Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire

Breconshire is in Powys.

In 1589 Robert Knollys (age 41) was elected MP Breconshire.

In 1597 Robert Knollys (age 49) was elected MP Breconshire.

In 1601 Robert Knollys (age 53) was elected MP Breconshire.

In 1614 Charles Vaughan of Porthamal (age 24) was elected MP Breconshire.

In 1625 Charles Vaughan of Porthamal (age 35) was elected MP Breconshire.

In 1787 Charles Gould aka Morgan 1st Baronet (age 60) was elected MP Breconshire which seat he held until 1806.

In 1869 Edward Villiers 5th Earl Clarendon (age 22) was elected MP Breconshire which seat he held until 1870.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Abergele

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Bodelwyddan Abergele

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Black Mountains

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Black Mountains, Rhiw Cwnstab [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 4. From thence59 we proceeded through the narrow, woody tract called the bad pass of Coed Grono, leaving the noble monastery of Lanthoni, inclosed by its mountains, on our left. The castle of Abergevenni [Map] is so called from its situation at the confluence of the river Gevenni with the Usk.

Note 59. The last chapter having been wholly digressive, we must now recur back to Brecknock, or rather, perhaps, to our author's residence at Landeu [Map], where we left him, and from thence accompany him to Abergavenny. It appears that from Landeu [Map] he took the road to Talgarth [Map], a small village a little to the south east of the road leading from Brecknock to Hay; from whence, climbing up a steep ascent, now called Rhiw Cwnstabl [Map], or the Constable's ascent, he crossed the black mountains of Llaneliew to the source of the Gronwy-fawr river, which rises in that eminence, and pursues its rapid course into the Vale of Usk. From thence a rugged and uneven track descends suddenly into a narrow glen, formed by the torrent of the Gronwy, between steep, impending mountains; bleak and barren for the first four or five miles, but afterwards wooded to the very margin of the stream. A high ledge of grassy hills on the left hand, of which the principal is called the Bal, or Y Fal [Map], divides this formidable pass (the "Malus passus" of Giraldus) from the vale of Ewyas, in which stands the noble monastery of Llanthoni, "montibus suis inclusum," encircled by its mountains. The road at length emerging from this deep recess of Coed Grono, or Cwm Gronwy, the vale of the river Gronwy, crosses the river at a place called Pont Escob, or the Bishop's bridge [Map], probably so called from this very circumstance of its having been now passed by the archbishop and his suite, and is continued through the forest of Moel, till it joins the Hereford road, about two miles from Abergavenny. This formidable defile is at least nine miles in length.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Black Mountains, Y Fal aka Sugar Loaf [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 4. From thence59 we proceeded through the narrow, woody tract called the bad pass of Coed Grono, leaving the noble monastery of Lanthoni, inclosed by its mountains, on our left. The castle of Abergevenni [Map] is so called from its situation at the confluence of the river Gevenni with the Usk.

Note 59. The last chapter having been wholly digressive, we must now recur back to Brecknock, or rather, perhaps, to our author's residence at Landeu [Map], where we left him, and from thence accompany him to Abergavenny. It appears that from Landeu [Map] he took the road to Talgarth [Map], a small village a little to the south east of the road leading from Brecknock to Hay; from whence, climbing up a steep ascent, now called Rhiw Cwnstabl [Map], or the Constable's ascent, he crossed the black mountains of Llaneliew to the source of the Gronwy-fawr river, which rises in that eminence, and pursues its rapid course into the Vale of Usk. From thence a rugged and uneven track descends suddenly into a narrow glen, formed by the torrent of the Gronwy, between steep, impending mountains; bleak and barren for the first four or five miles, but afterwards wooded to the very margin of the stream. A high ledge of grassy hills on the left hand, of which the principal is called the Bal, or Y Fal [Map], divides this formidable pass (the "Malus passus" of Giraldus) from the vale of Ewyas, in which stands the noble monastery of Llanthoni, "montibus suis inclusum," encircled by its mountains. The road at length emerging from this deep recess of Coed Grono, or Cwm Gronwy, the vale of the river Gronwy, crosses the river at a place called Pont Escob, or the Bishop's bridge [Map], probably so called from this very circumstance of its having been now passed by the archbishop and his suite, and is continued through the forest of Moel, till it joins the Hereford road, about two miles from Abergavenny. This formidable defile is at least nine miles in length.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Blaenllynfi Castle [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. I have determined not to omit mentioning those occurrences worthy of note which happened in these parts in our days. It came to pass before that great war, in which nearly all this province was destroyed by the sons of Jestin,28 that the large lake, and the river Leveni,29 which flows from it into the Wye, opposite Glasbyry [Map], were tinged with a deep green colour. The old people of the country were consulted, and answered, that a short time before the great desolation30 caused by Howel, son of Meredyth, the water had been coloured in a similar manner. About the same time, a chaplain, whose name was Hugo, being engaged to officiate at the chapel of Saint Nicholas, in the castle of Aberhodni, saw in a dream a venerable man standing near him, and saying, "Tell thy lord William de Braose,31 who has the audacity to retain the property granted to the chapel of Saint Nicholas for charitable uses, these words: 'The public treasury takes away that which Christ does not receive; and thou wilt then give to an impious soldier, what thou wilt not give to a priest.'" This vision having been repeated three times, he went to the archdeacon of the place, at Landeu [Map], and related to him what had happened. The archdeacon immediately knew them to be the words of Augustine; and shewing him that part of his writings where they were found, explained to him the case to which they applied. He reproaches persons who held back tithes and other ecclesiastical dues; and what he there threatens, certainly in a short time befell this withholder of them: for in our time we have duly and undoubtedly seen, that princes who have usurped ecclesiastical benefices (and particularly king Henry the Second, who laboured under this vice more than others), have profusely squandered the treasures of the church, and given away to hired soldiers what in justice should have been given only to priests.

Note 28. Iestyn ap Gwrgant was lord of the province of Morganwg, or Glamorgan, and a formidable rival to Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of South Wales; but unable to cope with him in power, he prevailed on Robert Fitzhamon, a Norman knight, to come to his assistance.

Note 29. This little river rises near the ruins of Blanllyfni castle [Map], between Llangorse pool and the turnpike road leading from Brecknock to Abergavenny, and empties itself into the river Usk, near Glasbury.

Note 30. The great desolation here alluded to, is attributed by Dr. Powel to Howel and Meredyth, sons of Edwyn ap Eineon; not to Howel, son of Meredith. In the year 1021, they conspired against Llewelyn ap Sitsyllt, and slew him: Meredith was slain in 1033, and Howel in 1043.

Note 31. William de Breusa, or Braose, was by extraction a Norman, and had extensive possessions in England, as well as Normandy: he was succeeded by his son Philip, who, in the reign of William Rufus, favoured the cause of king Henry against Robert Curthose, duke of Normandy; and being afterwards rebellious to his sovereign, was disinherited of his lands. By his marriage with Berta, daughter of Milo, earl of Hereford, he gained a rich inheritance in Brecknock, Overwent, and Gower. He left issue two sons: William (age 43) and Philip: William married Maude de Saint Wallery (age 32), and succeeded to the great estate of his father and mother, which he kept in peaceable possession during the reigns of king Henry II. and king Richard I. In order to avoid the persecutions of king John, he retired with his family to Ireland; and from thence returned into Wales; on hearing of the king's arrival in Ireland, his wife Maude fled with her sons into Scotland, where she was taken prisoner, and in the year 1210 committed, with William, her son and heir, to Corf castle [Map], and there miserably starved to death, by order of king John; her husband, William de Braose, escaped into France, disguised, and dying there, was buried in the abbey church of Saint Victor, at Paris. The family of Saint Walery, or Valery, derived their name from a sea-port in France.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Brecon Beacons

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Brecon Beacons, Arthur's Chair [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. The lake [Llangorse Lake, Breconshire [Map]] also48 (according to the testimony of the inhabitants) is celebrated for its miracles; for, as we have before observed, it sometimes assumed a greenish hue, so in our days it has appeared to be tinged with red, not universally, but as if blood flowed partially through certain veins and small channels. Moreover it is sometimes seen by the inhabitants covered and adorned with buildings, pastures, gardens, and orchards. In the winter, when it is frozen over, and the surface of the water is converted into a shell of ice, it emits a horrible sound resembling the moans of many animals collected together; but this, perhaps, may be occasioned by the sudden bursting of the shell, and the gradual ebullition of the air through imperceptible channels. This country is well sheltered on every side (except the northern) by high mountains; on the western by those of cantref Bychan;49 on the southern, by that range, of which the principal is Cadair Arthur [Map],50 or the chair of Arthur, so called from two peaks rising up in the form of a chair, and which, from its lofty situation, is vulgarly ascribed to Arthur, the most distinguished king of the Britons. A spring of water rises on the summit of this mountain, deep, but of a square shape, like a well, and although no stream runs from it, trout are said to be sometimes found in it.

