Celtic Kingdoms of the British Isles

Dogfeilion (Dogfeiling)

Dogfeilion was a minor sub-kingdom inside the eastern border of Gwynedd, and formed part of Gwynedd's overall domain. Upon the death of Cunedda Wledig, first king of Gwynedd, his youngest son, Dogfael, gained his inheritance and the land was named in his honour.

The '-ing' suffix sometimes seen in the Dogfeilion name is English, and they would have written it as Dogfeiling. The equivalent Welsh suffix is '-ion' and the two seem to have been an automatic translation between the languages, with the Anglo-Saxons habitually substituted 'ing for -ion. The kingdom and its ruling dynasty should more properly be Dogfeilion, although Welsh consonant shifts always leave room for uncertainly. The 'dog' in 'Dogfeil' refers to the deity Dagda (Dog/Dag the Good). The 'feil' is altered 'mail' (mal) which means servant, and is precisely the same word as 'fael' in Cynfael (there were no regular spellings in early records relating to this period). So Dogfeil makes sense as 'servant of Dagda'.

(Additional information by Edward Dawson.)

c.445

Dogfael ap Cunedag

c.500

Elnaw ap Dogfael

Gained the Dumnonian sub-kingdom of Glastenning.

c.500

Geoffrey of Monmouth's Bishop Eledenius is the little-known St Elidan, a member of the British Church who later has parish churches dedicated in his name in the Vale of Clwyd. This places him firmly within Dogfeilion territory.

c.550

Cyndrwyn Glas (the Blue)

King of Dogfeilion & Glastenning. Gained east Pengwern for a son.

c.550

Cyndrwyn Glas means Cyndrwyn the Blue, a typical Welsh naming pun for a redhead.

c.612

This point marks the first appearance of the Dogfeilion in Powys and Pengwern. 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 rule 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.

? - c.642

Eiludd Powys (ap Cyndrwyn)

Son. King of Dogfeilion & Powys.

c.642 - ?

Elaed ap Eiludd

Son. King of Dogfeilion.

c.670

Meurig ap Elaed

Son.

c.700

This branch of Cunedda's ends with Meurig, so Dogfeilion is very probably brought back under the direct control of Gwynedd.