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A manuscript in two volumes containing a corpus of Welsh strict-metre verse consisting almost entirely of 'cywyddau', and a few Welsh prose items. The foliation of the 'text' (original f. 1 missing, original ff. 2-21 renumbered 1-20, a previously unnumbered folio between original ff. 21-2 now f. 21, ff. 22-623 as originally numbered with 75 twice and 265 and 577 missed out) is continuous, and the division into vol. I (ff. 1-300), now NLW MS 13061B, and vol. II (ff. 301-623), now NLW MS 13062B, occurs in the middle of a poem. Unnumbered leaves of later origin than those of the text have been inserted at the beginning and end of each volume. The manuscript, sometimes referred to as 'Y Byrdew Mawr', is in the hand of Thomas ab Ieuan of Tre'r-bryn, parish of Coychurch, co. Glamorgan, the scribe of NLW MSS 13063B, 13069B, and 13085B, and was probably transcribed in the last quarter of the seventeenth century, partly from the manuscripts of an earlier Glamorgan copyist, Llywelyn Siôn (see TLLM, tt. 95, 167-73, 218-19, 268; IM, tt. 87, 154, 264; and IMCY, tt. 81, 175). It was probably presented to Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg') by the copyist's grandson also named Thomas ab Ifan (see TLLM, tt. 170, 268). The contents include (revised foliation) :- 1 recto - verso, rules re interpreting the significance of dreams in relation to the phases of the moon (incomplete); 1 verso-8 recto, another set of rules (183) for interpreting dreams ('Deall braiddwydon herwydd Daniel broffwyd'); 8 recto-11 recto, a sequence of forty-eight 'englynion' entitled 'Englynion rhwng Arthur a Liflod i nai' (see The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, vol. II, pp. 269-86); 11 recto-verso, a poem attributed to 'Taliesin ben bayrdd'; 12 recto-15 verso, prognostications including 'Arwyddion kyn dydd brawd', and four 'englynion'; 16 recto-21 recto, 'Llyma anian diwarnodav y vlwyddyn o gwbl oll'; 21 verso, prognostications re birthdays; and 22 recto-623 verso, poems ('cywyddau' unless otherwise indicated) by Iorwerth Vynglwyd (17), Ieuan Rydd, Tydur Aled (12), Howel ap Rainallt (3), Mathav ap Lle'n Goch, Lewys y Glynn (7), Davydd ap Edmwnt (5), Siôn y kent (24), Davydd llwyd (2), Risiart Iorwerth (4), Llawdden (or Ieuan Llawdden) (6), Davydd Nanmor (5), Iolo Goch (8), Ieuan Daelwyn (13), Lewys Morgannwg ( 18), Thomas Lle'n (5, also 1 'englyn'), Howel ap Davydd ap Ieuan ap Rys (17), Ieuan Tew Bry[dy]dd Ievank (3), Huw Kae Llwyd (8), Ieuan Dyvi (2), Ieuan ap Howel Swrdwal (2), Davydd Llwyd Lle'n ap Gr' (3), Risiart ap Rys Brydydd (3), Tomos Derllysg (4), Gyttyn Kairiog, Ieuan Llwyd ap Gwilym, Ieuan Rydderch ap Ieuan Llwyd (3), Robert Laia, Ieuan Du Bowen