A volume (pp. i-xxii; 1-449) containing miscellaneous items, many relating to Welsh bardism, in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). The contents include pp. 1-3, a note re the proclamation in 1795 of a bardic meeting to be held at Pen Bryn Owain in co. Glamorgan in 1796; 3-7, notes re the times of holding bardic meetings ('Cadair a Gorsedd wrth Gerdd a Barddoniaeth'), etc.; 7-16, eleven rules under the superscription 'Darbodau Gorsedd Gyfallwy Cadair Morganwg . . . ar Benn Brynn Owain ym Morganwg . . . 1795' relating to the conduct of bardic meetings, the measures, content, and language of poems, the bards, etc.; 25-8, a note of a proclamation in 1798 of a 'Cadair a Gorsedd ar Gerdd a Barddoniaeth' to be held at Pen Brynn Owain in co. Glamorgan in twelve months time, notes on the times of holding future bardic meetings '. . . ymmraint Cadair Orsedd Morganwg . . . ar ben Twyn Owain', and a geographical definition of the term Morgannwg in this context; 35-44., notes headed 'Coelbren y Beirdd herwydd Llyfr Llywelyn Siôn' being notes relating to the special alphabet reputedly devised by the Welsh bards for carving or notching on wooden surfaces and different modes of constructing wooden appliances or so-called 'books' which could be used as writing surfaces when utilising this alphabet; 51, an incomplete version of a 'question and answer' conversation between a teacher and his disciple; 55-6, notes relating to early British bards called 'gwyddoniaid', a bardic meeting between Prydain ab Aedd Mawr and three of these bards called Plennydd, Alawn, and Gwron ('Tri Phrif Feirdd Ynys Prydain'), rules for the bardic order formulated then, etc.; 57-60, English definitions of, or notes in Welsh on, terms of bardic relevance, e.g. 'Alban', 'Gorsedd Arddangos', 'Arwest', 'Cerdd Arwest'; 63-73, extracts of varying length from the works of Welsh poets ? illustrating bardic or poetic terms ('Bardic Allusions from the Welsh Bards'); 79, a note on 'Colofn Prydain (sef felly y gelwir y Gyhydedd Gyrch yn Llyfr Gm. Tew)'; 80-82, notes on Welsh literary production up to and including the fifteenth century mentioning Dafydd ap Gwilym, Llawdden, Harri ap Rhys ap Gwilym, Ieuan Brechfa, Edeyrn dafawd aur, Einiawn offeiriad, Dafydd Ddu Hiraddug, and Hopkin ap Thomas; 82-6, notes relating to an 'eisteddfod' held under the patronage of Gruffydd ap Rhys ap Tewdwr in Aberteifi and to rules concerning the order of bards and musicians formulated there; 87-8, brief notes on the bardic 'cadair arddangos' and 'cadair dwmpath'; 89, a note relating to the original of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, an extract from the said work, and a note on 'a circumstance . . . exactly similar' in a poem by Dafydd ap Gwilym; 90-91, notes on Dafydd ap Gwilym and his poetry; 92-4, notes on the Welsh alphabet; 95-? 104, the rules and customs of the bardic chair of Tir Iarll ('Trefnau a Defodau Cadair Tir Iarll'); 111-13, bardic miscellanea; 119- 22, notes relating to the rights, etc., of the bardic order with the superscription 'Llyma ddangos amrafaelion o arferion a breiniau a defodau a barnau a chyfarwyddyd a berthynent i Feirdd a gwyr wrth gerdd o'r hen Lyfrau'; 127-33, notes on 'Cerdd Gadair', 'Cerdd Deuluaidd', 'Clergerdd', 'Datgeiniad Cadair', and 'Datgeiniad Penpastwn'; (continued)

135-7 + 145, further notes re rules for bardic meetings; 142, two triads; 143-4 + 155, notes relating to ? the Welsh bardic alphabet; 154, a note on 'Tair colofn Barddoniaeth'; 157-9, notes relating to the alleged association between (a) Gruffudd ap Cynan and Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and the code of rules for the bardic order, (b) Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and 'regulations for genealogies and armorial bearings', (c) Rhys ap Tewdwr and the introduction of the 'Bardic Laws of the Round Table' from Armorica, and (d) Gruffudd ap Cynan and 'a musical sessions in Glyn Achlach in Ireland . . . 