68-645: Cyfraith Hywel ( Welsh: [ˈkəvraiθ ˈhəwɛl] ; Laws of Hywel ), also known as Welsh law ( Latin : Leges Walliæ ), was the system of law practised in medieval Wales before its final conquest by England . Subsequently, the Welsh law's criminal codes were superseded by the Statute of Rhuddlan in AD 1284 and its civil codes by Henry VIII 's series of Laws in Wales Acts between 1535 and 1542 . Welsh law
136-415: A cloak to cover facial disfigurement’ and front teeth were also accorded a higher value than other teeth. The section on surety lays down the rules if a person acts as mach or surety , for example for a debt, and gives the provisions for various cases, such as where the debtor refuses to pay or denies the debt and where the surety denies the suretyship or contests the sum involved. Rules are also given for
204-420: A hidden scar which will therefore attract less remarks. The craith ogyfarch afforded the most compensation, but the value of the ogyfarch compensation varied according to its noticability. The three most conspicuous scars are given as those on a face (six score pence), on a hand (sixty pence), and on a foot (thirty pence), whilst a hidden scar is given only four pence. The Latin texts A and E ‘make provision for
272-412: A kin-based society. The tongue is also particularly high because, as with the ear, it would have formed the primary means of communication for the victim. Also notable are the different grades of compensation given to wounds depending on the degree of disfigurement produced by the wounding, with a differentiation between craith ogyfarch ; a conspicuous scar which attracts remarks, and craith guiddiedig ;
340-430: A native Welshman (even a serf) who would be responsible for them. This status could only be removed after three generations in the north and possibly as many as nine elsewhere, after which the foreigner's descendants were considered to be native serfs. The position of women under Welsh law differed significantly to that of their Norman-English contemporaries. A marriage could be established in two basic ways. The normal way
408-601: A translation of a Welsh original, and Peniarth 29, known as the Black Book of Chirk , written in Welsh. These are thought to date from the early or mid 13th century. There are a large number of law manuscripts, written mainly in Welsh but some in Latin, written between this period and the 16th century. Later manuscripts have been shown to reflect legal developments particularly in the Southern Welsh lordships. Apart from
476-464: A woman found her husband with another woman, she was entitled to a payment of six score pence (i.e. half a pound) the first time and a pound the second time; on the third occasion she was entitled to divorce him. If the husband had a concubine, the wife was allowed to strike her without having to pay any compensation, even if it resulted in the concubine's death. A woman could only be beaten by her husband for three things: for giving away something which she
544-418: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Bleddyn ap Cynfyn Bleddyn ap Cynfyn ( Old Welsh : Bledẏnt uab Kẏn ỽ ẏn ; died 1075), sometimes spelled Blethyn , was an 11th century Welsh king . King Harold Godwinson and Tostig Godwinson installed Bleddyn and his brother, Rhiwallon , as the co-rulers of kingdom of Gwynedd on his father's death in 1063, during their destruction of
612-561: Is given contradictory Welsh pedigrees consisting mostly of otherwise unknown names, a possibly spurious derivation since his name perhaps actually represents a rendering of the Anglo-Saxon name Werestan. Cynfyn, likely a supporter of King Llywelyn ap Seisyll , would after the latter's 1023 death marry the widowed queen, Angharad, daughter of King Maredudd ab Owain of Dyfed , member of the House of Dinefwr , whose realm had been lost to
680-465: Is only known to have been revised by a few rulers (particularly Bleddyn ap Cynfyn , who was credited with revisions retained in the kingdom of Powys ) but was obviously updated by jurists in response to changing jurisdictions and circumstances, so that the surviving manuscripts cannot be considered an accurate portrayal of Hywel's first code. Notable features of Welsh law include the collective responsibility of kindreds ( cenedl ) for their members;
748-472: Is some underlying notion that some are perhaps more essential than others (at least in the Iorwerth and LATIN A texts) with hearing being more important than any of the other senses. Fingers are valued at 80 pence each, whilst a thumb has a value of 180 pence which corresponds to its use in ‘gripping agricultural equipment or arms’. The Iorwerth and Cyfnerth 5 recensions value a finger nail at 30 pence, whilst
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#1732765847332816-538: Is valued at 480 pennies, every other limb is carefully valued and can be altered depending on various influencing factors. The values given to eyes, ears, nose, lips, hands, and feet are identical; termed as the ‘Limbs of equal value’ they represent 12.7% of the standard galanas for a boneheddig (A boneheddig is a standard free-man, whose galanas is valued at 3780 pennies/ 63 cows). There are no additional complexities to any of these costs, except when it comes to ears. The Iorwerth manuscripts and LATIN A do not value
