B R E 



Previous to tlie reign of William Riifus, this county ap- 

 pears to have been veiled in its native princes ; but in tin's 

 veign Barnard de Newnrarch, a Noiinan of great fijirit, 

 combined with prudence, ad'embled a confulerable body of 

 Englifli and Normans, vv-ith whom he invaded this tcrricory, 

 and fubdued the inhabitants. To feciirc his newly acqnired 

 poficiTions, he built caftles, and aflicrned different parts of 

 tht-ra to his principal ailbciatcs. This policy further in- 

 •<3nccd him to marry Nelt, grand-daughter of GrufFytli ap 

 Lhewelin, who, proving to be of a moll revengeful and 

 abandoned fpirit, involved her lord in much trouble, and oc- 

 calioned her fon to be dilinherited, by faliely fwearing to 

 Iving Henry I. that he was a baftard. The lordfliip pro-- 

 grelfively paffed to Milo, earl of Hereford, and his fons, 

 nest to Humphry de Bohune, to Philip Brufc, to Thomas 

 Plantagenet, fixth fon of Erlw. III., and afterwards to the 

 ■dukedom of Buckingham, till an attainder veiled it in the 

 crown. Brecknockfhire was the feat of war in J 2 17, and 

 afterwards in I2jj, when Lhev^-ehn came with an army, and 

 <3ellroyed nearly all the towns and caftles in the county. 

 At the relloration James Butler, afterwards duke of Or- 

 mond, was created earl of Brecknock. 



The general afpeft of the county is mountainous and 

 grand, affording a fublimity of fcenery, interfperfed with 

 large plots of cultivation, that attaches to it a peculiar cha- 

 rafter among the ftrongly marked divilions of South Wales. 

 It is diftinguilhed from Glamorganflure by more level and 

 extenfive vales ; its mountains are alfo more continuous, 

 more lofty, and prefenting an appearance of hill piled upon 

 hill. Its woods are commonly in very large maffes, and the 

 banks of its rivers are luxurioufly clothed. 



The principal river of this county, next to the boundary 

 one of tiie Wye, is the Ufl<, which, taking its rife in the 

 Black mountain, on the border of Caermarthenfhire, flows 

 through a fine valley, in its piogrefs to Brecknock. 



Agriculture, in this county, is much improved within the 

 laft twenty years. Being contiguous to Herefordfiiire, the 

 good hulbandry of which is defervedly noted, many Englilh 

 farmers have purchafed eflates here, and introduced, with 

 themfclves, new and more approved principles of agri- 

 culture. 



The principal remains of Roman antiquities arc in and near 

 the town of Brecknock. Among thefc are a caufeway running 

 nearly at right angles with the Iflcer, and leading probably 

 to the great Roman camp in the neighbourhood. Another 

 Roman road has been difcovered near the bridge of Capel 

 Rhyd y Briw, and another on the top of the moft unfre- 

 quented mountains. A Roman hypccaull has alfo been 

 difcovered in a fidd near the county town. Maikin's Tour 

 in South Wales, 410. 1S04. Gough's edition of Camden's 

 Britannia, vol. ii. Barber's Tour in South Wales, 8vo. i8oj. 



Breda, Van, or Bredali;, Peter, in Biography, a 

 painter of landfcapes and cattle, was born at Antwerp in 

 16^0; iludied landfcape after nature, and adorned his 

 deiigns with figures, corre£tIy drawn and judicioufly grouped. 

 His fcenes are generally enriched with elegant Roman 

 buildings, fountains, monuments, and ruins. His llyle, 

 though inferior, rcfembled that of John Brueghel. He 

 died in l6Sr. Pilkington. 



