Showing 6 results

An imperfect manuscript containing fifty 'cywyddau' and five 'awdlau' written during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The majority of the poems are drafts by, and in the respective hands of, the herald bards Rhys Cain and his son Siôn Cain of Oswestry, the former being represented by twenty-seven poems of which some are dated between 1582 and 1612 and the latter by twenty poems of which some are dated between 1609 and 1634. Other poets represented in the volume are William Llŷn, James Dwnn, 1616 (holograph), Edward ap Raff, Richard Cynwal, Lewys ap Edward, and Siôn Phylip. About three fourths of the poems are hitherto unrecorded. The volume is made up of individual poems written on separate papers which were previously stitched, though probably not for the purpose of covering and binding in book form, and as in the case of other manuscripts deriving from the Cains, e.g., Peniarth MS. 117, each paper bears evidence of having at one time been folded and filed in a bundle, generally with an endorsement, until eventually it became worn and tattered at the creases. The title of one 'cywydd' by Rhys Cain has been added in the hand of Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt.

An incomplete volume (ff. 1-85, 176-243) consisting largely of 'cywyddau' and 'englynion' by Sion Kent, Sion Tudvr, Grvffydd Grvg, Meredith ap Rees, Will'm ap Sion ap D'd, Gruff' Hiraethog, Will'm Llynn, Huw Arwistl, D'd ap Edmwnd, D'd ap Gwilim, Rob't Leiaf, Rys Goch or Yri, Mastr Hari, Ifan Tew Brydydd, Gytto Glyn, Sion Philipp, Roger Kyffyn, Ievan Fychan, Sr. Davydd Trevor, Tudur Penllyn, Rowland Fychan, Tomas Prys, Evan Tudvr Owen, Ievan Brydydd Hir, William Elias, Tudur Aled, Gruff' ap Ievan, Rys Pennarth, Bedo Aerdrem, Bedo Brwynllys, Iolo Goch, Ellis Rowland, Howel ap D'd ap Ievan ap Rys, D'd Namor, D'd Ddv o Hiraddvc, Lewys Glyn Kothi, Howel ap Ievan ap Rys, Owen Gruffydd, Michael Prichard, Edmwnd Price, Hughe ap Ed'd Lloyd, Rice Kain, Richard Hughes, [Richard Davies] 'Escob Dewi', Ed'd Maelor, Ievan ap Tudvr Penllyn, Harrie Howell, Sion Kain, and Robin Ddv. Towards the end of the volume there are short texts such as 'englynion' in Latin, 'llyma gas bethav Owain Kyveiliog', 'xxiiij gwell', 'Geirie gwir Taliesin', triads, proverbs, the nine grades of kinship, medical recipes, 'Llyma henwau y pedair Caingc ar ddeg Cydwgan a Cyhelyn', and 'Henwau'r pedwar Gosdeg Cerdd dannau'. The greater part of the manuscript was written in the seventeenth century; but there are additions and marginal notes to the nineteenth century. There is an index ('Tabl y llyfr') to ff. 1--76, in a seventeenth century hand. Between ff. 4 and 6 are inserted two leaves (pp. 129-30, 135-6) of David Jones (Trefriw) (ed.): Cydymaith Diddan (Caer Lleon [1766]).

A volume of transcripts of Welsh poetry. The first fifty-one folios contain copies, in a 16th-century hand, of 'cywyddau' by Siôn Cent, Iolo Goch, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Madog Benfras, Gruffudd Gryg, Dafyddd ab Edmwnd, Iorwerth Fynglwyd, Tudur Aled, Dafydd Nanmor and others. The remainder of the volume (ff. 52-147) is in several hands of the end of the 17th century. At the head of f. 52 is the following note:- 'Haec sequens Collectio facta fuit Opera P.V.A.M. ...', the initials probably representing the name of Peter Vaughan, M.A., who was vicar of Llangernyw from 1682 to 1689. This part of the manuscript contains the names and arms of the fifteen tribes of Gwynedd; pedigrees of some Abergele families (among them that of Peter Vaughan himself) taken from the books of Sion Tudur and Rhys Cain; an account of the five residences of Sir Roger Mostyn in 1682; poetry in strict and free metres by Sion Tudur, Morus Dwyfech, Richard Phylip, Gryffydd Phylip, Guto'r Glyn, Maredudd ap Rhys, Edmwnd Prys, Lewis Glyn Cothi and others; etc.

A collection of 'cywyddau' attributed to Dafydd ap Gwilym (17), Dafydd Nanmor (2), Hugh Morys, Madog Benfras, Iolo Goch, and Rhys Cain; 'cerddi' by Ellis Roberts Cowper, and Lewis Morris ('Llywelyn Ddu') ('Llythur Cymun Morgan Goch y Melinydd', with an addition by William Jones, and 'Cerdd Marwnad Llewelyn bach o Gaer ludd'); 'englynion' by Merddyn Emrys and Huw Huws; and an English 'charol to be sung on Christmas morning' by Hugh Hughes, 'late of Foel near Llanerchymedd'.

