WALES. 



cults, vl». the Chefter circuit, including the counties of 

 Chefter, Flint, Denbigh, and Montgomery : the northern 

 circuit, for thofe of Anglefea, Caernarvon, and Merioneth : 

 the fouth-eaftem, for thofe of Radnor, Brecknock, and 

 Glamorgan : and the fouth-weftern, comprifing the three 

 (hires of Cardigan, Caermarthen, and Pembroke. By a 

 ftatute, pafTed in the reign of EHzabeth, the king was em- 

 powered to appoint two perfons learned in the law to be 

 judges in each of the Weldi circuits, which before had but 

 one juftice. And by another ftatute of George II., it was 

 enafted, tliat where the kingdom of England is mentioned 

 in any zA of parliament, the fame (hall be underftood as 

 comprehending the dominion of Wales, and the town of 

 Berwick-upon-Tweed. Wales fends twenty-four members 

 to the Britifh fenate, one knight for each fhire, and one 

 burgefs for each county-town, except that of Merioneth ; 

 in lieu of which, two towns in Pembrokefhire return a 

 member each, viz. Pembroke and Haverford-weft. The 

 eldeft fon of the kings of England has, ever fince the time 

 of Edward I., been invefted with the title of prince of 

 Wales : and feveral branches of the peerage derive their 

 titles from various places in the principality. 



Ancient Hi/lory, Roman Stations, and Roads. — Cambria, 

 the ancient name of this portion of the ifland, is deduced 

 by hiftorians from the original inhabitants having been a 

 tribe of the CeltK, or Gauls, known under the denomination 

 of Cimbri, or Cymri ; and the Romans called the country in- 

 habited by fuch people Cambria. Wales appears to have 

 been the acknowledged name of this region in the poetry of 

 a Wellh bard, fo early as the fixth century. The deriva- 

 tion of the Britons from the Gauls, both Cccfar and 

 Tacitus deduce from the vicinity of the two countries, and 

 the fimilarity of the manners and charafter of the people : 

 but a ftronger argument is found in the national appellation 

 of Gael and Gaul, equally attached to both countries. It 

 appears that the inhabitants of Wales were part of the 

 aboriginal pofTefl'ors of the ifland, whofe numbers muft have 

 been greatly increafed by thofe Britons, who, retreating 

 before the viftorious Romans, fled to this diftrift, as a der- 

 nier refort, to preferve their independence. After the in- 

 vaders had fecured the central part of Britain, by forming 

 Rations, and appointing garrifons, and had given to it the 

 name of Brituniiia Prima, they turned their attention to 

 the reduftion of the unconquered country lying weft of the 

 Severn. When Oftorius, the Roman general, furveyed 

 this country, which he was fent with an army to fubdue, 

 he found it poflenTed by three tribes of people, denominated 

 from their relpeftive diftrifts, Ordovices, Silures, and 

 Dimetac. The Ordovices poflefled all the country com- 

 prifed in the prefent North Wales : the Silures occupied 

 th£ diftrift now comprehended in the counties of Hereford, 

 Radnor, Brecknock, Monmouth, and Glamorgan, and the 

 fmall portion of Glouceftcrfliire now weft of the Severn ; 

 and had for their capital Caer-Gwent, in Moumouthfliire : 

 the Dimetii were fltuated weft of the Silures, and poflefled 

 the country at prefent including the counties of Cardigan, 

 Pembroke, and Caermarthen. Such were the inhabitants 

 of Wales, when the Romans firft entered it with an hoftile 

 army. Refpefting the condition or ftate of thefe Britons, 

 at the period in queftion, a great difference of opinion pre- 

 vails among our hiftorians. Some, m defpite of unexcep- 

 tionable authorities, treat thefe people as illiterate favages, 

 dellitute of deaths, dwellings, and arts : while others, fol- 

 lowing the Britifh hiftory, defcribe them as a martial, 

 learned, and flourifliing nation, poflfeffing foreign trade, and 

 at home erefting ftately edifices. Both thefe accounts are 

 probably much exaggerated. The beft hiftorians ftate that 



the Britona had a reKgion remarkable for its nuraeron? 