1096'; 171-4, a transcript of twelve stanzas of Welsh verse attributed to Siencyn o'r Crwys y Prydydd; 174, a list of 'Plant Caw o Brydyn'; 175, a transcript of a twelve-line Welsh stanza allegedly composed by Thomas Glyn Cothi on the occasion of the French landing at Fishguard in 1797; 176-7, genealogical data relating to the family of Iestyn ab Gwrgan and related families; 178, a transcript of an 'englyn' relating to Owain Glyn Dyfrdwy attributed to Ieuan Gethin ap Ieuan ap Lleision; 179, a few entries relating to events in Welsh history, 870-959; 180, a transcript of 'englynion' ? attributed to Hywel Ystoryn; 181-6, an anecdote and notes relating to ? the reputed poetesses of Ty Talwyn, parish of Llangynwyd [co. Glamorgan]; 187 + 193, skeleton notes on Llanilid, Llanharan, Llanhari, Llantrisaint, St. Donats, and Flimston [co. Glamorgan]; 188-9, historical and other notes relating to the parish of Merthyr Tydvil [co. Glamorgan]; 190, a list of 'Antiquities in and about Merthyr'; 191, a note on Mallt Walbi 'a Brecon virago' and leader of a gang of freebooters, and a list of 'Remarkable Parishes' [in Glamorgan]; 192, a list of 'Antiquities in and about Lantwit Major' [co. Glamorgan]; 205, extracts relating to 'Melchin, an ancient British author', 'Hu Gadarn', etc., 'Ex Celtic Remains by Lewis Morris'; 206-07, a note on heroic poetry and the attitude of the 'descendants of the Celts' towards it; 219- 22, comments on orthography arising out of [William] Owen [Pughe]'s innovations with regard to Welsh orthography; 223-7, notes relating to the formation of compounds and plurals of monosyllabic words in ancient Cimbric and modern Welsh; 227-39, notes relating to the original home of the Cymry and early druidism and bardism, etc.; 241, a short list of Welsh words relating to worship with English definitions; 242-4, notes on the principles of druidism; 246-51, notes relating to the 'Great Eisteddfod at Caermarthen' [? 1451], 'the system of versification that received the sanction of that Eisteddfod', the adoption of this system by the bards of North Wales and some of those of South Wales, its rejection by the bards of Glamorgan and their compilation of 'a system of discipline, of Poetical Criticism, of Versification, and of whatever appertained to their science', the death of the Carmarthen system during the reign of James I, Gronwy Owen's verse, and the Gwyneddigion Society's annual Welsh poetry competition and its attempt 'to restore the system of the Carmarthen Eisteddfod'; 252-4, notes relating to an 'eisteddfod' held at Nant Gonwy, 1 Edward IV, incorporating 'englynion' attributed to Dafydd ap Edmund and Twm Tegid Brydydd 'o Langower ym Mhenllyn'; 259-66 + 274-82, an outline journal of a journey from South to North Wales and back, July-August 1800, the places mentioned on the northward journey including Cowbridge, Bridgend, Neath, Caeo, Dolau Cothi, Pumsaint, Clydogau Mountain, Llanfair Cludogeu, Llandewi Brevi, Tregaron, Pont Rhyd Fendigaid, Hafod, Pont ar fynach, Llanbadarn, Aberdyfi, Towyn, Dolgelleu, and Blaeneu (a visit to [Rhys Jones, antiquary and poet] and transcribing of manuscripts), and on the return journey Llanfachreth, Dolgelley (mention here of harpists and of the origin of the triple-stringed harp), Carneddi Hengwm, Tal y llynn, Abergyrnolwyn, Aberdyfi, Aberystwyth, Llanrhystid, Tal y sarn, New Inn, Abergwily, Caerm[arthe]n, Llangyndeyrn, Pont y Berem, Llan Nonn, Cydwely, Llanelly, Pont ar Ddulais, Swansea, Llangynwyd, and Bridgend; 262, a transcript of twelve lines of English verse entitled 'Loyalty by a Cobler'; 264, a transcript of an 'englyn' attributed to Huw Llwyd Cynfel; 270-73, a Welsh saints' calendar; 306, a plan of a 'Sheepfold at the foot of Cadair Idris, another in ruins on the same plan Cefn Merthyr, several more in Glamorgan'; (continued)

