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TREASURESat The National Library of Wales

This pack was produced for pupils in Key Stages 2 and 3 that are interested in the history and literature of Wales. Its theme is Manuscripts, and it aims to provide an introduction to some of the oldest manuscripts held at The National Library of Wales, and place these within a cultural and historical context. This pack will also introduce pupils in all parts of Wales to some of the nation’s treasures.

Although it is not aimed directly at the school curriculum it can be used as an aid in the teaching of several subjects, especially Art, History and Welsh.

The pack was created by The National Library of Wales Education Service.

ISBN: 978-1-86225-063-5

Research: The National Library of Wales Education Service

Text: © The National Library of Wales

Images: The National Library of Wales Collections

Design and Printing: Gomer Press

Published by The National Library of Wales

First Published November 2007

Thank you to Margaret Jones for permission to reproduce the painting of Branwen.

The National Library of Wales Education Service can offer:

outreach work – we can visit you to present materialsvideoconferencing sessions with schools or groups of schoolsgeneral or specialist sessions for groups and schoolstours of the National Library of Walesworksheets and presentations designed to suit your specific needsan opportunity to view items from the Library’s collectionrooms where you can work and handle original materialspresentations in Welsh, English or bilingually

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://dysgle.llgc.org.uk

Phone: 01970 632528 / 632913

This pack is used in schools in Gwynedd, Wrexham and Merthyr Tydfil as part of the National Library of Wales Outreach Project. We would like to thank the Ernest Cook Trust for supporting the pack.

3 Manuscripts

4-5 Medieval Astronomy

6-7 Laws of Hywel Dda

8-9 The Black Book ofCarmarthen

10-11 The White Book ofRhydderch

12-13 The Book of Taliesin

14-15 Gutun Owain Manuscript

16 Timeline

Content

The content of early manuscripts and books tended to be very religious, and one reason for this was that monks were amongst the small number of people who could write, or who had the time to write! By the 14th century more books were being written about subjects that were not religious, and some books included some pages on religion and some about other subjects.

During the 15th century the printing press was used for the first time in Europe, and from this period we see less and less manuscripts being produced, and more books being printed instead.

How would you feel if someone asked you to copy a whole book word for word in your own handwriting? Or

how about drawing pictures and creating large colourful capital letters, and all of this on the hide of an animal?

Today we are all used to using a word processor on the computer to create a document, but before the age of the computer or the printing press people used to write and copy documents by hand. They would often draw pictures to accompany the writing to make the document look more attractive, and would draw large capital letters at the beginning of paragraphs or sentences. A document that has been produced in this way is called a manuscript.

In order to be able to produce a manuscript you had to be able to write! Most people in Wales could not read or write in the Middle Ages, so the work of producing manuscripts was done mostly by monks or by wealthy people who had received an education.

Manuscripts were often written on parchment. Parchment was produced from the hide of a lamb, a kid or a young bullock, and was soaked for weeks in a mixture of lime to clean it before it was stretched and scraped for hours. Parchment was used for writing because it was strong, would last for ages, and was a good surface on which to write.

Gall nuts from oak trees were used to make ink in the Middle Ages, and the acid from these would be mixed with iron and other ingredients to create a liquid. The word ink comes from the Latin word for burning, encaustum. Inks from the Middle Ages left their mark by burning part of the writing surface.

Document: Document: something that is written or something that is written or printed.printed.

Manuscript:Manuscript: a document created by hand. a document created by hand.

The Middle Ages:The Middle Ages: roughly the period roughly the period between 1000 AD and 1500 AD.between 1000 AD and 1500 AD.

Vocabulary

Manuscripts

3

Albion Press of J. Gwenogfryn Evans. The National Library of Wales

F rom the early history

of humanity people

have looked into

space to try and understand

how and why the stars,

planets, moon and sun move

through the sky. It is said that

astronomy, or the study of the

heavens, is the oldest form

of science. People had very

practical reasons for studying

astronomy: movements in the

heavens can tell us what time

it is, where we are, in which

direction we are traveling,

when we need to plant and

reap crops, and help us to

organise time in a calendar.

During the Middle Ages most

scientists believed that the

earth was the centre of the

universe, and that everything

else revolved around it. Most

believed that the earth was

a sphere, although some still

argued that it was flat!

Astronomy:Astronomy: the scientific study of space. the scientific study of space.

The heavens:The heavens: the sky above our heads. the sky above our heads.

Sphere:Sphere: a ball where each part of the a ball where each part of the

surface is the same distance from the surface is the same distance from the

centre.centre.

Zodiac:Zodiac: An imaginary circle in space An imaginary circle in space

divided into twelve signs. divided into twelve signs.

