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Ieuan ap Hywel Swrdwal, d. ca. 1485 Wales -- History
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Geirfau, etc.,

Miscellaneous papers containing notes, extracts, transcripts, lists, etc., in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') bound together in one volume. Pp. 9-62, 68-73, 76- 90, 107-48, 213-20 and various other pages in the volume contain miscellaneous Welsh word lists frequently, but not invariably, with English definitions and illustrative excerpts from the works of Welsh poets. Other items include pp. 63-5, an incomplete 'Cornish - Silurian vocabulary' (words beginning with letter A only); 75, a comparative word list with the superscription 'Peculiarities of the Silurian and Venedotian dialects'; 93-106, a list of popular proverbial and figurative expressions or phrases in Welsh (see IM, t. 389); 149-50, 157-63, lists of Latin proper names, common nouns, etc., largely connected with ancient Gaul; 153- 6, 165-208, a French - English vocabulary with Welsh cognates of the French words; 221-30, a Cornish - English vocabulary with the superscription 'Borlace Vocabulary' [probably transcribed from, or based upon, the vocabulary to be found in William Borlase: Antiquities, Historical and Monumental, of the County of Cornwall . . . (1754, 2nd ed. 1769)], with Welsh cognates of the Cornish words; 236, 'Some Names of Rivers in Glamorganshire'; 237, a copy of a poem attributed to Taliesin; 240, notes headed 'Names of Mountains'; 241-2, notes headed 'Appelative Name of Watter', and 'Proper Names of Rivers'; 251-8, a collection of Welsh proverbs arranged alphabetically according to the initial letter (incomplete, G-Y only); 260-61, a Welsh poem by Edward Williams; 262, a list of 'Silurian words agreeing with Armoric'; 273-4, two lists with the headings 'Books and MSS. useful towards the History of Cardiff', and 'Hints and Materials for the History of Cardiff' respectively; 281-2, a copy of a thirty-eight stanza anti-Puritan poem entitled 'Cân i Ladron Morganwg' attributed to 'Jenkin Rhichards o Flaenau Gwent' and dated 1646 (for an assessment of the historical evidence presented in this poem see Thomas Richards: A History of the Puritan Movement in Wales (London, 1920), p. 211, and the same author's Religious Developments in Wales, 1654-1662 ( London, 1923), pp. 191-4, and for doubts as to its authenticity IM, tt. 254-63); 283-4, a transcript of a letter from [the Reverend] Edw[ar]d Gamage [from St. Athan] to Llywelyn [ab Ifan] 'o'r Cannerw', undated (replying to a request for the names of books for the study of the Welsh language, observations on differences between the dialects of Glamorgan and North Wales, a suggestion that a scholarly, bardic language be formed from the best elements in all regional dialects) (for a holograph copy of a letter from Edward Gamage to Llywelyn ab Ifan see NLW MS 13077B and for transcripts by Edward Williams of letters from, or allegedly from, Gamage to the same recipient in addition to the present example see NLW MSS 13095B, 13100B; for observations on these letters and the dubious authenticity of the Williams transcripts see IMCY, tt. 58-60, TLLM, tt. 107, 195, and IM, tt. 245-6); 285, a copy of an 'englyn' descriptive of a silkworm and 'composed of vowels'; 291, an incomplete transcript of [Thomas] Gray's 'Ode on the Pleasure arising from Vicissitude'; 295-8, a chronicle of events in British-Welsh history, 1076-1110; 299-300, notes on the Welsh bardic order with references to [James] Macpherson's theories about the druids and bards and a comment on his Fingal poem; 302, extracts from the Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure, 