12 THE president's ADDRESS. 



The aires or freemen, were divided into the Jlaiths and the 

 loaires. Tho flalth in Welsh argwlydd, corresponded to the Anglo- 

 Saxon Hlafford, or Atheling. 



The hoaire possessed no land, only chattels, and rented land 

 of the faiths. 



Of kings in Ireland there were three classes. In Wales 

 two. Probably in Cornwall it was much the same, and it is 

 possible that the eight ancient Deaneries, or the seven Hundreds 

 roughly represented the tribes or clans, each under its head. 

 These deaneries were East and West Wyvelleshire, Trigg Major 

 and Minor, Pydar, Powder, Kerrier and Pen with. Wyvelleshire 

 probably represented the under kingdom of Glallewig, and Trigg 

 Major and Minor were possibly at one time an united princi- 

 pality, and may be the Trecor, in the " Life of St. Samson," 

 Tre-caerau. The ancient hundreds were differently named, and 

 their boundaries are now uncertain. There certainly was always 

 an over lord, or chief king. 



In Ireland several tuatha, cinels, or clans, were united under 

 a rig-m6r or high king. And the Ard-rig^ or chief monarch, was 

 elected out of the Kings of Ireland. So in Wales, there were 

 several kingdoms, but the King of Grwynedd was head over all. 



Each community had its rath. A king had his dun or caer, 

 and Us. But each tribe also had its dun or fortress. The Irish 

 laws draw a distinction between a Us and a dun, yet it is not 

 easy to determine in what the distinction existed. 



The Irish iuath was equivalent to a Welsh cantred.* 



*In "Wales fifty trefs (the Cornish ire) or farm holdings formed a commot, 

 and two commots made a cantred, or " hundred." 



In North Wales 24 trefs were occupied by freeholders. 



16 ,, ,, ,, ieofifs (unfreemen). 



8 ,, „ as Terra Dominica. 



2 „ ,, „ Eoyal domain. 



50 Total 



A similar arrangement prevailed in Ireland. A tuath was equivalent to a 

 Welsh cantred. A tuatJi had over it a rig or king, and it was divided iuto thirty 

 hailes. 



In Brittany the plouef had several meanings, a cultivated district, and a 

 plebs or a tribe occupying it. Over it was tiern, the son originally of one of the 

 Dumnonian kings. There also we find the compot^commot and the treb^^tref; 

 so that we may be sure that the organisation in Cornwall was not other than what 

 we find in Wales and in Armorica. 