Medieval Astronomy Manuscript. It shows the signs of the Zodiac on the outer rings, and the planets represented by human heads on the inside. The National Library of Wales.

Medieval Astronomy

4 http://www.llgc.org.uk/digitalmirrorhttp://www.llgc.org.uk/digitalmirrorhttp://www.llgc.org.uk/digitalmirror

Vocabulary

The Northern Hemisphere. This picture is incomplete, and on the top right is the outline of a man holding on to the sphere. On the bottom a man is holding on to a circle that has not been completed. The National Library of Wales.

Astrology:Astrology: the study of the influence that the study of the influence that some people believe the planets have on some people believe the planets have on our everyday lives. our everyday lives.

Constellation:Constellation: a group of fixed stars in a group of fixed stars in the sky eg Ursa Major (The Great Bear) and the sky eg Ursa Major (The Great Bear) and Orion the Hunter.Orion the Hunter.

The earliest scientific manuscript in

The National Library of Wales is the

Medieval Astronomy manuscript. It

contains text on astronomy written

in Latin, and was copied sometime

around the year 1000 in Limoges,

France.

The manuscript shows how

astronomy was mixed with legend

and astrology. As well as showing

the movements of the planets

in the constellations it includes

the signs of the Zodiac, and the

Northern Hemisphere.

The planets represented as human heads. The National Library of Wales.

5http://www.llgc.org.uk/digitalmirrorhttp://www.llgc.org.uk/digitalmirrorhttp://www.llgc.org.uk/digitalmirror

Vocabulary

Around the year 945 Hywel ap Cadell (Hywel Dda, or Hywel The Good) summoned people from all

parts of Wales to Whitland, the “Tŷ Gwyn ar Daf yn Nyfed” to compile, reform and organise the laws of Wales. At this meeting a new legal framework for Wales was agreed that was called the Laws of Hywel Dda.

The Laws of Hywel Dda contain information about various subjects, ranging from hunting law to women’s law. They also contain the laws of the king’s court that explain that the king had officials ranging from the falconer to the family poet, and that each one had his position in court.

People also had a definite position within society, with the king right at the top, and the exile and serf at the bottom. It was hard to climb within society, and permission from the lord was required before being able to do so.

The Laws of Hywel Dda were the basis for Welsh law for centuries. When Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf (Llywelyn The Last) was killed in 1282 Wales was conquered by Edward I, The King of England. He passed The Statute of Rhuddlan, a new law that reduced the importance of Welsh law in some court cases. Despite this the Laws of Hywel Dda were still used widely until 1536 and the Acts of Union of England and Wales.

Laws of Hywel Dda

Laws of Hywel Dda, The National Library of Wales.

Reform: Reform: change things (usually for change things (usually for

the better).the better).

The Falconer

The Distain(Chief Steward)

Magistrate (Judge)

The Blacksmith

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Vocabulary

One of the earliest known copies of the Laws of Hywel Dda is held at The National Library of Wales. It is written in Latin, which suggests that it was copied for a Church person, and the fact that it contains so many pictures suggests that it was produced for somebody important.

The same ink is used for the writing and the pictures, and this suggests that maybe the same person did both. The main colours are red and green, although the manuscript also contains some yellow and brown.

In the past it was customary in Wales to use a descriptive word after a person’s name. Some like Idwal Foel (bald), Iorwerth Drwyndwn (broken or crooked nose), and Meirchion Gul (lean) were given names to describe how they looked, while others, like Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great) were given names to describe their military success. Only one king has been given the title “da” or “good”, and he is Hywel ap Cadell, or Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good).

Even though his kingdom was small at first he came to rule most of Wales during his lifetime. Through marriage and the death of his relatives he became king of the southern half of Wales first, and then became ruler of Gwynedd with the death of his cousin, Idwal Foel.

Hywel Dda died in 950, but he is still remembered today as the person who organised Welsh law, and his laws were used for centuries after his death.

7

D Salesbury Hughes, Hywel Dda, The National Library of Wales.

Kingdom:Kingdom: the land ruled by a person the land ruled by a person

(usually a king or queen).(usually a king or queen).

Latin writing and a letter in green and red ink. Laws of Hywel Dda, The National Library of Wales.

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Vocabulary

T he Black

Book of

Carmar-

then is one of the

most famous books

in the Welsh lang-

uage. It contains the

oldest collection of

handwritten poetry

in Welsh, and is kept

today at The National Library of Wales.

It is likely that the content of The Black Book of

Carmarthen was copied by one person at various

periods during the 13th century. Experts believe

that it was a poor monk working in a Priory in

Carmarthen that copied The Black Book, and that

he copied a collection of his favourite poems

in order to have a personal copy of these for

safekeeping.

