Welsh Journals

THE COMMOTE OF CYFEILIOG IN THE LATE 16TH CENTURY BRIAN M. EVANS, M.A., PH.D. The old commote of Cyfeiliog, comprising the six parishes of Machynlleth, Penegoes, Darowain, Llanwrin, Cemais, and Llanbrynmair-thus being co- terminous with the present rural district of Machynlleth-is one which has a certain physical unity of its own. It may be said to comprise that part of Montgomeryshire which is drained by the river Dyfi and its numerous tribu- taries, and is thus separated from the rest of the county which drains eastward to the Severn. In terms of relief, climate, and soils, Cyfeiliog is typical of the poorer parts of Wales. The region is deeply dissected by numerous streams. The underlying rocks, shales of Silurian age for the most part, have weathered under the heavy precipitation of 50 "-70" per annum, to give thin and heavily leached soils, whilst other parts have been plastered by stiff and unproductive till, one of the products of the severe glaciation suffered during the Pleistocene. The floodplain of the Dyfi itself is of limited agricultural value. Although lowlying, the soils are composed of coarse detritus washed down by the rapid current, and the whole lowland is subject to frequent flooding. The above description characterises Cyfeiliog therefore as a representative region of highland Britain, which has its counterparts not only in Wales, but also in many parts of northern and western England, and of Scotland. Present day Cyfeiliog, it must also be admitted, shares the economic and social problems of the poorer rural areas of Britain. The population is declining-a process which has been going on intermittently for over a century. Much of the agri- culture is unproductive and marginal, and stands in need of painful adjustments. Industrial development is limited, and growth is difficult to foresee. Frequently we are told that the problems of such regions are rooted in the past, and bearing this thought in mind, I should like to examine Cyfeiliog as it was at the end of the 16th century. The choice of period is not fortuitous. We have for late Tudor Cyfeiliog an unusually rich and detailed collection of documentary material which enables us to reconstruct the economy and geography in considerable 1 Vide Watson, E., Ch. XII "The West Coast Region" in Wales, a physical, historical and regional Geography. Edt. E. G. Bowen, London. Methuen and Sons 1957. pp. 282-297. May, J., and Wells, S. F., Montgomeryshire. Report of the Land Utilization Survey of Britain. Edt. Dudley Stamp. Part 36.