’. By scribes B (pp. 29-62, 65-78), C (pp. 63-4), A (pp. 78-83b, 90-4), D (pp. 84-9).
(iii) pp. 97-120. ‘Pwy bynnag a ewllyssio wubod dirgelwch’, citing Peter of Abano, followed by ‘Aphorisms’, in Welsh, numbered 1-14 (pp. 97-110) and ‘72 [o] golofnau ar uchel henwau Duw’ (pp. 111-18). All by scribe B.
(iv) pp. 121-94. Texts in English, written by three other contemporary hands. These comprise ‘Aphorisms’, in English, numbered 15-48 (pp. 121-64); geomancy (pp. 165-94) including on pp. 167-79 ‘Gerard Cremonen[s]is of Astromonical [sic] Geomancy’; and astrology (pp. 181-94).

Eulogies of and elegies to the Wynne family and their ancestors, transcribed from manuscripts at Brogyntyn (Porkington), Hengwrt, and other collections, [13th February 1835].
There are also two items tipped in and four loose items, including a letter and copies of poems of 'Meurig Ebrill' [Morris Davies]. The date 'Feb 13th 1835' is on the cover. The last 38 pages are blank.