Note 48. The lake of Brecheinoc [Map] bears the several names of Llyn Savaddan, Brecinau-mere, Llangorse, and Talyllyn Pool, the two latter of which are derived from the names of parishes on its banks. It is a large, though by no means a beautiful, piece of water, its banks being low and flat, and covered with rushes and other aquatic plants to a considerable distance from the shore. Pike, perch, and eels are the common fish of this water; tench and trout are rarely, I believe, (if ever), taken in it. The notion of its having swallowed up an ancient city is not yet quite exploded by the natives; and some will even attribute the name of Loventium to it; which is with much greater certainty fixed at Llanio-isau, between Lampeter and Tregaron, in Cardiganshire, on the northern banks of the river Teivi, where there are very considerable and undoubted remains of a large Roman city. The legend of the town at the bottom of the lake is at the same time very old.

Note 49. That chain of mountains which divides Brecknockshire from Caermarthenshire, over which the turnpike road formerly passed from Trecastle to Llandovery, and from which the river Usk derives its source.

Note 50. This mountain is now called, by way of eminence, the Van, or the height, but more commonly, by country people, Bannau Brycheinog, or the Brecknock heights, alluding to its two peaks. Our author, Giraldus, seems to have taken his account of the spring, on the summit of this mountain, from report, rather than from ocular testimony. I (Sir R. Colt Hoare) examined the summits of each peak very attentively, and could discern no spring whatever. The soil is peaty and very boggy. On the declivity of the southern side of the mountain, and at no considerable distance from the summit, is a spring of very fine water, which my guide assured me never failed. On the north-west side of the mountain is a round pool, in which possibly trout may have been sometimes found, but, from the muddy nature of its waters, I do not think it very probable; from this pool issues a small brook, which falls precipitously down the sides of the mountain, and pursuing its course through a narrow and well-wooded valley, forms a pretty cascade near a rustic bridge which traverses it. I am rather inclined think, that Giraldus confounded in his account the spring and the pool together.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Bronllys

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Bronllys Castle [Map]

Before 1160 William Gloucester died in a house fire at Bronllys Castle [Map] as a result of injuries sustained from falling masonry. Hugh de Beauchamp succeeded Baron Bergavenny Feudal Creation although nothing more in known about him. When he died around 1173 Bertha Gloucester Baroness Bramber, or rather her husband William de Braose 3rd Baron Bramber (age 44) subsequently succeeded to Baron Bergavenny Feudal Creation.

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. But of the five above-mentioned brothers and sons of earl Milo, the youngest but one [probably Henry Fitzmiles Baron Bergavenny], and the last in the inheritance, was the most remarkable for his inhumanity; he persecuted David II., bishop of St. David's, to such a degree, by attacking his possessions, lands, and vassals, that he was compelled to retire as an exile from the district of Brecheinoc into England, or to some other parts of his diocese. Meanwhile, Mahel, being hospitably entertained by Walter de Clifford (age 27),41 in the castle of Brendlais [Map],42 the house was by accident burned down, and he received a mortal blow by a stone falling from the principal tower on his head: upon which he instantly dispatched messengers to recal the bishop, and exclaimed with a lamentable voice, "O, my father and high priest, your saint has taken most cruel vengeance of me, not waiting the conversion of a sinner, but hastening his death and overthrow." Having often repeated similar expressions, and bitterly lamented his situation, he thus ended his tyranny and life together; the first year of his government not having elapsed.

Note 41. Walter de Clifford. The first of this ancient family was called Ponce; he had issue three sons, Walter, Drogo or Dru, and Richard. The Conqueror's survey takes notice of the two former, but from Richard the genealogical line is preserved, who, being called Richard de Pwns, obtained, as a gift from king Henry I., the cantref Bychan, or little hundred, and the castle of Llandovery, in Wales; he left three sons, Simon, Walter, and Richard. The Walter de Clifford here mentioned was father to the celebrated Fair Rosamond, the favourite of king Henry II.; and was succeeded by his eldest son, Walter, who married Margaret, daughter to Llewelyn, prince of Wales (age 15), and widow of John de Braose.

Note 42. Brendlais, or Brynllys [Map], is a small village on the road between Brecknock and Hay, where a stately round tower marks the site of the ancient castle of the Cliffords, in which the tyrant Mahel lost his life.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Bronllys, Croesllechau Long Barrow [Map]

Croesllechau Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Forest Coal Pit

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Forest Coal Pit, Coed Grono [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 4. [15 Apr 1136]. It happened a short time after the death of king Henry I., that Richard de Clare, a nobleman of high birth, and lord of Cardiganshire, passed this way on his journey from England into Wales, accompanied by Brian de Wallingford, lord of this province, and many men-at-arms. At the passage of Coed Grono [Map],60 and at the entrance into the wood, he dismissed him and his attendants, though much against their will, and proceeded on his journey unarmed; from too great a presumption of security, preceded only by a minstrel and a singer, one accompanying the other on the fiddle. The Welsh awaiting his arrival, with Iorwerth, brother of Morgan of Caerleon, at their head, and others of his family, rushed upon him unawares from the thickets, and killed him and many of his followers. Thus it appears how incautious and neglectful of itself is too great presumption; for fear teaches foresight and caution in prosperity, but audacity is precipitate, and inconsiderate rashness will not await the advice of the leader.

Note 60. In the vale of the Gronwy, about a mile above Pont Escob, there is a wood called Coed Dial, or the Wood of Revenge. Here again, by the modern name of the place, we are enabled to fix the very spot on which Richard de Clare was murdered. The Welsh Chronicle informs us, that "in 1135, Morgan ap Owen, a man of considerable quality and estate in Wales, remembering the wrong and injury he had received at the hands of Richard Fitz-Gilbert, slew him, together with his son Gilbert." The first of this great family, Richard de Clare, was the eldest son of Gislebert, surnamed Crispin, earl of Brion, in Normandy. This Richard Fitz-Gilbert came into England with William the Conqueror, and received from him great advancement in honour and possessions. On the death of the Conqueror, favouring the cause of Robert Curthose, he rebelled against William Rufus, but when that king appeared in arms before his castle at Tunbridge, he submitted; after which, adhering to Rufus against Robert, in 1091, he was taken prisoner, and shortly after the death of king Henry I., was assassinated, on his journey through Wales, in the manner already related.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Forest Coal Pit, Pont Escob [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 4. From thence59 we proceeded through the narrow, woody tract called the bad pass of Coed Grono, leaving the noble monastery of Lanthoni, inclosed by its mountains, on our left. The castle of Abergevenni [Map] is so called from its situation at the confluence of the river Gevenni with the Usk.

Note 59. The last chapter having been wholly digressive, we must now recur back to Brecknock, or rather, perhaps, to our author's residence at Landeu [Map], where we left him, and from thence accompany him to Abergavenny. It appears that from Landeu [Map] he took the road to Talgarth [Map], a small village a little to the south east of the road leading from Brecknock to Hay; from whence, climbing up a steep ascent, now called Rhiw Cwnstabl [Map], or the Constable's ascent, he crossed the black mountains of Llaneliew to the source of the Gronwy-fawr river, which rises in that eminence, and pursues its rapid course into the Vale of Usk. From thence a rugged and uneven track descends suddenly into a narrow glen, formed by the torrent of the Gronwy, between steep, impending mountains; bleak and barren for the first four or five miles, but afterwards wooded to the very margin of the stream. A high ledge of grassy hills on the left hand, of which the principal is called the Bal, or Y Fal [Map], divides this formidable pass (the "Malus passus" of Giraldus) from the vale of Ewyas, in which stands the noble monastery of Llanthoni, "montibus suis inclusum," encircled by its mountains. The road at length emerging from this deep recess of Coed Grono, or Cwm Gronwy, the vale of the river Gronwy, crosses the river at a place called Pont Escob, or the Bishop's bridge [Map], probably so called from this very circumstance of its having been now passed by the archbishop and his suite, and is continued through the forest of Moel, till it joins the Hereford road, about two miles from Abergavenny. This formidable defile is at least nine miles in length.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Glasbury-on-Wye [Map]

John of Worcester. 16 Jun 1056. Athelstan, bishop of Hereford, a man of great sanctity, died on the fourth of the ides [the 10th] of February, at the episcopal vill called Bosanbyrig [Bosbury]; his body was carried to Hereford, and buried in the church [Map] which he himself had built from the foundations. He was succeeded by Leovegar, earl Harold's chaplain, who, on the sixteenth of the calends [the 16th] of June in the same year, together with his clerks and Ethelnoth the vice-reeve and many others, was massacred by Griffyth, king of Wales, at a place called Claftbyrig [Map]. He held the see only eleven weeks and four days. On his being thus cut off, the bishopric of Hereford was administered by Aldred, bishop of Worcester, until a successor could be appointed. This same bishop Aldred and the earls Leofric and Harold (age 34) afterwards reconciled Griffyth, king of Wales, with king Edward.