884-532: The Battle of Mechain . Bleddyn was the king of both Gwynedd and Powys. In 1073, Robert of Rhuddlan stealthily established his forces on the banks of the River Clwyd and attempted to ambush and capture Bleddyn. He narrowly failed but seized valuable booty in raids further south. Bleddyn was killed in 1075 by King Rhys ab Owain of Deheubarth , having been betrayed by the lords of Ystrad Tywi . When Rhys
952-1121: The Norman Conquest , Bleddyn was the most powerful king in Wales. Closely allied with Harold, the brothers joined the Saxon resistance to William the Conqueror following his conquest of England . In 1067, they joined the Mercian Eadric the Wild in their struggle against William and attacked the Normans at Hereford , ravaging the lands as far as the River Lugg . In 1068, they joined earls Edwin of Mercia and Morcar of Northumbria in their attacks as well. The earls both later submitted to William. In 1070, King Gruffydd's sons, Idwal ap Gruffydd and Prince Maredudd ap Gruffydd , challenged Bleddyn. Rhiwallon, Idwal and Maredudd all died in
1020-417: The gavelkind inheritance of land among all and only male descendants; a status-based system of blood money ( galanas ); slavery and serfdom; the inability of foreigners to naturalise earlier than the fourth generation; and very lax treatment of divorce and legitimacy that scandalized the non-native clergy . The laws include the "laws of the court", the laws laying down the obligations and entitlements of
1088-499: The time of the fall of Rome , Wales was divided into numerous petty "kingdoms" ( gwledydd , lit. "peoples") which were repeatedly unified and then redivided. It is frequently stated that Welsh law demanded the division of a kingdom between all the ruler's sons, but that is a misunderstanding of the inheritance law – the crown itself was unitary but the king's lands ( maertref ) were required to be divided among all of his acknowledged sons by whatever mother. This naturally weakened
1156-498: The 11th century and the use of the Saxon loanword edling for the heir also seem to have clouded the issue. By law, the principal homestead (and presumably the realm) were to go to the king's eldest son, so long as this potential successor was not damaged in any limb, blind, deaf, or mentally retarded, and of sufficient age. If the eldest son were ineligible for whatever reason, his brothers, uncles, and first and second cousins were all considered legitimate substitutes. Likewise, even when
1224-694: The Book of Blegywryd is a typical example: Hywel the Good, son of Cadell, by the grace of God, king of all Wales... summoned to him from every commote of his kingdom six men who were practised in authority and jurisprudence... to the place called the White House on the Taf in Dyfed. ... And at the end of Lent the king selected from that assembly the twelve most skilled laymen of his men and the one most skilled scholar who
1292-715: The Breton form of this name Howel Howell (disambiguation) Powel Powell (surname) , anglicised from Welsh ap Hywel (son of Hywel) [REDACTED] Name list This page or section lists people that share the same given name . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hywel&oldid=1259751083 " Categories : Given names Welsh masculine given names Welsh given names Hidden categories: Pages with Welsh IPA Articles with short description Short description
1360-1449: The Great , late fifth- and early sixth-century noble in Brittany, saint and king of Brittany in the Arthurian legend. Hywel ap Rhodri Molwynog , 9th-century king of Gwynedd Hywel Dda or Hywel the Good (died 950), king of Deheubarth and much of the rest of Wales, famed as a lawgiver Huwal of the West Welsh , 10th-century Welsh king, possibly identical to Hywel Dda Other people [ edit ] Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd (died 1170), Welsh poet and military leader Syr Hywel y Fwyall or Sir Hywel ap Gruffudd (fl. 1356–died 1381), Welsh knight Hywel Bennett (1944–2017), Welsh actor Hywel David Evans (1924–2019), Australian politician Hywel Evans (figure skater) (born 1945), Welsh figure skater Hywel Francis (1946–2021), Welsh historian and politician; MP for Aberavon Hywel Griffith , BBC Wales news correspondent Hywel Gwynfryn (1942–), Welsh actor and radio personality Hywel Harris (1714–1773), Welsh Methodist preacher Hywel Williams (born 1953), Welsh politician; MP for Arfon Dyddgu Hywel (born 1989), Welsh rugby union player See also [ edit ] Hoel (disambiguation) ,
1428-506: The Iorwerth Redaction, it is stated that the claimants were entitled to the representation by both types of lawyer - cyngaws and canllaw . If both claims were deemed to have equal merit, the law allowed for the land to be shared equally between the two claimants. On the death of a landowner ( priodawr ) his immovable estate (land) passed in joint tenancy ( cytir ) to his sons, similar to the gavelkind system of Kent . Then
