Page:Kalendars of Gwynedd.pdf/26

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Merionethshire.

was therefore always styled by Giraldus Cambrensis "Terra filiorum Conani" (6). A portion, if not the whole, of the Commote of Ardudwy formed at that time, and afterwards, but one Cantred with Eifionydd, under the name of Dinodyn, and was allotted to and held by some other child or children of Owen Gwynedd, probably by Roderic. (1) It is mentioned as one of the 38 Commotes of the 15 Cantreds of Gwynedd in the Parthau Cymru contained in the Llyvyr Coch o Hergest,(s) and with the Commote of Eivonydd, is assigned to the Cantred of Dinodyn, in the county of Caernarvon. It would also appear by the same topographical list, that Edeyrnion and Glyndyfrdwy were not, prior to the Conquest of Wales, part of Merioneth or of Gwynedd, but formed part of the Principality of Powys Vadawc. Up to the same time, and possibly much later, the Cantred of Arwystli, or Arustley,(9) which now forms part of Montgomeryshire, belonged to Merioneth. It is not mentioned in- cluded in it by the Statute of Rhuddlan, but in all the old records of the period (10) this Cantred, with its three Commotes, is assigned to Merioneth, and undoubtedly formed part of it prior to the year 1284. (11) It has been assumed that the fact of its forming part of the Archdeaconry of Merioneth at the present day, is evidence that at one time it was also part of the county. The addition of it to the Archdeaconry is, however, of modem date, and subsequent to A.D. 1724 (12) It is mentioned in Lloyd's (Powel's "History of Wales," published in 1584, as being then in Merionethshire; but this is clearly an error, as it had been attached to the county of Montgomery when that (6) Sir John Wynn, in his History, says-"Giraldus Cambrensis, in his 'Itinerarium Cambriae,' sayeth that the Cantreds of Llún and Evioneth were the possessions of Owen Gwynedd's children when he passed through Wales, and that they had two castles-the one in Carn Madrin, in Llún, the other called Dewdraeth juxta Montana de Emryri; which confirmeth that Ardydwy and Evioneth made but one Cantred, for Penrhyn Deudraeth, where that castle stood, is in Ardydwy." (P. 21.) But Sir John is not altogether accurate in quoting Giraldus, for the words of that writer are continued our over the Traethmawr and Traeth for the not is, 31 ikin the greater and the smaller arm of the sea, where two stone castles have newly been crected: one called Deu- draeth, belonging to the sons of Conan, situated in Evionyth, towards the Northern Mountains,"-versns Montana Borealia, &c., &c.-Hoare's Giraldus, Vol. II., p. 82). Giraldus cannot, however, be relied upon in his topo- graphy, for he places the Dysynni between Traethmawr and the Mawddach, and the Artro between Traethmawr and Traeth bach.-Ib. p. 83). Deudraeth was no doubt then, as now, in Ardudwy. Leland, in his Itinerary, that Ardudwy streccith from half Traitmawr to Abermaw on the shore xii myles. All Penrine pointe is in Meirionithshire." (Itin. Tom. V., p. 52.) says (7) Dr. Powel's Hist. of Wales, by E. Lloyd. 1584, P. S. (8) Llyma y modd i mesurwyd ac i rhanwyd Cantrevydd a Chymydau holl Gynrit, yn amser Llywelyn al Grufudd y Tywysawg diweddar o'r Cymry. Tair talaith a fu yn Nghymru; un yn Aberfraw yn Mon; a'r ail yn Ninefwr yn Neheubarth; a'r drydedd yn Mathraval, yn Mhowys; ac wrth Aberfraw i rhoed xv. Cantref Gwynedd, nid amgen." (2) So called after Arwystl, one of the sons of Cunedda Wledig. 04. (¹) Robert Vaughan, uf Hengwrt, [the Antiquary), in a description of Merionethshire, writes-"We find in an old Inquisition that the land between the Rivers Dyfi and Dulas (that is, the whole parish of Llanwrin), was in times past part of the Commot of Estum Manor." The old Inquisition to which Mr. Vaughan referred was no doubt the "Extenta Com' Meryonneth" comprised in "The Record of Carnarvon," and which was said by Bishop Humphreys to have been taken Anno 7, Hen. V. No mention of Edeymion, or the IIamlet of Nantmor, occurs in this extent. (¹¹) Lhwyd's Hist. of Wales (Powel), p. 8. Parthau Cymru-Llyfr Coch o Ilergest.

(¹) Browne Willis, Survey of Bangor, f. 277. Le Neve's Fasti.