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. I have determined not to omit mentioning those occurrences worthy of note which happened in these parts in our days. It came to pass before that great war, in which nearly all this province was destroyed by the sons of Jestin,28 that the large lake, and the river Leveni,29 which flows from it into the Wye, opposite Glasbyry [Map], were tinged with a deep green colour. The old people of the country were consulted, and answered, that a short time before the great desolation30 caused by Howel, son of Meredyth, the water had been coloured in a similar manner. About the same time, a chaplain, whose name was Hugo, being engaged to officiate at the chapel of Saint Nicholas, in the castle of Aberhodni, saw in a dream a venerable man standing near him, and saying, "Tell thy lord William de Braose,31 who has the audacity to retain the property granted to the chapel of Saint Nicholas for charitable uses, these words: 'The public treasury takes away that which Christ does not receive; and thou wilt then give to an impious soldier, what thou wilt not give to a priest.'" This vision having been repeated three times, he went to the archdeacon of the place, at Landeu [Map], and related to him what had happened. The archdeacon immediately knew them to be the words of Augustine; and shewing him that part of his writings where they were found, explained to him the case to which they applied. He reproaches persons who held back tithes and other ecclesiastical dues; and what he there threatens, certainly in a short time befell this withholder of them: for in our time we have duly and undoubtedly seen, that princes who have usurped ecclesiastical benefices (and particularly king Henry the Second, who laboured under this vice more than others), have profusely squandered the treasures of the church, and given away to hired soldiers what in justice should have been given only to priests.

Note 28. Iestyn ap Gwrgant was lord of the province of Morganwg, or Glamorgan, and a formidable rival to Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of South Wales; but unable to cope with him in power, he prevailed on Robert Fitzhamon, a Norman knight, to come to his assistance.

Note 29. This little river rises near the ruins of Blanllyfni castle [Map], between Llangorse pool and the turnpike road leading from Brecknock to Abergavenny, and empties itself into the river Usk, near Glasbury.

Note 30. The great desolation here alluded to, is attributed by Dr. Powel to Howel and Meredyth, sons of Edwyn ap Eineon; not to Howel, son of Meredith. In the year 1021, they conspired against Llewelyn ap Sitsyllt, and slew him: Meredith was slain in 1033, and Howel in 1043.

Note 31. William de Breusa, or Braose, was by extraction a Norman, and had extensive possessions in England, as well as Normandy: he was succeeded by his son Philip, who, in the reign of William Rufus, favoured the cause of king Henry against Robert Curthose, duke of Normandy; and being afterwards rebellious to his sovereign, was disinherited of his lands. By his marriage with Berta, daughter of Milo, earl of Hereford, he gained a rich inheritance in Brecknock, Overwent, and Gower. He left issue two sons: William (age 43) and Philip: William married Maude de Saint Wallery (age 32), and succeeded to the great estate of his father and mother, which he kept in peaceable possession during the reigns of king Henry II. and king Richard I. In order to avoid the persecutions of king John, he retired with his family to Ireland; and from thence returned into Wales; on hearing of the king's arrival in Ireland, his wife Maude fled with her sons into Scotland, where she was taken prisoner, and in the year 1210 committed, with William, her son and heir, to Corf castle [Map], and there miserably starved to death, by order of king John; her husband, William de Braose, escaped into France, disguised, and dying there, was buried in the abbey church of Saint Victor, at Paris. The family of Saint Walery, or Valery, derived their name from a sea-port in France.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Hay-on-Wye [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. Having crossed the river Wye, we proceeded towards Brecheinoc, and on preaching a sermon at Hay [Map],25 we observed some amongst the multitude, who were to be signed with the cross (leaving their garments in the hands of their friends or wives, who endeavoured to keep them back), fly for refuge to the archbishop in the castle. Early in the morning we began our journey to Aberhodni [Map], and the word of the Lord being preached at Landeu [Map],26 we there spent the night. The castle and chief town of the province, situated where the river Hodni joins the river Usk, is called Aberhodni [Map];27 and every place where one river falls into another is called Aber in the British tongue. Landeu [Map] signifies the church of God. The archdeacon of that place (Giraldus) presented to the archbishop his work on the Topography of Ireland, which he graciously received, and either read or heard a part of it read attentively every day during his journey; and on his return to England completed the perusal of it.

Note 25. Hay [Map]. A pleasant market-town on the southern banks of the river Wye, over which there is a bridge. It still retains some marks of baronial antiquity in the old castle [Map], within the present town, the gateway of which is tolerably perfect. A high raised tumulus adjoining the church [St Mary's Church, Hay-on-Wye [Map]] marks the site of the more ancient fortress. The more modern and spacious castle owes its foundation probably to one of those Norman lords, who, about the year 1090, conquered this part of Wales. Little notice is taken of this castle in the Welsh chronicles; but we are informed that it was destroyed in 1231, by Henry II., and that it was refortified by Henry III.

Note 26. Llanddew [Map], a small village, about two miles from Brecknock, on the left of the road leading from thence to Hay; its manor belongs to the bishops of Saint David's, who had formerly a castellated mansion there, of which some ruins still remain. The tithes of this parish are appropriated to the archdeaconry of Brecknock, and here was the residence of our author Giraldus, which he mentions in several of his writings, and alludes to with heartfelt satisfaction at the end of the third chapter of this Itinerary.

Note 27. Aberhodni [Map], the ancient name of the town and castle of Brecknock, derived from its situation at the confluence of the river Hodni with the Usk. The castle and two religious buildings, of which the remains are still extant, owed their foundation to Bernard de Newmarch, a Norman knight, who, in the year 1090, obtained by conquest the lordship of Brecknock. [The modern Welsh name is Aberhonddu.]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. Hay and Brecheinia. Journey through Hay [Map] and Brecheinia.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Hay-on-Wye Castle [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. Having crossed the river Wye, we proceeded towards Brecheinoc, and on preaching a sermon at Hay [Map],25 we observed some amongst the multitude, who were to be signed with the cross (leaving their garments in the hands of their friends or wives, who endeavoured to keep them back), fly for refuge to the archbishop in the castle. Early in the morning we began our journey to Aberhodni [Map], and the word of the Lord being preached at Landeu [Map],26 we there spent the night. The castle and chief town of the province, situated where the river Hodni joins the river Usk, is called Aberhodni [Map];27 and every place where one river falls into another is called Aber in the British tongue. Landeu [Map] signifies the church of God. The archdeacon of that place (Giraldus) presented to the archbishop his work on the Topography of Ireland, which he graciously received, and either read or heard a part of it read attentively every day during his journey; and on his return to England completed the perusal of it.

Note 25. Hay [Map]. A pleasant market-town on the southern banks of the river Wye, over which there is a bridge. It still retains some marks of baronial antiquity in the old castle [Map], within the present town, the gateway of which is tolerably perfect. A high raised tumulus adjoining the church [St Mary's Church, Hay-on-Wye [Map]] marks the site of the more ancient fortress. The more modern and spacious castle owes its foundation probably to one of those Norman lords, who, about the year 1090, conquered this part of Wales. Little notice is taken of this castle in the Welsh chronicles; but we are informed that it was destroyed in 1231, by Henry II., and that it was refortified by Henry III.

Note 26. Llanddew [Map], a small village, about two miles from Brecknock, on the left of the road leading from thence to Hay; its manor belongs to the bishops of Saint David's, who had formerly a castellated mansion there, of which some ruins still remain. The tithes of this parish are appropriated to the archdeaconry of Brecknock, and here was the residence of our author Giraldus, which he mentions in several of his writings, and alludes to with heartfelt satisfaction at the end of the third chapter of this Itinerary.