1768; 303-04, a transcript of [Taliesin's poem] 'Gwaith Argoed Llwyfain' with an English translation thereof by W[illia]m Whitehead (see Edward Jones: Musical and Poetical Relicks of the Welsh Bards . . . (1784), pp. 5-6); 307-10, an English translation of the title-page of Theophilus Evans: Drych y Prif Oesoedd . . ., ail arg. [1740], and of pp. 107-10 of the text of the work; 315-16, a copy of a letter from 'Christopher Crabstick', servant of Mr. Windham [Thomas Wyndham of Dunraven Castle, co. Glamorgan], to Captain Wind[s]or [Captain Thomas Windsor, R.N.), undated (a satirical attack on recipient's decision to offer himself as a candidate in the parliamentary election for the county of Glamorgan [?1789]); 323, draft copies of an election song to accompany the preceding item; 317-20, brief notes on the topography, agriculture, mineral wealth, etc., of the three main divisions of Glamorgan; 321-2, an advertisement for a proposed history of the town of Cardiff and lordship of Glamorgan; 326, a copy of the proposed title- page of Edward Williams's intended 'History of the Ancient British Bards or Druids' to be published in 1795; 327-30, notes on Welsh poetic metres ('Am gysefin ansawdd y mesurau') and on bardic ceremonial ('defodau . . . wrth gynnal gorsedd'); 333-4, prose items with the superscriptions 'Casbethau serchog', 'Llyma lythr anfon serch o waith D.G. o lyfr Ovydd', 'Dewisbethau serchog o lyfr Ofydd', and 'Casbethau Eiddig'; 335-6 two sequences of stanzas (twenty-one and twenty-four respectively) of Welsh prophetic verse with each stanza commencing with the words 'Coronog faban . . .', the first sequence being taken, with revised orthography, from Thomas Pugh: Brittish and Out-landish Prophesies . . . (London, 1658) [pp- 47-51, 37-8] (for the text of both sequences see Iolo Manuscripts . . ., pp. 276-82); 337-8, an incomplete copy of a Welsh poem describing the county of Glamorgan, its towns, etc. (for the missing portion, i.e., stanzas 1-30, see Iolo Aneurin Williams MS 97 in the National Library of Wales); 339-40 transcripts of two 'cywyddau' attributed to Ieuan ap Hywel Swrdwal and Gruff. ap Ieuan ap Llywelyn Fychan; 341-2, a transcript of a letter in Welsh from the poet Gronw Owen from Donnington, co. Salop, to William Elias, 1751 (for the text of this letter and notes on problems relating thereto see J. H. Davies (ed.): The Letters of Goronwy Owen . . . (Cardiff, 1924), pp. 3-4, 203-04); 343-5 medical maxims in Welsh; and 347-8, transcripts of 'englynion' by Wm. Llyn, H[uw] Llyn, and Edward Morris. Also included are miscellaneous notes on bardic, literary, and historical matters, etc.

Miscellanea,

Miscellaneous papers and fragments containing notes, transcripts, lists, copies of his own poems, etc., by Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') bound together in one volume. The contents include holograph copies of Welsh poems by Edward Williams himself using the bardic names 'Iolo Morganwg', 'I[orwer] th G[wili]m', and 'Ior[wer]th Morganwg'; transcripts of Welsh strict- and free-metre poems (often incomplete) including single stanzas attributed to Huw Morus and Edward Morus (pp. 60, 65), a few stanzas attributed to Gronwy Owain (p. 78), and an 'englyn' attributed to Iorwerth Fynglwyd (p. 141), etc.; a short list of Welsh names of 'different sorts of grass or hay in Glam[organ]' (p. 32); a short list of 'Glum[organ] proverbs' (p. 42 ); draft copies or transcripts of the words of two English election songs written in connection with a parliamentary election in co. Glamorgan [? the election involving Thomas Wyndham of Dunraven Castle and Capt. Thomas Windsor, R.N., in 1789] (pp. 75-6); a ? draft version