149 Sentences With "commote" | Random Sentence Generator

Caerwedros was a medieval commote () in the south of the Kingdom of Ceredigion. With Mebwynion, Gwynionydd and Is Coed, Caerwedros was one of three cantref Is Aeron commotes. Caerwedros was a coastal commote, which lay on the shores of Cardigan Bay. It boarded Anhuniog commote in the north (in the Uwch Aeron cantref), Mebwynion commote to the east, and Gwynionydd and Is Coed commotes to the south.

Llannerch (sometimes spelled Llanerch) was a commote in the cantref of Dyffryn Clwyd which later became the Marcher Lordship of Ruthin. Situated in an area south of Ruthin the commote covered an area of which included the parishes of Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd and Llanelidan and 19 townships. Much of the land within the commote was owned by the Bishopric of Bangor. The commote was abolished when the English system of counties was introduced to north Wales under the provisions of the Act of Union 1536 and the area became part of the county of Denbighshire.

Mawddwy was a medieval commote in the cantref of Cynan of the Kingdom of Powys. Cynan also contained the commote of Cyfeiliog. Other sources refer to Cyfeiliog as a cantref in its own right, possibly as a result of Cynan being renamed for the largest commote within it. The town of Dinas Mawddwy and villages of Mallwyd, Aberangell, and Llanymawddwy are within the community of Mawddwy.

Creuddyn was a historic commote or cymwd of Rhos, then later of Caernarfonshire.

The Rofft fort had local administrative and judicial functions for the commote of Marford.

Cantrefi of Medieval Wales Mediaeval kingdoms of Wales Cyfeiliog was a medieval commote in the cantref of Cynan of the Kingdom of Powys. Cynan also contained the commote of Mawddwy. Other sources refer to Cyfeiliog as a cantref in its own right, possibly as a result of Cynan being renamed for the largest commote within it. It bordered the cantrefi of Penllyn in the north, Caereinion in the east and Arwystli in the south-east.

In the Middle Ages, the parish was part of the commote of Menai, in cantref Rhosyr.

At that time the parish was in the Hundred of Cemais and the commote of Is Nyfer.

At some point between 1387 and 1395, Maredudd was made rhaglaw (bailiff) of the commote at Malltraeth. His brothers Rhys and Goronwy held similar roles in the commote of Dindaethwy. Maredudd was named escheator of Anglesey between 1388 and 1391, a role normally reserved by the crown for Englishmen.

Pembrokeshire showing Narberth Hundred The Hundred of Narberth was a hundred in Pembrokeshire, Wales. An administrative and legal division, it was formed by the Act of Union of 1536 from parts of the pre-Norman cantrefs of Penfro (the commote of Coedrath) and Cantref Gwarthaf (the commote of Efelfre).

Dindaethwy was in medieval times one of two commotes of the cantref of Rhosyr, in the south-east of the Isle of Anglesey. It was between the Menai Strait and Conwy Bay (to the south), and the Irish Sea and Red Wharf Bay (to the north). It included Penmon, the easternmost point of the island, opposite which is Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol). It bordered the commote of Menai (the other commote of Rhosyr) to the west, and the commote of Twrcelyn in the cantref of Cemais, to the north.

There is a record of an unnamed Jew in the commote of Manor Deilo in Carmarthenshire (outside the Marcher Lordships) in 1386/7.

The former is an English name, and the "commotes" correspond to the Norman lordships. The northern part of Hwlffordd commote was sometimes distinguished as Roch commote (a French name). None of these is likely to be a real native Welsh subdivision, and the small Cantref of Rhos was probably not actually divided into commotes. The fragmentary Norman lordships are shown in the map.

Talybolion was a commote in the Hundred of Cemaes.Atlas Môn (Llangefni, 1972), mapiau tt. 38, 76. The parishes of Llanfwrog and LlanbadrigAnglesea today were within its boundaries.

Ynysymaengwyn mansion and part of estate. Cows and horse-drawn carriage in foreground It was in the commote of Ystumanner or Ystum Anner that Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn did homage and swore fealty to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd on 12 December 1263. In return he was made a vassal lord and the lands taken from him about six years earlier were restored to him. The commote was in the cantref of Meirionnydd.

The commote court and maerdref was at Llanfaes, the commote's most important settlement. Later in the Middle Ages, Llywelyn the Great founded a monastery at Llanfaes; his wife Siwan was buried there. Previously the commote had one of Anglesey's two most important religious communities in Penmon, which became a priory (Penmon Priory) in the 12th century. Later, Dindaethwy was the home of Penmynydd, the family estate of the Tudors of Anglesey.

This commote should not be confused with the commote of Deuddwr in Ystlyg which is also in Powys. The village is home to a pub (The Triangle Inn), village hall and a parish church dedicated to St Bride (). The Groe, a large park on the banks of the river, has walks, play areas and sports pitches. Rhayader railway station was situated in the village until its closure in 1963.

Location of the commote of Cemais Is Nyfer Cemais Is Nyfer was a mediaeval commote in the Dyfed cantref of Cemais, Wales. It consisted of the territory between the rivers Nyfer and Teifi, and comprisedRichards, Melville, Welsh Administrative and Territorial Units, UoW Press, 1969, p 96 the parishes of Eglwyswrw, Monington, St. Dogmaels, Llanfair-Nant-Gwyn, Llantood, Moylgrove and Bayvil, and parts of Nevern and Meline in what is now Pembrokeshire. Its area was about 100 km² and its civil and ecclesiastical headquarters were at Nevern. The commote was made part of the Norman March in the 12th century, and had at least five Norman castles (Nevern, Pen-yr-allt, Eglwyswrw, Llain Fawr and Dyffryn Mawr).

They said that Roger Mortimer had allowed them to keep some land between the River Severn and Ceri (the northern commote of Maelienydd), but Edmund had seized that too.

Baring-Gould, pp. 37-38. In the later Middle Ages, llan also came to denote entire parishes, both as an ecclesiastical region and as a subdivision of a commote or hundred.

Location of the commote of Cemais Uwch Nyfer Cemais Uwch Nyfer was a mediaeval Welsh commote in the Dyfed cantref of Cemais, in what is now Pembrokeshire. It consisted of the territory between the Afon Nyfer and Fishguard, and its civil headquarters were at Newport. The commote was made part of the Norman March in the 12th century, and had at least eight Norman castles (Newport, Little Newcastle, Puncheston, Castlebythe, Henry's Moat, Maenclochog, Llangolman and Llanfyrnach).Howells, B, Walker, R. F., Pembrokeshire County History: Vol II: Medieval Pembrokeshire, Pembrokeshire Historical Society, 2002, , p 523 It ceased to be significant at the time of the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, its functions being taken over by the Hundred of Cemais.

Archaeologia Cambrensis The name, of Old Welsh origin, probably refers to the Pen Dinas hill fort, anciently known as Dinas Maelor.A History of Wales from the Earliest TimesCeredigion, A Wealth of History The natural centre of the commote was Llanfihangel y Creuddyn where five roads meet at the village. The name survives in the name of a rural community and church of the same name; however the modern community is much smaller than the medieval commote.

Llangynwyd is a village (and electoral ward) 2 miles to the south of Maesteg, in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It was part of the medieval commote (Welsh: cwmwd) of Tir Iarll.

It was the most important centre of the commote of Elfed in the Middle Ages. Peniel can be seen in the distance Cynwyl Elfed transmitting station stands on high ground to the north of the village.

Rhos and Tegeingl. The modern Anglo-Welsh border is also shown. Dogfeiling was a minor sub-kingdom and later a commote in north Wales. It formed part of the eastern border of the Kingdom of Gwynedd in early medieval Wales.

There were three commotes in Rhufoniog, namely Upper Aled, Lower Aled and River Aled as a border between them, and the commote Ceinmerch (also known as 'Cymeirch' or 'Ystrad') in the north-east between the River Lliwen and the River Clywedog.

Pembrokeshire showing Cilgerran Hundred The Hundred of Cilgerran (often written "Kilgerran") was a hundred in the north of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was formed by the Act of Union of 1536 from the commote of the pre-Norman cantref of Emlyn included by the Act in Pembrokeshire and is otherwise called in Welsh Emlyn Is Cuch (Emlyn below the River Cuch), with the addition of the Cemais parish of Llantood. The area of the commote was about 106 km2: that of the hundred was 113 km2. It was under the control of the medieval borough of Cilgerran.

The community includes the hamlet of Llanarmon Mynydd Mawr. It was an important site in the ancient commote (or cantref; sources disagree) of Mochnant, as indicated by the ym-Mochnant in its name (translates to "in Mochnant"). Until 1974, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant was split into two civil parishes: the northern parish was in historic Denbighshire and the southern parish in historic Montgomeryshire; this reflected the division of the ancient commote in the 12th century. The divide continued between 1974 and 1996, with the former Denbighshire parish being placed in Clwyd and the former Montgomeryshire parish in Powys, each with their own community councils.