Note 27. Aberhodni [Map], the ancient name of the town and castle of Brecknock, derived from its situation at the confluence of the river Hodni with the Usk. The castle and two religious buildings, of which the remains are still extant, owed their foundation to Bernard de Newmarch, a Norman knight, who, in the year 1090, obtained by conquest the lordship of Brecknock. [The modern Welsh name is Aberhonddu.]

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Hay-on-Wye, St Mary's Church [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. Having crossed the river Wye, we proceeded towards Brecheinoc, and on preaching a sermon at Hay [Map],25 we observed some amongst the multitude, who were to be signed with the cross (leaving their garments in the hands of their friends or wives, who endeavoured to keep them back), fly for refuge to the archbishop in the castle. Early in the morning we began our journey to Aberhodni [Map], and the word of the Lord being preached at Landeu [Map],26 we there spent the night. The castle and chief town of the province, situated where the river Hodni joins the river Usk, is called Aberhodni [Map];27 and every place where one river falls into another is called Aber in the British tongue. Landeu [Map] signifies the church of God. The archdeacon of that place (Giraldus) presented to the archbishop his work on the Topography of Ireland, which he graciously received, and either read or heard a part of it read attentively every day during his journey; and on his return to England completed the perusal of it.

Note 25. Hay [Map]. A pleasant market-town on the southern banks of the river Wye, over which there is a bridge. It still retains some marks of baronial antiquity in the old castle [Map], within the present town, the gateway of which is tolerably perfect. A high raised tumulus adjoining the church [St Mary's Church, Hay-on-Wye [Map]] marks the site of the more ancient fortress. The more modern and spacious castle owes its foundation probably to one of those Norman lords, who, about the year 1090, conquered this part of Wales. Little notice is taken of this castle in the Welsh chronicles; but we are informed that it was destroyed in 1231, by Henry II., and that it was refortified by Henry III.

Note 26. Llanddew [Map], a small village, about two miles from Brecknock, on the left of the road leading from thence to Hay; its manor belongs to the bishops of Saint David's, who had formerly a castellated mansion there, of which some ruins still remain. The tithes of this parish are appropriated to the archdeaconry of Brecknock, and here was the residence of our author Giraldus, which he mentions in several of his writings, and alludes to with heartfelt satisfaction at the end of the third chapter of this Itinerary.

Note 27. Aberhodni [Map], the ancient name of the town and castle of Brecknock, derived from its situation at the confluence of the river Hodni with the Usk. The castle and two religious buildings, of which the remains are still extant, owed their foundation to Bernard de Newmarch, a Norman knight, who, in the year 1090, obtained by conquest the lordship of Brecknock. [The modern Welsh name is Aberhonddu.]

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanafan Fawr

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanafan Fawr, St Afan's Church [Map]

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanddew [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. I have determined not to omit mentioning those occurrences worthy of note which happened in these parts in our days. It came to pass before that great war, in which nearly all this province was destroyed by the sons of Jestin,28 that the large lake, and the river Leveni,29 which flows from it into the Wye, opposite Glasbyry [Map], were tinged with a deep green colour. The old people of the country were consulted, and answered, that a short time before the great desolation30 caused by Howel, son of Meredyth, the water had been coloured in a similar manner. About the same time, a chaplain, whose name was Hugo, being engaged to officiate at the chapel of Saint Nicholas, in the castle of Aberhodni, saw in a dream a venerable man standing near him, and saying, "Tell thy lord William de Braose,31 who has the audacity to retain the property granted to the chapel of Saint Nicholas for charitable uses, these words: 'The public treasury takes away that which Christ does not receive; and thou wilt then give to an impious soldier, what thou wilt not give to a priest.'" This vision having been repeated three times, he went to the archdeacon of the place, at Landeu [Map], and related to him what had happened. The archdeacon immediately knew them to be the words of Augustine; and shewing him that part of his writings where they were found, explained to him the case to which they applied. He reproaches persons who held back tithes and other ecclesiastical dues; and what he there threatens, certainly in a short time befell this withholder of them: for in our time we have duly and undoubtedly seen, that princes who have usurped ecclesiastical benefices (and particularly king Henry the Second, who laboured under this vice more than others), have profusely squandered the treasures of the church, and given away to hired soldiers what in justice should have been given only to priests.

Note 28. Iestyn ap Gwrgant was lord of the province of Morganwg, or Glamorgan, and a formidable rival to Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of South Wales; but unable to cope with him in power, he prevailed on Robert Fitzhamon, a Norman knight, to come to his assistance.

Note 29. This little river rises near the ruins of Blanllyfni castle [Map], between Llangorse pool and the turnpike road leading from Brecknock to Abergavenny, and empties itself into the river Usk, near Glasbury.

Note 30. The great desolation here alluded to, is attributed by Dr. Powel to Howel and Meredyth, sons of Edwyn ap Eineon; not to Howel, son of Meredith. In the year 1021, they conspired against Llewelyn ap Sitsyllt, and slew him: Meredith was slain in 1033, and Howel in 1043.

Note 31. William de Breusa, or Braose, was by extraction a Norman, and had extensive possessions in England, as well as Normandy: he was succeeded by his son Philip, who, in the reign of William Rufus, favoured the cause of king Henry against Robert Curthose, duke of Normandy; and being afterwards rebellious to his sovereign, was disinherited of his lands. By his marriage with Berta, daughter of Milo, earl of Hereford, he gained a rich inheritance in Brecknock, Overwent, and Gower. He left issue two sons: William (age 43) and Philip: William married Maude de Saint Wallery (age 32), and succeeded to the great estate of his father and mother, which he kept in peaceable possession during the reigns of king Henry II. and king Richard I. In order to avoid the persecutions of king John, he retired with his family to Ireland; and from thence returned into Wales; on hearing of the king's arrival in Ireland, his wife Maude fled with her sons into Scotland, where she was taken prisoner, and in the year 1210 committed, with William, her son and heir, to Corf castle [Map], and there miserably starved to death, by order of king John; her husband, William de Braose, escaped into France, disguised, and dying there, was buried in the abbey church of Saint Victor, at Paris. The family of Saint Walery, or Valery, derived their name from a sea-port in France.

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 3. In these temperate regions I have obtained (according to the usual expression) a place of dignity, but no great omen of future pomp or riches; and possessing a small residence58 near the castle of Brecheinoc, well adapted to literary pursuits, and to the contemplation of eternity, I envy not the riches of Croesus; happy and contented with that mediocrity, which I prize far beyond all the perishable and transitory things of this world. But let us return to our subject.

Note 58. This small residence of the archdeacon was at Landeu [Map], a place which has been described before: the author takes this opportunity of hinting at his love of literature, religion, and mediocrity.

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 4. From thence59 we proceeded through the narrow, woody tract called the bad pass of Coed Grono, leaving the noble monastery of Lanthoni, inclosed by its mountains, on our left. The castle of Abergevenni [Map] is so called from its situation at the confluence of the river Gevenni with the Usk.

Note 59. The last chapter having been wholly digressive, we must now recur back to Brecknock, or rather, perhaps, to our author's residence at Landeu [Map], where we left him, and from thence accompany him to Abergavenny. It appears that from Landeu [Map] he took the road to Talgarth [Map], a small village a little to the south east of the road leading from Brecknock to Hay; from whence, climbing up a steep ascent, now called Rhiw Cwnstabl [Map], or the Constable's ascent, he crossed the black mountains of Llaneliew to the source of the Gronwy-fawr river, which rises in that eminence, and pursues its rapid course into the Vale of Usk. From thence a rugged and uneven track descends suddenly into a narrow glen, formed by the torrent of the Gronwy, between steep, impending mountains; bleak and barren for the first four or five miles, but afterwards wooded to the very margin of the stream. A high ledge of grassy hills on the left hand, of which the principal is called the Bal, or Y Fal [Map], divides this formidable pass (the "Malus passus" of Giraldus) from the vale of Ewyas, in which stands the noble monastery of Llanthoni, "montibus suis inclusum," encircled by its mountains. The road at length emerging from this deep recess of Coed Grono, or Cwm Gronwy, the vale of the river Gronwy, crosses the river at a place called Pont Escob, or the Bishop's bridge [Map], probably so called from this very circumstance of its having been now passed by the archbishop and his suite, and is continued through the forest of Moel, till it joins the Hereford road, about two miles from Abergavenny. This formidable defile is at least nine miles in length.