of an English poem entitled 'Bardic Institutes, a Vision Written in an ancient Bardic circle on Morlais Hill near Merthyr Tidvil, Glam.' (pp. 80-82); excerpts from the work of various Welsh poets headed 'Quotations from Bards relating to usages, Institutes, mythology, Literature, etc., of the Bards' (pp. 83-4 and possibly 193-4); an incomplete copy of an English poem 'The Royal Shepherd' (p. 87); a note in Welsh recording a meeting held at Pen y Bont ar Ogwr [Bridgend, co. Glamorgan] to celebrate victories over [Napoleon] Bonopart (p. 90); a short list of Welsh strict poetic metres headed 'Dosparth Llawdden' (p. 101); a very brief note on 'Lords Halls of Courts and Justice at Coyty, Lantwit, St. Brides, St. Athan, Penmark, [and] Lancarvan [co. Glamorgan]' and 'Baronial Court Halls' of the vale of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire (p. 103); a list in Welsh of some of the traditional customs and pastimes of Glamorgan ('Hen Arferion a Defodau Morganwg') (pp. 105-06); an anecdote relating to Morgan ab Ithel o Forganwg, Hywel Dda, and Blegywryd (p. 107); an anecdote relating to efforts made to deprive the Welsh of education subsequent to the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr, the renewal or spread of the practice of writing by inscribing on wood, and the teaching of this practice to the bards of Gwynedd and Powis by Ieuan ap Hywel Swrdwal and Llawdden Fardd (pp. 115- 116); notes relating to Welsh poetic metres (pp. 139-40, 142, 183-4); a non-chronological list of events in English and Welsh history, 852-1415 ( pp. 143 + 48); a prose tale entitled 'Ystori Rhitta Gawr' (p. 144); statistical tables giving the population of twenty-one parishes in the hundred of Swansea [co. Glamorgan], and four parishes in the hundred of Carnawllon, Caermarthenshire, 1811 (p. 145); brief notes containing speculation as to the state of the province of Siluria [south-east Wales] at the time of the Roman withdrawal, with references to the ancient seminary at Carlion, place names reminiscent of the 'first Planters' of Christianity in the province, monumental inscriptions, etc. (p. 149); ? draft versions or transcripts of the words of Welsh psalm or hymn tunes (pp. 166-7); medicinal recipes in Welsh (pp. 187-90); notes on the 'corfan' or metrical foot in the class of poems called 'dyriau' (p. 184, second sequence); a list of towns, etc., in co. Glamorgan headed 'Town Halls of [ ]' (p- 195); miscellaneous Welsh word lists; miscellaneous triads; extracts from the works of various Welsh bards; and other miscellanea. Some of the notes have been written on the reverse of a promissory note signed by Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') in London, 13 January 1794 (p. 96), the reverse side of an account rendered by Thos. Williams, marble mason, to Hercules Clarke, mason, in respect of a chimneypiece (pp. 164 + 169), and the reverse side and margins of a copy of printed proposals, May 1799, for publishing a periodical to be called Eurgrawn Cymraeg neu Drysorfa Gwybodaeth (pp. 187 + 190).

Genealogies, etc.,

A composite volume containing genealogical, heraldic, and historical.or pseudo-historical material in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). P. vii bears the transcribed inscription 'Llyma Lyfr achau a Bonedd amrafaelion o Bendefigion a Bonheddigion Cenedl y Cymry ag eraill o bethau Cyfarwyddwyd a gasglwyd o Lyfrau Ieuan ap Hywel Swrdwal o Dir Iarll ag o Lyfrau Ieuan Deulwyn o Gydweli gennyf fi Antoni Pywel o Lwydarth yn Nhir Iarll', with an added note 'A myfi Iolo Morganwg a'u tynnais o Lyfrau yr Achwr celfyddgar a'm cyfaill caredig Thomas Truman, wr Bonheddig o Bant Lliwydd ym Morganwg'. Following