In legal usage, the English word 'commote' replaced cwmwd following the Edwardian conquest of Wales in the 13th century, when English was made the official language for all legal documents. The Welsh, most of whom knew not a word of English, naturally continued to use cwmwd and still do so today. In much of Wales, commotes had become more important than cantrefs by the mid-13th Century and administration of Welsh law became the responsibility of the commote court rather than the cantref court. Owain Glyndŵr called representatives from the commotes for his two parliaments during the rising of 1400–1409.

In medieval Gwynedd, Rhosyr was the royal demesne () and seat of governance for the commote of Menai.Lloyd, John E. A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest, p. 232. Longmans, Green, & Co. (London), 1911. Accessed 20 Feb 2013.

From the early Middle Ages onwards the parish has been part of Arllechwedd Uchaf, and this ancient Welsh cwmwd (English: commote), which together with neighbouring Arllechwedd Isaf makes up the cantref (hundred) of Arllechwedd, is still used by the church as an administrative unit today.

Medieval commotes of Wales Chapel at Deuddwr Deuddwr (; ) was a medieval commote (cwmwd) in the cantref of Ystlyg in the Kingdom of Powys. It lay at the east of the kingdom, bordering England to the north, the cantref of Mechain to the north-west and, within Ystlyg, the commotes of Ystrad Marchell to the south and Y Gorddwr to the east. It is also between the River Vyrnwy in the north-east and the River Severn in the south-east, they meet at the east of the commote, hence its name. The cantref of Ystlyg (excluding Y Gorddwr) corresponds to the later hundred of Deuddwr.

Cantrefi of Medieval Wales Caereinion (fort of Einion) was a medieval cantref in the Kingdom of Powys, or possibly it was a commote (cwmwd) within a cantref called Llŷs Wynaf. It was divided into the manors of Uwch Coed and Is Coed. It lay towards the south of the kingdom, bordering with the commote of Mochnant Uwch Rhaeadr of the cantref of Mochnant and the cantref of Mechain to the north, the commotes of Ystrad Marchell and Llanerch Hudol in the cantref of Ystlyg to the east, the cantrefi of Cedewain to the south and Cyfeiliog to the west. It roughly corresponds to the later hundred of Mathrafal.

In each commote the royal taxation house was a large building made almost certainly of stone because it had to be permanent, weather proof and thief proof. The commote of Cibbwr/Kibbor was on land between Cefn Onn ridge and the coast and most historians agree that Llys- faen was its administrative centre, however Roath has also staked a claim. There is now no indication of the actual whereabouts of the Llys Faen or Stone Court, although various theories have been advanced. The earthworks at Graig Llwyn is held to be the oldest artificial feature in Lisvane, proposed by several archaeologists to be the remains of an Iron Age stronghold.

Dinas Powis was included in the original medieval Welsh political sub-division called the Cantref Brenhinol (The Royal Hundred) which later became the commote known as the Hundred of Dinas Powis, which also encompassed St Andrews Major, Michaelston- le-Pit, Westra, Penarth, Cogan, Sully, Lavernock and Llandough.

Llanfihangel-y-Creuddyn viewed from the north. Creuddyn was a medieval commote (Welsh: cwmwd) and, later, a lordship in Ceredigion, Wales. It was located between the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol,The Vaughans of Trawsgoed, p. 22 and was one of the three commotes of Cantref Penweddig.

Oswestry and the nearby village of Rhydycroesau are real. The latter strides the modern border between England and Wales. Llansilin was the town where court was held for the commote of Cynllaith. Croesau Bach was then in Wales, and is now part of Shropshire, as described in Welsh Wikipedia.

In 1149 he is recorded giving the commote of Cyfeiliog to his nephews Owain Cyfeiliog and Meurig. The same year Madog was able to rebuild Oswestry Castle, a fortress of William Fitzalan. It would seem likely that he had gained both the fortresses of Oswestry and Whittington in 1146.

Medieval commotes of Wales Cynllaith or Cynllaeth () was a cwmwd (commote) of north east Wales in the cantref of Swydd y Waun which was once part of the Kingdom of Powys and later part of the smaller kingdom of Powys Fadog. Cynllaith, or at least the part of it called Cynllaith Owain, was part of the inheritance of Owain Glyndŵr in 1370. The titles Baron of Glyndyfrdwy and Lord of Cynllaith Owain were used by the dispossessed former ruling family of Powys Fadog before Owain was proclaimed Prince of Wales in 1400. The episode "Monk's Hood" of the Cadfael Chronicles includes a scene in a Welsh court in Llansilin within this commote.

St Mary's Church is located in a churchyard about from the road in the countryside near the village of Dwyran, in Anglesey, north Wales. The church is about from the county town of Llangefni, and just under 1 mile (1.5 km) from the neighbouring church of St Ceinwen's, Llangeinwen. Llanfair-yn-y- Cwmwd takes its name in part from the church: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and "‑fair" is a modified form of the patron saint's name (Mair being the Welsh for "Mary", here referring to St Mary, the mother of Jesus). Cwmwd means "commote" (a type of Welsh land division), so the full name of the parish means "St Mary's Church in the commote".

In the medieval kingdom of Gwynedd, Llanfaes functioned as the royal demesne () and seat of local governance for the commote of Dindaethwy in cantref Mon.Lloyd, John E. A History of Wales from the Earliest Times to the Edwardian Conquest, Vol. 1, p. 232. Longmans, Green, & Co. (London), 1911. Accessed 20 Feb 2013.

Generally, its boundaries were the cantrefi of Arwystli to the north, Maelienydd (in its restricted sense) to the east, Elfael to the southeast, and Buellt to the southwest. It also controlled the commote of Deuddwr (i.e. Cwmwd Deuddwr, also known as Elenydd) on the west of the Wye; together they formed a cantref.

In 1284, Edward granted the cantreds of Rhos and Rhufuniog and the commote of Dinmael to Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln as the lordship of Denbigh. The Earl was one of the closest counsellors of Edward I and had played a leading role in the campaigns in Wales of 1277 and 1282.

According to tradition, it was founded by Saint Mwrog. In the Welsh language Llanfwrog translates as the place/church of St. Mwrog. The only other place that is associated with the name of a Saint Mwrog is Llanfwrog, Denbighshire. In the Middle Ages Llanfwrog parish lay in the commote Talybolion in the Hundred of Cemaes.

A map of Wales with Merionethshire highlighted. Edeirnion Rural District is the protrusion in the north east of Meirionnydd. Edeirnion or Edeyrnion is an area of the county of Denbighshire and an ancient commote of medieval Wales in the cantref of Penllyn. According to tradition, it was named after its eponymous founder Edern or Edeyrn.

Cadfael visits the manor at Mallilie and then kinfolk of Brother Rhys. At the house of Rhys's brother-in-law, Ifor ap Morgan, he discovers Edwin in hiding. Sergeant Warden follows Cadfael from Mallilie, and takes Edwin into custody. Cadfael now has one chance to get justice for Gervase Bonel, at the Commote court at Llansilin the next day.

Originally, Mersley Park was under the jurisdiction of the Marford Commote whose seat of power was The Rofft, Marford. In 1282, merging of the commutes of Marford, Wrexham and Yale created the Marcher Lordship of Bromfield and Yale. Later documents record that Mersley Park came under the Lordship of Bromfield. Documented are some of the keepers of Mersley Park.

Following the Norman invasion of Wales the commote of Gŵyr passed into the hands of English-speaking barons, and its southern part soon became Anglicised. In 1203 King John (1199–1216) granted the Lordship of Gower to William III de Braose (d. 1211) for the service of one knight's fee.Sanders, I.J., Feudal Military Service in England, Oxford, 1956, p.

Ardudwy is an area of Gwynedd in north-west Wales, lying between Tremadog Bay and the Rhinogydd. Administratively, under the old Kingdom of Gwynedd, it was first a division of the sub kingdom (cantref) of Dunoding and later a commote in its own right. The fertile swathe of land stretching from Barmouth to Harlech was historically used as pasture.

Glanmule (Welsh: Glan-miwl) is a small village in the north of Powys, Wales.It is located in Montgomeryshire, approximately 2.5 miles to the east of Newtown. It stands at the junction of the B4368 and A489 roads, two miles from the Welsh-English border. In the middle ages, Glanmule was the regional capital of the commote of Ceri.