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. Having crossed the river Wye, we proceeded towards Brecheinoc, and on preaching a sermon at Hay [Map],25 we observed some amongst the multitude, who were to be signed with the cross (leaving their garments in the hands of their friends or wives, who endeavoured to keep them back), fly for refuge to the archbishop in the castle. Early in the morning we began our journey to Aberhodni [Map], and the word of the Lord being preached at Landeu [Map],26 we there spent the night. The castle and chief town of the province, situated where the river Hodni joins the river Usk, is called Aberhodni [Map];27 and every place where one river falls into another is called Aber in the British tongue. Landeu [Map] signifies the church of God. The archdeacon of that place (Giraldus) presented to the archbishop his work on the Topography of Ireland, which he graciously received, and either read or heard a part of it read attentively every day during his journey; and on his return to England completed the perusal of it.

Note 25. Hay [Map]. A pleasant market-town on the southern banks of the river Wye, over which there is a bridge. It still retains some marks of baronial antiquity in the old castle [Map], within the present town, the gateway of which is tolerably perfect. A high raised tumulus adjoining the church [St Mary's Church, Hay-on-Wye [Map]] marks the site of the more ancient fortress. The more modern and spacious castle owes its foundation probably to one of those Norman lords, who, about the year 1090, conquered this part of Wales. Little notice is taken of this castle in the Welsh chronicles; but we are informed that it was destroyed in 1231, by Henry II., and that it was refortified by Henry III.

Note 26. Llanddew [Map], a small village, about two miles from Brecknock, on the left of the road leading from thence to Hay; its manor belongs to the bishops of Saint David's, who had formerly a castellated mansion there, of which some ruins still remain. The tithes of this parish are appropriated to the archdeaconry of Brecknock, and here was the residence of our author Giraldus, which he mentions in several of his writings, and alludes to with heartfelt satisfaction at the end of the third chapter of this Itinerary.

Note 27. Aberhodni [Map], the ancient name of the town and castle of Brecknock, derived from its situation at the confluence of the river Hodni with the Usk. The castle and two religious buildings, of which the remains are still extant, owed their foundation to Bernard de Newmarch, a Norman knight, who, in the year 1090, obtained by conquest the lordship of Brecknock. [The modern Welsh name is Aberhonddu.]

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanelieu

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanelieu, Ffostyll North Long Barrow [Map]

Ffostyll North Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Archaeologia Cambrensis Volume LXXVI 1921 Miscellania. The Excavation Of A Megalithic Tomb [Map] In Breconshire by Colwyn Edward Vuilliamy (age 34).

v8KvnzVNThe farmstead of Ffostill is slightly over one and a half miles from the Breconshire border-village of Talgarth, in a north-easterly direction, and about the same distance from the foot of the northern escarpment of the Black Mountains. It is situated at the head of a gully which runs down from the foothills below the Range, and is on relatively high ground—just under the 1,000 ft. contour-line of the Ordnance Survey. Close to the farm buildings there is a most remarkable, if not unique, group of three tumuli. Fig. 1 will explain the placing of the tumuli [Ffostyll North Long Barrow [Map] and Ffostyll South Long Barrow [Map]] far better than a written description, and shows their peculiar arrangement. The axes of the two lower ones point respectively 21 degrees and 67 degrees east of true north. The mound which is marked "A" is a barrow of irregular shape (32 ft. by 29 ft.); while "B" and "C" are magnificent examples of the late Neolithic long barrow, of impressive size and massive construction.

Before proceeding with an account of the excavation of the long barrow "C," which is the main object of this paper, it will not be out of place to give a few particulars regarding the group.

The barrow "A," which bears external resemblance to the burial mounds of the Bronze Age, proved, on a pit being sunk therein, to contain characteristic relics of that period—namely, deposits of thick, unctuous charcoal; very small fragments of calcined bone, reduced in some cases to a white powder; and a few pieces of tiint, one of which was a triangular retouched flake. It had not been disturbed prior to my investigation, but the pit, sunk exactly In its centre, did not reveal any traces either of pottery or of a kist. The blocks of sandstone, of which it is constructed, have been placed with some regard for architectural method.

Colwyn Edward Vuilliamy: On 20 Jun 1886 he was born to Edwyn Papendiek Vulliamy and Edith Jane Beaven. On 04 Sep 1971 he died.

Long Barrows of the Cotswolds. Ffostyll North Long Barrow [Map]

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanelieu, Ffostyll South Long Barrow [Map]

Ffostyll South Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Long Barrows of the Cotswolds. Ffostyll South Long Barrow [Map]

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llangatock

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llangatock, Carn Goch Long Barrow [Map]

Carn Goch Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llangorse

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llangorse Lake [Map]

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 916. This year was the innocent Abbot Egbert slain, before midsummer, on the sixteenth day before the calends of July. The same day was the feast of St. Ciricius the martyr, with his companions. And within three nights sent Ethelfleda (age 46) an army into Wales, and stormed Brecknock [Map]; and there took the king's wife, with some four and thirty others.

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. This country sufficiently abounds with grain, and if there is any deficiency, it is amply supplied from the neighbouring parts of England; it is well stored with pastures, woods, and wild and domestic animals. River-fish are plentiful, supplied by the Usk on one side, and by the Wye on the other; each of them produces salmon and trout; but the Wye abounds most with the former, the Usk with the latter. The salmon of the Wye are in season during the winter, those of the Usk in summer; but the Wye alone produces the fish called umber,45 the praise of which is celebrated in the works of Ambrosius, as being found in great numbers in the rivers near Milan; "What," says he, "is more beautiful to behold, more agreeable to smell, or more pleasant to taste?" The famous lake of Brecheinoc [Llangorse Lake, Breconshire [Map]] supplies the country with pike, perch, excellent trout, tench, and eels. A circumstance concerning this lake, which happened a short time before our days, must not be passed over in silence. "In the reign of king Henry I., Gruffydd,46 son of Rhys ap Tewdwr, held under the king one comot, namely, the fourth part of the cantred of Caoc,47 in the cantref Mawr, which, in title and dignity, was esteemed by the Welsh equal to the southern part of Wales, called Deheubarth, that is, the right-hand side of Wales. When Gruffydd, on his return from the king's court, passed near this lake, which at that cold season of the year was covered with water-fowl of various sorts, being accompanied by Milo, earl of Hereford, and lord of Brecheinoc, and Payn Fitz-John, lord of Ewyas, who were at that time secretaries and privy counsellors to the king; earl Milo, wishing to draw forth from Gruffydd some discourse concerning his innate nobility, rather jocularly than seriously thus addressed him: "It is an ancient saying in Wales, that if the natural prince of the country, coming to this lake, shall order the birds to sing, they will immediately obey him." To which Gruffydd, richer in mind than in gold, (for though his inheritance was diminished, his ambition and dignity still remained), answered, "Do you therefore, who now hold the dominion of this land, first give the command;" but he and Payn having in vain commanded, and Gruffydd, perceiving that it was necessary for him to do so in his turn, dismounted from his horse, and falling on his knees towards the east, as if he had been about to engage in battle, prostrate on the ground, with his eyes and hands uplifted to heaven, poured forth devout prayers to the Lord: at length, rising up, and signing his face and forehead with the figure of the cross, he thus openly spake: "Almighty God, and Lord Jesus Christ, who knowest all things, declare here this day thy power. If thou hast caused me to descend lineally from the natural princes of Wales, I command these birds in thy name to declare it;" and immediately the birds, beating the water with their wings, began to cry aloud, and proclaim him. The spectators were astonished and confounded; and earl Milo hastily returning with Payn Fitz-John to court, related this singular occurrence to the king, who is said to have replied, "By the death of Christ (an oath he was accustomed to use), it is not a matter of so much wonder; for although by our great authority we commit acts of violence and wrong against these people, yet they are known to be the rightful inheritors of this land."

Note 45. The umber, or grayling, is still a plentiful and favourite fish in the rivers on the Welsh border.