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#17327658473321496-519: The Irish pretender Rhain before its conquest by Llywelyn. Angharad and Cynfyn had at least two sons, Bleddyn and Rhiwallon, probably born in the late 1020s, who were thus maternal half-brothers of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn , Angharad's son by her first husband. Gruffydd, aged about ten and passed over for succession at the time of his father's death, slowly rebuilt his father's realm, annexing its successor states. Cynfyn and Rhiwallon first appear in
1564-404: The Latin texts women could give sureties and could under certain circumstances act as sureties. This appears to indicate a gradual improvement in the legal position of women in this respect. This is followed by land law, setting out the procedure in the event of rival ownership claims over land. Court was convened on the land itself, with both claimants calling witnesses to support their claims. In
1632-537: The Welsh and the English. The triad known as the Tri Arberygl Dyn (Three Dangerous wounds of man) specifies three injuries for which ‘teyr punt a geyf y nep a archoller y gan y nep ay harchollo’ ‘He who is wounded shall have 3 pounds from him who wounds him’. These are; when a man is cut so that the brains can be seen, when a man is pierced so his entrails can be seen, and when one of the four posts of
1700-430: The Welsh to narrowly define "theft", however: forcible robbery was considered much less serious. Further, a hungry man who had passed at least three towns without receiving a meal could not be punished for stealing food. Aiding and abetting – including witnessing a killing and failing to protect the victim or receiving stolen property – was also punished with dirwy fines. Although Hywel's commission generally recorded
1768-471: The aristocracy in England. In discussing Hywel's association with the law, K. L. Maund suggests: it is not impossible that the association of Hywel with the law reflects more on twelfth- and thirteenth century south Welsh attempts to re-establish the importance and influence of their line in an age dominated by the princes of Gwynedd. On the other hand, the Iorwerth versions, produced in Gwynedd, have exactly
1836-403: The blood money, the victim's family was then legally bound to forgo its vengeance ( dial ). Murder by poison, however, carried the death penalty. Assault or offenses against honor were dealt with in a similar fashion, through a fine called sarhaed . However, it only applied to the upper classes: any serf who struck a free man was liable to have the offending limb removed. The crime of rape
1904-401: The body (the limbs) are broken. The body parts appear to be classed for compensation based on how much use they have in society. The higher the use; the higher the compensation cost. Loss of hearing, for example, as well as loss of testes and/or penis incur very high redress rates, because their loss will cause either danger or an inability to continue lineage, which was highly important in such
1972-406: The chamberlain. A list of additional officers follows, including such officers as the groom of the rein, the porter, the bakeress and the laundress. Each officer's entitlements and obligations are listed. It introduces a number of legal terms. Sarhad could mean an insult or injury or the payment that was due to a person in the event of an insult or injury, and this varied according to the status of
2040-568: The documentary record in 1063. Bleddyn may have been residing in Powys, where he married Haer ferch Cillyn, daughter of the Lord of Gest Cillyn y Blaidd Rudd ("Cillyn the Red Wolf"). Gruffydd's consolidation of power and alliance with earl Ælfgar of Mercia made him a threat to king Harold Godwinson , earl of Hereford . Upon Ælfgar's death in 1060, Harold and his brother Tostig quickly invaded;
2108-499: The ear itself at 480 pennies, instead they differentiate between the loss of an ear and the loss of hearing. If the ear is lost but the victim can still hear, then the price lies at 160 pennies, whilst deafness (even without the loss of ear) retains the 480 penny value. This is a rare example of a ‘functional value being given where the loss of the function of the ear... is appreciated and not the organ itself’. Harris notes that although these members are all given equal value, it seems there
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2176-424: The eldest son did inherit, other descendants of his great-grandfather were considered legitimate rulers and not usurpers if they were able to wrest control away from him. Hywel Hywel ( Welsh pronunciation: [ˈhəuɛl] ), sometimes anglicised as Howel or Howell , is a Welsh masculine given name. It may refer to: Monarchs [ edit ] Hywel
2244-409: The end of seven years. The total of the agweddi depended on the woman's status by birth, regardless of the actual size of the common pool of property. If the marriage broke up after the end of 7 years, the woman was entitled to half the common pool. The portion that was immediately accessible during the marriage, consisting usually of linens, dishes, and other domestic items, was known as argyvrau . If
2312-426: The first half of the 11th century is an elegy for Aeddon, a landowner on Anglesey. The poet says that after his death his estate was inherited by four women who had originally been brought to Aeddon's court as captives after a raid and had found favour with him. The rule for the division of moveable property when one of a married couple died was the same for both sexes. The property was divided into two equal halves, with