Medieval commotes of Wales (Llannerch Hudol and Y Gorddwr shown as question marks to the south and east respectively of Ystrad Marchell) Llanerchydol is named after and is near the northern border of Llannerch Hudol (also written Llannerchwdwl, Llannerchudol, Llanerchudol or Llanerchydol), which was a medieval commote (cwmwd) in the cantref of Ystlyg in the Kingdom of Powys. It was in the south-east of the kingdom (north Powys today), close to the border with England. It was a small commote bordering Y Gorddwr on the east beyond the River Severn, Ystrad Marchell in the north, Caereinion on the west and Cedewain south of the River Rhiw at Berriew. From the 11th century it was involved in the conflicts between the Norman Marcher Lords and the princes of Powys.

When the kingdom of Powys was divided, after the death in 1160 of Madog ap Maredudd, the last prince of the whole of Powys, Llannerch Hudol was given to his illegitimate son Caswallon together with the commote of Broniarth, it subsequently became part of the principality of Powys Wenwynwyn. Its main centre was possibly the Welshpool motte and bailey castle (Domen Castell) built by Cadwgan ap Bleddyn in 1111, but there are at least three other motte and baileys within the small commote including Powis Castle (Castell Coch) and Ladies Mount. Together with Ystrad Marchell and Deuddwr it formed the Teirswydd ("three commotes") which were among the lands restored into the possession of Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn in return for his homage and fealty by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd at Ystumanner in 1263.

Gwrddlew was born about 480 AD at Twrcelyn commote, Anglesey, Wales. He was the son of Caw of Strathclyde. His father had moved from southern Scotland with his family after being deposed in the turbulence caused by the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. He founded churches at Llanddewi Brefi, Cardiganshire, Anglesea Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (1959) p. 91.

The name means "pigs settlement", from moch, meaning pigs,Not "pig", as stated in the Community's website. and tre for settlement or town. It is possible that the name refers to Mochdre in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogion, the tale of Math, son of Mathonwy, where Gwydion takes the pigs of Pryderi, staying overnight between the nearby commote of Ceri and Arwystli.

The genesis of the name Buchan is shrouded in uncertainty, but may be of Pictish origin. The name may involve an equivalent of Welsh buwch meaning "a cow". American academic Thomas Clancy has noted cautiously the similarity between the territory names Buchan and Marr to those of the Welsh commotes Cantref Bychan and Cantref Mawr, meaning "large-" and "small- commote", respectively.

An older name, Dinieithon (also Dineithon and Castell Glan Iethon), meaning "fort on the River Ieithon" (din being Old Welsh for 'fort', cognate with dun), is also related to fortifications at Cefnllysparticularly the earlier Norman castle, which is sometimes called "Cefnllys Old Castle". Dinieithon or Swydd Diniethon ("shire of Dinieithon") was the name of the commote within the cantref (hundred) of Maelienydd.

Swansea (; ) is a coastal city and county, officially known as the City and County of Swansea () in Wales. The county area includes Swansea Bay () and the Gower Peninsula. Swansea's position on the southwest coast of Wales is within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan and the ancient Welsh commote of Gŵyr.W.S.K. Thomas The History of Swansea from Rover Settlement to the Restoration.

Davies (1959), p.40 The vill boundaries were perpetuated as those of Coleshill Fawr and Coleshill Fechan townships, which lay in Holywell parish north-west of the borough of Flint; Coleshill also subsequently gave its name to a commote, and later a hundred, of Flintshire.Edwards (1967), 260 A Welsh form of the name, Cwnsyllt, was sometimes used. Davies (1959) p.

Not being in holy orders he was, by the terms of suppression, relieved of his first vows, and soon afterwards married Dorothea, daughter of George J. Griffith Phillips, esq., of Curaegwillinag, Carmarthenshire. "Curaegwillinag" is an anglicisation of the Welsh placename for an old commote located in Carmarthenshire. Kymwt Carnywyllawn was in Cantref Eginawc (anglicized as "Eginog"), which was in Ystrad Tywi.

Map of Welsh cantrefs Eifionydd () is an area in north-west Wales covering the south-eastern part of the Llŷn Peninsula from Porthmadog to just east of Pwllheli. The Afon Erch forms its western border. It now lies in Gwynedd. The commote of Eifionydd formed the northern half of the former minor kingdom of Dunoding within the Kingdom of Gwynedd.

The strategic position of Haverfordwest with its defensive bluff overlooking the lowest fordable point on the Western Cleddau accessible to sea traffic suggest a Roman origin probably modest in scale for the town from about 96 AD. The ecclesiastical centre (perhaps the seat of a bishop in the Age of the Saints) was probably one of the several churches of the local St. Ismael, most probably St. Ishmael's. The hundred, with its capital at Haverfordwest was the original centre of the Norman/English "plantation" in the 12th century, and it has been essentially English-speaking since then, forming the core of Little England beyond Wales. The cantref was said in the post-Norman period to be divided into two or perhaps three commotes. The Red Book of Hergest mentions Hwlffordd (Haverfordwest) commote and Castell Gwalchmei (Walwyn's Castle) commote.

Ial or Yale () was a commote of medieval Wales within the cantref of Maelor in the Kingdom of Powys. When the kingdom was divided in 1160, Maelor became part of Powys Fadog (Lower Powys or Madog's Powys). Iâl had its capital at Llanarmon-yn-Iâl at the site of a shrine to Saint Germanus of Auxerre (). The nearby castle was called Tomen y Faerdre.

Llanystumdwy is a predominantly Welsh-speaking village, community and electoral ward on the Llŷn Peninsula of Gwynedd in Wales. It is not regarded as being part of Llŷn, but as belonging instead to the ancient commote of Eifionydd on the Cardigan Bay coast, where it boasts its own often-deserted rocky beach. The community includes the village of Chwilog and also Llanarmon, Gwynedd, and Llangybi, Gwynedd.

Rhys ap Robert (died 1377) was a Welsh nobleman. A descendant of the progenitor of the Tudor dynasty, Ednyfed Fychan (d. 1246), he attained several positions in the administration of north Wales, including co-Constable of Flint Castle in north Wales by 1349, escheator of Caernarfonshire from 1347 to 1350, and rhaglaw (bailiff) of the commote of Dinmael in 1360-61. Rhys' career was not without controversy.

Due to the history of the Rofft no physical remains are visible at the site. At the time of Domesday Merford was part of the English county of Chester, although it soon after became part of the Welsh kingdom of Powys Fadog.Palmer, p.44 It returned to English administration in 1282, becoming under the manorial system part of Merford commote of the Lordship of Bromfield.

The foundation is connected to the fate of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, whose new administrative centre at Dolforwyn Castle near Abermule so alarmed Edward I that it was besieged. He seized Llywelyn's lands and granted them to the Mortimers. They transferred the administration of the cantref of Cedewain and the commote of Ceri from Dolforwyn Castle to the new settlement at Newtown. Newtown street scene c.

At the time of the Acts of Union (1535 and 1542), the cantref was split between the newly formed counties, when Efelfre became part of Narberth hundred, Pembrokeshire and the rest became part of Carmarthenshire: Amgoed, Penrhyn, Peuliniog, Talacharn, Ystlwys and part of Derllys became Derllys hundred, while Elfed and the rest of Derllys were combined with Emlyn Uwch Cuch and Gwidigada commote of Cantref Mawr to form Elfed hundred.

There are a number of listed buildings, including the parish church. Nearby are the hamlets of Llwyncelyn, Rhoshill, Cnwce, Pen-y-bryn, Carreg-wen and Pontrhydyceirt, and the villages of Llechryd and Boncath. Cilgerran Hundred derives its title from the former town, which was once the headquarters of the commote of Emlyn is Cuch (Emlyn below the River Cuch). Slate quarrying was an important activity in the 19th century.

Yr Hob was originally the name of a commote within the cantref of Maelor in the medieval Kingdom of Powys. Both the Welsh and English language names are derived from an Old English word hop meaning "enclosed land in a marsh", a relic of Mercian settlement in the area.Owen, H. W. (2015) The Place-names of Wales, UWP, p.53 The old parish of Hope was once divided into two parts by the River Alyn.

The Commote of Cymydmaen (gold) was granted to Dafydd ap Gruffydd by Owain when he reached majority in 1252 (Source: J. Beverley Smith) When Dafydd ap Gruffydd came of age, King Henry accepted his homage and announced his intention to give him part of the already reduced Gwynedd. Llywelyn refused to accept this, and Owain and Dafydd formed an alliance against him. This led to the Battle of Bryn Derwin in June 1255.

The English Crown refused to recognise this title however,Moore, D. 'The Welsh Wars of Independence', Stroud 2005, p.135 and in 1263, Llywelyn's brother, Dafydd, went over to King Henry. On 12 December 1263 in the commote of Ystumanner, Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn did homage and swore fealty to Llywelyn. In return he was made a vassal lord and the lands taken from him by Llywelyn about six years earlier were restored to him.

Ewyas () was a possible early Welsh kingdom which may have been formed around the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. The name was later used for a much smaller commote or administrative sub-division, which covered the area of the modern Vale of Ewyas (now within Monmouthshire, Wales) and a larger area to the east including the villages of Ewyas Harold and Ewyas Lacy (now within Herefordshire, England).

