Morgan Mwynfawr

Morgan Mwynfawr was the first king of Glamorgan and it was this name that was given to the name of Glamorgan. He was a good merciful, valiant, profoundly wise courteous and humane king, excelling all his contemporaries in gentleness and generosity. He established good and just laws and institutes for the welfare of his dominion. 

Morgan was a so greatly was he beloved in his country, that when he went out to war, all chose to accompany him rather than remain home. He was invariably victorious over his enemies and made law that neither himself nor any of his men should exercise cruelty either to a vanquished foe, or any other living being and that no illegal deed should be perpetrated in tyranny, nor any law enacted from aversion or envy. All this caused such pervading love to be cherished throughout the land that hence sprang the proverb “The suavity of Glamorgan” he established an ordinance that enjoined the appointment of twelve wise crudités, pious and merciful men to determine all claims the king being their supreme counsellor. This act was called the Apostolical law because it is thus that Christ and his twelve apostles judge the world. Consequently so should the king and his twelve wise men judge the country in mercy and mildness, that this manner judgement, justice and mercy should be administered according to the nature and equity of the claim?

He like wise ordained that the testimony of any one should be rejected in all matters whatever of church and state, who should conduct himself in an impiously haughty, ferocious or cruel manner to any living being whether a neighbour or a stranger, a friend or foe, a Cambrian or an alien and that no credence whatever should be given to his evidence until the expiration of year and a day after he should have in public court, both civil and ecclesiastic, abjured by wood, field and mountain, his wrongful conduct whether in word or deed, adducing, at the same time evidence to testify from conscientious knowledge, his upright just and repentant conduct towards all and that he had to his utmost ability rectified the injustice he had committed. Upon doing this he became re-admitted to his national rights under the decision of wise and pious counsellors.

He erected a Court at Margam a place which he raised to a Bishoprick which retained that retained that distinction during the lives of 5 Bishops when it became united to Llandaff. Morgan when young was of a wild and impetuous disposition but he subsequently adopted a better course and repenting of his irrationally and error he became the best king that ever lived.

Attachments

The origin of trial by jury has given rise to much controversy, according to the varied views in which the ancient usages of different states have been considered. Sir Francis Palgrave in his History of the English Commonwealth, maintains that if not actually introduced by the Conqueror, it was derived from the Normans, but had this eminent author been aware of Morgan Mwynfawr’s juridical institution, and its adoption, not only by his descendants, but even by the alien lords who succeeded them by conquest, his unprejudiced mind would not have disregarded altogether the initiatory claim of Glamorgan to this vital principle of legal science.

In Rees Meyrick of Cottrel’s “Morganize Archaiographia (1578)” the substitution of Sir Robert Fitzhamon’s twelve knights for the previous juridical authorities is noticed; and also the partial restoration of ancient customs and usages to allay the repugnance of the natives to the feudal system, attempted to be enforced on them. Sir Edward Mansel of Margam, but not of Norman descent, and hence not liable here to national prejudices in favour of the old system, makes the following explicit observations on the subject, in his manuscript “Account of the Conquest of Glamorgan,” written 1591.

“Before the time of Robert Fitzhamon there was one Chief Lord of Glamorgan whose were the high Royalties and he assembled the other Lords every month to his Court where all matters of Justice were determined and finally settled, these  Lords sat in Judgement on all matters of Law, with twelve Freeholders from every Lordship to give opinions after what came to their knowledge and to the Bishop of Llandaff sat in the high Court as a Councillor of Conscience according to the Laws of God, this Court was formed they say by Morgan who was Prince of the Country after King Arthur in the manner of Christ and his twelve apostles, and this form of Law was kept by Sir Robert Fitzhamon according  to the usage of the Country, after the high court was held in turn and from then an appeal might be made to the high Court of the Country, the Lord and his yeoman in the same form and manner as in the high court.”

“After the winning of the Country by Sir Robert Fitzhamon, he took to him his twelve knights to supply the places in his Courts of the Lawful and right Lords of the twelve Lordships, which caused discontent insomuch that Welsh Lords took arms under Pain Turberville and Caradock ab Iestyn and Madoc his brother, and they came to Cardiff Castle and surrounded it insomuch that it was on the point of being taken when King Henry the first going to the of the Raven Tower to enquire concerning the tumult which was heard, he saw the place all encompassed by fierce armed men, whereupon he called a parley when Pain Turberville told him the reason saying that if the rightful orders were not made to restore the Laws of Morgan the first, that he and Robert Fitzhamon should feel at the ears very soon of what stuff the castle, walls were of at the heart of which all in the Castle counselled together, and it was seen best to yield to country that request.”