2380-511: The following year, they invaded again and were left in mastery of Wales after traitors among his men killed Gruffydd during a retreat. The south was restored to the Houses of Dinefwr and Morgan , but Powys and Gwynedd were given to Gruffydd's half-brothers Bleddyn and Rhiwallon . These two submitted to Harold and swore themselves vassals and allies of Edward the Confessor . At the time of
2448-550: The full compilations there are shorter versions thought to have been working copies used by judges. However they are all usually considered to fall into three Redactions, known as the Cyfnerth Redaction, the Blegywryd Redaction and the Iorwerth Redaction. The first part of the laws deal with the rights and duties of the king and the officers of the king's court. The order of precedence is set down: first
2516-680: The giving and forfeiting of gages. Another aspect is amod or contract , usually made by the two parties calling amodwyr who are witnesses to prove the terms agreed by the parties. It is laid down that: An amod breaks a rule of law. Though an amod be made contrary to law, it is necessary to keep it. In what is thought to be an archaic survival in some versions of Iorwerth it is stated that women are not entitled to act as sureties or to give sureties. Later versions of this rule in Iorwerth state that women were entitled to give sureties, and could therefore enter into contracts, though they were still not allowed to act as sureties. In Colan, Cyfnerth and some of
2584-418: The king and the officers of his court and the "laws of the country" dealing with every other topic. In some versions of the laws some of the material in the laws of the country are split off into the "justices' test book" dealing with homicide, theft and the values of wild and tame animals and other items. Within each of these sections there are tracts of varying length dealing with different subjects, for example
2652-570: The king of Dinefwr , chief seat of the southern kingdom. While Welsh law lays more emphasis on the powers of the king than the Brehon Law of Ireland, this is still restricted compared to many other codes. As Moore comments: Welsh law fell into the juristic category of Volksrecht (“people's law”), which did not lay great stress on royal power, as opposed to the Kaisersrecht or Königsrecht (“king's law”) of both England and Scotland, where it
2720-403: The king, then the queen, then the etifedd or edling , the heir. Next come the officers of the court; the Iorwerth Redaction identifies twenty-four, of whom sixteen are the king's officers and eight the queen's officers. First in rank was the captain of the household troops, then the priest of the household, then the steward followed by the chief falconer, the court justice, the chief groom and
2788-516: The kingdom of their half-brother, king Gruffydd ap Llywelyn . Bleddyn became king of Powys and co-ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd with his brother Rhiwallon from 1063 to 1075. His descendants continued to rule Powys as the House of Mathrafal . Bleddyn was born to a poorly documented Powys nobleman named Cynfyn ap Gwerystan , known only from the late traditional pedigrees reporting Bleddyn's parentage. Cynfyn's claimed father, Gwerstan or Gwerystan,
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2856-427: The law of women and the law of contracts. Civil law differed from most other codes of law in the rule that on a landowner's death his land was to be shared equally between his sons, legitimate and illegitimate. This caused conflict with the church, as under canon law illegitimate children could not inherit. Once a case came to court, the method used to come to a decision was usually by compurgation . Under this system
2924-531: The laws, for example Bleddyn ap Cynfyn , king of Gwynedd and Powys in the mid 11th century. Some of the legal material, such as the tract on the Seven Bishop Houses of Dyfed, may be dated to a very early period of law. Other material bears comparison with Early Irish Law . Although there are a substantial number of manuscripts containing the law texts (for example, NLW MS 20143A ), there are no existing manuscripts of law texts dating back to
2992-413: The lord and the kindred, the landowner could use the living gage ( prid ). The land would be made over to a gagee ( pridwr ) for a period of four years, and if the land had not been redeemed by the gagor (owner) or his heirs at the end of the four years, the gage could then be renewed for additional four-year periods. After three renewals (or 16 years total), the land passed permanently to the gagee. From
3060-405: The person accused or the parties to a dispute would give their version under oath, following which they had to find a number of others who would take an oath that the principal's oath could be trusted. The number of compurgators required depended on the nature of the case. The judge or judges would then come to a decision. Capital punishment was only prescribed for a small number of crimes. Homicide