307, a transcript of the 'title-page' of Edward Jones: The Bardic Museum of Primitive British Literature . . .; 308-13, a series of eleven Welsh triads ('Llyma Drioedd y Beirdd') with an English translation thereof extracted from pp. 1-4 of the aforementioned Bardic Museum by Edward Jones; 316, a medicinal recipe for rheumatism in the head; 317, a 'Plan of a school house or accademy'; 323-38, extracts from Sharon Turner: History . . . of the Anglo-Saxons [vol. IV], relating to the language, literature, and music of the Anglo - Saxons; 339-43, notes on, and extracts from, [Walter] Scott's 'Lay of the Last Minstrel'; 359-62, extracts from a review of Edward Moor: The Hindu Pantheon which appeared in The Edinburgh Review, February 1811; 367-70, brief notes relating to the poetic dialect of the Welsh bards, the 'ancient [Welsh] Prose dialect', 'the modern [Welsh] literary Dialect', and 'The Venedotian Dialect' and its use in literature, and comments on the efforts of 'A Welsh (would-be literary) Society in London . . . to patronize the Welsh Language'; 373-80, notes relating to the introduction of Scaldic bardism into North Wales in the time of Gruffudd ap Cynan and the consequent disappearance of the old British bardism in that part of the country, the preservation of the old bardism in Glamorgan, and the invigorating effect of the 'Scaldic manner or system' on Welsh poetry and the Welsh language, general comments on the moral tone of Welsh literature, etc.; 381, three 'grammatical' triads; 382, a very brief list of Irish words in the Venedotian dialect; 383, an extract 'Ex Vol. 35 Plas Gwynn Mon' [i.e. Panton MS 35 now NLW MS 2003] relating to the 'dymchwelawl' poetic metre; 384, a note relating to an old manuscript volume containing Welsh miracle plays in the possession of 'Dr. Thomas yn Llwyn Iwrch' in the eighteenth century; 385-6, comments on the practice of calling 'the ancient British Religion Druidical'; 387-9, general observations on the development of the 'system of versification and of poetical criticism . . . of the Welsh Bards'; 390, a brief note on 'Bardism or Druidism'; 391-2, a list of fourteen chapter headings for a proposed 'History of the Bards' [? by Edward Williams], with a note at the beginning 'A Bad Plan' and at the end 'The above is only the first rude sketch of 1791 and here only retained as containing a few hints that may be useful' (in addition to material on British / Welsh bardism and druidism and Welsh music this work was to contain chapters on Irish and Highland bards, Scandinavian scalds, Provencal troubadours, and Saxon and English minstrels); 392-4, a list of thirty-six topics or subject or chapter headings being 'Another arrangement' [presumably for the proposed 'History of the Bards']; 395, a transcript of three 'englynion' attributed to Gutto'r Glyn, the third being attributed also to H[ywel] D[afydd] I[eua] n Rhys (an accompanying note mentions an 'eisteddfod' at Cardiff Castle); 396-7, a list of six 'Topics for the Bards Common Place book'; 398, a list of dates ? in connection with the holding of 'eisteddfodau' at Ystrad Ywain [co. Glamorgan]; 399-400, notes relating to the 'Polity or Discipline' of the druids and bards; 407, a list of fourteen 'names given by the ancient Bards to the Coronog faban' (part Welsh, part English, and derived from [Thomas] Pugh [: Brittish and Out-landish] Prophesies . . . [ London, 1658]); 408-18, notes relating largely to early British bardism and druidism with mention of [James] MacPherson and the Ossianic poems; 423-5, miscellaneous triads, etc.; 426 + 430-31, general reflections relating to etymology; 427-9, reflections on the use of conjecture in history particularly 'with respect to the peopling of Europe and America' if no historical records were available; 431-3, notes relating to the dissension between the bards of North Wales and those of Glamorgan consequent upon the 'succesful attempt of Daf[ydd] ab Edmund at the Caermarthen Congress [? 1451] to establish his own system [of versification]', the researches undertaken by the Glamorgan bards into 'Bardic history and science' and their discovery of 'the true principles of Poetry and versification', etc.; 435-7, notes containing general reflections on changes in the Welsh language and poetry from the late thirteenth century onwards; and 438, a list of six Welsh triads.

