‘ . . . the volume succeeds admirably. The content is
frequently concentrated and detailed but invariably lucid and informative.’ (Studia
Celtica)‘ . . . the volume succeeds admirably. The content is
frequently concentrated and detailed but invariably lucid and informative.’ (Studia
Celtica)
‘The editors can be congratulated for bringing together a book of high quality, with chapters that are rich in detail and valuable observation.’ (Archaeologia Cambrensis)
‘This well-illustrated substantial addition to the history of medieval Wales has been impeccably edited by J. and Llinos Beverly Smith, and beautifully produced by the University of Wales Press . . . The editors and contributors are to be congratulated on the range of this volume which explores more fully than one would have thought possible the historical experience of medieval Meirioneth.’ Friend of the Library (Newsletter of the Friends of the National Library of Wales)
‘ . . . sumptuous volume . . . It is a delight to handle. Its beautiful presentation and superb illustrations make it a feast for the eye. Its scholarship is profound and impeccable . . . Its publication is a resounding triumph.’ Heritage in Wales
‘Although the editorial introduction to this magisterial volume denies that it is ‘a definitive history of an inhibitive nature’, it is hard to imagine how it will be superseded for a long time to come. Although the progress of research on particular themes may eventually render individual points obsolete, much of the achievement of the volume lies precisely in bringing so much material together on a scale that is nowadays very rare. The editors and contributors are to be congratulated on seeing this project through to completion. The standard of scholarship is outstanding, each contributor being the acknowledged authority in the appropriate field . . . It is a major contribution to medieval Welsh studies with much to offer medieval scholars in other areas.’ History
“The volume is edited to the highest scholarly standards . . . this fine book deserves the attention of historians, not just beyond Merioneth but beyond Wales” English Historical Review
“It is heartening to see the production of an authoritative work of reference which will be a destination for many . . . the volume is certainly stimulating and forms an impressive achievement, marshalling a breathtaking quantity of information, historical and archaeological, in an accessible manner . . . the editors, the contributors and the Merioneth Historical and Record Society are to be congratulated on the final result. One hopes that those county histories yet to appear in print will aspire to similar high standards of scholarship, attention to detail and production.” Welsh History Review
This second volume in the History of Merioneth provides a study of the lands which were brought together to form the medieval county of Merioneth in 1284. A team of eminent scholars describes and analyses an extraordinarily rich and formative period in the history of the county from the early Welsh rulers to the end of the sixteenth century.
The Middle Ages is a major step toward the fulfilment of the Merioneth Historical and Record Society’s objective to provide a comprehensive County History from prehistoric times to the present day. The first volume, under the authorship of E. G. Bowen and C. A. Gresham, extended from prehistory to the early historic period and was published in 1967. This volume, originally under the editorship of the late Professor T. Jones Pierce and then the late Dr E. D. Jones, has now been brought to completion by J. Beverley Smith and Llinos Beverley Smith. It illuminates a period when Merioneth passed from native Welsh rule to English governmental control, when the county itself was created as an administrative and legal unit, when its landscape and social configuration were substantially shaped and when some of its most memorable buildings were constructed.
The Middle Ages is extensively illustrated with over two hundred line drawings and photographs, and covers such topics as the county’s political history and government the Church and monastic orders rural society, settlement and landscape urban society and trade the literary tradition of the county and its heraldry and the political and cultural history in the period following the Union. There are also chapters devoted to the castles, churches, monastic buildings and domestic architecture of the county.
The aim of this volume is to convey the richness of the historical experience of Merioneth, encompassing both written evidence in records and literature, and the material evidence of the county’s built heritage. The Middle Ages is the authoritative account of this period in the history of Merioneth as well as being a substantial contribution to the history of Wales in the medieval period.
Cymdeithas Hanes a Chofnodion Sir Feirionnydd
Gyda chyhoeddi`r gyfrol hon ym mis Tachwedd 2001 bydd Cymdeithas Hanes a Chofnodion Sir Feirionnydd yn cymryd cam pwysig tuag at gyflawni amcan a osodwyd o`i blaen flynyddoedd lawer yn ôl wrth arfaethu cyhoeddi cyfres o gyfrolau yn darparu ymdriniaeth gynhwysfawr â hanes y sir. Cyhoeddir y gwaith hwn, cyfrol ddarluniedig yn cynnwys oddeutu saith can tudalen, gan Wasg Prifysgol Cymru mewn dull a fydd yn unffurf â`r gyfrol gyntaf, helaeth a hardd ei gwedd, a ymddangosodd ym 1967.
Dosberthir y gwaith yn dair pennod ar ddeg, pob un yn gyfraniad gan arbenigwyr yn y pwnc dan sylw, yn trafod hanes y sir yn ei amryfal agweddau o gyfnod ei llywodraethwyr brodorol cynnar hyd at ddiwedd yr unfed ganrif ar bymtheg. Ymdrinnir â gwleidyddiaeth Meirionnydd hyd at oresgyniad Edward I; ei llywodraeth rhwng y goresgyniad a deddfwriaeth yr Uno, ynghyd â safle arbennig Edeirnion a Mawddwy; yr Eglwys a`r urddau mynachaidd; y gymdeithas wledig, y patrwm anheddu a`r tirlun; y gymdeithas drefol a masnach; traddodiad llenyddol y sir a`i herodraeth, a gwleidyddiaeth a diwylliant y cyfnod wedi`r Uno, pob un yn astudiaeth fanwl sy`n dangos cyfoeth a diddordeb arbennig y sir dros sawl canrif. Y mae`r penodau sy`n trafod y cestyll, yr eglwysi a`r adeiladau mynachaidd, a`r tai annedd, yn dangos etifeddiaeth gyfoethog y sir o ran ei hadeiladau, astudiaethau wedi eu darlunio yn helaeth gan fanteisio ar adnoddau Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru, Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Gwynedd a sefydliadau eraill.