Welsh Journals

ABBEY CWMHIR. By the REV. D. R. Davies (Nantmel). THE glory of Abbeycwmhir, the monastery of the long vale, was, and is its Abbey. The Abbey was founded by CADWALLON ap MADOC, in the year 1143. That is an accepted historical and well-known fact, but we should know a little more about the founder, who he was, and who were his ancestors. We should know also something of the time and age of the founder. CADWALLON ap MADOC was the lord of the CANTREF of MAELIENYDD, and was descended in four generations from ELYSTAN GLODRUDD, founder of the fifth Royal tribe of Wales. Elystan was the sovereign of the territory between the rivers Severn and Wye, of which the poet sang, Blessed is the eye Be'twixt the Severn and the Wye." ELYSTAN GLODRUDD in English means. ATHELSTAN the Praiseworthy, and Athelstan the King of England, was his godfather. He lived in the years 927-1010. He gave peace and prosperity to his people, and so the old Welsh bards sang high in their praises of him. Some even go so far as to say. that this family was the only one seated in WALES in the time of the Romans. ELYSTAN GLODRUDD married GWENLLIAN, the granddaughter of HOWELL DDA. and had three children, CADWGAN, who married EFA, the sister of JESTYN ap GWRGAN, and was killed in 1093. NEST, who married RHYS ap TEWDWR. And ANGHARAD, who was the second wife of JESTYN ap^GWRGAN. RHYS and JESTYN were the princes of South ^Vafel The NORMANS played the one against the other, with the result that RHYS was defeated at HIRWAUN common, in 1090, and so they gained the whole of South Wales,