WALES. 



greateft number found an afylum in the faftnefies of Wales, 

 -where they defended and preferved their independence long 

 after the expiration of the Saxon dynafty. 



At the period when the Saxons had conquered the greater 

 part of Britain, and made their approaches to the borders 

 of Wales, this country appears to have been divided into fix 

 principalities, over which Maelgwyn, king of North Wales, 

 was invefted vrith the fovereign dignity, about the year 552. 

 The conteft was continued under feveral fucceeding mo- 

 narchs, till the death of Cadwallader, in the year 703, 

 clofed the imperial dignity, which for many centuries had 

 been annexed to the Britiih government ; during which time 

 the paramount princes chiefly refided at Diganwy, on the 

 water of Conway, and at Caer Segont near Caernarvon. 

 Roderic Moelwynoc nominally fucceeded to the fovereignty 

 in 720 ; but by continual and unhappy divifions, the ftrength 

 of the country was fo dimini(hed, as to be unable fuccefsfuUy 

 to refill the incurfions of the Saxorjs. The Mercians, under 

 king Offa, frequently laid wafte the country, and at length 

 wTefted a portion from the Welfti princes ; and to prevent 

 the new occupants from the retaliating vengeance of the 

 Welfli, Offa caufed that famous boundary to be made, from 

 the mouth of the river Dee to the Wye, which ftill goes 

 under the appellation of Clawdd Offa, or OfFa's Dyke. 

 By this the region was confiderably narrowed, and nearly 

 reduced to its prefent limits. Though the Saxons made 

 frequent inroads, yet they do not appear to have had any 

 permanent footing in the country ; fo that though the pages 

 of hiftory record many fanguinary conflifts between them 

 and the Welfh, yet fcarcely any veftiges remain to mark the 

 incurfions of the invaders. The Danes called off the atten- 

 tion of the Saxons from Wales, which from this circum- 

 ftance was left for many years in unufual tranquillity, and 

 fumifhes but few fubjefts of hiftorical record during the 

 Danifh dynafty. The Danes made fome incurfions on the 

 coaft, but effedled no permanent conqueft of the country. 

 On the acceflion of William I. to the throne of England, 

 the Wellh having refufed the annual tribute, which had 

 been extorted from them as a mark of fubmifliori by king 

 Edgar, the conqueror invaded their country with a power- 

 ful army, quickly awed them into fubmiflion, and obliged 

 them to do homage, and take an oath of fealty, as due from 

 vaflals to their fuperior lord. From this period the Englifh 

 monarchs preferred a claim to Wales, as their heritable pro- 

 perty. On the death of William, the Welfh, feeling the 

 galling yoke of their humbled condition, attempted to re- 

 cover their loft independence ; and joining in revolt with fome 

 refraftory Englifh barons, entered England, and by fire and 

 fword carried their devaftation to the banks of the Severn. 

 Thefe outrages determined William Rufus to attempt the 

 fubjugation of the country ; and for this purpofe he excited 

 his barons to conquer, at their own charge, under homage 

 and fealty to him, the territories of the Welfh. Thefe 

 barons, who were denominated lords marchers, endeavoured 

 to fecure their conquefts, by peopling them with Englifh, 

 and erefting ftrong fortreffes to defend them from the in- 

 roads of the Welfh. Thus was the laft afylum of the Bri- 

 tons broken into on every fide, and invefted by their 

 enemies. South Wales was fubdued ; while North Wales, 

 now greatly reduced, alone preferved the national charafter, 

 .and fupported its independence ; and the inhabitants, aided 

 by the valour of their princes, ftill upheld the ftruggle ; and 

 acquiring vigour from union, dictated by necefTity, not only 

 prevented tiie marchers from achieving further conquefts, 

 but rendered their exifting acquifitions of precarious tenure. 

