Welsh Journals

THE DAUGHTERS OF BRYCHAN Their importance in the history of Breconshire By T. THORNLEY JONES I. The Brychan Family Lists. II The Daughters of Brychan. III. Pictish Settlements. IV. Formation of Brychieniog. V. People concerned in the Migration to the West Country. VI. The Settlements. VII. The Family of Nefyn. VIII. The Beginnings of Romantic Tradition. I. THE BRYCHAN FAMILY Lists Nearly all that is known about Brychan is to be found in a short Latin tract generally called the Cognatio de Brychan, of which there are two versions in the Cottonian collection of manuscripts.1 The Cogtatio could not be described as a life of Brychan. The writer seems merely to have included a few stories about Brychan which was possibly the full extent of his knowledge of him. He tells first of the marriage of Brychan's father and mother. His mother, Marchell, is said to have lived with her father, king Teudrig, at Bran Coyn near Llanfaes, that is the lower part of the present town of Brecon. Her father recommends her to marry an Irish prince, Anlach son of king Coronac, because of their poverty: "The sharpness of the cold weather doth greatly affect thee; wherefore it is well to procure for thee a fur garment". So Marchell sets off for Ireland with a bodyguard of 300 men, but such is the severity of the cold weather that only 100 of these live to accompany her to her destination. She marries, and returns to Garth Madrun for the birth of Brychan. The next story concerns Brychan as a boy of seven, living with Drichan with whom he was being "fostered". The narrative is not very clear. It would seem that Drichan was then blind, but saw a vision of a wild boar standing on the bank of the river Yscir, a tributary joining the Usk a few miles above Brecon. In the water behind the boar was a stag, and under the stag swam a fish. A beech-tree grew on the river bank, and in the tree bees had made a honeycomb. The detailed symbolism is not worked out in the Cognatio, but the vision is obviously a benediction on the boy Brychan. Probably one would be right in assuming that it is the prose summary of a bardic poem. The third item is an account of the birth of his son Cynog. Brychan as a young man was a hostage to Benadel, who is described as the "king of Powys." There he formed an association with Benadel's daughter, Benadlinet, who became the mother of Cynog. In addition, the Cognatio supplies a list of names of the children of