There are several hills of around 100 metres in height, including Bryn Euryn, Bryn Pydew, Mynydd Pant, Coed Gaer, Bryniau, and Deganwy Castle. The Great Orme reaches 207 metres, and the Little Orme 141 metres. The area is usually called simply Y Creuddyn, being the Welsh name of the medieval commote (an administrative unit within a cantref) roughly corresponding to the peninsula itself, though somewhat larger. The Welsh-medium secondary school Ysgol y Creuddyn is situated on the peninsula.

Map of commotes Dinieithon (; also known as Dineithon or Cefnllys) was a commote within the cantref of Maelienydd, in the medieval region of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren () in Wales. It was situated near the modern town of Llandrindod Wells. The southernmost of the four commotes in Maelienydd, it was also the most important due to its arable land and the presence of the region's administrative centre at Cefnllys. It bordered Gwrtheyrnion to the west and Elfael to the south.

Apart from the judges there would be a clerk, an usher and sometimes two professional pleaders. The cantref court dealt with crimes, the determination of boundaries and matters concerning inheritance. The commote court later took over most of the functions of the cantref court. The judges (Welsh ynad) in Gwynedd were professionals, while in south Wales the professional judges worked together with the free landowners of the district, all of whom were entitled to act as judges.

The genesis of the name Marr is uncertain. Mar, a Brittonic personal name, may be involved. Further possibilities include a connection with the ethnic names Marsi and Marsigni of Italy and Bohemia, or a derivation from Old Norse marr meaning "sea, marsh, fen". American academic Thomas Clancy has noted cautiously the similarity between the territory names Buchan and Marr to those of the Welsh commotes Cantref Bychan and Cantref Mawr, meaning "large-" and "small-commote", respectively.

Llanarmon-yn-Ial, c.1795 The village, considered the capital of the commote of Iâl (Yale)—the "fertile hill country"—grew up around a religious community dedicated to St. Germanus of Auxerre (St. Garmon in the Welsh language).Llanarmon-yn-Iâl , Medieval Denbighshire Pilgrims travelling to St Garmon's shrine, which contained an image of the saint reputed to have miraculous properties, probably financed the construction of the impressive church of St. Garmon, dating from the 13th century.

Cwmdauddwr (rarely referred to by its correct full name of Llansanffraid Cwmteuddwr) is a village in Powys, Wales. It is contiguous with the town of Rhayader on the opposite side of the River Wye. The village is located on the B4518 road linking Rhayader with the Elan Valley Reservoirs. Map of the Cantrefs and Commotes of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren (Cwmwd Deuddwr is shown as Elenydd) The parish of Cwmdauddwr corresponds approximately to the medieval commote of Cwmwd Deuddwr ().

These were removed by Llywelyn ap Seisyll, from a cadet branch of the Aberffraw line in the commote of Rhuddlan. The house of Mathrafal was effectively established in the wake of Harold and Tostig Godwinson's disastrous raids in 1062 and 1063. They installed Bleddyn ap Cynfyn over Powys and Gwynedd and he kept his base in Mathrafal close to the Saxon border. From this point forward, his family jockeyed with the Dinefwr and Aberffraw dynasties for control of Wales.

In 1071, William I gave the Earldom of Chester to Hugh d’Avranches that included modern day Marford. Recorded in the Domesday Book (1086) is that the Norman Lord Osbern Fitz Tesso controlled the commote of Marford and Hoseley. The reason suggested for building the motte and bailey Rofft castle was a desire to widen Norman influences into the area. The bailey was calculated to be higher than the natural ground level and protected by a dry moat.

Tremadog Bay, near Harlech. The region was part of the commote of Ardudwy in the Dunoding cantref, now in the Merionethshire district. By 1136 an opportunity arose for the Welsh to recover lands lost to the Marcher lords after Stephen de Blois had displaced his cousin Empress Matilda from succeeding her father to the English throne the previous year, sparking the Anarchy in England.Lloyd, J.E. A History of Wales; From the Norman Invasion to the Edwardian Conquest, Barnes & Noble Publishing, Inc.

Owain ap Gruffudd succeeded his father to the greater portion of Gwynedd in accordance with Welsh law, the Cyfraith Hywel, the Laws of Hywel; and became known as Owain Gwynedd to differentiate him from another Owain ap Gruffudd, the Mathrafal ruler of Powys, known as Owain Cyfeiliog.Lloyd (2004), Gruffydd Gwynedd, Gruffydd Cyfeiliog, p. 93. Cadwaladr, Gruffudd's youngest son, inherited the commote of Aberffraw on Ynys Môn, and the recently conquered Meirionydd and northern Ceredigion--i.e., Ceredigion between the rivers Aeron and the Dyfi.

Yale's own name meant the "fertile hill country"; it was a Welsh commote and English hundred. The estate of Plas yn Iâl in the village was the seat of the Iâl family, whose most well-known member is Elihu Yale, a governor of the British East India Company. Elihu made a substantial gift towards the founding of an educational institution in New Haven, Connecticut, in the United States. This sponsorship led to the college becoming known as Yale College and later Yale University.

Shot from Trawler Road in the Maritime Quarter with Kilvey Hill in the background The Tower, viewed from Kilvey Hill Kilvey Hill (Welsh: Mynydd Cilfái or Y Bigwrn) is a hill in South Wales, to the east of Swansea. Kilvey Hill is high and is classed as a Sub Marilyn. The top of Kilvey Hill enjoys panoramic views of Swansea city centre, Swansea Docks, Swansea Bay, the Lower Swansea Valley, Bon-y-maen, Neath and Port Talbot. Cilfái was a commote of Gower.

The basic unit of land was the tref – a small village or settlement. In theory, 100 trefi made up a cantref (literally, "one hundred settlements"; plural: cantrefi), and half or a third of a cantref was a cymwd, although in practice the actual numbers varied greatly. Together with the cantrefi, commotes were the geographical divisions through which defence and justice were organised. In charge of a commote would be a chieftain probably related to the ruling Prince of the Kingdom.

It traditionally took its name from Eifion, son of Dunod (who gave his name to the cantref) and grandson of Cunedda Wledig. The chief centre of the commote was at Criccieth, although there may have been an earlier royal residence at Dolbenmaen. Although it is not currently a unit of local government, the name is still in common use for the region. It includes the villages of Abererch, Llanaelhaearn, Pencaenewydd, Llangybi, Llanystumdwy, Llanarmon, Rhoslan, Pentrefelin, Penmorfa, Garndolbenmaen, Bryncir and Pantglas.

For a brief while, Gwilym ap Gruffydd and his family lived at the historical Tudur estate in Penmynydd, Anglesey, before moving the family seat to Penrhyn Bay. By the end of his life, Gwilym ap Gruffydd's lands in Anglesey and Caernarfonshire were generating an income of more than £112 per year. The lands included those around the Menai Strait on Anglesey and the commote of Dindaethwy, and the majority of the lands previously held by various members of the Tudor family.

It was divided by the River Cuch into the commotes of Emlyn Is Cuch (to the west) and Emlyn Uwch Cuch to the east. Its civil headquarters were divided between Cilgerran in the lower commote and Newcastle Emlyn in the upper. Its ecclesiastical centre (and perhaps, in the Age of the Saints, the seat of a bishopWilliams, A. H., An Introduction to the History of Wales: Volume I: Prehistoric Times to 1063, UoWP, 1941, pp 120-121) was the church of St Llawddog at Cenarth.

The town existed as Porthaethwy for centuries and still has a house which dates from the 17th century. The name derives from Porth (harbour) + Daethwy (the name of a local Celtic tribe and later of a local medieval commote). It is likely that a community existed here in Roman times as it is the shortest crossing of the Menai Strait. In the 7th century, St Tysilio lived here as a hermit on Church Island. A ferry across the Menai was first recorded in 1292.

Talgarth was captured early and a castle was constructed at Bronllys where the rivers Dulais and Llynfi meet, a site probably central to the llys of the tywysog of the commote of Bronllys. By 1091 Bernard had reached the valley of the Usk, which was at the centre of the kingdom which was to become his own principality. There is some discrepancy in this description of events also. Richard Fitz Pons was lord of Llandovery, which he had reached probably through Glamorgan, already by 1088.

Llangadog was the administrative centre of the commote of Perfedd and had a castle, destroyed in 1204. Although the borough declined in the Middle Ages, Llangadog retained its market, which was frequented by drovers into the 19th century. Former CWS/MMB creamery at Llangadog, now a pet food factory The railway station on the Heart of Wales Line provides regular train services via Transport for Wales Rail. The station had a siding for accessing the Co-op Wholesale Society creamery, allowing milk trains to access the site.