Lle'nn ap Howel ap Ieuan ap Gronw (7), Rys Goch 'o Vochgarn', Ieuan Brydydd Hir, Gytto'r Glynn (25), Maredydd Brydydd, Howel Swrdwal (3), Thomas Lle'n Dio Powell (2), William Kynwal, Siôn Tydyr (7), Hyw Davi 'o Wynedd' (3), Huw Davi, Tomas ap Siôn Kati (2), Syr Rys 'o Garno', Syr Lewys Maudw, Syr Phylip Emlyn (2), Huw Lewis, Davydd Ddu Hiraddug, Davydd ap Gwilym (10), Bedo Aurddrem, Morys ap Howel, Ieuan Tew Brydydd (9), Siôn Brwynog, Harri ap Rys ap Gwilym (3), Morys ap Rys, Davydd Benwyn (11), Rydderch Siôn Lle' nn, Sils ap Siôn (3), Lle'n ap Owain, Syr Huw Robert L'en (3), Davydd ap Rys, Thomas Gryffydd, Siôn Phylip, Gwyrfyl verch Howel Vychan, Morgan ap Howel (or Powel) (4), Lle'n Siôn (8), Gryffydd Gryg (5), Maredydd ap Rys, Tydur Penllyn (2), Gronw Wiliam, Bedo Phylip Bach (4), Siôn Mowddwy (11), Rogier Kyffin (4), Wiliam Gryffydd ap Siôn (2), Hyw Dwnn, Lewys Môn (5), Wiliam Egwad (2), Ieuan Du'r Bilwg (2), Rys Brydydd, Daio ap Ieuan Du or Daio Du o Benn Adainiol (3), Gwilim Tew Brydydd (10), Rys Brychan, Maredydd ap Roser, Daio Lliwiel, Lle'nn Goch y Dant, Gryffydd Davydd Ychan (2), Syr Gryffydd Vychan, Lang Lewys, Rys Llwyd Brydydd, Meistr Harri Le'n ( 2), Siôn ap Howel Gwyn (2), William Llvn (5), Ieuan Gethin (ap Ieuan ap Llaison) (3), Gwilim ap Ieuan Hen, Ieuan ap Hyw, Gryffydd Hiraethog (5), Rys Pennarth, Davydd Llwyd Mathav (4), Davydd Emlyn, Davydd Goch Brydydd 'o Vyellt' (2), Rys Nanmor (3), Risiart Vynglwyd (2), Watkin Powel (6), Mairig Davydd (4), Ieuan Rauadr, Owain Gwynedd, Morgan Elfel, Syr Davydd Llwyd (3), Ieuan Thomas (4), Rys Goch 'o Eryri' (3), Lle'n vab Moel y Pantri (2), Syr Davydd ap Phylip Rys, Rys Trem, Siankin y ddyfynog (3), Morys ap Lle'nn, Risiart Thomas, Lle'nn Mairig, Gryffydd Llwyd ap Davydd ap Einon, Gryffydd Llwyd ap Einon Lygliw, Hopgin Thom Phylip, Edward Davydd (4), Ieuan Du Davydd ap Owain, Bedo Brwynllys, Thomas ap Rys 'o Blas Iolyn', Thomas Wiliam Howel, Davydd ap Ieuan Ddu, Syr Owain ap Gwilym, Rys ap Harri 'o Euas' (2), Edwart ap Rys, Davydd Manuel 'o Sir Drefaldwyn', SiamsThomas, Thomas Brwynllys, and Swrdwal. The unnumbered folios at the beginning of each volume contain a list of the contents of the volume giving, in the case of the poems, the name of the poet, in a hand bearing a strong resemblance to that of William Owen Pughe, and the title of the poem, in the hand of Edward Williams. The folios at the end of the first volume contain an index of the bards whose works appear in both volumes. This is possibly in the hand of Hugh Maurice, tanner and copyist. On one of the added folios at the end of the second volume is a poem to the Reverend John Jones, D.D., dean of [the cathedral church of] Bangor. Both volumes contain marginalia in the hand of Edward Williams.