3128-410: The person concerned, for example the queen or the edling's sarhad was one third that of the king. Galanas was a form of weregild and represented the value of a person's life in the event of a homicide and was set at three times the sarhad , though the sarhad was also payable by the killer. Dirwy was a fine payable for crimes and camlwrw a smaller fine for less serious offences, while ebediw
3196-497: The position of the new king and that weakness, along with the long free and separate traditions of the various Welsh gwledydd , then permitted disputes and civil wars among the family appanages . Further, by the time of Hywel, the kingdoms normally taken as independent – Deheubarth , Powys , &c. – were nominally subordinate to the elder line of the family in Gwynedd and bound to display that with annual gifts. The confusion of
3264-413: The same attribution of the law to Hywel and the council at Whitland as do the southern versions. It is more likely that Hywel's name was used to lend some form of “ancestral authority" to the laws. The best that may be said of Hywel's association with the law is that a folk memory recalled a revision and rejuvenation of the law during his reign. Other kings are said to have introduced later modifications to
3332-614: The slaves ( caethion ). The privileges, penalties, and obligations due by law varied with the social status of the person concerned. At the time of Hywel's laws, Cymry – the modern Welsh for all of the Welsh people – apparently only applied to the free classes and not to serfs or slaves. However, none of them counted as a "foreigner" and, even if they moved from one Welsh "kingdom" ( gwlad ) to another, they did not suffer that status but were considered fully native. Those from outside Wales were considered between serfs and slaves, forbidden to offer testimony, and obliged to pledge themselves to
3400-416: The surviving partner keeping one half and the dying partner being free to give bequests from the other half. Murder was regarded as an offence against the family rather than against society or the state. It was normally dealt with by the payment of blood money ( galanas ) by the killer and his extended family to the family of the deceased. The base sum was computed by the social status and position of
3468-647: The time of Hywel and Welsh law was continually being revised and updated. There has been some debate among scholars as to whether the laws were originally written in Welsh or Latin . The Surexit memorandum in the Lichfield Gospels is a record of the outcome of legal proceedings dating from the 9th century and written in Welsh, and though it is not a law manual it does indicate the use of Welsh legal terms at that time. The earliest manuscripts known are Peniarth 28 , written in Latin but now generally thought to be
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#17327658473323536-452: The top of the finger to the first knuckle is valued (in the same texts) at 26 2/3 of a penny. The price of a fingernail as it is valued in Iorwerth and Cyfnerth is 0.8% of the galanas , and intriguingly the thumbnail in the Wessex tariff also stands at 0.8% of the wergild value for the man.[7] Harris argues that these similar percentages reflect the co-existence of two legal systems in Wales;
3604-416: The traditions of the country, one modification they made was to end the right of nobles to trial by combat, finding it unjust. Medieval Welsh law placed a high value on compensation for any breach of the law. In particular, high and detailed compensation values were given for each limb of the body. There are nine limbs of equal value (that is the hands, the eyes, the lips, the feet, and the nose) each of which
3672-411: The victim. The galanas of the king of Deheubarth was set at an impossibly long line of impossibly perfect cattle to ensure it could never be met; the family of a murdered slave, meanwhile, received no galanas , although the slave's owner was to be compensated for the loss. This sum might then be modified in certain situations (for example, an attack from ambush doubled the base fine). Upon the payment of
3740-404: The youngest son as to the eldest, and judges that the father's sin and his illegality should not be set against the son for his patrimony. Dadannudd is a son's claim to land which previously belonged to his father. A landowner's right to convey land was restricted; it was only allowed under certain circumstances with the consent of his kindred and coheirs ( laudatio parentum ). With the consent of
3808-462: The youngest son partitioned ( cyfran ) the land equally, and each brother took his share. Illegitimate sons were entitled to shares equal to those of legitimate sons, provided they had been acknowledged by the father. This provision differed the most from canon law ; as the Iorwerth text puts it: The law of the church says that no-one is entitled to patrimony ( treftadaeth ) save the father's eldest son by his wedded wife. The law of Hywel adjudges it to
3876-458: Was a death duty payable to the deceased's lord. Sarhad and dirwy are still Welsh words meaning ‘insult’ and ‘fine’ respectively, The origins of the various redactions are reflected in the relative position of the rulers of the Welsh kingdoms. The Iorwerth Redaction manuscripts proclaim the superiority of the king of Aberffraw , chief seat of the kingdom of Gwynedd, over the others, while the manuscripts from Deheubarth claim at least equality for
