414 
ther with mountains, forests, and morasses, 
presented an aggregation of difficulties, that 
would have discouraged a people less ardent 
in their enterprizes ; nor did they succeed, 
until after a long warfare and a severe loss. 
The Silures and Dimitise fell under the yoke 
in the reign of Vespasian, when they were 
vahijaiahed by Julius Frontinus. The Ordo- 
vices were not finally subdued until the 
time of his successor, Agricola, who accord- 
ing to Tacitus, exterminated the whole na- 
tion. 
«« The Romans retained possession of this 
country until A. D. 408, when they with- 
drew their legions, and the most warlike of 
the British youth, for the defence of their 
central dominions. The inroads of the Scots 
and Picts, which immediately followed, 
do not appear to have materially affected 
the Welch ; nor did the Saxons, though at 
constant war with them for several centuries, 
acquire any settled dominion in the country: 
yet they more than once partially over-ran 
ales, obliging it to pay tribute ; and in the 
reign of Edward the Confessor, Harold, at 
the head of a great army, entering Wales, 
defeated Prince Grifhth, sovereign of North- 
Wales, and establishing himself at Gwent,* 
(Monmouthshire), began a palace at Ports- 
wit, which was, howerer, destroyed by Grif- 
fith before its completion. 
« From the departure of the Romans, in 
408, to the inroads of the Anglo-Norman 
chieftains, in the eleventh and twelfth cen- 
turies, Wales was divided into numerous 
petty sovereignties, or lordships, of varying 
naine and extent, but tributary to an impe- 
rial prince ; though, sometimes that dignity 
was split into two or three branches. ‘hese 
chiefs were usually at war with each other, 
or with their princes, who: seldom obtained 
tribute when their means of enforcing it 
-was (were) questionable. : 
«©The Anglo-Norman dominion in Wales 
was brought about in a manner whally dif- 
ferent from former conquests. William the 
first and his successors, finding sufficient 
employment in securing their English pos- 
sessions, invited their chiefs, holding lands 
in the neighbourhood of Wales, to make 
incursions against the Welch lords, upon 
their separate interests. The Norman leaders 
thereupon, by creating feuds among the na- 
tive powers, siding with one or the other 
party, and breaking with them on conyenicnt 
opportunities, contrived to fix themselves in 
various parts of Wales ; whence their con- 
quests, extending by degrees, overspread the 
greater part of the country. The lands thus 
Sheleesn, became the property of the con- 
querors, who, under the title of lords march- 
ers, were allowed to exercise an uncontroll- 
ed jurisdiction within their demesnes: but 
power- acquired on such principles could 
BRITISH TOPOGRAPHY AND ANTIQUITIES. 
only be retained by force : every petty despot 
secured himself a fortress, and hence arose 
the extraordinary number of Castries with 
which Wales is crowded, amounting, ac- 
cording to a native author,t to one hundred 
and forty three. The Welch princes still 
held a considerable tract of country, fre- 
quently overthrew the intruders, and even 
carried their arms into England; but in the 
defeat of the brave Llewelyn, by Edward the 
first, Wales lost every remnant of its inde- 
pendance, and became definitively united to 
the crown of England. 
“In the reign of Henry thecighth, Wales 
was divided into twelve shires, and Mon- 
mouthshire was included among the English 
connties; the feudal despotism of the lords 
marchers was then abolished; and Wales 
participating in the equal shelter of English 
jurisprudence, has proved itself as zealous in 
defending the common interest of the empire, 
as it was formerly conspicuous in struggling 
for its particular freedom.” 
Among the numerous memorials of 
history and antiquity which distinguish 
Wales, castles and religious buildings 
possess the chief claim to attention ; and, 
as Wales is an admirable field for the 
study of the civil and military architec- 
ture that prevailed in the middle ages, 
Mr. Barber gives a slight sketch of the 
progress of those arts, so far as it seems 
applicable to the present purpose. This 
subject is highly interesting, and our 
author has evidently made it an object 
of much study. 
** On the overthrow of the Romans by the - 
Goths and Vandals,” Mr. Barber observes, 
*« the arts vanished before the scourge of war; 
and the standard mode of architecture which 
adorned the Greek and Roman empires, 
could no longer be executed in_ its original 
erfection. he general forms, indeed, were 
imitated, but without an observance of sym- 
metry ; the execution was rough and clumsy; 
the pillars were excessively thick, and the 
arches heavy ; and where ornament was at- 
tempted the performance was very uncouth. 
Such was the state of architecture (a mere 
corruption of the Roman) that succeeded the 
devastations of the Goths, and has been 
called Saxon and Norman: the term Gothic, 
however, would certainly be more appro- 
priate. } 
«* At the beginning of the twelfth century, 
a new style of architecture made its appear- 
ance, distinguished by pointed arches and 
clustered columns. ‘Though at. first coldly 
received, and but sparingly introduced among 
the rounded arches etd massive columns, 
called Saxon, it soon gained an undisputed 
footing.” a ; 
* The Saxonsat this period are supposed to haye occupied Monmouth, Chepstow, Caer- 
went, and Caerleon. 
+ Mr. Pennant. 