Elenydd landscape at Drum Nantygorlan Elenydd () is an upland area of mid Wales, extending across parts of northern and eastern Ceredigion and Powys between Aberystwyth and Rhayader. Elenydd is also a name given to the medieval commote of Cwmwd Deuddwr which covered approximately the same area. The area is an upland plateau within the Cambrian Mountains, source of the rivers Elan, Severn, Teifi, Towy and Wye. Elenydd is generally interpreted to mean the upland area between Pumlumon in the north and Mynydd Epynt in the south.

On its far side, there is an embanked tidal river that opens to Malltraeth Sands, to the south. A short tunnel—the first one in Anglesey—pierces the low hills which extend along the west side of Malltraeth Marsh before reaching Bodorgan railway station. Above Malltraeth lies the extensive Common of the marsh, which is bounded on the northwest by the parishes of Llangadwaladr, Trefdraeth, and Llangristiolus; on the northeast by Llangefni and Llanffinan. Cors Ddyga (Tygai's Marsh) lies in the commote of Rhosyr.

Southern scarp of Bwrdd Arthur St Michael's church Llanfihangel Din Sylwy (spelling variants include Llanfihangel Din Silwy and Llanfihangel Tyn Sylwy) is a small, coastal (former) parish in the commote of Dindaethwy in north-east Anglesey, three miles north-northwest of Beaumaris. A scattered settlement, it is distinguished by a hillfort known as Din Sylwy or Bwrdd Arthur and by a late medieval church dedicated to St. Michael (Welsh: Mihangel). The hillfort constitutes a relatively flat but partly overgrown area, 600 yards from the Irish Sea. Two entrances have been detected.

Later, when Henry Tudor was crowned King Henry VII it was of great benefit to the Morgans of Tredegar who were great supporters of Henry. Sir John received reward for his early support, and on 7 November 1485 he was appointed by the new king to the office of ‘Sheriff of Wentloog and Newport’ and made ‘Steward’ of the Machen Commote. His elevation to officer of the Tudor crown placed Sir John Morgan's influence and power at a new height. Around 1490, he commissioned the building of a new house at Tredegar.

Y Gorddwr (or Corddwr) () was a medieval commote (cwmwd) in the cantref of Ystlyg in the Kingdom of Powys. It was on the eastern side of the River Severn bordering England, on the west it was bordered by two of the other commotes of Ystlyg - Deuddwr in the north and Ystrad Marchell in the south. Its Welsh name could mean "the upper water"; gor- "upper-", dŵr "water". After the Norman Conquest, Y Gorddwr was claimed by Roger le Corbet, the Baron of Caus within the Marcher Lordship of Roger de Montgomery.

Prior to the Norman invasion, the district was the commote of Gŵyr, a part of Cantref Eginawc, within the realm of Deheubarth. Over the preceding century, Deheubarth had been contested between the heirs of Maredudd ab Owain's brother Einion (such as Rhys ap Tewdwr), those of his daughter Angharad (such as Gruffydd ap Llywelyn), and the rulers of Morgannwg. Gruffydd was the only person to ever have been King of Wales. In 1088, the sons of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Gruffydd's half-brother, attacked Deheubarth, which was then ruled by Rhys ap Tewdwr.

A medieval motte and bailey castle, Castell Gronw is near the outlet of the lake. In the Middle Ages, Llangywer was one of three parishes of the commote of Uwch Tryweryn in the cantref of Penllyn. Cwm Cynllwyd, which rises in the direction of Bwlch y Groes, marks the western boundary of the parish, which rises to the east towards the southern Berwyn mountains. It is a very mountainous area, with most of the habitations lying on the strip of low-lying land on the shore of Bala Lake.

Medieval commotes of Wales Nanheudwy was a medieval commote of Wales considered part of the ancient Kingdom of Powys in the cantref of Swydd y Waun. It was traditionally defined as the region between the valleys of the rivers Dee and Ceiriog with a mountain ridge running along its length. Its name may be from "Nannau Dwy" meaning "Glens of the Dee". From 1160 it was a part of the principality of Powys Fadog until the dissolution of that realm in 1277 when it became a marcher lordship.

Medieval commotes of Wales Ystrad Marchell sometimes Strad Marchell () was a medieval commote (cwmwd) in the cantref of Ystlyg in the Kingdom of Powys. It roughly coincides with the parish of Welshpool. St Marcella's Church, Eglwys Wen, Denbigh It lay at the east of the kingdom, bordering the cantref of Caereinion to the west and south, and the cantref of Mechain to the north- west. Within Ystlyg the other commotes were Deuddwr to the north, Llannerch Hudol to the south and Y Gorddwr (or Corddwr) to the east.

The Normans began to make incursions into South Wales from the late-1060s onwards, pushing westwards from their bases in recently occupied England. Their advance was marked by the construction of castles, frequently on old Roman sites, for example those at Cardiff, Pevensey and Portchester, and the creation of regional lordships.; ; Reusing former Roman sites in this way produced considerable savings in the manpower required to construct the large earth fortifications of the early castles. Loughor Castle was constructed on the western edge of the Welsh commote, or land unit, of Gwyr.

Their marriage was childless. By an unknown mistress he had one illegitimate daughter, Isabel, who was betrothed to Rhys ap Maelgwn Fychan. In the late 1230s, Maelgwn Fychan (son of Maelgwn ap Rhys) agreed a treaty with Gilbert, whereby Maelgwn Fychan's son, Rhys, would marry Isabel, and receive the cantref of Is-Aeron, except the commote of Is-Hirwen (which contained Cardigan Castle);Law and Government in Medieval England and Normandy: Essays in Honour of Sir James Holt, ed. George Garnett & John Hudson, Cambridge University Press 1994, p.

Subsequent primary source references to Cefnllys describe it as the "new castle". Upon Ralph's death in 1246, Cefnllys Castle is listed in a patent roll as passing into the custodianship of the crown until Roger's coming of age. Starting in 1256, a large Welsh uprising led by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the new prince of Gwynedd, caused an English military reversal across Wales. By the time a truce was signed in 1260, Cefnllys had become Roger's most advanced outpost following the loss of the neighbouring commote of Gwrtheyrnion and the castle at Builth.

However, in July, 1935, they moved to the village of Corwen, Denbighshire, North Wales, historically part of Edeirnion or Edeyrnion, an ancient commote of medieval Wales that was once part of the Kingdom of Powys; it was at Corwen that he completed Maiden Castle (1936).Morine Krissdóttir, A Descents of Memory. New York: Overlook Duckworth, 2007, p. 323. This move to the land of his ancestors led Powys to write Owen Glendower the first of two historical novels set in this region of Wales; the other was Porius (1951).

Hubert had been given the lordship and castle of Montgomery by the king and was encroaching on Llywelyn's lands nearby. The king raised an army to help Hubert, who began to build another castle in the commote of Ceri. However, in October the royal army was obliged to retreat and Henry agreed to destroy the half-built castle in exchange for the payment of £2,000 by Llywelyn. Llywelyn raised the money by demanding the same sum as the ransom of William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny, whom he had captured in the fighting.

The area that would become Cogan was known as Cogan Pill for much of its history. The Pill (a tidal inlet, used as a harbour) lay within the commote of Dinas Powys and flowed into the river Ely near today's Pont y Werin footbridge but is no longer extant, having been developed into the Penarth Dock in the nineteenth century. The importance of the Cogan Pill is evident by its continued use in the local toponymy, with Pill Street, Cogan Pill Road and the Cogan Pill House all being named for it.

The Lords of Maelor had their seat at Dinas Bran and their lands stretched north from Dinas Bran to beyond Marford with the Dee as their eastern boundary and the uplands of Hope as their western limits. The lordship was divided into two commotes each with their Maerdrefi (chief manors) at Wrexham and Marford respectively. The Wrexham commote (cymwd) was formed of the greater part of Bromfield and became known as 'Maelor Cymraeg' ('Welsh Maelor'). Under the lordship of Maelor, Welsh law was enforced in Wrexham by Welsh officials and Welsh customs prevailed.

The region which became Merionethshire previously constituted the Cantrefs of Meirionydd and Penllyn, and the Commote of Ardudwy. Prior to the 10th century, Ardudwy formed part of the principality of Dunoding, while Meirionydd and Penllyn were part of Powys. Welsh records from the end of this period, and later, treat Dunoding as a vassal of Gwynedd, ruled by an ancient cadet branch of the same family. Nevertheless, according to John Edward Lloyd, Dunoding had been independent of Gwynedd, at the time of Cadfan ap Iago (in the early 7th century), and before.

This would be presided over by the king if he happened to be present, or if he was not present, by his representative. Apart from the judges there would be a clerk, an usher and sometimes two professional pleaders. The cantref court dealt with crimes, the determination of boundaries, and inheritance. The commote court later took over many of the functions of the cantref court, and in some areas the names of the commotes are much better known than the name of the cantref of which they formed parts.