A composite volume containing notes, lists, transcripts, etc., of a very miscellaneous nature in the hand of Edward Williams ('Iolo Morganwg'). The contents, pagination in brackets, include reflections on looking at the ruins of medieval castles more particularly those of Glamorgan (xi + xiv); lists or groups of Welsh words, sometimes with English definitions and / or illustrative excerpts from Welsh poems (5-8, 11, 13, 42-3, 45-52 72, 117, 124, 145-7, 163, 215, 218, 221-2, 227-9, 231, 233, 243-7, 251-4, 268, 302, 307, 316); a list of the titles of 'Cywyddau Ior[wer]th Morganwg' i.e. Edward Williams himself (9-10); a seven-stanza poem entitled 'Cân y Bore' by [Edward Williams] 'Iorwerth Morganwg' (15-19); brief lists of events with dates extracted from [Henry Rowlands:] Mona antiqua [restaurata] and [William] Camden [:?Britannia] (20-21); an extract relating to the 'cantrefi' of Morgannwg from 'Vol. 17, Plas Gwynn' [i.e. Panton MS 17 now NLW MS 1986] (22); notes on laws promulgated by Sir Robert Fitshammon [in Glamorgan in the late eleventh century] (53); brief notes headed 'Peculiarities of the orthography of Mr. Bassett of Lanelays Welsh MS. History of the 13 Knights' (41); brief notes referring to the Norman knights Sir Lawrence Berckrolls, Gilbert Humphrefil, and Sir William Le Esterling and the lands given to them [on the conquest of Glamorgan] (39- 40); brief notes headed 'Llyma son am Dywysogaeth a Phendefigaeth a Bonedd Morganwg' (36-7); a list of sixteen [Glamorgan] castles with brief notes thereon (34-5); notes relating to Morgannwg ? in the late eleventh and first half of the twelfth century with references to Paen Twrbil, an attack on Cardiff Castle ? led by Ifor Bach, a political and judicial system ? set up by Ifor Bach, a law promulgated by 'ffwg Morganwg' against foreigners, etc. (30-33); brief notes relating to meetings of the Welsh bards held in the various princes' courts four times a year ? during the second half of the eleventh century, the supervision of the bards' use of Welsh by the princes, the patronage of the bards by Rhys fab Tydyr Fawr and Nest, wife of Iestyn [ap Gwrgant], and a meeting arranged between the said Rhys, Nest, and Iestyn (27-9); brief notes relating to the division of his domain by Rhodri Mawr amongst his sons, the conditions imposed on them, the status and duties of the kings of various parts of Wales, etc. (24-6); drafts of a proposed title-page for Cyfrinach Beirdd Ynys Prydain to be published in 1822 (57, 68); lines of Welsh verse to illustrate 'cynghanedd' of the 'groes rywiog' type (58, 67); brief notes on and a sketch to illustrate 'Cylch yr Abred', 'Cylch y Gwynfyd', and 'Cylch y Ceugant' (59); a list of bardic 'gorseddau' (60-61); notes relating to the creation of the twenty-four Knights of the Round Table by King Arthur and to the qualities and duties expected of such knights, a list of the twenty- four accomplishments they should be capable of, and a list of the names of sixteen of the said knights (62-6); a brief note relating to the bardic 'Cadair Tir Iarll' ? instituted in the time of Gilbart y Clâr (69); a brief note referring to the bards Risiart ap Iorwerth Fynglwyd and Hywel Hir ap Rhys ap Llywelyn (78); notes headed 'Y Ford Gron' referring to the organising of the Welsh bards, musicians, etc. (81-2); notes relating to procedure in connection with bardic meetings (86-7); a brief note attacking 'Win. Owen, Edward Davies, a'r Hen darn Tant E. Jones' (87); a note relating to the contents of 'Greal Beirdd Morganwg' ? an intended quarterly periodical (94); notes relating to the knowledge of letters amongst the Cimmeri on their arrival in Britain and amongst the Druids with references to Roman inscriptions and ancient British inscriptions (95- 6); brief notes on solemn days or festivals observed by Glamorgan bards and the bardic 'Round Table' of Morgannwg (113); an extract from a 'cywydd' attributed to William Cynwal ? illustrating certain bardic terms (115); an example of the bardic alphabet allegedly used by the Welsh bards (118-19); notes relating to the migrations of the Cymry and their coming to Britain ( 125); a brief note on the possible uses of inscribing on billets of wood, etc. (127); a list of ancient Welsh musical instruments ('offer cerdd oslef yr hen Gymry') extracted allegedly from 'an old imperfect MS. in Goetre Hen Library circa 1767 borrowed by John Bradford' (128); a note referring to the genuine poems of Taliesin and the spurious poems attributed to him, the writer disclaiming responsibility for including some of the latter in the 'Welsh Archaiology' stating that his main work in connection therewith had been 'travelling thro' Wales in search of old MSS.' (132 + 129); notes relating to 'coelbrenni rhin', 'coelfeini cyfrin', etc. (137-8); notes referring to the reintroduction of the bardic 'Dosparth y Ford Gron' into Wales from Brittany by Rhys ap Tewdwr, a meeting ? in 1075 between Rhys and Iestyn ap Gwrgan for this purpose and ? to organise the order of Welsh bards and musicians, a further meeting between the two in 1077 leading to a quarrel concerning Nest, wife of Iestyn, the