Breda, Van, John, a painter of liidory, landfcape, 

 and converfations, was born at Aritu'erp in 168.J, and 

 indrnfted by his father Alexander Van Breda, who was 

 much elleemed as an artift, with whom he continued, pro- 

 titing by good example and advice, till he wa? iS years of 

 age. Among the capital paintinrrs in the p;)(refTion of John 

 de Wit at Antwerp, Breda feitfted thofe of Velvet Brueg- 

 hel, which he fucccfofully copied ; and he employed 9 rears 



Vol.. V. ' ■ ' 



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in copying alfo the piftures of feveral other gfreat madcrs. 

 which he did fo exadly as to puzzle good judges in dif- 

 tinguifliing the originsls from the copies. Having clla- 

 blilhed Ills reputation in Holland, he accompanied Rjfbrack 

 the fculptor to London, where he was highly cllecmcd and 

 obtained conliderable patronage, and particularly that of 

 tlie earl of Dervs'entwatcr, who was beheaded fJr rebellion 

 in 1715. In Lmidon he was much employed by the court 

 and nobility, and was hardly able to lupply the demands 

 made upon him for his performances. From London, after 

 a refidence of five years, he returned to Antwerp, much 

 enriched ; and in 174^, when Louis XIV. vifited that city, 

 he honoured this mailer by purchafing four of his pirturcs ; 

 viz. « Chrill at the fea of Tiberias," " Chrift performing 

 miracles," and " two landfcapes," with figures fo exijuifitely 

 finilhed, as not to be eafily diftingnifhed /"rom thofc of 

 Brueghel. Tlu's mailer and Wowermans were the models 

 which he imitated ; and he approached nearer to tlum than 

 any other artill of his time, llis landfcapes are in the ftyle 

 and tafte of the former; and his converfations, liidorical 

 figures, fairs, and battles are in the manner of the latter. 

 His colouring is good, his touch ntat, his flvies and dillarces 

 natural and beautiful ; and his tafte of dcfign agreeable. 

 He had as much fire in his compoficion, and perhaps more 

 genius than Brueghel ; and, upon the whole, he is a painter 

 of fuch rank, tliat the value and eftlmation of his v.'orks 

 muft always increafe. He died in 1750. Pilkington. 



Bri^da, in Geography, a city of the Netherlands, the 

 capital of Dutch Brabant, fituated at tlie confluence of the 

 rivers Aa and iVIerck, in a marfliy country which may be 

 overflowed by means of thefe rivers. The former of thcfc 

 ftreams, being, a little before its arrival at the town, aug- 

 mented by the Byloop, is here rendered navigable, fo as to 

 form a communication with the Geiman ocean. Breda 

 was formerly large, populous, and wi.ll fortifiid, and was 

 reckoned one of the llrongeft places in the Dutch frontiers. 

 But its fortifications have funk into decay, fo that it is un- 

 able to ftand a long fiege ; its circumference is ettiniatcd at 

 about 4000 paces, and it is fald to contain about 22co honfcs, 

 which are in general well built. Its citadel is environed with 

 a moat ; and its figure is triangular, having at every angle 

 a gate conilrufted with biick ; and its ramparts planted wilh 

 elms. The great church is a magnificent ilrudure, and 

 remarkable tor its tower, built in ]6(/6 and afterwards 

 rebuilt, the height of its fpire being 363 feet. In this 

 church are feveral. monuments of the ancient lords of Breda ; 

 of which the principal are ihofe of Engelbcrt I. v. ho died 

 in 1442 ; of John, who died in J475 ; aiid of Engelbcrt II. 

 who died in i.504; but they arc not well preferved. The 

 town-houfe is large, and its apartments regular and fump- 

 luoufly furnifhed. Its woollen manufadlurcs and commerce 

 were formerly pvofperous ; but they have long fince very 

 much declined. 



Breda is the capital of an ancient barony or free lord.Tiip, 

 which comprehends feveral confiderable villages, and the 

 woods of Lieftofch, Mailbofch, and Ulvenhoutf'tbofch. The 

 former of thefe v.oods is inttifetied with walks and viftas ; 

 and the fecor.d, confiftinij of fir-trees, is about \\ league in 

 length, and half a league in breadth. This barony 

 ir.cludes good corn la:'d and padurcs, interfp.rfed v.itli 

 many heaths and moraffcs. It was wrefted from the 

 county of Strjcn, to which it formeily belonged, about the 

 year iioo, by the duke of Brabant ; in 1212 it pcitained to 

 Godfrey of Berg, as a fief of Brabant; in 1284 John I. 

 duke of Brabant conferred the lordfiiip of Breda on Rafo 

 von Gavre ; and in i.;:'(5 it was fold to John III. duke o£ 

 Brabant, who parted with it, in 135 1, to John vou Polancn, 

 M m whofe 