A collection of traditions, anecdotes, and poems made circa 1870, by John Castell Evans, entitled 'Yr Hen Amser gynt, ei Veirdd, ei Varddoniaeth, ei Bobl a'i Chwedlau, sev Casgliad o hen Draddodiadau, Darnau Barddonol a Bywgraffiadau &c. yn dal cysylltiad yn benav a Gogledd Cymru yn enwedig Sir Merionydd ... Casglwyd, yn benav, oddiar lavar gwlad gan John Castell Evans, Pine Cottage, Millbrook, gynt o Gastell-y-Waen, Llanuwchllyn, Merion.'

A composite volume containing notes, lists, transcripts, etc., of a very miscellaneous nature in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). The contents, pagination in brackets, include reflections on looking at the ruins of medieval castles more particularly those of Glamorgan (xi + xiv); lists or groups of Welsh words, sometimes with English definitions and / or illustrative excerpts from Welsh poems (5-8, 11, 13, 42-3, 45-52 72, 117, 124, 145-7, 163, 215, 218, 221-2, 227-9, 231, 233, 243-7, 251-4, 268, 302, 307, 316); a list of the titles of 'Cywyddau Ior[wer]th Morganwg' i.e. Edward Williams himself (9-10); a seven-stanza poem entitled 'Cân y Bore' by [Edward Williams] 'Iorwerth Morganwg' (15-19); brief lists of events with dates extracted from [Henry Rowlands:] Mona antiqua [restaurata] and [William] Camden [:?Britannia] (20-21); an extract relating to the 'cantrefi' of Morgannwg from 'Vol. 17, Plas Gwynn' [i.e. Panton MS 17 now NLW MS 1986] (22); notes on laws promulgated by Sir Robert Fitshammon [in Glamorgan in the late eleventh century] (53); brief notes headed 'Peculiarities of the orthography of Mr. Bassett of Lanelays Welsh MS. History of the 13 Knights' (41); brief notes referring to the Norman knights Sir Lawrence Berckrolls, Gilbert Humphrefil, and Sir William Le Esterling and the lands given to them [on the conquest of Glamorgan] (39- 40); brief notes headed 'Llyma son am Dywysogaeth a Phendefigaeth a Bonedd Morganwg' (36-7); a list of sixteen [Glamorgan] castles with brief notes thereon (34-5); notes relating to Morgannwg ? in the late eleventh and first half of the twelfth century with references to Paen Twrbil, an attack on Cardiff Castle ? led by Ifor Bach, a political and judicial system ? set up by Ifor Bach, a law promulgated by 'ffwg Morganwg' against foreigners, etc. (30-33); brief notes relating to meetings of the Welsh bards held in the various princes' courts four times a year ? during the second half of the eleventh century, the supervision of the bards' use of Welsh by the princes, the patronage of the bards by Rhys fab Tydyr Fawr and Nest, wife of Iestyn [ap Gwrgant], and a meeting arranged between the said Rhys, Nest, and Iestyn (27-9); brief notes relating to the division of his domain by Rhodri Mawr amongst his sons, the conditions imposed on them, the status and duties of the kings of various parts of Wales, etc. (24-6); drafts of a proposed title-page for Cyfrinach Beirdd Ynys Prydain to be published in 1822 (57, 68); lines of Welsh verse to illustrate 'cynghanedd' of the 'groes rywiog' type (58, 67); brief notes on and a sketch to illustrate 'Cylch yr Abred', 'Cylch y Gwynfyd', and 'Cylch y Ceugant' (59); a list of bardic 'gorseddau' (60-61); notes relating to the creation of the twenty-four Knights of the Round Table by King Arthur and to the qualities and duties expected of such knights, a list of the twenty- four accomplishments they should be capable of, and a list of the names of sixteen of the said knights (62-6); a brief note relating to the bardic 'Cadair Tir Iarll' ? instituted in the time of Gilbart y Clâr (69); a brief note