In another place he refers to a second perfidious infraction of the ancient Laws, not withstanding the previous stipulation.

“Ifor Petit rose up the country for that the old laws were not kept to, and at this time it was again settled for the proper Courts to be held in all the Lordships and the Lords of the Courts to join with the Chief Lord in his High Court which Laws had been a second time broke by the Norman Lords, and in this engagement as was said before the Welsh Lords won the right and is so remained till Wales and England were united in one Realm, and the laws were altered.”

“So good was the manner of the Rule and Government in Glamorgan thought of that many things were taken form it to add to the Laws of England, and more especially in the time of King Elfred.”

Morgan Mwynfawr is called by Sir Edward, Morgan the first, to distinguish him from succeeding princes of that name, but according to this chronicle with which he may not have been acquainted, he was in fact the second;  the 22 sovereign (Morgan ab Bleddyn) being Morgan the first. In explanation it should be observed, that historical accounts of this lineage generally commence with Morgan Mwynfawr.

The successful resistance of Ifor Petit (1110) took place in the time of Robert Earl of Gloucester, the second Norman Lord of Glamorgan, and is recorded by Caradoc of Llwncarvan.

A different copy of the above manuscript work purporting to be “another account of the coming if the Normans in a shorter story than that before by Sir Edward Mansel of Margam” (Thomas Trueman) has these closing observations:-

“Courts of like nature were held in turn in all other twelve Lordships. Where sat the Lords in Judgement with their yeomen as substantiates of the Country to prove evidence and report very much after the nature of the Juries that now are in the King’s Courts of Sessions.” 

The shorter account end thus “In my searching I have looked for the truth in such manner as to give pleasure to men and Glory to God:” and the longer account has this conclusion; “and this I gathered from numbers of old books and much Labour and pains to study, Edward Mansel.”

In recording the demolition of Llantrythyd Castle, he says that “the place was never afterwards built castle fashion but in  form of a Great Place house as it is at this day to be seen, 1591,” thus determining the date of his clever account.

He was a contemporary with Rees Meyrick and also with Sir Edward Stradling another historian of the Norman conquest of Glamorgan, Lewys Dwnn, in his “Heraldic Visitation of Wales and the Marches, temp Eliz”. Enumerates the three, as eminent authors of Welsh History; and with his characteristic zeal, invokes the almighty’s blessing on them, for their kind hospitality to him; and for the great information he derived from them. Sir Samuel R. Meyrick has prepared Dwnn’s important work for publication, and it will shortly appear, it is a source of peculiar gratification that it is in such able hands.

Sir Thomas Phillips, Bart, of Middle Hill, zealously anxious for the preservation of Rees Meyrick’s History from final destruction, had liberally published or rather printed as his private press, a limited number of copies of it, (from the only remaining MS.) for distribution among his friends; a patriotic course, which had it been heretofore adopted by others, would have preserved from destruction many ancient and valuable works on Welsh literature, that are now irretrievably lost.

From close scrutiny of evidences enjoined in the text, it should seem that Morgan Mwynfawr’s Institution involved not only juries of accusation and inquisition but also a juridical principle as described by Sir E. Mansel, “such after the nature of juries that are now in the Courts” of Law.

The peculiar phrase “By wind, Field and Mountain, (Coed, Maes, a Mynydd) an expression rather of denial or vehement assertion, than of general affirmation, is still used in the Vale of Glamorgan and Gwent; where they say “Fe wadwys, neu haerwys-Coed, Maes, a Mynydd.” (He denied, or vehemently asserted, by Wood, Field and Mountain). In some respects is seems equivalent to the Roman Cathoilc supplication “By Bell, Book, and Candle, 

“It is evidently  aDruidic idiom but is origin is too much involved  in the obscurity rites, to be

now satisfactory explianed. The following ancient Triad (73rd of  Triioedd Braint of Defod)",

or Triads of Preorogatives and Rites "unpublished" may however impart some light:

“Tair GostegGyffredin y sydd, a pha bynag ai ryhydd, ai haer ni gwaedd ai gwad, a rode bydded wrth bob un o’r tair a dan rybydd undydd a blwyddyn – sef ydynt, Maes Arglwydd-Crych golychwyd – a Gorsedd Beridd”

The three usual expressions in commanding silence and whether it be for warning, -positive assertion,-proclamation, - or denial, every such occasion must be announced by each of these modes; under a year and a day’s notice. The said terms are; the Lord’s Champion,-the established Place of Worship,-and the Supreme Bardic Chair,