Note 46. About the year 1113, "there was a talke through South Wales, of Gruffyth, the sonne of Rees ap Theodor, who, for feare of the king, had beene of a child brought up in Ireland, and had come over two yeares passed, which time he had spent privilie with his freends, kinsfolks, and affines; as with Gerald, steward of Penbrooke, his brother-in-law, and others. But at the last he was accused to the king, that he intended the kingdome of South Wales as his father had enjoied it, which was now in the king's hands; and that all the countrie hoped of libertie through him; therefore the king sent to take him. But Gryffyth ap Rees hering this, sent to Gruffyth ap Conan, prince of North Wales, desiring him of his aid, and that he might remaine safelie within his countrie; which he granted, and received him joiouslie for his father's sake." He afterwards proved so troublesome and successful an antagonist, that the king endeavoured by every possible means to get him into his power. To Gruffyth ap Conan he offered "mountaines of gold to send the said Gruffyth or his head to him." And at a subsequent period, he sent for Owen ap-Cadogan said to him, "Owen, I have found thee true and faithful unto me, therefore I desire thee to take or kill that murtherer, that doth so trouble my loving subjects." But Gruffyth escaped all the snares which the king had laid for him, and in the year 1137 died a natural and honourable death; he is styled in the Welsh chronicle, "the light, honor, and staie of South Wales;" and distinguished as the bravest, the wisest, the most merciful, liberal, and just, of all the princes of Wales. By his wife Gwenllian, the daughter of Gruffyth ap Conan, he left a son, commonly called the lord Rhys, who met the archbishop at Radnor, as is related in the first chapter of this Itinerary.

Note 47. This cantref, which now bears the name of Caeo, is placed, according to the ancient divisions of Wales, in the cantref Bychan, or little hundred, and not in the Cantref Mawr, or great hundred. A village between Lampeter in Cardiganshire and Llandovery in Caermarthenshire, still bears the name of Cynwil Caeo, and, from its picturesque situation and the remains of its mines, which were probably worked by the Romans, deserves the notice of the curious traveller.

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 2. The lake [Llangorse Lake, Breconshire [Map]] also48 (according to the testimony of the inhabitants) is celebrated for its miracles; for, as we have before observed, it sometimes assumed a greenish hue, so in our days it has appeared to be tinged with red, not universally, but as if blood flowed partially through certain veins and small channels. Moreover it is sometimes seen by the inhabitants covered and adorned with buildings, pastures, gardens, and orchards. In the winter, when it is frozen over, and the surface of the water is converted into a shell of ice, it emits a horrible sound resembling the moans of many animals collected together; but this, perhaps, may be occasioned by the sudden bursting of the shell, and the gradual ebullition of the air through imperceptible channels. This country is well sheltered on every side (except the northern) by high mountains; on the western by those of cantref Bychan;49 on the southern, by that range, of which the principal is Cadair Arthur [Map],50 or the chair of Arthur, so called from two peaks rising up in the form of a chair, and which, from its lofty situation, is vulgarly ascribed to Arthur, the most distinguished king of the Britons. A spring of water rises on the summit of this mountain, deep, but of a square shape, like a well, and although no stream runs from it, trout are said to be sometimes found in it.

Note 48. The lake of Brecheinoc [Map] bears the several names of Llyn Savaddan, Brecinau-mere, Llangorse, and Talyllyn Pool, the two latter of which are derived from the names of parishes on its banks. It is a large, though by no means a beautiful, piece of water, its banks being low and flat, and covered with rushes and other aquatic plants to a considerable distance from the shore. Pike, perch, and eels are the common fish of this water; tench and trout are rarely, I believe, (if ever), taken in it. The notion of its having swallowed up an ancient city is not yet quite exploded by the natives; and some will even attribute the name of Loventium to it; which is with much greater certainty fixed at Llanio-isau, between Lampeter and Tregaron, in Cardiganshire, on the northern banks of the river Teivi, where there are very considerable and undoubted remains of a large Roman city. The legend of the town at the bottom of the lake is at the same time very old.

Note 49. That chain of mountains which divides Brecknockshire from Caermarthenshire, over which the turnpike road formerly passed from Trecastle to Llandovery, and from which the river Usk derives its source.

Note 50. This mountain is now called, by way of eminence, the Van, or the height, but more commonly, by country people, Bannau Brycheinog, or the Brecknock heights, alluding to its two peaks. Our author, Giraldus, seems to have taken his account of the spring, on the summit of this mountain, from report, rather than from ocular testimony. I (Sir R. Colt Hoare) examined the summits of each peak very attentively, and could discern no spring whatever. The soil is peaty and very boggy. On the declivity of the southern side of the mountain, and at no considerable distance from the summit, is a spring of very fine water, which my guide assured me never failed. On the north-west side of the mountain is a round pool, in which possibly trout may have been sometimes found, but, from the muddy nature of its waters, I do not think it very probable; from this pool issues a small brook, which falls precipitously down the sides of the mountain, and pursuing its course through a narrow and well-wooded valley, forms a pretty cascade near a rustic bridge which traverses it. I am rather inclined think, that Giraldus confounded in his account the spring and the pool together.

Time Team Series 1 Episode 4: The Fortress in the Lake was filmed between 16 Sep 1993 and 18 Sep 1993. It was originally shown on 06 Feb 1994.

Locations: Llangorse Lake, Breconshire [Map], St Paulinus' Church, Llangorse [Map].

Category: Time Team Early Medieval.

Time Team:

Tony Robinson (age 47), Presenter

Mick Aston (age 47), Bristol University Landscape Archaeologist

Carenza Lewis (age 30), Royal Commission on Historic Monuments

Phil Harding (age 44), Wessex Archaeological Trust Field Archaeologist

Robin Bush (age 50), Archivist.

Victor Ambrus (age 58), Historical Illustrator

John Gator, Chris Gaffney, Geophysics

Damian Goodburn, Ancient Woodworking Specialist

Mark Redknap, National Museum of Wales

Techniques: Magnetometry

Sources: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 916, Book of Llandaff Chapter 4 Section 7: Llan Cors, Book of Llandaff Chapter 8

Historical Figures: King Elised of Brecknock, Æthelflæd Lady of the Mercians.

Outcomes: Reconstructed Iron Age boat made from 3.5 tonnes of oak; a copy of an original discovered in Llangorse Lake in Brecon Museum. Metal working on site, shale ring. Boundary Ditch.

Channel 4 Episode

Book of Llandaff Chapter 4 Section 7: Llan Cors. 7. LANN CORS [Map].3 Know all Christians that Awst, King of Brecknock, and his sons Eliud and Rhiwallon, on account of the Lord, and out of personal friendship, have given in alms, in addition to their bodies for burial, Lann Cors, to Bishop Oudoceus, and all his successors in the church of Peter the apostle, and St. Dubricius, and St. Teilo of Llandaff, and with its fish, and fisheries for eels, and with all its territory, in form of an endowment, for ever, and with all its liberty in field and in woods, in water and in pastures, and with its refiige, and privilege, without govemor or sub-govemor, vrithout attending warlike expeditions either in the country or without, in a similar manner. Of the clergy, the witnesses are Oudoceus, Bishop; Sedoc a witness, Cynfran, Cynogan, Cynweon, Cynleg son of Columfran, Cynfau, Cynlywem, Cellan, Ádgar, Gwengarth. Of the laity, King Awst, with his sons Eliud and Bhiwallon, and others. Whoever will keep it, may the Lord keep him; but whoever will separate it from the Church of Llandaff, may he be separated from enjoying the company of angels. Amen. Its boundary is, From the influx of the Spring of the Twelve Saints into the Lake of Syfaddon [Map]1, along the rill upwards to the source of the spring, to the head of the dyke of Dywarchen, along the dyke to where it falls into the Llylhi, along it downwards to the top of Bryn Eiddal, to the left over the top of the hill to the source of the brook Afel, along the brook to the Llyfhi, along the Llyfiii to the Lake, along the Lake to the influx of the Spring of the Twelve Saints, where it began.

Note 3. Llangors, a parish in Breconshire, the church whereof is six miles E. S. E. from Brecknock.

Note 1. Llyn Safaddon or Llangors Pool [Map],— a beautiful sheet of water, about two miles in length and one in breadth, situate near Llangors Church [Map]. It is celebrated for its eels, which seem to have been of sufficient importance to be noticed in the above grant.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llangorse, St Paulinus' Church [Map]

Time Team Series 1 Episode 4: The Fortress in the Lake was filmed between 16 Sep 1993 and 18 Sep 1993. It was originally shown on 06 Feb 1994.

Locations: Llangorse Lake, Breconshire [Map], St Paulinus' Church, Llangorse [Map].

Category: Time Team Early Medieval.

Time Team:

Tony Robinson (age 47), Presenter

Mick Aston (age 47), Bristol University Landscape Archaeologist

Carenza Lewis (age 30), Royal Commission on Historic Monuments

Phil Harding (age 44), Wessex Archaeological Trust Field Archaeologist

Robin Bush (age 50), Archivist.