referring to the bards Risiart ap Iorwerth Fynglwyd and Hywel Hir ap Rhys ap Llywelyn (78); notes headed 'Y Ford Gron' referring to the organising of the Welsh bards, musicians, etc. (81-2); notes relating to procedure in connection with bardic meetings (86-7); a brief note attacking 'Win. Owen, Edward Davies, a'r Hen darn Tant E. Jones' (87); a note relating to the contents of 'Greal Beirdd Morganwg' ? an intended quarterly periodical (94); notes relating to the knowledge of letters amongst the Cimmeri on their arrival in Britain and amongst the Druids with references to Roman inscriptions and ancient British inscriptions (95- 6); brief notes on solemn days or festivals observed by Glamorgan bards and the bardic 'Round Table' of Morgannwg (113); an extract from a 'cywydd' attributed to William Cynwal ? illustrating certain bardic terms (115); an example of the bardic alphabet allegedly used by the Welsh bards (118-19); notes relating to the migrations of the Cymry and their coming to Britain ( 125); a brief note on the possible uses of inscribing on billets of wood, etc. (127); a list of ancient Welsh musical instruments ('offer cerdd oslef yr hen Gymry') extracted allegedly from 'an old imperfect MS. in Goetre Hen Library circa 1767 borrowed by John Bradford' (128); a note referring to the genuine poems of Taliesin and the spurious poems attributed to him, the writer disclaiming responsibility for including some of the latter in the 'Welsh Archaiology' stating that his main work in connection therewith had been 'travelling thro' Wales in search of old MSS.' (132 + 129); notes relating to 'coelbrenni rhin', 'coelfeini cyfrin', etc. (137-8); notes referring to the reintroduction of the bardic 'Dosparth y Ford Gron' into Wales from Brittany by Rhys ap Tewdwr, a meeting ? in 1075 between Rhys and Iestyn ap Gwrgan for this purpose and ? to organise the order of Welsh bards and musicians, a further meeting between the two in 1077 leading to a quarrel concerning Nest, wife of Iestyn, the coming of Robert fab Ammon and the Norman knights to Iestyn's aid, and their eventual conquest of his realm (139-41); a suggestion relating to 'Y Bardd Glas o'r Gadair' and 'cynghanedd' (142-3); notes relating to bardic ceremonial headed 'Dosparth y Ford Gronn' (149-51); notes relating to ? the proclaiming of 'eisteddfodau', etc. (161-2); a brief note on the 'bardd teulu' (163); a brief note relating to the intellectual state of the [early] Cymry (169); general remarks contrasting the poets of North and South Wales (170-71); notes relating to the fate of the souls and spirits of men after death (177-9); a note relating to the work of the 'Welsh bards as tutors' (181); an anecdote relating to Einigan Gawr and Menw ap y Teirgwaedd and the origin of knowledge (183); transcripts of two 'awdlau' attributed to Prolh o Gil Fai and Iorwerth Llwyd ap y Gargam, stanzas attributed to Gwalchmai ap Meilir, and unattributed verse (187-97); extracts from [Edward Davies's series of 'Letters on Celtic Literature to Mr. Justice Harding previous to the publication of The Celtic Researches'] with occasional comments [by Edward Williams] (205-11); (continued)