The County of Montgomery Montgomery Town Hall - A Meeting Place of the Montgomeryshire Court of Great Sessions Townships in Montgomeryshire are divisions of the ancient parishes of the county of Montgomery. In 1539 townships were grouped together in Hundreds.”Chapman” (1999), 48-9”Chapman” (2012), 48-9 The Townships which were recognised were based on the older Welsh divisions of Tref, or plural Trefi, which had formed the Welsh administrative districts of the Commote. Not all of the former Tref were recognised and some smaller trefi were amalgamated into larger townships.

Map showing the possible cantrefs and commotes of Rhwng Gwy a Hafren discussed (Cwmwd Deuddwr is shown as Elenydd) The name Rhwng Gwy a Hafren appears in various medieval lists of cantrefs and commotes, and is rendered in Latin in the works of Gerald of Wales.Lloyd, p. 252. The name means "between the Wye and the Severn", and those two rivers were its most important boundaries. However, the territories associated with it are not always consistent: generally, the lists include the cantrefs of Elfael and Maelienydd and the commote of Gwrtheyrnion.

Then in June 1934 Powys and Phyllis left America and moved to England, living first in Dorchester, the setting for the final Wessex novel, Maiden Castle, before eventually moving in July 1935 to Corwen, Denbighshire North Wales, with the help of the novelist James Hanley, who lived nearby.Herbert Williams, p. 109. Corwen was historically part of Edeirnion or Edeyrnion and an ancient commote of medieval Wales, once a part of the Kingdom of Powys. There Powys immersed himself in Welsh literature, mythology and culture, including learning to read Welsh.Krissdottir pp. 330–31.

He was not released until 1110 after Owain ap Cadwgan, son of Iorwerth's brother Cadwgan, had abducted Nest wife of Gerald of Windsor resulting in an outbreak of hostilities. Iorwerth was able to drive Owain out of Powys and briefly regained his position as ruler. However, in 1111 Owain's ally, Madog ap Rhiryd, attacked Iorwerth at a house in which he was staying in the commote of Caereinion. Iorwerth's bodyguard was put to flight, the house set afire and Iorwerth was forced back at spearpoint into the burning building where he died.

In 1120 a minor border war between Llywarch ab Owain, lord of a commote in the Dyffryn Clwyd cantref, and Hywel ab Ithel, lord of Rhufoniog and Rhos, brought Powys and Chester into conflict in the Perfeddwlad. Powys brought a force of 400 warriors to the aid of its ally Rhufoniog, while Chester sent Norman knights from Rhuddlan to the aid of Dyffryn Clwyd. The bloody Battle of Maes Maen Cymro, fought northwest of Ruthin, ended with Llywarch ab Owain slain and the defeat of Dyffryn Clwyd. However, it was a pyrrhic victory as the battle left Hywel ab Ithel mortally wounded.

His epithet refers to the commote of Dindaethwy in the cantref Rhosyr. Unlike later kings of Gwynedd, usually resident at Aberffraw in western Anglesey, Cynan maintained his court at Llanfaes on the southeastern coast., A History of Wales, Vol I Cynan's reign was marked by a destructive dynastic power struggle with a rival named Hywel, usually supposed to be his brother. There is no historical record of Cynan's early years as king, but his reign ended in a combination of natural disasters and military reverses. In 810, there was a bovine plague that killed many cattle throughout Wales.

From the late medieval period until the twentieth century, Ynysymaengwyn, situated roughly a mile from Tywyn by the road to Bryn-crug, was by far the most powerful estate in the parish. The family's wealth is revealed in official records and also in the Welsh poetry composed to its leading members. The estate may be traced back to the days of Gruffudd ab Adda of Dôl-goch and Ynysymaengwyn, bailiff of the commote of Ystumanner in 1330 and 1334, whose effegy is thought to lie in St Cadfan's church in Tywyn.For the early histpry of the estate, see Jones, J. Gwynfor. 2001.

Nefyn was the location of the court of the commote of Dinlaen: part of the cantref of Llŷn. Edward I of England held a jousting tournament in the town in 1284 to celebrate his victory over the Welsh, emphasising its importance at that time as a trading town. In 1355 it became a free borough and remained an important centre of commerce. The sea was always an important part of the economy of Nefyn; and fishing, particularly for herring, became the prime trade for most of the 18th and 19th centuries: so much so that the town's coat of arms bears three herrings.

Pencoedtre was originally a farming hamlet of two farms in the Parish of St. Andrews Major, in the commote known as the Hundred of Dinas Powys. Excavations in 1965 and 1966 by G. Dowdell found the remains of a large medieval house, measuring 23.5 metres by 11.1 metres. The house, given its size, was probably the seat of an Adam de Pencoteri. The floor was metalled, and the south end was supported on a platform of stone rubble. Several items were found dated to the 13-14th century, including a schist hone, a bronze pendant, a poppy-headed pin, iron nails and horseshoes.

Lord of Burgedin, Treflydan, Garth and Gearfawr, Wales Gruffudd Vychan was the 2nd son of Gruffudd ap Ieuan ap Madoc ap Wenwys by Maud, daughter of Griffri ap Rhys Fongam. The Gwenwys clan traced its ancestry from Brochwel Ysgithrog through descent from Elisedd ap Cyngen the eldest son of the last King of Powys from whom they inherited their lands and titles. Their principal houses lay in the parish of Guilsfield, in the commote of Ystrad Marchell. The name is variously spelt Gruffudd Vychan, Griffith Vaughan, or Gruffydd Fychan : Gruffudd Fychan is the standard orthography in Welsh.

The county was originally created under the terms of the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 following Edward I of England's conquest of the Principality of Wales and included the cantrefi of: Llŷn, Arfon, Arllechwedd and the commote of Eifionydd (the northern portion of Dunoding).Waters, W. H., The Making of Caernarvonshire, Caernarvonshire Historical Society Transactions, 1942-43 The county was divided into ten hundreds based on the existing Welsh commotes: Cymydmaen (anglicised as Commitmaen), Creuddyn, Dinllaen, Eifionydd (Evionydd), Cafflogion (Gaflogion), Llechwedd Isaf (...Isav), Llechwedd Uchaf (...Uchav), Nant Conwy (Nant- Conway), Is Gwyrfai (Isgorvai) and Uwch Gwyrfai (Uchgorvai).

Davis, (1989) pp.7-13 During the medieval period the area came under the commote of Glynrhondda within the cantref of Penychen, though the area remained uninhabited.Davis, (1989) pp.18-20 Although there were no permanent buildings of note at this time, it is known that the area would have experienced travelers with two bridges built over the River Rhondda at Porth, the Pont Rheola and Pont y Cymmer. Both bridges date to at least the 1530s when they were mentioned by antiquary John Leland. These bridges were wooden in construct and were later rebuilt in stone.

Map of the lands west of Offa's Dyke; Gwrtheyrnion can be seen in the centre Gwrtheyrnion or Gwerthrynion was a commote in medieval Wales, located in Mid Wales on the north side of the River Wye; its historical centre was Rhayader. It is said to have taken its name from the legendary king Vortigern (). For most of the medieval era, it was associated with the cantref of Buellt and then Elfael, small regional kingdoms whose rulers operated independently of other powers. In the Norman era, like the rest of the region between Wye and Severn it came to be dominated by Marcher Lordships.

The medieval settlement of Llanfaes is now represented only by St Catherine's Church, and even that is a product of 19th century rebuilding. However it is the residual survivor of a thriving town which by the 12th century was controlling 70% of the trade of the whole of Gwynedd. By the 900s it was the main town (Maerdref) and Royal Court (Llys) of the commote of Dindaethwy which covered the southeast quarter of Anglesey. Control of the ferry crossing gave Llanfaes its wealth and prestige, and by the early 13th century it was a busy commercial town, probably centred around the Church.

These describe how Hywel gathered expert lawyers and priests from each commote in Wales together in Tŷ Gwyn ar Daf (which is thought to have been close to Whitland, Carmarthenshire) in order to revise and codify the Laws of Wales. The story in the prologues lengthens with time, with more details in the later versions of the prologue. It seems highly unlikely that this meeting actually took place, with the purpose of the prologues being to emphasize the royal and Christian origin and background to the laws, and that in the face of criticism of the laws from outside Wales especially during John Peckham’s period as Archbishop of Canterbury.

This pilgrimage site was identified as a manor belonging to the Cistercian Abbey of Llantarnam and was seen as one of the most important religious sites in Wales, due to its Marian shrine. This holy site was the main reason people would pass through the commote; it was even thought to be the main reason why the first bridges were built over the River Rhondda. St Peter's Church, Pentre, 'The Cathedral of the Rhondda' During the Middle Ages, the parish church of Ystradyfodwg near the bank of the River Rhondda served the parishioners of the Rhondda Fawr, while the families of the Rhondda Fach attended Llanwynno Church.