Several of the poems in The Black Book of

Carmarthen are associated with the Merlin

Legend, like “Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin”, “Yr

Afallennau” and “Yr Oianau”. Another, which has

the title “Pa ŵr yw’r Porthor?” refers to King Arthur

and his companion Cai, and others refers to King

Arthur’s knights.

One strange feature of the manuscript is the fact

that there are small doodles at the bottom or on

the edges of some of the pages.

Experts believe that these have no real significance,

and that they are there because the monk was

entertaining himself or filling blank space.

The Black Book of Carmarthen

Part of the poem Breuddwyd a welwn neithiwr (The dream I saw last night), The Black Book of Carmarthen, The National Library of Wales.

The Black Book of Carmarthen, The National Library of Wales.

Doodle: Doodle: a picture or writing made by a picture or writing made by

scribbling.scribbling.

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Vocabulary

The Black Book was written on hard

parchment, and this suggests that

the author was not a rich person. It

is possible that the author wrote The

Black Book on spare cast off pieces of

parchment.

The original collection copied by the

monk in the 13th century was far

bigger. It is likely that only a portion

of that collection survives in The Black

Book of Carmarthen.

The style of The Black Book suggests

that the manuscript was not written

by a professional copier as the

handwriting is not consistent. The first

part contains large letters, but by the

end the letters are much smaller. The

number of letters on each page also

varies, and this again suggests that

the monk was copying the poetry at

different periods during his life.

Although The Black Book was copied

during the 13th century we know

very little of its history before the

17th century. From this period we

can trace its history as it was passed

from hand to hand before coming into

the possession of Sir John Williams.

Sir John gave his personal library to

the Welsh nation when The National

Library was established in 1907, and

The Black Book of Carmarthen became

one of the most important treasures of

The National Library of Wales.

Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin (Dialogue of Merlin and Taliesin),

The Black Book of Carmarthen,The National Library of Wales

Some of the holes seen in the parchment were caused by tiny insects. As the hide

was pulled and stretched these holes grew bigger. The Black Book of Carmarthen,

The National Library of WalesStyle: Style: a particular way of doing a particular way of doing

something eg writing.something eg writing.

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Vocabulary

10

The White Book of Rhydderch

Parcrhydderch, Llangeitho, c. 1885. John Thomas Collection, The National Library of Wales

Branwen Ferch Llyr (Branwen Daughter of Llyr) in The White Book of Rhydderch,


Y Cyfarwydd (Storyteller):Y Cyfarwydd (Storyteller): in past times, in past times, a person who would make a living reciting a person who would make a living reciting stories and legends; today, a person who is stories and legends; today, a person who is good at telling stories.good at telling stories.

Have you heard of the giant Bendigeidfran and his sister Branwen? Did you hear the story about Gwydion the

wizard and Blodeuwedd, the woman created from flowers? These legends are part of the Mabinogi or Mabinogion stories, and the earliest written version of the Mabinogi is found in The White Book of Rhydderch that is kept at The National Library of Wales.

The White Book was copied around the middle of the 14th century. It is likely that it was produced for Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd of Parcrhydderch, near Llangeitho, Ceredigion.

It seems that several different people contributed to the work of copying the book, and that the work was done by monks at Strata Florida Abbey, which is quite close to Parcrhydderch.

Parts of the stories of the Mabinogi and the legends in The White Book of Rhydderch are centuries older than the book itself.

Before they were written down these stories were transmitted orally from one generation to the next. One person would recite the story that they had heard, and another who was listening would learn the story and recite it to others from memory, hence keeping the story alive.

Storytelling was a social event, and people would gather in the evenings to recite and hear stories. Rich people also liked to listen to stories and would pay a person to recite them at events. The Welsh word for the person who would recite the story is Y Cyfarwydd, and the word is still used today to describe a person who can tell a good story.


Vocabulary

11

As far as we know The White Book of

Rhydderch is the earliest written copy of four

very famous Welsh legends, the Four Branches

of The Mabinogi.

What is common to all four stories is that they

contain a character named Pryderi, although

he is not the main character in each one.

Following his birth in Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed (Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed) Pryderi disappears, and we hear the story of his parents, Rhiannon and Pwyll, and Pryderi growing up.

Branwen Ferch Llyr (Branwen, Daughter of Llyr) tells the story of the starling carrying a message from Ireland to Bendigeidfran the giant, and Pryderi is one of the group that accompanies Bendigeidfran to Ireland to rescue Branwen, and one of the seven that return alive.

Pryderi is one of the main characters in Manawydan Fab Llyr (Manawydan, Son of Llyr), and in this story we hear of the magic on Dyfed, and the man who wants to hang a mouse!

