The pedigrees found in Jesus College Manuscript 20 date from the late 14th century and are evidently based partly on earlier sources such as the Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd and the Triads. The manuscript deals largely with royal families of south Wales and includes lists of the numerous sons and daughters of Brychan Brycheiniog. Only a handful of passages are relevant to the Old North and these are given below with notes.
The Text
Drynwin ferch Brychan
- Drynwin verch Vrachan, mam Uryen [ac] Erduduyl gỽynn dorliud. Owein mab Uryen a Morud verch Uryen. Gỽrgi a Pheredur ac Arthur Penuchel a Tonlut a Hortnan a Dyrnell trydyth gwyn dorliud
- Drynwin daughter of Brychan, mother of Urien [and] Efrddyl [of the] Fair Womb Burden. Owein son of Urien and Morfudd daughter of Urien. Gwrgi and Peredur and Arthur Penuchel and Tonllwyd and [C]ornan and Dyrnell, the third Fair Womb Burden
This extremely confused entry has merged the genealogy of Drynwin ferch Brychan Brycheiniog with information from the Triads. Other sources all give the relevant daughter of Brychan as Nefyn. One version of Triad 70 ‘The Three Fair Womb-Burdens’ (Gwyndorllwyth) reads:
“Urien and Efrddyl, children of Cynfarch Hen, who were carried together in the womb of Nefyn daughter of Brychan, their mother. The second, Owain son of Urien and Morfudd his sister who were carried together in the womb of Modron daughter of Afallach. The third, Gwrgi and Peredur and Ceindrech Pen Asgell, children of Eliffer who were carried together inthe womb of Efrddyl daughter of Cynfarch, their mother”.
Another version of the triad says “The third [Womb Burden] was Gwrgi and Peredur, sons of Eliffer Gosgorddfawr, and Arddun their sister, and Dyrw … dyl and Cornan their horse and Tonllwyd their cow”.
The reference to Arthur Penuchel is a mistake for Arddun Penasgell. The Triads disagree on the name of this sister (Ceindrech or Arddun) and elsewhere, Arddun is given as a daughter of Pabo Post Prydain.
Tonlut in the text is for Tonllwyd, the name of one of the ‘Three Principal Cows’ cited in Triad 46, which belonged to Gwrgi and Peredur. Hortnan is a mistake for Cornan, the brothers’ horse, mentioned in Triad 44. Dyrnell may be the name of another sister, who appears as Dyrw… in the earliest MS of the Triad, her name having been lost.
Donwn gwraig Meurig
- Donỽn gỽreic Meuric mab Emminni merch Kynvarch mab Meirchaỽn mab Gỽrgust Letlỽm mab Ceneỽ mab Coyl Hen mab Godebaỽc mab Tecwant mab [E]weint mab Tepỽyll mab Urban mab Grad mab Kỽnedyl mab K[y]ndeern mab Tegant mab Kyndeern Wledic mab Elud mab Eudos mab Eudolen mab Auallach mab Aphlech mab Beli Maỽr vab Anna val y mae vchot.
- Donwn, wife of Meurig, son of Emminni daughter of Cynfarch son of Meirchion son or Gwrwst Ledlwm son of Cenau son of Coel Hen son of Godebog son of Tegfan son of Owain son of Tebwyll son of Urban son of Grad son of Cyneddyl son of Cyndeyrn son of Tegan son of Cyndeyrn Wledig son of Eludd son of Euddos son of Euddolen son of Afallach son of Afflech son of Beli Mawr son of Anna as above.
Donwn is a daugher of St Catwg or Cadog and this pedigree forms part of a list of her siblings. The passage gives us an otherwise unrecorded line of the Cynfeirching via Emminni, daughter of Cynfarch and sister of Urien Rheged, but another pedigree in the MS gives the line “Meuric m[ap] Enenni verch Erbic m[ap] Meuric m[ap] Caradawc Vreich Vras” making it likely that Emminni ferch Cynfarch is a fabrication.
Much of the information here is clearly taken from the Harleian Genealogies or their source, but has been miscopied with numerous mistakes and alterations. The following list shows the original Harleian genealogy inline with the Jesus 20 genealogy:
| Harley | Jesus |
|---|---|
| Coyl Hen | Coyl Hen |
| Guotepauc | Godebaỽc |
| Tecmant | Tecwant |
| Teuhant | [E]weint |
| Telpuil | Tepỽyll |
| Vrban | Urban |
| Grat | Grad |
| Iumetel | Kỽnedyl |
| Ritigirn | K[y]ndeern |
| Oudecant | Tegant |
| Outigir[n] | Kyndeern Wle0ic |
| Ebiud | Elud |
| Eudos | Eudos |
| Eudelen | Eudolen |
| Aballac | Auallach |
| Aphlech | |
| Beli et Anna | Beli Maỽr |
| Anna |
Most of these are simply copying errors, perhaps in some cases with an attempt to modernise the orthography. The additional name Aphlech is probably merely a variant of Auallach, perhaps based on the Old Irish Ablach.
