Welsh Journals

as Mr. Thomas Jones has shown, in his study of his Welsh adaptation of the Fascic- ulus Temporum of Werner Rolewinck, in The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, sessions 1943 and 1944 (London, 1946), pp. 35-61. Little is known of 'Sir' Thomas ab Ieuan apart from the details which he has himself pro- vided in the two surviving manuscripts compiled by him,-Peniarth MS. 127 and British Museum Additional MS. 12193. He was ordained in Rome and appointed notary to Pope Alexander, father of the infamous Caesar Borgia, in the year of grace, that is the jubilee year, 1500. His orders did not prevent him from rejoicing in a daughter, Catherine, born of Margaret, daughter of Tudur ap Howel Goch, in the summer of 1507. From this we gather that he did not remain in Rome long after his ordination and notarial appointment. He began to compile his Book of Pedigrees in 151c. The Book therefore illustrates the character of genealogical and heraldic knowledge in Wales at the beginning of the sixteenth century, before the outbreak of the genealogical fever which led to the extravagances of Tudor pedigree-mongers. The importance of this Book is enhanced by the compiler's training and status as a notary, though there is little evidence in his work of a critical approach to his subject. We would have expected a notary to have been meth- odical in his work, but the Book does not maintain a logical order of its material, except for very brief excursions. It begins with a pedigree of the Mortimer family from the time of the Norman Conquest, leading up to the descent of the reigning monarch, King Henry VIII. The author then pursues a variety of maternal de- scents, ending with the pedigree of Griffith ap Cynan. Lists of the children of notable Welsh kings, princes, and chieftains follow, e.g., Griffith ap Cynan, Rhodri Mawr, Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, and Cunedda Wledig; a list of the knights of King Arthur's court; and pedigrees of local clans and tribes and genealogies of Welsh saints. There is little attempt at a scientific arrangement of the material. The five royal tribes and the fifteen tribes of North Wales are grouped together, and in the same short miscellaneous armorial important Welsh families, the Nine Worthies, legendary kings of Britain, and English and Norman kings, are thrown promiscuously together. The text of this section of the manuscript can serve as an illustration of the nature of the compilation and of the peculiarities of the scribe. Variant readings from Peniarth MS. 127 (A) and Gwysaney MS. 23 (B) supply the means of correc- ting his errors, and the translation printed in italics at the end of each paragraph is made in the light of the variant readings. Pum Brenhinllwyth Kymru, ar Arue1 a ddygan2, ond3 vn, a hwnnw ni wn pa Arue1 a ddug. (The Five Royal Tribes of Wales, and the arms which they bear, except one, and that I know not what arms it bore.) Gruff: ap Kynan yng Wynedd, a hwnnw a fv dywssog4 yng Ngwynedd, a ddvg maes o Gowls tri Hew pasand o arian. (Griffith ap Cynan in North Wales, and he was a prince in North Wales, bore a field gules, three lions passant argent.)