A commonplace book of prose and verse, including a fragment on husbandry, recipes, a charm, astronomical and tide tables, 'Ystori Peilatvs', 'Ystori Adda', 'Ystori Noe Hen', 'Ystori Suddas', 'Araith Gwgan', an extract from Y Ffydd Ddi-ffvant, interpretations of dreams, a calendar for 1695, and poetry by Aneirin Gwawdrydd (fl. second half 6 cent.), Taliesin (fl. end 6 cent.), Hywel Cilan (fl. c. end 15 cent.), Sion Cent (c. 1400-15 cent.), Dafydd Nanmor (fl. 15 cent.), Dafydd ab Edmwnd (fl. 1450-1490), Dafydd ap Gwilym (fl. 1315/20-1350/70), Iolo Goch (c. 1320-1398), Morys ap Hywel (fl. c. 1530), Gruffudd ab Ieuan (c. 1485-1553), Sion Brwynog (d. ?1567), Sion Tudur (c. 1522-1602), Huw Morys (1622-1709), Dafydd ap Rhys (fl. c. 1550), Lewys Morganwg (fl. 1520-1565), Robert Leiaf, Guto'r Glyn (c. 1435-c. 1493), Gruffudd Gryg (fl. 1357-1370), Maredudd ap Rhys (fl. 1440-1483), Tudur Aled (c. 1465-c. 1525), Gruffudd ap Dafydd ap Hywel (fl. 1480-1520), Syr Dafydd, Rhys Cain (d. 1614), Gruffudd Llwyd ab Einion (fl. c. 1380-1410), Wiliam ap Sion ap Dafydd, and Thomas Prys (1564?-1634). Some 'englynion' and memoranda have been written in the margins by Evan Thomas, Cwmhwylfod (d. 1781).

'Llyfr Ystrad Alun', containing (a) items in prose, (b) a very large number of 'cywyddau', 'awdlau', 'englynion', and 'carolau' or 'cerddi', and (c) some poems in English. --
(a) The prose items are 'Araith Wgan', 'Addysg rhifyddiaeth, yr hon ddengys rhifedi or ddaiar hyd y lleuad, or lleuad hyd yr haul, or haul hyd y Nefoedd, or nefoedd hyd vffern a lled a thewdwr y ddaear i bob ffordd', 'Dyna fal i mae y saith blaened yn Raenio yn gyntaf Satarnus, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercurius a Luna...', and 'Breuddwyd Gronwy ddu'. -- (b) Among the poets represented are Sion Phylip, Raff ap Robert, Morgan ap Hughe Lewis, Edmwnd Prys, Wiliam Cynwal, Wiliam Phylip, Thomas Llywelyn, Dafydd Llwyd, Sion Cent, Sion Tudur, Hwmffre Dafydd ab Ieuan, Gruffudd Gryg, Thomas Prys, Dafydd Vaughan (alias Dafydd ab Ieuan), Huw Llwyd Cynfal, Huw Morus, Sion Ifan Clywedog, Maredudd ap Rhys, Hywel Swrdwal, Sion Brwynog, Dafydd Nanmor, Iolo Goch, Owain Gwynedd, Ieuan Brydydd Hir, Gruffudd ab Ieuan ap Llewelyn Fychan, Huw Arwystli, Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch, Ieuan ap Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd, Robin Clidro, Harri Hywel, Taliesin, Dafydd ab Edmwnd, Guto'r Glyn, Rhys Goch Eryri, Gruffudd ap Dafydd Fychan, Tudur Aled, Bedo Brwynllys, Wiliam Llyn, Rhys Cain, Gutun Owain, Dafydd Gorlech, Dafydd Llwyd ap Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Llywelyn ab Owain, Robin Ddu, Hywel Rheinallt, Ieuan Dyfi, Dafydd ap Gwilym, Gwerful vch Hywel Fychan, Rhys ap Harri, Mathew Owain, Dafydd Humphreys, J. Jones, Gruffydd James, Syr Hughe Heiward, Hopcyn Thomas ('O Llanelli'), Thomas Rowland, Wil Watkin Ju., Han Edward Morus, Wiliam Siencyn, Ifan ap Sion, Lewis Dwnn, Robin Dyfi, Ifan ap Cadwaladr, Sion Morgan, Lewis Gwynne, Tomos ab Han Sion, Sion Scrifen, Wiliam Dafydd, Rees Prees, Owen Edward, Oliver Rogers, Dafydd Manuel, Richard Abram, Rowland Vaughan, James Dwnn, Robert Lloyd, etc. -- (c) The English items include 'A Christmas Carol' by D. H., 'Agony of or Saviors birth' by J. Jones, 'A Confession of a sinner', 'The prayer of a sinner at the hour of death', 'An effectuall prayer for grace, mercy and forgiveness of sins', 'The dying teares of a penitent sinner', 'Queene Elizabeths delight', 'The Horny booke' by John Scriven, 'A lover departure' by D. ff. Two poems by Dafydd Vaughan, 'Gwir gariad' and ['Camgymeriad'], have stanzas in English and Welsh alternately, the Welsh following the English. -- As so many of the poems in the manuscript are by Dafydd Vaughan he may possibly have been the scribe. The volume has annotations by Walter Davies ('Gwallter Mechain') who has designated it 'Llyfr Ystrad Alun' and who transcribed some poems from it - see NLW MS 1658.