Tomen yr Allt was the caput of the commote of Mechain Uwch Coed in the cantref of Mechain. In 1160, when the Kingdom of Powys was divided, Mechain became part of the principality which later became known as Powys Wenwynwyn. By 1208 the region was controlled by Llywelyn the Great, after his death in 1241 his heir had to come to terms with Henry III of England, as a result Powys Wenwynwyn passed to Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn who was allied to Henry III. From 1255 Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, the grandson of Llywelyn the Great and the Prince of Gwynedd, began to expand his territory.

Also nearby is the small town and marina of Deganwy and these last four are in the traditional parish of Llanrhos. The ancient geographical boundaries of the Llandudno area are complex: although they are on the eastern side of the River Conwy (the natural boundary between north-west and north-east Wales), the ancient parishes of Llandudno, Llanrhos and Llangystennin (which includes Llandudno Junction) were in the medieval commote of Creuddyn in the Kingdom of Gwynedd, and afterwards part of Caernarfonshire. Today, Deganwy and Llandudno Junction are part of the town community of Conwy even though they are across the river and only linked to Conwy by a causeway and bridge.

He was still a child at the death of his father Gruffydd Fychan in 1289, so that he lands were placed in the custody of the queen and then of Reginald de Grey, Justice of Chester and then Thomas of Macclesfield. Madog ap Gruffydd asked the king for a suitable provision to be made for him, and seems to have been granted his father's lands. These apparently consisted of Glyndyfrdwy and half of the commote of Cynllaith, comprising the area around Sycharth. Madog married Gwenllian, daughter of Ithel Fychan of Halkin and had a son Gruffydd of Rhuddallt, who was married on 8 July 1304 at the age of six to Elizabeth, daughter of John LeStrange of Knockin.

In 1120 a minor border war between Lywarch ab Owain, lord of a commote in the Dyffryn Clwyd cantref, and Hywel ab Ithel, lord of Rhufoniog and Rhos (all three part of either Conwy county or Denbighshire) brought Powys and Chester into conflict in the Perfeddwlad. Powys brought a force of 400 warriors to the aid of its ally Rhufoniog, while Chester sent Norman knights from Rhuddlan to the aid of Dyffryn Clwyd. The bloody Battle of Maes Maen Cymro, fought a mile to the north-west of Ruthin, ended with Lywarch ab Owain slain and the defeat of Dyffryn Clwyd. However, it was a pyrrhic victory as the battle left Hywel ab Ithel mortally wounded.

Henry II himself led his forces up the Ceiriog Valley in 1165 but was defeated by Welsh forces led by Owain Gwynedd at the Battle of Crogen. However, the Chronicle of St Werburgh's Chester records that in 1177 Earl Hugh of Chester had conquered the whole of Bromfield. Any English advance ultimately proved temporary however as the area was re-conquered by the Welsh Princes of Powys and was undisputedly in the hands of the house of Powys Fadog in the early years of the 13th century. The Princes of Powys skilfully dealt with their belligerent neighbours, Gwynedd and England, and the stability allowed Wrexham to develop as a trading town and administrative centre of the cwmwd (commote).

Lying close to St Mary's Church on the western edge of Hay-on-Wye is a small but well-preserved motte. The site overlooks a gorge and small stream, locally known as The Loggin Brook, that flows into the River Wye, which was undoubtedly one reason for the construction of a motte and bailey castle there. A recently levelled platform under the car park to the north east may have once have housed the castle's bailey. This little fortress was probably the work of William Revel, a knight of Bernard de Neufmarché who is usually referred to as Bernard Newmarch, and may later have been the seat for the manor or commote of Melinog.

Llanarmon (English: Garmon's Church) is a small village and former civil parish in the old commote of Eifionydd and Cantref Dunoding in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The parish was abolished in 1934 and incorporated into Llanystumdwy.A Vision of Britain Through Time : Llanarmon Civil Parish Retrieved 13 January 2010 The village lies north east of Pwllheli and is close to the village of Llangybi, a holy well and the mountain of Carn Pentrych. A well-preserved 15th-century manor house at Penarth-fawr is maintained by Cadw,Cadw : Places to Visit : Penarth Fawr Medieval House Retrieved 13 January 2010 and another ancient monument Plas Du (Welsh: Black Place) is a well- preserved, substantial sub-medieval gentry house.

Powys Fadog (English: Lower Powys or Madog's Powys) was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys, which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd in 1160. The realm was divided under Welsh law, with Madog's nephew Owain Cyfeiliog inheriting the south (see Powys Wenwynwyn) and his son Gruffydd Maelor I, who inherited the north. Gruffydd received the cantref of Maelor and the commote of Iâl as his portion and later added Nanheudwy, Cynllaith, Glyndyfrdwy and Mochnant Is Rhaeadr. This northern realm became known as Powys Fadog after the accession of his son Madog ap Gruffudd in 1191 who reigned until 1236, and after whom it may be named (see alternative translations above).

He was a prince of Gwynedd, a younger son of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn and his wife, Senena, and thus grandson of Llywelyn Fawr. In 1241, he is recorded as having been handed over to Henry III of England as a hostage with his younger brother, Rhodri, as part of an agreement. He may have come of age under Welsh law on 11 July 1252, on which date he issued, in front of his mother, Senena, and the Bishop of Bangor, a charter as lord of the commote of Cymydmaen, at the outer reaches of the Llŷn Peninsula. In 1253, he was called upon to pay homage to King Henry III of England.

The distain was a kind of prime minister, the chamberlain as the treasurer, and with clerks as chancellors. Localized communities became increasingly dependent on the prince's administration, with the prince's appointed judges adjudicating and passing sentences at the commote court. Under the prince's patronage, Welsh law was further codified by the Welsh jurist Iorwerth ap Madog and published sometime around 1240, and known as the Book of Iorwerth, or the Iorwerth Redaction.Price, Hew, "Native Law and the Church in Medieval Wales", Oxford University Press, 1993, 2003, As with much of Europe, Wales remained predominantly rural at the turn of the 13th century, but Llywelyn encouraged the growth of quasi-urban settlements within the Welsh principality which served as centres of trade and commerce.

Statue to "Our Lady", the pilgrimage site at Penrhys The commote of Glynrhondda was coterminous with the earlier parish of Ystradyfodwg, but little is known of the Celtic saint Tyfodwg, or Dyfodwg, after whom the parish is named. He is thought to have lived around AD 600. Although the parish bears his name, there are now no religious monuments or places of worship named after him within the Rhondda boundaries, although two churches outside the area are named after him: Y Tre Sant in Llantrisant and Saint Tyfodwg’s in Ogmore Vale. The earliest known religious monument is the Catholic holy well in Penrhys first mentioned in the 15th century, though it may have been a place of pagan worship before.Davis (1989), p. 27.

However, when Llywelyn held a parliament at Aberdyfi in 1216, at which he redistributed the lands formerly under the rule of the Lord Rhys, Maelgwn was still only allowed the southern part of Ceredigion. Maelgwn died in 1230 in Llannerch Aeron and was buried at Strata Florida Abbey. His territory passed to his son, Maelgwn ap Maelgwn, called Maelgwn Fychan. In the late 1230s, the latter agreed a treaty with Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke, whereby Maelgwn Fychan's son, Rhys, would marry Gilbert's bastard daughter, Isabel, and receive the cantref of Is-Aeron, except the commote of Is-Hirwen (which contained Cardigan Castle), as dowry;Law and Government in Medieval England and Normandy: Essays in Honour of Sir James Holt, ed.

There is evidence of, and logic for, a medieval park, or hunting preserve, in the enclosed area called Parc Cwm Brychiniog. It lies in the cwmwd (in English 'commote') of Glyn Rhondda, a Welsh lordship centred on a motte and bailey castle at the confluence of the Rhondda Fawr and Nant y Clydach (below the town of Tonypandy) and now known as Ynys y Crug. Little of this structure remains, the motte having been largely destroyed by the building of Taff Vale Railway in the 19th century and the Tonypandy by-pass in the 20th century. The land below Cwmparc was subsequently divided into four farms in Tudor times, one of which was called Parc Uchaf (Upper Pank) and another Parc Isaf (Lower Park).

Numerous castles were established in Uwch-Cych comote - none of which has any recorded history - but the commote was back under Welsh control by the 1130s, where it remained throughout the 12th and early 13th centuries. A motte-and-bailey castle, ‘Tomen Llawddog’, was established within this character area, immediately next to Penboyr parish church, St Llawddog’s; and therefore the may be contemporary. It is not known whether they belong to the brief period of Anglo-Norman control, or are Welsh foundations of the later 12th century. However, the church dedication to St Llawddog may be later medieval, when his cult was still active in the area. The church was first recorded in 1222 when it was ‘restored’ to the Bishops of St Davids, to be counter-claimed by the crown.

