|
 Pengwern
Located on the eastern border of Powys,
Pengwern stretched deep into the Midlands. It was originally part of Powys, and
apparently remained so until the last quarter of the sixth century. During at least
some of that time its capital was probably Caer Guricon (the former tribal capital
of the Cornovii tribe,
Roman Viroconium,
modern Wroxeter). There is evidence to suggest the abandonment of Viroconium in
around 520, perhaps in exchange for a more defendable location.
 Although its exact origins cannot be proven,
Pengwern as an independent kingdom, or at least semi-autonomous subdivision of
Powys, does appear to have been formed only in the sixth century, after the collapse
of the Post-Roman
central administration. It contained all of Powys' eastern territories. By AD 600
it seems to have been made up of three sub-kingdoms based on the cities of Caer Luit
Coyt (now known as Wall, in southern Staffordshire), Caer Magnis, and Caer Guricon,
and the first two had their own sub-kings. Originally, these would have been tributary
to Powys, and then subsequently to the king of Pengwern.
The first king was a son of Brochfael Ysgythrog of Powys, so it seems the
division was based upon the traditional Celtic practice of providing an
inheritance for all sons, not just the eldest. Then, according to what little
source material remains, in the early seventh century Morfael ap Glast, king of
Glastenning, secured the eastern
capital of Caer Luit Coyt during his lifetime. His younger brother secured the
remainder of the territory upon the death of their father. The capital was moved
to Llys Pengwern (the 'court of Pengwern'), perhaps for security reasons, and the
kingdom survived as a bulwark against Anglian expansion in the Midlands until the
mid-seventh century.
While the kingdom is usually known as Pengwern, it is uncertain whether this name
was applied to the entire territory, being as it was the name of just one fort. The
kingdom might just as well have been named after its last ruling dynasty, the
Dogfeilion kings. However, Pengwern
would have been a powerful name: 'gwern' would have been pronounced as 'wern' by the
Romans, and would have been spelled 'vern' by them if it had been written down
(unlikely, as it was local slang usage). The river that runs through the area, the
Sabrina (modern Severn), probably had the letter 'b' mangled into a 'v' and then a
'w' by the local Cornovii/Gwynedd Britons.
Then they dropped the 'Se' from the front of Severn, turning Severn into 'Vern', which
they pronounced 'Wern', and then altered later into 'Gwern' as they came to do with
any word beginning in 'w'. Also note that the original British name for the Severn was
Habren - the 's' at the start was a Roman addition - so this would explain how the 's'
was removed from the name - to the Britons it had not been there in the first place.
That sort of mixed progression would occur only at places inhabited by Romans
in numbers that were sufficient enough to influence the name. Such a concentration
of Romans would have to be at the town of Viroconium. Then when the locals in
that town fled up the river to Pengwern, they took their odd pronunciation with
them (not even knowing that wern/gwern was the same word as Hefren). Pen means
'head' or 'source', so the local name became Pengwern, headwaters of the Severn,
a strong and commanding name.
Another possible explanation for the name from Mak Wilson still gives 'pen'
as 'head', but provides 'gwern' as the meaning of 'alder swamp'.
(Additional information by Edward Dawson, and Mak Wilson.) |
|
c.612 |
This point marks the first appearance of the
Dogfeilion of
Gwynedd in
Powys and Pengwern, although
according to Edward Dawson, Pengwern remains part of Powys,
and the courts of Pengwern and Caer Luit Coyt are Powysian courts. Given
Welsh emphasis on ancestry to
qualify for a throne, it seems likely that a Dogfeilion leader (probably
Cyndrwyn Glas) had married a daughter of the king of Powys, qualifying his
descendants to govern Powys by the rules of descent of Gwynedd (which had been
inherited from their ancestors, the
Pictish
Venicones).
Romans
and Romano-British use primogeniture, but the Pictish rules are that any
descendant, regardless of the form of that descent, is qualified to inherit
(meaning that even bastard sons of wayward daughters can show up and claim a
piece of a territory or even kingship). The fact that the Dogfeilion are
accepted as rulers of Powys (and the part of Powys that is known as
Pengwern) is very telling. There has to be a valid claim
of descent.
|
613 |
In one of the bloodiest and hardest fought battles
of its time, several British
kings form a coalition to halt Ęthelfrith of
Bernicia
at the Battle of Caer Legion (Chester). Iago of
Gwynedd
and Selyf of Powys are both killed, and
the battle is a disastrous British defeat.
Bledric ap Custennin, king of
Dumnonia,
dies at the Battle of Bangor-is-Coed, which follows very soon afterwards. A
certain Brochfael is named as the commander of Caer Legion at this time, and
may be one of the sons of Powys' Brochfael, also the theoretical first king of
Pengwern named above. After this, the
Dogfeilion kings appear to move
in on Pengwern. The monks of Bangor-is-Coed are present at the battle to pray for
divine support, but they too are slaughtered (the act is seen as divine retribution
for their refusal to help evangelise the
English in 603). |
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