 For a long period the Welfh, favoured by the mountainous 

 nature of the country, fupported an unequal but fpirited 



contefl with their unjuft invaders. The death of David, 

 who had fucceeded his unfortunate brother Llewelyn, in 

 the reign of Edward I., clofed the only fovereignty that re- 

 mained of the ancient Britifh empire. Edward having at 

 length obtained the objeft of his ambition, by the entire 

 conqueft of Wales, annexed it to the crown of England. 

 He did not, however, for fome time, enjoy a tranquU pof- 

 feflion ; for three infurreftions broke out at one time in dif- 

 ferent places. To fuch a height did thefe commotions ar- 

 rive, that Edward was conftrained to conduft the war in 

 perfon, when he fhortly compelled the infurgents to lay 

 down their arms, and make an unquahfied fubmiflion. 

 Thefe difturbances, the fubfequent revolt of fir Gryffydd 

 Llwdd, and the rebellion of Owen Glendowr, were the laft 

 efforts the Wellh made to recover their independence. 

 From that period the concerns of the country, till the time 

 of Henry VII., are httle interefting ; for the inhabitants 

 were reduced to a ftate of the fevereft bondage. Henry VII., 

 from the alTiftance the Welfh had afforded him in obtaining 

 the crown, was more favourably inclined towards them than 

 preceding monarchs, and granted the principahty confider- 

 able immunities. Several ameliorating ftatutes were paffed 

 in the reign of Henry VIII., to exonerate them from the 

 tyrannical oppreffions of the lords marchers ; and at length 

 the people, awake to their true intereft, folicited the king 

 to give his hberal defigns a more falutary effeft, by extend- 

 ing to them all the privileges of the Enghfh jurifprudence. 

 The prayer of their petition was granted, and Wales was 

 formally united and incorporated with England. 



Wales abounds with the remains of encampments, hill- 

 fortreffes, caftles, and caftellated manfions : fpecimens of 

 mihtary architefture, therefore, in the diverfified ftyles of 

 different and diftant periods, conftitute fome of its moft pro- 

 minent and interefting features. While the Romans gene- 

 rally chofe for the fcite of their camps, or forts, a rifing 

 ground near fome river, or a lingula formed by the con- 

 ft'ience of two ; the Britons fele(fied the moft lofty, in- 

 fulated, and inacceffible mountains, the fummits of which 

 they fortified by excavating deep trenches in the folid rock, 

 adding valla, by heaping up the loofe ftones dug out of the 

 foffes ; and in fucceeding times, by adding ftrong walls, and 

 erefting maffy circular towers. The Normans introduced 

 a new ftyle of mihtary fortification ; and to fecure their un- 

 juftifiable feizurcs, and proceed in their aggreffions, they 

 creeled caftles, more formidable bath in number and extent, 

 fo that what are termed the marches of Wales confift of a 

 feries of fortreffes from the mouth of the Dee to the em- 

 bochure of the Wye. Fhnt, Denbigh, Montgomery, 

 Powys, Brecknock, Caerphih, and CaerdifF, furnifh bold 

 examples of the ftyle of thofe people. More were erefted 

 by the Anglo-Normans, as they progreffively encroached oa 

 the country ; for, to fecure the conquered poffeffions from 

 the retaliating vengeance of the expelled owaers, they were 

 neceffitated to repair and ftrengthen the fortreffes they took, 

 or build others. Thus did thefe buildings fo far increafe, 

 that Mr. Pennant enumerates 143 caftles in the principahty; 

 and that number is probably fhort of the aftual amount. 

 On the conqueft of Wales by Edward I., that monarch, 

 who had been crnfading in the holy land, and had there im- 

 bibed a fpirit of eaftern magnificence, for the purpofe of 

 overawing his new but refraftory fubjefis, conilrufted three 

 caftles in a ftyle, which for ilrength and grandeur have never 

 yet been furpaffed in this country. Harlech, Caernarvon, 

 and Conway, remain the proud monuments of that monarch's 

 age and times. 



Ancient ConJlUulion, Government, and Latvs. — From the 

 accounts given by the Roman writers, a monarchical form 



of 



