Emlyn facts for kids
Emlyn was an important area in ancient Wales. It was one of seven "cantrefs" (which were like large districts) in the old Kingdom of Dyfed. Around the year 950, Emlyn became part of another kingdom called Deheubarth.
Emlyn was located in the northern part of Dyfed. It was next to the River Teifi. The southern edge of Emlyn followed a line of hills. These hills separated the Teifi valley from the valleys of the Tâf and Tywi.
Contents
Geography of Emlyn
The name Emlyn comes from Welsh words meaning "around the valley." This valley was probably the Cuch valley. The Cuch valley is a noticeable valley among the low hills. These hills are between the Preseli Hills and the Cambrian Mountains.
Emlyn was basically the region north of this gap between the mountains. This meant it was the first part of Dyfed to face attacks from people in Ceredigion.
The area of Emlyn was about 84 square miles (218 square kilometers). It was split into two smaller areas called "commotes" by the River Cuch. These were Emlyn Is Cuch (meaning "Emlyn below the Cuch") to the west and Emlyn Uwch Cuch (meaning "Emlyn above the Cuch") to the east.
The main towns for these areas were Cilgerran in the west and Newcastle Emlyn in the east. The religious center for Emlyn was the church of St Llawddog in Cenarth.
History of Emlyn
Norman Influence: Arnulf
After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the ruler of Deheubarth, Rhys ap Tewdwr, agreed to be loyal to the English king, William the Conqueror. But when King William died, Rhys felt he was no longer bound by this promise. In 1088, he joined other leaders to attack Worcester.
Sadly, Rhys was killed in battle in 1093. His lands were then quickly taken by Norman lords. One of these lords was Arnulf de Montgomery. He swept south from Ceredigion and took Emlyn. He then went further south and conquered western Dyfed. Here, he set up the Marcher Lordship of Pembroke.
Arnulf put Gerald of Windsor in charge of Pembroke. Around 1100, Gerald built Cilgerran Castle. This castle helped control Emlyn and defend against attacks from Ceredigion. That same year, King William Rufus died.
In 1101, Arnulf joined a rebellion against the new king, Henry I. Because he rebelled, King Henry took Arnulf's lands. Unlike other areas, Emlyn did not have many Flemings (people from Flanders) settle there. It stayed mostly Welsh-speaking, just as it is today.
The Clare Family Takes Over
When King Henry I died, a time of chaos called The Anarchy began. Stephen, one of the people fighting for the throne, needed allies. He gave the Marcher Lordship of Pembroke to Gilbert de Clare. Gilbert was a powerful lord with lands nearby. He also received the title Earl of Pembroke.
The Anarchy also gave Rhys ap Tewdwr's son, Gruffydd, a chance to rebuild Deheubarth. By the 1150s, he and his sons had taken back land as far south as Carmarthen. King Henry II fought back and won some land. But a few years later, there was another uprising. Cilgerran Castle fell to Gruffydd's son, Rhys ap Gruffydd, in 1166.
By this time, Gilbert de Clare's son, Richard, had inherited the Lordship of Pembroke. King Henry II was worried about Norman lords becoming too powerful in Ireland. So, he made peace with Rhys. He made Rhys the "Justiciar" (a kind of royal governor) of all Deheubarth.
The Marshall Family and Changes
When Rhys ap Gruffydd died, his sons fought over who would rule. This fighting weakened their power. William Marshal, who was Richard de Clare's son-in-law, was able to take back the Lordship of Pembroke. His power reached Cilgerran in 1204.
Meanwhile, Llywelyn Fawr, the prince of Gwynedd, became very powerful over the Welsh princes. King Henry III could not stop him at first. This was because of problems with his own lords and because he was young. But in 1237, Llywelyn became ill. Two years later, King Henry's son Edward was born, which made the King much stronger.
In 1240, King Henry got the Welsh princes to agree to the Treaty of Gloucester. Llywelyn Fawr died soon after. Because of this treaty, the princes of Deheubarth gave up their lands. The king then gave them back as "honours" (special grants of land). The king kept the Marcher Lordship, and the princes became like barons.
King Henry also told Gilbert, William Marshal's son, to give some of his lands to the king. This was so one of Rhys's grandsons, Maredudd ap Rhys Gryg, could have them. Maredudd and Gilbert's mothers were distant relatives. Before Maredudd was an adult, Gilbert had been his guardian.
To please the king, Gilbert gave Maredudd the eastern part of Emlyn, called Emlyn Uwch Cych. Early the next year, Maredudd married Isobel, the daughter of Gilbert's older brother. Emlyn Uwch Cych was basically her dowry. Maredudd then built a castle to control his new land: Newcastle Emlyn.
Emlyn Becomes Part of Counties
In 1282, the Statute of Rhuddlan changed the king's lands into counties. The lands given to Maredudd, including Emlyn Uwch Cych, became the main part of Carmarthenshire. Carmarthenshire was then divided into smaller areas called "hundreds." Emlyn Uwch Cych became part of Elvet Hundred.
Maredudd's son, Rhys ap Maredudd, inherited his father's lands. These lands continued to exist within Carmarthenshire. But in 1287, Rhys went against the king and tried to rebel.
The western part of Emlyn, Emlyn Is Cych, stayed part of the Marcher Lordship of Pembroke. This lordship was held by William Marshal's family until 1389. At that time, the Marcher Lord died without direct heirs. So, the land went back to the king. Over the next century, the Marcher Lordship of Pembroke was given to royal favorites. But it kept returning to the crown when they died without children. Some of these lords included Duke Humphrey and Jasper Tudor.
The last time the Marcher Lordship of Pembroke was given away was by King Henry VIII. He gave it to Anne Boleyn shortly before he married her. Later, around the time her marriage to the king ended, King Henry passed the first Laws in Wales Act in 1535. This law ended the power of Marcher Lords. The Marcher Lordship of Pembroke, along with Dewisland, became Pembrokeshire. Emlyn Is Cych became Pembrokeshire's Cilgerran Hundred.
The name Emlyn is still used today in several local place names, like Newcastle Emlyn.