The last story is Math Fab Mathonwy (Math, Son of Mathonwy), and in this story Pryderi is killed in a battle with the sorcerer Gwydion, and we hear of Blodeuwedd, the woman created from flowers.

Legend: Legend: a story transferred from one a story transferred from one period to the next that usually contains period to the next that usually contains a mixture of history and imaginary a mixture of history and imaginary events.events.


Vocabulary

Branwen by Margaret Jones, 1972. The National Library of Wales.

12

T he Book of Taliesin,

copied during the

first half of the 14th

century, is one of the most

famous Welsh manuscripts,

and contains some of the

oldest poetry in the Welsh

language. It is believed that

some of the poetry in this

manuscript was written by

Taliesin, a poet who lived near

the end of the 6th century.

It is likely that twelve poems

in The Book of Taliesin were

written by Taliesin himself.

In the book you will also find

famous prophetic poems like

Armes Prydein that contains

the earliest use of the word

Cymro (Kymro) and Cymry

(Kymry) to describe the

Welsh people, and poems

like Preiddeu Annwfn that

refer to the journeys and

adventures of King Arthur and

his soldiers.

The Book of Taliesin

Part of the poem Armes Prydein in The Book of Taliesin, The National Library of Wales

Prophetic poem: Prophetic poem: poetry that includes poetry that includes

predictions of what will happen in the predictions of what will happen in the

future.future.


Vocabulary

13

Taliesin was a poet who

lived and worked in the 6th

century and was one of the

earliest poets to compose

poetry in Welsh. The poetry

of Taliesin contains poems

of praise for the kings of

The Old North, the land that

is Southern Scotland and

Northern England today.

During the 6th century

The Old North was ruled

by Brythonic (Welsh) kings

who fought against the

Angles and Saxons.

In Taliesin’s poetry we hear

of the battles of Urien, ruler

of the Kingdom of Rheged,

and his son Owain ab Urien

against Fflamddwyn, who

was an Angle ruler.

With time Taliesin grew to

be a figure in Welsh legend,

and he appears in the Branwen story of the

Mabinogi and the legends of King Arthur, and

in the Black Book of Carmarthen in Ymddiddan

Myrddin a Thaliesin (Dialogue of Merlin and

Taliesin). The Taliesin in the legends has magical

powers and is both a prophet and a poet.

A page from The Book of Taliesin, The National Library of Wales

The Old North (Yr Hen Ogledd): The Old North (Yr Hen Ogledd): landland

that is in Southern Scotland and Northern that is in Southern Scotland and Northern

England today, but was once ruled by England today, but was once ruled by

Brythonic (Welsh) kings.Brythonic (Welsh) kings.


Vocabulary

14

One of the main

treasures of The

National Library

of Wales is a colourful

manuscript produced by

Gruffudd ap Huw ab Owain,

or Gutun Owain. This

manuscript was created

between 1488 and 1489 and

contains many colourful

drawings.

Gutun Owain was a

very talented man who

could write poetry, copy

manuscripts, and research

ancestry. He was associated

with Valle Crucis Abbey near

Llangollen, and several of his

manuscripts are today kept at


In this Gutun Owain

manuscript there is a lot of

interesting information that

shows us what people in

the 15th century believed

about astrology, religion and

medicine. The manuscript is

written mostly in Welsh.

Gutun Owain Manuscript

The Zodiac Man: The signs in the Zodiac lie on different parts of the body, with Aries (The Ram) on his head, and Pisces (The Fish) near his feet. The National Library of Wales.

Research Ancestry: Research Ancestry: collect information collect information

about someone’s lineage (relatives) through about someone’s lineage (relatives) through

the ages.the ages.


Vocabulary

15

For thousands of years people

have looked at the movements of

the planets, the sun and moon,

believing that these have an

influence on our everyday lives.

Even today a number of newspapers

and magazines publish horoscopes,

and people read these believing

that they provide information about

their own future.

This study of the influence of the

planets and stars on our lives is

called Astrology.

In Gutun Owain’s time people

believed that the planets and stars

could have a strong influence

on people’s health and everyday

events. This manuscript shows that

the study of the Zodiac and the

movement of the sun and moon

was taken seriously by people in

that period.

A Volvella of the Moon. Three discs that were used to work out the position of the sun and moon in

the zodiac. The National Library of Wales.

A chart in the Gutun Owain manuscript that explains the connection between the colour

of water waste (urine) and various ailments or diseases. The National Library of Wales.

Horoscope: Horoscope: a diagram to help a diagram to help

people foresee their future people foresee their future

based on the positions of the based on the positions of the

stars and planets.stars and planets.


Vocabulary

16

Tim

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at the national library of wales · vocabulary manuscripts 3 albion press of j. gwenogfryn evans....

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