coming of Robert fab Ammon and the Norman knights to Iestyn's aid, and their eventual conquest of his realm (139-41); a suggestion relating to 'Y Bardd Glas o'r Gadair' and 'cynghanedd' (142-3); notes relating to bardic ceremonial headed 'Dosparth y Ford Gronn' (149-51); notes relating to ? the proclaiming of 'eisteddfodau', etc. (161-2); a brief note on the 'bardd teulu' (163); a brief note relating to the intellectual state of the [early] Cymry (169); general remarks contrasting the poets of North and South Wales (170-71); notes relating to the fate of the souls and spirits of men after death (177-9); a note relating to the work of the 'Welsh bards as tutors' (181); an anecdote relating to Einigan Gawr and Menw ap y Teirgwaedd and the origin of knowledge (183); transcripts of two 'awdlau' attributed to Prolh o Gil Fai and Iorwerth Llwyd ap y Gargam, stanzas attributed to Gwalchmai ap Meilir, and unattributed verse (187-97); extracts from [Edward Davies's series of 'Letters on Celtic Literature to Mr. Justice Harding previous to the publication of The Celtic Researches'] with occasional comments [by Edward Williams] (205-11); (continued)

A transcript of three of the old Welsh 'englynion' usually designated 'englynion y Juvencus' with a version in modern orthography [all probably transcribed from Edward Lhuyd: Archaeologia Britannica, p. 221] (212); copies of two 'englynion' by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' himself (215); extracts relating to the early Cimbrians or Kimmeri and their connection with Thrace (223); miscellaneous extracts from Welsh verse (225-6, 239-40); a list of titles headed 'Odes by E. Wins.' (232); an agricultural note headed 'Irish Course of Culture' (233); a list of personal names headed 'July 28th Bath. Poems delivered to' (234); a list of Welsh phrases headed 'Phrases in common use in Glamorgan & also amongst the Persians and other Mahometans' (249-50); two lists of Welsh triads the first headed 'Dewisolion o Drioed[d] Cerdd Iaco ap Dewi gerllaw dechreu Llyfr Mr. Thos. Evans o Frechfa', and the second 'Trioedd gweddus ar ddyn & ex idem (Dewisolion)' (273-6); extracts by [Edward Williams] 'Iolo Morganwg' from one of Lewis Morris's manuscripts called Prif Ancwyn Gorhoff' being No. 43 of the Welsh School Manuscript Collection in London including a version of the statute for Welsh bards and musicians attributed to Gruffydd ab Cynan ('Statud y Gwyr wrth Gerdd o waith Gruffydd ab Cynan'), bardic triads, a list, with examples of some, of the twenty-four Welsh strict poetic metres, lists with headings such as 'Saith cas ar ferched', 'Chwe casbeth gan Dduw', and 'Cas gan hwsmon bum peth', etc. (277-93; this manuscript numbered 43 was one of the manuscripts listed as missing from the Welsh School Collection when it was presented to the British Museum in 1844, see B. M. Additional MS 14955); a list of Welsh triads headed 'Dewisolion o Drioedd gweddus eu dysgu Iaco ab Dewi (Ll. Th. Evans)' (294-6); a copy of a proclamation that a 'Cadair wrth Gerdd Dafawd' would be held 'ar dwyn y Bettws yn Nhir Iarll' in 18[?2]1 (301); extracts from the preface to Thomas Jones: [An] English [and] Welsh Dictionary, 1811, with a comment by E[dward] W[illiams] (304-05); a list of eleven Glamorgan river-names ('enwau nentydd ag afonydd Morganwg') (312); historical notes relating to Welsh poetry including notes on the 'Silurian School', 'a monster to whom we may apply the appellation of the School of Carmarthen . . . engendered between the false Taste of Dafydd ap Edmund and the ignorance of Gruffudd ap Nicolas', the establishing of the Carmarthen school in North Wales and its duration for two centuries, the decline of the said school and the emergence of a new school with the coming of bards such as Hugh Morris, Edward Morys, etc., the attempts of the Gwyneddigion Society to revive the Carmarthen school in North Wales, the song-writing tradition in South Wales, and Richard Hughes, the sixteenth century Caernarvonshire poet, described as 'the oldest song writer of undoubted authenticity' [in North Wales] (313-14, 311-12); horticultural and agricultural notes giving instructions what to do in each month of the year (324, 321-3, 326, 319-20 ); and notes headed 'Llyma'r ddosparth a wnaeth y Brenin Arthur ar gadw achau a chof am fonhedd Cynhenid Cenedl y Cymry' (328-9). Some of the notes are written on the verso or margins of an incomplete copy of a pamphlet announcing a literary competition (composing a 'cywydd') organised by the Gwyneddigion in 1822, a ? holograph letter from William Williams from Cowbridge to Mr. Williams, Geilston, 1806 (requesting assistance in 'taking estimat of the work unfinis'd at the bridwell'), and copies of a pamphlet announcing the printing of Edward Williams's two volumes of English poems entitled Poems Lyric and Pastoral. Inset is a printed copy of a circular letter from Thomas Stephens as honorary secretary of the Merthyr Cymreigyddion Society, 184 . . ., announcing the society's intention of holding an eisteddfod on (blank), stating what the objectives of the society were, and asking for subscriptions.

