Celtic Britain

The arrival of the Celtic race to the "ends of the world" would of course lead to the British isles.  This is the foundation of the language, culture, society, and lore of the peoples that were to become Welsh.  Of course there were the Irish, Scots, Cornish, Isle of Man, and the Britons who shared these roots.  Celtic Britain written by Lloyd Laing is such a book. 

In broad terms, he discusses the arrival of the Celts to the British isles giving the locations of the most notable Celtic sites in Britain.  The chapter titles are:

1) Introduction - the Celts in Europe
2) Iron Age Britain
3)The Roman Interlude
4)The Dark Ages
5)Epilogue - Celtic Twilight

There are 109 plates (mostly pictures) contained within the pages. [I like pictures!]  It was published 1979, by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.  A fun kind of book.

Law and Order

Survival often depended upon how well one got along with another.  A societies willingness to cooperate among themselves were reflected in the laws and order of the group as a whole.  From the most primitive days tribal groups had to figure these things out in order to keep their families alive and well. [At least as well as could be expected.]  The following shows a text that records the laws and order of the tribal groups in Wales before 950 AD.

Professor Dafydd Jenkins translates the Welsh texts, and provides notes and definitions which are extremely helpful in understanding the social context of this period.  For the genealogist, it provides a window into the culture and society of the time that gives a picture of my ancestors. [For those of us from Wales.]  It lays the foundation of the state (kingdoms) as Hywel Dda was trying to clarify for his own purposes, but hey, he was a father-in-law among my own family tree branches.

For the genealogist who really wants to "time travel", this book is for you.  Hywel Dda, The Law...the law and order of 950 AD Wales.

[First published in Wales at the Gomer Press, Llandysul, Dyfed, 1986 by Dafydd Jenkins.]

3 R's All Rolled Into One

The following texts represent one of the most utilized references that I have owned over the past 25 years.  They are truly a "reading", a "reference", and a "resource" all rolled into one.  In two volumes, reproduced by the Genealogical Publishing Company, in 1991 [first printed London, 1872]  they have provided my own family research an invaluable resource for my tree climbing.  It was among these pages that I first discovered my JONES family connection to Wales.

As a reading, they contain a history of each county in Wales from their earliest beginnings.  As a reference,  they present various families in each county with their history, and context.   As a resource, they present many family genealogies for each county giving in many cases a detailed family tree. They also give a listing of the members of Parliament and Sheriffs for each county.

Volume I :
     Anglesey (Mon)
     Breconshire (Brycheiniog)
     Cardiganshire (Ceredigion)
     Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin)
     Carnarvonshire (Sir Gaernarfon)
     Denbighshire (Sir Dinbych)
     Flintshire (Sir Fflint)
     Glamorganshire (Morganwg)

Volume II:
     Glamorganshire (con't)
     Merionethshire (Meirionydd)
     Monmouthshire (Mynwy)
     Montgomeryshire (Sir Dre-Faldwyn)
     Pembrokeshrie (Sir Benfro)
     Radnorshire (Maesyfed)

An important resource for tree climbing in Wales.  I have pulled it off my book shelf many, many, times for reading, references and a as a resource... "3 R's" all rolled into one.

A History of Wales

The first Professor of History at the University of Wales Bangor was Sir John Edward Lloyd.  He is widely recognized for his scholarship in medieval Welsh history.  First published in 1911, his two volume text titled "A History of Wales: From the Earliest Time to the Edwardian Conquest" has become the standard for those interested in exploring their Welsh history.  Volume II of this text has been reprinted by Barnes & Noble, 2004 and covers the period from the Norman Invasion to the Edwardian Conquest.  The book cover of this reprint is shown below.

For me, the value of this work is the documentation that is given in the footnotes.  Professor Lloyd is very detailed and his scholarship is demonstrated.  It is somewhat difficult to read as a general text due to the Welsh terms and spellings that are so distinctive to the language.  However, it gives a clear documentation to the early Welsh resources available to the genealogist.  It is a foundation to the reader as both a "reading" and "reference".   Please, don't leave Welsh genealogy with out it.

Readings, References and Resources

Over the past several decades, I have spent a fair amount of time climbing my family tree.  With a surname like JONES you can imagine what sort of branches I have had to navigate.  There have been a lot of readings, references and resources that have been a tremendous help along the way.  It is the purpose of this blog to present the things [readings, references and resources]  that have helped me get a littler further along the limbs.  It might have been a reading, a particular reference, or a certain type of resource that helped breakdown the barriers that presented themselves.  [Called "brick walls" by some genealogist.]  For those who might find these genealogy "bread crumbs" helpful, I will leave a few to be found along the trail.  Genealogy for generations...that have been...are in the present...and yet to come, my three Rs...readings, references and resources.

One of the readings that has providing a great deal of insight into my Welsh ancestry is the text called "A History of Wales", by John Davis.  It is well written...easy to read...and chronologically presented.  For those of us with a Welsh ancestry [living outside of Wales], it is a good read and excellent reference for those interested in getting a basic grasp of Wales.

Paviland to Wales since 1939 is presented.  John Davies is from the Department of Welsh History, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.  It was first published in Welsh, 1987, with an English translation 1992.   My copy is well worn.  My first bread crumb..."Hansel and Gretel" would be proud.