on pp. 1-113 is genealogical, heraldic, and historical or pseudo-historical material extracted [by Edward Williams] from the manuscript generally known as 'Llyfr Du Pant Lliwydd' (Llanover MS E. 3., now NLW MS 13165B; see notes on pp. 1, 6, 37, 54, 68, 79, 103 of present volume), and also from a source referred to as 'Llyfr Coch Pant Lliwydd' (see pp. 105, 113 of present volume). Included are sections with the superscriptions 'Llyma Arfau y Brytaniaid o Ynys Prydain', 'Llyma arfay y Cwngcwerwyr a fyont ym Morganwc', 'Llyma Bymthegllwyth Gwynedd', 'Llyma enway y Brenhinoedd', 'Llyma Enway y Prifddinesydd a wnaeth y Brytaniaid . . .', 'Llyma enway y Pedwar Brenin ar hugain o Frenhinoedd Ynys Prydain a farnwyd yn gydarnaf ac yn wrolaf . . .', etc. P. 129 is inscribed 'Achoedd Saint Ynys Prydain o amrafaelion Lyfrau', and, according to notes on the same page, the section following was intended to contain genealogies of British or Welsh saints extracted from three sources, viz. (1) 'Achoedd Saint Ynys Prydain o Lyfr Du Pantlliwydd sef eiddo Mr. Thomas Truman', (2) 'Achoedd Saint Cenedl y Cymry o Lyfr Dafydd Morgan o Aberdar', and (3) 'Achau Saint Ynys Prydain o Lyfr Siencyn Morgan o Benn Rhiw Ferr'. Of these three genealogical lists, however, only the first was actually copied or transcribed (see pp. 131-8). The superscription only of the second list appears on p. 139, and there is no further mention of the third list. Pp. 149-53, under the superscription 'Anecdotes of Beaupre Castle (as it is always called in old MSS.) in Glamorganshire', contain notes on the careers of Llywelyn ap Seisyll, prince of South Wales, 1015-21, and his son Gruffith, prince of South Wales and North Wales, 1021-60, and pp. 165-80 notes on Welsh history based on the narrative in Percy E[n]derbie [: Cambria Triumphans . . . (London, 1661)]. P. 181 is inscribed 'Genealogical Extracts, Historical, relating to The Principality of Wales and more especially to the County of Glamorgan, Collected by Edward Williams', and is followed (pp. 183-208) by genealogical data relating to the Butler and Vaughan families of Dunraven [co. Glamorgan], and the Bassett family mainly of Beaupre [also co. Glamorgan]. Pp. 229-40 contain genealogical data relating to the fifteen (recte I-XVI) tribes of Gwynedd ('Llyma Wehelyth Pymtheg Llwyth Gwynedd . . . ') with annotations relating thereto, and notes referring to the activities of Robert Fychan of Hengwrt as a collector of manuscripts. P. 257 bears the inscription Tigion Hanesiawl allan o hen Lyfrau Achoedd Pendefigion a Bonheddigion Cenedl y Cymry a Chwiliwyd allan gan Iolo Morganwg, B.B.D., Rhann II, 1812’, and is followed (pp. 259-end, previously paginated 1-134) by a miscellany containing miscellaneous genealogical data relating to the ancestors or descendants of, inter alias, lestyn ab Gwrgan, lord of Morgannwg, Ednyved Vychan, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Rhys Brydydd 'o Lanharan', King Arthur, Taliesin Ben Beirdd, Asser Ddoeth, Dafydd Ddu gynllwynwr, and Rhodri Mawr, and to the family of Gawntlo of Tre Gawntlo and associated families; some heraldic material including sections with the superscriptions 'Llyma Arfau y Gwyr anrhaith a ddaethant gyd (sic) Syr Rhobert ab Amon i Forganwg', and 'Llyma Arfau y Pendefigion a ddifeddianwyd o'u Tiroedd a'u Da gan Syr Rhobert ab Amon a'i Farchogion anrhaith'; occasional historical or pseudo-historical data or anecdotes relating to, inter alias, Ieuan ap Lleision and Owain Glyndyfrdwy, Madawc Min, bishop of Bangor, and the betrayal of Llywelyn ap Seisyllt and Gruffudd, his son, Taliesin ab Henwg or Taliesin Ben Beirdd and Elphin, and Rhodri Mawr; and other miscellaneous items.