Welsh Law - Hywel Dda

[beith]

Hello,

Question from an interested Paddy....

What would be the best basal text for an introduction to the Laws of Hywel Dda? I assume something along the lines of Prof T.C.Edwards or Prof. Jenkins? I haven't read either but am looking for something that gives a good general introduction to ancient/middle Welsh laws on things like:

Status texts (especially anything regarding poetic/druidic/physician professions or types of sorcerers/those deemed offensive to the church)
Contract making/suretyship
Medically-related texts
Blood fines /Compensation payments and system of "honour prices" or Welsh equivalent
Laws on use of Satire
and anything that gives a general introduction to the Legal schools of Wales/the lawyers-jurists, their training, and overview information on the ages of the surviving manuscripts/language dating/theories on exemplars copied from, etc.)

[If anyone's read Prof Fergus Kelly's "Guide to Early Irish Law" - that's the kind of book I'm looking for.]

Also - are any of the Welsh/Latin translations on line? Had a quick google but didn't come up with much but perhaps that more my tired eyes than lack of available online translations!

Any recommendations or references would be gratefully received!

Diolch!
Beith

[Tegernacus]

not sure, but I'll hit the library tommorow and find out.

Here's one Welsh law (actually, from the post-1066 laws of Monmouthshire) that I find hilarious

"If a Welshman kills a Welshman, the family of the dead man may kill and plunder the family of the murderer until noon the following day, when all the bodies must be buried".

What if you're still looting and killing at 12:01? lol

[Heron]

Dafydd Jenkins' translation of the Laws in the Gomer 'Welsh Classics' series is pretty definitive I would have thought.

www.gwales.com/bibliographic/?isbn=9780863832772&tsid=4

[beith]

Hello, thank you for the recommendation Heron. I shall look out for that. I will investigate Thomas Charles Edwards also as I think he has published a collection too.

Tegernacus - I see the Welsh folks are pretty time-conscious in prosecution of blood fueds!

best regards
Beith

[Francis]

Nov 3, 2008 21:07:52 GMT -1 Tegernacus said:

"If a Welshman kills a Welshman, the family of the dead man may kill and plunder the family of the murderer until noon the following day, when all the bodies must be buried".

What if you're still looting and killing at 12:01? lol

Without Mr. Casio's help I'm wondering what they did if it was cloudy?

[Blackbird]

Yes, I've got Dafydd Jenkins' book and it's excellent

It's well laid out, with a short but useful introduction and a comprehensive glossary.

[Tegernacus]

this is interesting, not sure if it's genuine or Iolo-esque. (you can download it for easier reading)

books.google.co.uk/books?id=ObY0AAAAIAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0

not what you're looking for, but in a similar vein.