The Laws of Howel the Good

Welsh Medieval Law: The Laws of Howell the Good (1909)
by Hywel ap Cadell, translated by Arthur Wade Wade-Evans

Introduction

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Translated from Harleian MS 4353 with missing leaves supplied by Cleopatra A XIV

Hywel ap Cadell1446741Welsh Medieval Law: The Laws of Howell the Good1909Arthur Wade Wade-Evans

WELSH MEDIEVAL LAW

BEING A TEXT OF

THE LAWS OF HOWEL THE GOOD

NAMELY

THE BRITISH MUSEUM HARLEIAN MS. 4353 OF THE 13th CENTURY, WITH TRANSLATION INTRODUCTION, APPENDIX, GLOSSARY INDEX, AND A MAP

BY

A. W. WADE-EVANS
JESUS COLLEGE

OXFORD
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
1909

HENRY FROWDE, M.A.
PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
LONDON, EDINBURGH, NEW YORK
TORONTO AND MELBOURNE

TO MY WIFE

FLORENCE MAY DIXON

PREFACE

This book is intended primarily for the student of the political history of Wales, but it is hoped that others also will find it useful. The particular text adopted was at the recommendation of Dr. Gwenogfryn Evans some years ago, who regards it as the oldest and best of its class. It is reproduced page for page, line for line, and error for error, except where it was found more convenient to relegate notices of errors to the palaeographical notes. The translation is a tentative one based on that of Aneurin Owen in his Ancient Laws and Institutes of Wales, a work which has been found indispensable for the present production.
I would record my sincere thanks to Sir John Rhys, from whom I have received, not only the valuable assistance which so distinguished a scholar could render, but also the sympathy and encouragement of a friend ; to Dr. Gwenogfryn Evans for help and advice as to the choice of a text, and as to procedure with regard to publication ; and to Mr. Ernest Hughes, late of Jesus College, and now Lecturer in History at the University College of South Wales, to whom I am indebted for many suggestions whilst the Introduction and Glossary were still in proof. Finally, I have to thank the Delegates of the Clarendon Press for undertaking the publication of this work, and also the staff for the kindness and the efficiency which have so much lightened my labours.

Ty Rhos, Fishguard.

CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . vii
The Houses of Cunedda and Rhodri Mawr . . lvi
Analytical Summary . . . . . . . lviii
Laws of Howel (Welsh Text) . . . . . 1
Translation . . . . . . . . . 145
Paleographical Notes . . . . . . 285
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . 289
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . 325
Index to Welsh Text . . . . . 351
Map of Pre-Norman Wales . . . . At end

This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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Translation:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1964, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 59 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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