Welsh ana Gaelic. 583 



Eev. William Basil Jones (now Bishop of St. Davids) 

 in his celebrated essay entitled ' Vestiges of the Gael in 

 Gwynnedd.' As late as the sixth century we find great 

 part of the western coast of Wales and all Anglesea in- 

 habited by the Gwyddel. From Caernarvonshire to 

 Pembrokeshire and Glamorganshire, the word Grwyddel 

 forms a frequent part of compound names of places, 

 such as Llan-y-G\\yddel (Holyhead), Trwyn-y-Gwyddel, 

 the extreme promontory of Lleyn in the north horn of 

 Cardigan Bay, Murian-'r-Gwyddel, ancient fortifications 

 near Harlech, and many others. The special frequency 

 of such names near the coast seems to point to the cir- 

 cumstance, that the fortified positions there formed 

 the last refuges of the retiring Gael against the onward 

 march of the encroaching Cymry. One of these, Cytiau- 

 'r-Gwyddelod (the Irishmen's cots), is a skilfully fortified 

 position on Holyhead mountain, where tradition tells 

 of a battle, in which the Gwyddel were utterly defeated 

 by Caswallawn Law Hir, late in the sixth century. 

 Subsequent piratical invasions of Wales by the Irish 

 are recorded, which even come down to Norman times, 

 but without permanent results. 1 



There is a little feeble evidence that Christianity 

 had obtained a slight footing in Britain early in the 

 third century, and it is certain that early in the fourth 

 century it began to be largely established, and although 

 4 when the Koman left us, and their law relaxed its 

 hold upon us,' in the year 409, England, overwhelmed 

 by successive hosts 6 of heathen swarming o'er the 

 northern sea,' again became pagan, this forcible con- 



1 Mr. Skene in his Four Ancient Books of Wales,' and in 

 ' Celtic Scotland,' has treated this subject with his usual skill and 

 vigour. He dissents from the opinion of the Bishop of St. David's 

 respecting the priority of the Gwyddel in Wales. 