The history of Yale College can be summarised in four phases: Yale Grammar and Technical School, Yale High School from 1965, Yale Sixth Form, Yale College and now part of Coleg Cambria. It was founded in 1950 as a state school on a site at Crispin Lane as Wrexham Technical Grammar School and in 1965, when a brand new building was erected, it became Yale High School, named after Elihu Yale, best known for being the prime benefactor of Yale University, and whose family name derives from the nearby Welsh commote of Iâl. He is buried in Wrexham Parish Churchyard. In 1972,Wrexham Council Timeline as part of the conversion of local schools to the comprehensive system, it was renamed as Yale Sixth Form College and the pupils re-located to other schools.

By the early 1870s New Mill had become the village of Miskin, with the village centre being based around the inn, which is now The Miskin Arms pub. The name change from New Mill to Miskin was brought about by Judge Gwilym Williams, and was taken from the medieval commote of Miskin by Williams, a staunch Welsh patriot, he lived at Miskin Manor (built 1864), a Victorian L-plan mansion in a neo-Tudor style. By the 1870s several ironstone mines are evident to the north of the village, and the village's population continued to grow, as skilled miners rather than heavy labourers, were needed to extract the ore. The 1871 census reveals the village's population as 144, with more than half of the miners, immigrants from the depressed copper mining county of Cornwall.

The Worcester Chronicle for 915 states that the "jarl Hroald and the other jarl Ohtor's brother" were killed and the raiders left the area, leaving some hostages as a peace bond. In the early 10th century, a document known as The Ordinance Concerning the Dunsaete records procedures for dealing with disputes between the English and the Welsh of Archenfield, who were known to the English as the Dunsaete or "hill people".D. A. Whitehead – The historical background to the city defences It stated that the English should only cross into the Welsh side, and vice versa, in the presence of an appointed man who had the responsibility of making sure that the foreigner was safely escorted back to the crossing point. Anglo-Saxon Herefordshire Archenfield, which lay outside the English hundred system, became a semi-autonomous Welsh district, or commote (Welsh cwmwd), with its own customs.

He may later have been expelled after the partition, as had Cynan, only to be buried at Penmachno.Arllechwedd commote is the west bank of the Conwy river in the modern Conwy local authority area However, by 1174 Iorwerth and Cynan were both dead and Maelgwn and Rhodri were imprisoned by Dafydd, who was now master over the whole of Gwynedd.Llywelyn ab Iorwerth was too young to press for his claim, though under Welsh law would have been prince of Gwynedd on the death of his father Iorwerth ab Owain Gwynedd During the upheavals of 1173–74 Dafydd had remained loyal to Henry II, and as if in reward for his loyalty, but also in recognition of Dafydd's apparent supremacy in north Wales, Dafydd married the king's half-sister Emma of Anjou.The Embassy Dafydd sent to Henry II was headed by Simon the Monk, who negotiated with the English crown for the marriage of Dafydd with Emma.

Following the defeat of Hywel by Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, Gruffydd ap Rhydderch of Gwent was able to "stir up" the minor commote lords of Deheubarth on his behalf, and to call up an army to resist Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, wrote Lloyd. By 1046 Gruffydd ap Llywelyn allied with Sweyn Godwinson, Earl of Hereford, and the two of them campaigned in South Wales against Gruffydd of Gwent. In 1047 the lords of Ystrad Tywi, the heart of Deheubarth and the seat of the Dinefwr family, led an army which totally defeated the 150-strong teulu, or household guard, of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, who was narrowly able to escape. In retaliation against the resurgent nobles of Ystrad Tywi and Dyfed, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn devastated those provinces, but "in vain", wrote John Edward Lloyd, "as his authority in South Wales was ... shattered" by Gruffydd ap Rhydderch of Gwent who was now firmly in control of Ystrad Tywi and Dyfed.

A golden chalice as seen in Welshpool Church, 1794 St Cynfelin (he is also known as St Matu) is reputed to be the founder of two churches in the town, St Mary's and St Cynfelin's, during "the age of the saints in Wales" in the 5th and 6th centuries. The parish of Welshpool roughly coincides with the medieval commote of Ystrad Marchell in the cantref of Ystlyg in the Kingdom of Powys. The Long Mountain, which plays as a backdrop to most of Welshpool, once served as the ultimate grounds for defence for fortresses in the times when the town was just a swampy marsh. Welshpool served briefly as the capital of Powys Wenwynwyn or South Powys after its prince was forced to flee the traditional Welsh royal site at Mathrafal in 1212, by the prince of Gwynedd; assistance from the English crown (enemies of the Gwynedd prince) restored the Wenwynwyn dynasty to their lands.

Powys Fadog (except for Mortimer's portion) had allied with Gwynedd during Edward's 1282 invasion, so in 1283, in the aftermath of King Edward's total extinction of Gwynedd, Edward abolished Powys Fadog, granting Gruffudd Fychan's lands to John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey (also known as the Earl of Warren) as the Marcher Lordship of Bromfield and Yale (Yale being Ial). Nevertheless, the Earl argued for Gruffudd Fychan to retain a portion of Powys Fadog, for the sake of dignity or to reduce the risk of revolt; thus a small portion of Mortimer's lands (the region around Sycharth – approximately half the former commote of Cynllaith) and a small portion of the Earl's (Glyndyfrdwy) were granted to Gruffudd Fychan as a Barony (i.e. remaining ultimately subject to the authority of the Marcher Lords). The Barony survived until the rebellion (in nominal support of King Richard II's heir) of Owain Glyndŵr, the great-grandson (or great-great- grandson) of Gruffudd Fychan.

Madog's eldest son, Llywelyn, was killed soon after his father's death in 1160, Powys was then shared between Madog's sons Gruffydd Maelor, Owain Fychan and Owain Brogyntyn, his nephew Owain Cyfeiliog and half-brother Iorwerth Goch. Powys was never subsequently reunited, being separated into two parts; Powys Fadog (Lower Powys) and Powys Wenwynwyn (Upper Powys). Madog's death enabled Owain Gwynedd to force the homage of Owain Brogyntyn, Madog's youngest son, and effectively annex part of northern Powys. The poet Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr in his elegy on Madog said: :While Madog lived there was no man :Dared ravage his fair borders :Yet nought of all he held :Esteemed he his save by God's might ... :If my noble lord were alive :Gwynedd would not now be encamped in the heart of Edeyrnion Edeyrnion (or Edeirnion) was a commote inherited by Owain Brogyntyn and had been the home of his mother (who was not married to his father).

A considerable number of the names of adjacent medieval Welsh commotes contain is (meaning "lower", or "below" as a preposition) and uwch (originally uch and meaning "higher", or "above" as a preposition), with the dividing line between them being a natural boundary, such as a river, mountain or forest. Melville Richards noted that, in almost every instance where this occurs, the point of central authority was in the "is division" when the commote was named, and he suggested that such commotes were originally named in the sense of 'nearer' and 'farther' based on the location of that central authority—i.e., the terminology is for administrative purposes and not a geographical characterisation. Richards attributed the use of is and uwch to some confusion in translating Latin sub (meaning "lower") and supra (meaning "upper") into Welsh in too literal a sense, when the proper sense was to consider sub to be an administrative synonym for Latin cis (meaning "this side of"), and to consider supra to be an administrative synonym for Latin trans (meaning "the other side of").

Effectively primogeniture with local variations. However, all sons were provided for out of the lands of the father and in certain circumstances so too were daughters. Additionally, sons could claim maternal patrimony through their mother in certain circumstances. Later historians refer to Owain ap Gruffydd as Owain Gwynedd to differentiate him from another Owain ap Gruffydd, the Mathrafal ruler of Powys, known as Owain Cyfeiliog.Lloyd, J.E. 0A History of Wales; From the Norman Invasion to the Edwardian Conquest, Gruffydd Gwynedd, Gruffydd Cyfeiliog, pg 93 Cadwaladr, Gruffudd's youngest son, inherited the commote of Aberffraw on Ynys Môn, and the recently conquered Meirionydd and Northern Ceredigion, that is Ceredigion between the rivers Aeron and Dyfi.Lloyd, J.E. 0A History of Wales; From the Norman Invasion to the Edwardian Conquest, Cadwaladr's inheritance, pgs 85, 93, 104Upper Ceredigion was the commotes of Penweddig and Uwch Aeron (Upper or above the Aeron river) By 1141 Cadwaladr and Madog ap Maredudd of Powys led a Welsh vanguard as an ally of the Earl of Chester as partisans for Empress Matilda in the Battle of Lincoln, and joined in the rout which made Stephen of England prisoner of the empress for a year.