 ceremonies ; th^ poflelTed an eilabliflied government ; and 

 had regular and well-difclphned troops, divided into cha- 

 rioteers, cavalry, and infantry. With refpeft to any great 

 naval power, though attempted to be proved by the learned 

 Selden, well-founded objeftions may be urged ; but as to 

 fmaller velFels, Cxfar bears ample teftimony to the ingenuity 

 of their conftruftion, and their great convenience : the 

 facility with which thefe vehicles were made, and their 

 peculiar portability, has occafioned a continuance of their 

 ufe, and corrodes ftill form the fifliing-boat?, employed on 

 fome of the rivers of Wales. They had fufficient corn for 

 their fupport, and their paftures were abundantly ftocked 

 with cattle, flieep, and hogs. In their dealing with each 

 other, for money they ufed rings, or fmall plates of iron 

 ftrung together, which paffed among them by weight, as 

 well as tale : fuppofing they poflefled no minted coins, this 

 circumftance alone would be a fufRcient evidence of their 

 civilization ; fmce it is deducible from hiftory, that no 

 nation in a ftate of barbarifm ever adopted a circulating 

 medium in buying and felhng. From the earlleft periods, 

 the Britons breathed a fpirit of genuine freedom, and always 

 ftudied to procure and preferve their liberty. Stimulated 

 by a noble ambition, never to be fatisfijd but by viftory, 

 nor extinguilhed but by death, they fought with a degree 

 of bravery that aftoniflied the legionary troops ; and dif- 

 puted every acre of ground with a tenacity and obftinai^ 

 that extorted from their conquerors the tribute of admira- 

 tion. Suetonius Pauhnus overcame the Ordovices, and ex- 

 tirpated the remainder of the Druids, and their followers, 

 who had fled to the ifland of Mona, or Anglefea. Not- 

 wlthftanding this, the heroic Silures for years continued 

 their ftruggle for liberty, till at length Julius Agricola was 

 fent with a powerful army by *he emperor Vefpafian ; and 

 having entirely defeated the Britons under their intrepid 

 leader Caraftacns, in a decifive battle near Caer-Caradoc, 

 on the borders of Salop, he completely reduced that part of 

 the ifland to the Roman yoke. The aftablllty of Agricola 

 gained the affedtions of the people, and difpofed them to 

 imitate the Roman manners : he bellowed on them the 

 privileges of citizens ; received them into his armies ; pro- 

 vided for the education of their youth ; and lived amongft 

 them in a ftyle of great hofpitality. Thus, fecuring by 

 policy what he had gained by force, Cambria was dignified 

 with the name of Britannia Secunda : and the conquerors, 

 as they had prevloufly done in Britannia Prima, began to 

 ellabllfli jurlfdlftlons, and adopt nieafures for the due admi- 

 nliiration of the laws. Towns were built, ftations appointed, 

 and roads formed for communication between them. So 

 fpeedily and fuccefsfully did they proceed in then- fettlement 

 of this country, that in a few years Wales afl'umed all the 

 appearance of a Roman colony. The following ftations 

 were then formed. Caer Gybi, Holyhead, in Anglefea ; — 

 Segontium, Caer-Seiont, Caernarvon ; — Varis, Bodvary, in 

 Fhntlbire, near Denbigh ; — Caergwrle and Holt, alfo in 

 Flintfliire, appear to be fcites of ftations ; — Banchorium, 

 Bangor-Ifcoed, on the banks of the Dee ; — Heriri Mom, 

 placed by Stukeley near Bala, in Merionethftiire ; but, with 

 greater probability, at Tommen-y-mur, near Feftinlog ; — 

 Caer Gai, in the vicinity of the former place, feems alfo to 

 have been a ftation ; — Mediohnum, Meivod, or Myfod, in 

 Montgomeryfliire ; three other places in this county feem 

 to lay claim to fuch honourable diftinc\ion, •y/'z. Penalet, 

 near Machynlleth ; Caer-Sius, in the vicinity of Newtown ; 

 and the Gaer, near Montgomery ; — Magna, Gale and Stuke- 

 ley place at Old Radnor, but Horfley has removed it to 

 Kenchefter, near Hereford ; — Loventium, Lanio-ifa, in Car.. 



diganftiire ; 