3944-406: Was a fee payable to the woman's lord on the loss of her virginity, whether on marriage or otherwise. Cowyll , or maiden-fee, was a payment due to the woman from her husband on the morning after the marriage, marking her transition from virgin to married woman. Dower ( agweddi ) was the amount of the common pool of property owned by the couple which was due to the woman if the couple separated before
4012-612: Was a form of Celtic law with many similarities to the Brehon law of Ireland and particularly the customs and terminology of the Britons of Strathclyde . It was passed down orally by jurists and bards and, according to tradition, only first codified during the reign of Hywel Dda in the mid-10th century. The earliest surviving manuscripts, however, are in Latin , date from the early 13th century, and show marked regional differences. The law
4080-488: Was also responsible for a revision of the Welsh law which continued in force in his dynasty's domain of Powys. Gwynedd 's Venedotian Code noted that he changed the legal composition of the homestead ( tyddyn ) for purposes of inheritance etc., varying its size depending on the social status of the owner. The homestead of a nobleman ( uchelwr ) was 12 Welsh acres, that of a serf ( Medieval Welsh eẏllt , Modern Welsh aillt ) had 8, and that of
4148-451: Was called Master Blegywryd, to form and interpret for him and for his kingdom, laws and usages... As each of the manuscripts dates from centuries later than Hywel's time, this statement cannot be used to date the event described above. Professor Huw Pryce has demonstrated that some of the prologues were developed in response to attacks on Welsh law by Church men and Nobles who wished to gain rights more akin to those enjoyed by Ecclesiastics and
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#17327658473324216-467: Was emphasised that both civil and common law were imposed by the state. For the purposes of the laws, Welsh society was divided into five classes: the rulers, including the king ( rhi or brenin ) over his kingdom and the lords over their fiefs; the free Welsh, including both the pedigreed aristocracy ( boneddigion or uchelwyr ) and the yeomen together; the Welsh serfs ( taeogion , ailltion , or bileiniaid ); foreigners resident in Wales ( alltudion ); and
4284-409: Was later defeated at the 1078 Battle of Goodwick (or Pwllgwdig) by Bleddyn's successor, Trahaearn ap Caradog , and killed by Caradog ap Gruffydd of Gwent shortly afterwards, this was hailed as vengeance "for the blood of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, his first cousin". After his death, Gwynedd was seized by Trahaearn and later recovered for the House of Aberffraw by Gruffudd ap Cynan ; but in Powys, Bleddyn
4352-432: Was not entitled to give away, for being found with another man, or for wishing a blemish on her husband's beard. If he beat her for any other cause, she was entitled to the payment of sarhad . If the husband found her with another man and beat her, he was not entitled to any further compensation. According to the law, women were not allowed to inherit land. However, there were exceptions, even at an early date. A poem dated to
4420-480: Was that the woman would be given to a man by her kindred; the abnormal way was that the woman could elope with a man without the consent of her kindred. In this case her kindred could compel her to return if she was still a virgin, but if she was not she could not be compelled to return. If the relationship lasted for seven years she had the same entitlements as if she had been given by her kin. A number of payments are connected with marriage. Amobr , or commutation-fee,
4488-615: Was the founder of a dynasty which lasted until the end of the 13th century. Bleddyn's legacy in the Chronicle of the Princes was that of a benevolent ruler: "The most lovable and the most merciful of all kings... he was civil to his relatives, generous to the poor, merciful to pilgrims and orphans and widows and a defender of the weak... the mildest and most clement of kings... [he] did injury to none, save when insulted... openhanded to all, terrible in war, but in peace beloved". Bleddyn
4556-516: Was treated as a theft and remedied by the payment of another fine ( dirwy ), payment of which restored the woman's virginity for legal purposes. A man who could not pay the fine was to have his testicles removed. Similarly, a convicted thief was imprisoned in the first instance, but a serf convicted for the third time was to have his hand removed. (Assuming he was not caught in the act: thieves caught with goods in hand more valuable than four ceiniogau were liable for hanging.) Such strong penalties led
4624-442: Was usually dealt with by the payment of compensation to the victim's family, while theft could be punished by death only if it was theft by stealth and the thief was caught with the goods in hand; the value of the goods stolen also had to exceed four pence. Most other offences were punished by a fine. Most of the surviving manuscripts of Welsh law start with a preamble explaining how the laws were codified by Hywel. The introduction to
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