Victor Ambrus (age 58), Historical Illustrator

John Gator, Chris Gaffney, Geophysics

Damian Goodburn, Ancient Woodworking Specialist

Mark Redknap, National Museum of Wales

Techniques: Magnetometry

Sources: Anglo-Saxon Chronicle 916, Book of Llandaff Chapter 4 Section 7: Llan Cors, Book of Llandaff Chapter 8

Historical Figures: King Elised of Brecknock, Æthelflæd Lady of the Mercians.

Outcomes: Reconstructed Iron Age boat made from 3.5 tonnes of oak; a copy of an original discovered in Llangorse Lake in Brecon Museum. Metal working on site, shale ring. Boundary Ditch.

Channel 4 Episode

Book of Llandaff Chapter 8 Section 26: Tref Ceriau. 26. Village Of Tref Ceriaü, That Is Llanmihangel2, Meibion Gratlaun.

Be it known to all the inhabitants of the southem district of Britain, that a great dispute arose between Lybiau, Bishop of Llandaff, and Tewdwr son of Elised, King of Brecknock, because King Tewdwr sent off the Bishop from his monastery of Lanncors [Map] by himself, having taken away from him his banquet by force and violence. And so great an outrage having been committed, the Bishop on the morrow arose with his family, and left the King under a malediction and perpetual curse; and assembling together all the clergy of the whole diocese, situate between the mouth of the Taratyr on Wye and the mouth of Towy, in full synod at Llandaff, caused the King to be anathematized. And it was told to the King, and to the Bishop of St. David's, whose name was Lumberth3, respecting the curse that had been pronounced. And after an interval of time, messengers having been sent to Bishop Lybiau, and received by him, they met together in the monastery of Lanncors [Map]. And it was adjudged to Bishop Lybiau, that he should have five times the value of the attendants he had when the banquet was taken from him, and also seven times the value of the said Bishop, that is 700 marks of pure gold. King Tewdwr seeing that he could not comply with the judgment, sought pardon through means of his intercessor, Bishop Lumberth, offering, with the acceptance of penance, Tref Ceriau, to God, and to St. Dubricius, St. Teilo, and St. Oudoceus, and to Bishop Libiau, and all Bishops of Llandaff for ever. Pardon being given to him, Bishop Lybiau accepted that land, with all its liberty, without any payment to any mortal man besides to the Church of Llandaff and its Pastors for ever, and with all commonage in field and in woods, in water and in pastures. Its boundary is, — The highway which is on the south, by the thom bush, from thence as far as the river Tangeiel,1a which is on the north, thence by the brook eastward as far as the fountain Chenien; afterwards from this fountain through the diy valley which leads upwards as faras the aforesaid highway again, which is on the south. Of the clergy, the witnesses are, Libiau, Bishop; Lumberth, Bishop; Eneuris, presbyter; Divin, presbyter; Marchwydd, Cerenhir, Rhyfelwr, Dissaith, Henif, Redwn, Canadam, Cynog; of the laity, King Tewdwr, Mor, Sulbrit, EUystan, Bran, Serus, Avel, Davin. Whoever will keep it, may Grod keep him; and whoever will separate it fipom the Church of Llandafl may he be accursed. Amen.

Note 2. Probably Llanfihangel, or St Michael Cwmdu, Breconshire; see pages 414, 416, where its boundaries are described in nearly the same words.

Note 3. Lumberth, Bishop of St. David's. He was consecrated by Ethelred, Archbishop of Canterbury, and was Bishop in 872. He is the same person as Lunyerd, or Llywarch, mentioned by Godwin as the 30th Bishop of that See.

Note 1a. The river Rhiangoll.

Book of Llandaff Chapter 9 Section 8: Grant of Rhydderch Son Of Iestyn. And the Church of Llandaff, and Bishop Joseph, had possession of all the undermentioned in quiet and tranquil peace in the time when Rhydderch was King of all Wales, and by the admonition of JEbiod, Archbishop of Canterbury, and recommendatory letters of Canute, King of England. — ln Cantref Mawr1, I. Llandeilo fawr2, with its two territories. II. Llandeilo Nantserw.3 III. Llandeilo Garthtevir.4 IV. Llandeilo Mainaur Brunus.5 V. Llandeilo Bechan in the vale of Tivy. — ln Cantref Guartaf6, VI. Llandeilo Landibrguir mainaur.7 VII. Llandeilo Treficemiau.8 VIII. Llantoulidauc Icair.9 IX. Llandeilo Apercoguin.11 X. Llandeilo Pentwyn.12 XI. Llandeilo Lwynguaidan13, a village only in Efelfre. — In Pembroke, XII. Llanrath;14 and, XIII. Llancronguem15, with the three territories of Anuuth; their boundary is from the torrent of Gwrgan to Glanrath. XIV. Tref Carn,1a a village only, without a church. XV. Llaithty Teilo on the bank of the Ritec, a village only, near Penaly.2a XVI. Menechi,3a on the banks of the Ritec, near Penaly. XVII. Pwll Arda near Maenor bir,4a a village only. XVIII. Llandeilo a village only. XIX. The Church of Guiniau,3a where St. Teilo was born. XX. Porthmedgen,6a a village only. XXI. Porth maneich,7a mainaur Manuthiel. XXII. Dingueimhaf in lenion,8a a village only. XXIII. Llandeilo Litgarth,9a in the boundary of Dou cledif and Cemaes mainaur. XXIV. Llandeilo Cilrhedin in Emlyn.10a— In Ros,11a XXV. Lannissan Mainaur. XXVI. Bronlan. XXVIL Llangurfit.12a— In Pembroke,13a XXVIII. Ciltutuc14a XXIX. Penclecir.14a— In Pebidiog,15a Mainaur Mathru,16a XXX. Cenarth17a Mawr.

— In Brecknock,1b XXXI. Llangurvaet2b mainaur. — In Cantref Selim,3b XXXII. Llangoed.4b— In Cantref Talacharn,5b XXXIII. Llangors [Map].6b XXXIV. Llanfihangel meibion gratlawn.7b XXXV. Llan y deuddeg seint.8b — In Elfael,9 b XXXVL Llanfeilig and Llowes.10b XXXVIL Llandeilo y ciliau in the valley of the Bachawy.11b

Note 1. The northem portion of Camarthenshire, containing the hundred of Caio and Cathemiog.

Note 2. Llandeilo £Eiwr, Carmarthenshire, see pp. 321 and 322.

Note 3. Llandeilo Nant Serw, gnpposed to be in the parish of Caio, see p. 362.

Note 4. Uandeilo Garthtefir, — ^Brondeilo, in the parish of Caio, see p. 362.

Note 5. Uandeilo Rwnnws, in Carmarthenshire, see p. 364.

Note 6. Cantref Gwarthaf, — the westem part of Carmarthenshire, with a large portion of Pembrokeahire.

Note 7. Llanddowror, Carmarthenshire, see p. 321.

Note 8. Probably Trelech, Carmarthenshire, see p. 363.

Note 9. Llandeulydog, a church once so called, in Pembrokeshire.

Note 10. Llandeilo Abercywyn, see p. 363.

Note 11. Probably Henllan, near Llanddewi Felfre, Pembrokeshire.

Note 12. Llwyngwaddan, near Llanddewi Fel&e.

Note 13. Amroth, in Pembrokeshire.

Note 14. Cronware, in Pembrokeshire.

Note 1a. Probably St. Florence, near Tenby, Pembrokeshire, see p. 863.

Note 2a. Penaly, near Tenby.

Note 3a. Probably this place or Eccluis Gunniau is Gumfreston, near Tenby,flee pagedeS.

Note 4a. Maenorbyr, Pembrokeshire.

Note 5a. Situation unknown, see p. 363.

Note 6a. Probably Cheriton, Pembrokeshire.

Note 7a. Perhaps the same place as Mouncton, near Pembroke.

8a. Supposed to be Lanion, near Pembroke.

Note 9a. Llandeilo Llwydgarth, near Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire, on the borders of the hundreds of Dungleddy and Kemmaes.

Note 10a. Cihrhedin, Carmarthenshire, see p. 364.

Note 11a. The hundred of Rhos, Pembrokeshire,

Note 12a. In a copy of this grant giyen by Bishop Godwin, TeÜchdonman is inserted between Llangurfit and Ciltutuc.