A transcript of three of the old Welsh 'englynion' usually designated 'englynion y Juvencus' with a version in modern orthography [all probably transcribed from Edward Lhuyd: Archaeologia Britannica, p. 221] (212); copies of two 'englynion' by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' himself (215); extracts relating to the early Cimbrians or Kimmeri and their connection with Thrace (223); miscellaneous extracts from Welsh verse (225-6, 239-40); a list of titles headed 'Odes by E. Wins.' (232); an agricultural note headed 'Irish Course of Culture' (233); a list of personal names headed 'July 28th Bath. Poems delivered to' (234); a list of Welsh phrases headed 'Phrases in common use in Glamorgan & also amongst the Persians and other Mahometans' (249-50); two lists of Welsh triads the first headed 'Dewisolion o Drioed[d] Cerdd Iaco ap Dewi gerllaw dechreu Llyfr Mr. Thos. Evans o Frechfa', and the second 'Trioedd gweddus ar ddyn & ex idem (Dewisolion)' (273-6); extracts by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' from one of Lewis Morris's manuscripts called Prif Ancwyn Gorhoff' being No. 43 of the Welsh School Manuscript Collection in London including a version of the statute for Welsh bards and musicians attributed to Gruffydd ab Cynan ('Statud y Gwyr wrth Gerdd o waith Gruffydd ab Cynan'), bardic triads, a list, with examples of some, of the twenty-four Welsh strict poetic metres, lists with headings such as 'Saith cas ar ferched', 'Chwe casbeth gan Dduw', and 'Cas gan hwsmon bum peth', etc. (277-93; this manuscript numbered 43 was one of the manuscripts listed as missing from the Welsh School Collection when it was presented to the British Museum in 1844, see B. M. Additional MS 14955); a list of Welsh triads headed 'Dewisolion o Drioedd gweddus eu dysgu Iaco ab Dewi (Ll. Th. Evans)' (294-6); a copy of a proclamation that a 'Cadair wrth Gerdd Dafawd' would be held 'ar dwyn y Bettws yn Nhir Iarll' in 18[?2]1 (301); extracts from the preface to Thomas Jones: [An] English [and] Welsh Dictionary, 1811, with a comment by E[dward] W[illiams] (304-05); a list of eleven Glamorgan river-names ('enwau nentydd ag afonydd Morganwg') (312); historical notes relating to Welsh poetry including notes on the 'Silurian School', 'a monster to whom we may apply the appellation of the School of Carmarthen . . . engendered between the false Taste of Dafydd ap Edmund and the ignorance of Gruffudd ap Nicolas', the establishing of the Carmarthen school in North Wales and its duration for two centuries, the decline of the said school and the emergence of a new school with the coming of bards such as Hugh Morris, Edward Morys, etc., the attempts of the Gwyneddigion Society to revive the Carmarthen school in North Wales, the song-writing tradition in South Wales, and Richard Hughes, the sixteenth century Caernarvonshire poet, described as 'the oldest song writer of undoubted authenticity' [in North Wales] (313-14, 311-12); horticultural and agricultural notes giving instructions what to do in each month of the year (324, 321-3, 326, 319-20 ); and notes headed 'Llyma'r ddosparth a wnaeth y Brenin Arthur ar gadw achau a chof am fonhedd Cynhenid Cenedl y Cymry' (328-9). Some of the notes are written on the verso or margins of an incomplete copy of a pamphlet announcing a literary competition (composing a 'cywydd') organised by the Gwyneddigion in 1822, a ? holograph letter from William Williams from Cowbridge to Mr. Williams, Geilston, 1806 (requesting assistance in 'taking estimat of the work unfinis'd at the bridwell'), and copies of a pamphlet announcing the printing of Edward Williams's two volumes of English poems entitled Poems Lyric and Pastoral. Inset is a printed copy of a circular letter from Thomas Stephens as honorary secretary of the Merthyr Cymreigyddion Society, 184 . . ., announcing the society's intention of holding an eisteddfod on (blank), stating what the objectives of the society were, and asking for subscriptions.