A manuscript containing poetry in praise of Gruffydd Dwnn, the bulk of it being in the autograph of Gruffydd Dwnn, though pp. 12 (Rhisiart Fynglwyd), 19 ('Syr John Teg'), 22 (Sion Brwynog), 41, 69, 108, 120 (Syr Owain ap Gwilym), 73, 74 (Morgan Elfael), 132c (Huw Llŷn), and 145 (unattributed, possibly autograph) are autograph works by the respective authors. Many of the poems are dated. Pp. 147-156 are in the holograph of Huw Llŷn (see notes on pp. 149, 153). P. 17 is inscribed 'ai kant pan oeddid yn kwplav y plas [nyr ystrad merthyr] o. k. 1533'. An inscription on p. 49 notes Syr Owain ap Gwilym as being 'ap Ieuan o dal y llynn' and, in relation to the poem, 'ai gwnaeth i ryffydd dwnn o hiraeth am rvffydd ag o eisse i weled ac ai danovones ynysgrifenedig i ryffyth donn' (see Peniarth MS 70, which evidently once belonged to the Gruffydd Dwnn Collection). P. 77 is inscribed probably in the hand of Gruffydd Dwnn (relating to the date 1533) 'pan oedd rys [the eldest son of Gruffydd Dwnn] yn 11 mlwydd oed. I mayr kywydd hwnn yn ysgrifenedig mywn llyfr arall i ryffydd Dwnn kyfaillt y llyfr hwnn'. On p. 83 the name of 'syr John teg' has been crossed out and that of 'Gyttvn Owein' [Gutun Owain] substituted, though Gutun Owain was dead long before the poem's date of 1526; the text, however, appears to be in the autograph of Gruffydd Dwnn. The last line of the poem beginning at p. 87 may not belong to the first as pp. 89-90 are missing. P. 104 is inscribed, apparently in the hand of Huw Llŷn in relation to the author of the work, Morus Dwyfech, 'ai kant pann oedd o. k. 1560 ac ynn hir llyn i gwnnaeth ef y ddau englynn hynn'. P. 126 is inscribed in the hand of Gruffydd Dwnn 'I mayr varnad honn yn ysgrifenedig yn y llyfr lle may englynyon yr eryr o law y gwr ai gwnaeth yr hwn lyfr a wnaeth gryffydd dwnn iddo i hyn yn gyntaf oll ond vn llyfr arall'. P. 144 is inscribed in the hand of Gruffydd Dwnn 'gyttvn owein ai kant i ryffydd dwnn' (although, according to the date of the poem, Gruffydd Dwnn was an infant at the time of its writing). P. 147 is inscribed (in relation to Wiliam Cynwal, the author of the englynion) 'a Gant y chwech englyn hynn yni ynnwedic lythr at ruffudd dwnn 1566' (only the fifth and sixth englyn of this series remain).
This is one of the manuscripts mentioned in Mostyn MS 184. Gwenogvryn (J. Gwenogvryn Evans, Report on Manuscripts in the Welsh Language, vol. II, part II (London, 1903), p. 503) debates whether the englynion addressed to 'Gr: Dwnn o Gydweli' on at pp. 132-132b are in the hand of Owain Gwynedd.