Note 13a. Part of ihe hundred of CasÜe Martin, Pembrokeshire.

Note 14a. This place and Penclecir must haye been situated somewhere between Tenby and Pembroke; for their boundaries see p. 367.

Note 15a. Pebidiog or Dewsland, — the northwest portion of Pembrokeshire, sce paged69.

Note 16a. Mathry, Pembrokeshire, — for the grant of this place see p. 367.

Note 17a. Cenarth,— « parish in Carmarthenshire, see p. 367.

Note 1b. Meaning Biycheiniog or Breconshire.

Note 2b. Llandeilo'r fân, Breconshire, see p. 307.

Note 3b. Cantref Selyf, — an ancient division of Breconshire, see p. 374.

Note 4b. Llangoed, — an extinct chapel in the parish of Lljswen, Breconshire, see page 412.

Note 5b. The hundred of Talgarth, Breconshire.

Note 6b. Llangors [Map], Breconshire, situate 6 miles E. S. E. &om Brecknock, see p. 388.

Note 7b. Supposed to be Llanfihangel Cwmdu, Breconshire, see p. 413, which place however is not in the present hundred of Talgarth. «

Note 8b. Llan-y-deuddeg-saint, — the situation of this church is unknown; there IS a place in the boundaries of Llangors called Ffynnon y deuddeg saint, seep. 389.

Note 9b. El&el, — the name of an ecdesiastical division or rural deanery in Rad norshire.

Note 10b. Uowes, — a parish in Radnorshire, whose church is dedicated to St. Meilig, see p. 392.

Note 11b. Llandeilo Graban, — a parish in Radnorshire, whose church is 6 miles S. E. by E. from the town of Builth. The Bachawy is a brook that falls into the Wye near Erwood.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanhamlach

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanhamlach, Ty Illtyd Long Barrow [Map]

Ty Illtyd Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanigon

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanigon, Pen-Y-Wyrlod Long Barrow [Map]

Pen-Y-Wyrlod Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Archaeologia Cambrensis Volume LXXVI 1921 Miscellania. Excavation Of A Long Barrow At Llanigon, Co. Brecon.— This Long Barrow [Map] is situated in the parish of Llanigon, on a spur of the Black Mountains, at about the 800 ft. contour line, and close to a track-way which once led from the direction of Abergavenny, and over the mountain to a ford below Llowes, and so into Radnorshire. It is unrecorded except for a reference to it as a "Druidical Altar" in the Transactions of the Woolhope Club for 1898.

When the writers commenced excavations on it in September, 1920, four stones protruded some 6 to 12 in. through the surface, and evidently formed a small cist. The elevation of the mound is slight, about 4 to 5 ft., and the ovoid-shaped outline measures roughly, 50 ft. long by 30 ft. wide. The barrow is aligned through its longest axis nearly due east and west, the narrow end pointing to the west.

Operations were commenced by carrying a trench from the west stone of the cist for about 14 ft. towards the apex. This disclosed nothing but a mass of shaley stones, many of considerable size, some being as much as 4 ft. in length, laid mostly horizontallv, and showed the barrow to be a true carnedd or cairn, was verified later by openings made in other parts of the mound.

The east and west stones of the cist had fallen over and were leaning in a westerly direction; the other two had gone over to the north. The interior of the cist was next cleared, and consisted of stones up to 2 ft. in length mixed with a certain amount of black earth, and intermingled throughout with bones in a fragmentary state. The west stone measured 5 ft. in height and ft. 6 in. in length, and overlapped the two adjoining stones, which measured about 5 ft. in height and G ft. in length. The east stone fitted inside the north and south stones, and was only 3 ft. in. in height and 2 ft. 6 in. in length. The internal measurement of the cist was 2 ft. 6 in. wide, 5 ft. 6 in. long, and 5 ft. high. All traces of the capstone had disappeared.

Long Barrows of the Cotswolds. Pen-Y-Wyrlod Long Barrow [Map]

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llanwrthwl [Map]

The hoard was found on/around 21st February 1954 in a field of pasture known as Cae-gwyllt Bank [Map], belonging to Talwrn Farm. Two farm workers were clearing the field of stones for ploughing and found a large stone on its side weighing approximately 100kg, below which was a heap of small stones. Under one of these stones were two torcs of different sizes, and below these was another small stone, which covered a further two torcs. The findspot was near the southern corner of the field on a south-east slope in the Wye river valley. The presence of a possible marker stone, and careful concealment of the torcs, may imply these torcs were buried with the intention of recovery, or for safe keeping. Four years later a Middle Bronze Age gold ring was found about a mile and a half away.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llywel

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Llywel, St David's Church [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 1. The church of Luel [Map],23 in the neighbourhood of Brecheinoc (Brechinia), was burned, also in our time, by the enemy, and everything destroyed, except one small box, in which the consecrated host was deposited.

Note 23. Llywel, a small village about a mile from Trecastle, on the great road leading from thence to Llandovery; it was anciently a township, and by charter of Philip and Mary was attached to the borough of Brecknock, by the name of Trecastle ward.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Pipton

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Pipton Long Barrow [Map]

Pipton Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Porthammel

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Sennybridge [Map]

The River Usk rises at Fan Brycheiniog [Map] after which it flows broadly east through Sennybridge [Map], Brecon [Map], then south-east, under Crickhowell Bridge, Monmouthshire [Map], Abergavenny, Monmouthshire [Map], then under the Chain Bridge [Map] at Kemeys Commander, south through Usk, Monmouthshire [Map], under the bridge at Newbridge-on-Usk [Map], past Caerleon [Map] to Newport, Monmouthshire [Map] where it joins the Severn Estuary.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Talgarth [Map]

The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales: Book 1 Chapter 4. From thence59 we proceeded through the narrow, woody tract called the bad pass of Coed Grono, leaving the noble monastery of Lanthoni, inclosed by its mountains, on our left. The castle of Abergevenni [Map] is so called from its situation at the confluence of the river Gevenni with the Usk.

Note 59. The last chapter having been wholly digressive, we must now recur back to Brecknock, or rather, perhaps, to our author's residence at Landeu [Map], where we left him, and from thence accompany him to Abergavenny. It appears that from Landeu [Map] he took the road to Talgarth [Map], a small village a little to the south east of the road leading from Brecknock to Hay; from whence, climbing up a steep ascent, now called Rhiw Cwnstabl [Map], or the Constable's ascent, he crossed the black mountains of Llaneliew to the source of the Gronwy-fawr river, which rises in that eminence, and pursues its rapid course into the Vale of Usk. From thence a rugged and uneven track descends suddenly into a narrow glen, formed by the torrent of the Gronwy, between steep, impending mountains; bleak and barren for the first four or five miles, but afterwards wooded to the very margin of the stream. A high ledge of grassy hills on the left hand, of which the principal is called the Bal, or Y Fal [Map], divides this formidable pass (the "Malus passus" of Giraldus) from the vale of Ewyas, in which stands the noble monastery of Llanthoni, "montibus suis inclusum," encircled by its mountains. The road at length emerging from this deep recess of Coed Grono, or Cwm Gronwy, the vale of the river Gronwy, crosses the river at a place called Pont Escob, or the Bishop's bridge [Map], probably so called from this very circumstance of its having been now passed by the archbishop and his suite, and is continued through the forest of Moel, till it joins the Hereford road, about two miles from Abergavenny. This formidable defile is at least nine miles in length.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Talgarth, Cwm Fforest Long Barrow [Map]

Cwm Fforest Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Talgarth, Mynydd Troed Long Barrow [Map]

Mynydd Troed Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Long Barrows of the Cotswolds. Mynydd Troed Long Barrow [Map]

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Talgarth, Ty Isaf Long Barrow [Map]

Ty Isaf Long Barrow is also in Prehistoric Wales Neolithic Burials.

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Tretower

Europe, British Isles, Wales, Powys, Breconshire, Tretower Castle [Map]

Tretower Castle [Map] was founded as a motte and bailey castle by Picard, a follower of Bernard de Neufmarché. Probably around 1150, Picard's son, Roger Picard I, replaced the motte with a shell keep. By about 1230 a tall cylindrical keep was added to the inside of the shell keep, possibly by his great-grandson, Roger Picard II, and the space between was roofed over. At this time the earlier bailey was walled in stone and provided with cylindrical corner towers. In the early 14th century residential buildings were constructed away from the original fortifications forming today's Tretower Court.

Around 1820. Henry Gastineau (age 29). Watercolor of Tretower Castle [Map].