Rhodri Mawr
- Rodri Maỽr mab Mervyn Vrych mab Gỽrhyat mab Elidyr mab Sandef mab Alcun mab Tegyth mab Ceit mab Douc mab Llewarch Hen mab Elidyr Lydanwyn mab Meirchaỽn mab Gỽrgust mab Keneu mab Coil Hen mal y mae uchot.
- Rhodri Mawr son of Merfyn Frych son of Gwriad son of Elidyr son of Sandde son of Alcun son of Tegid son of Caid son of Daug son of Llywarch Hen son of Elidyr Lydanwyn son of Meirchion son of Gwrwst son of Cenau son of Coel Hen as above.
Rhodri Mawr was a 9th century king of Gwynedd who claimed descent, not from the royal line of Cunedda, but from other northern characters. Here is given as a descendant of the probably legendary poet Llywarch Hen who is described here and in the Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd as one of the Coeling.
- Rodri Maỽr mab Mervyn mab Guriath mab Elidyr mab Celenion merch Tutwal Tuclith mab Anaraỽd Gỽalchcrỽn mab Mervyn Maỽr mab Kyuyn mab Anllech mab Tutwaỽl mab Run mab Neidaon mab Senilth Hael tryd hael o’r gogled. Senilth mab Dingat mab Tutwaỽl mab Edneuet mab Dunaỽt mab Maxen Wledic val y mae vchot.
In this pedigree Rhodri Mawr claims descent from Maxen Wledig (Emperor Maximus) via Neidaon (i.e. Neithon) son of Senyllt Hael, described here as one of the Tri Hael or ‘Three Generous Ones’ of the north. Elsewhere – in poetry, the Triads and Bonedd y Saint – it is Senyllt’s son Nudd who has the epithet Hael and it may be that Neidaon is a mistake for Nudd or that two brothers have been confused. The name Nud Hael occurs in the manuscript, as an ancestor Morgan ab Owain, founder of Morgannwg (Glamorgan), but this is a mistake for Iudhael (W. Ithael).
The ancestry preceding Celenion is much like that given in the Harleian Genealogies for Idwal (Iudgual) map Tudwal, though here the person of Tudwal is confused with Tudwal Tudglyd of the Cynwydion line.
Ellelw mother of Seisyllt
- Ellelỽ mam Seissyll [mab] Llewelyn o Vuelt. Merch oed Ellelỽ hono y Elidyr mab Llywarch mab Bledri mab Mor mab Llowarch mab Gỽgaỽn [mab] Keneu Menrud a vu neidyr vlỽydyn am y vonỽgyl. Y Gỽgaỽn hỽnỽ a wnaeth aber Gỽyli ac yno y lladỽyt ef a Llewelyn mab Seissyll tat Gruffud mab Llewelyn. Keneu Menrud oed hỽnỽ mab Pascen mab Urien Reget mab Kynuarch mab Meirchyaỽn mab Gỽrguest mab Keneu mab Koel Hen.
- Ellelw mother of Seisyllt [son of] Llywellyn of Buellt. That Ellelw was daughter of Elidyr son of Llywarch son of Bledri son of Mor son of Llywarch son of Gwgawn [son of] Ceneu Menrudd who was a snake [for?] a year around his neck. That Gwgawn made Aber Gwyli and then was killed by Llywelyn ap Seisyllt, father of Gruffud ap Llywelyn. Ceneu Menrudd was son of Pasgen son of Urien Rheged son of Cynfarch son of Meirchion son of Gwrwst son of Ceneu son of Coel Hen.
The pedigree of Ellelw ferch Elidyr is of limited interest to study of the Old North, apart from the somewhat confused reference to Ceneu Menrudd. The word mab ‘son’ is missing between Gwgawn and Ceneu but must be assumed to make sense of the passage. Quite how the latter was a snake around the neck of his son is unclear. I would be tempted to read vlỽydyn as a scribal error for wenỽyn ‘poisonous’.
Rhun ap Einion
Run mab Einyaỽn mab Keneu mab Coel Hen
No other pedigree mentions an Einion son of Ceneu ap Coel Hen and it is likely this is an error. Several other Einions occur in the manuscript, including Einion son of Dunod son of Cunedda Wledig and Einion son of Ceredig son of Cunedda Wledig so it may be that one founding father has been confused for the other.
Gwallog ap Lleenog
Gwallaỽc mab Llyennaỽc mab Mar mab Coyl Hen
This lineage conflates information from the Harleian Genealogies and Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd. The former gives the line of Gwallog son of Lleenog son of Maswig son of Ceneu son of Coel Hen. The latter gives Mar son of Ceneu son of Coel Hen but does not mention Lleenog at all.
Morgant ap Cleddog
Morgant mab Cledaỽc mab Morgant Vull braỽt Branud Voel mab Dyuynwaỽl mab Carboniaỽn mab Coel Hen.
This passage seems to be copied from the Harleian Genealogies, but with some alterations. The earlier texts gives the following pedigree: “Morcant map Coledauc map Morgant Bulc map Cincar, braut Bran Hen, map Dumngual Moilmut map Garbaniaun map Coyl Hen“. The scribe has missed copying Cincar (Cyngar), making Morgant Bwlch the brother of Branud Foel (= Bran Hen) rather than his nephew.
Dunod ap Pabo
Dunaỽt mab Pabo Post Prydein mab Ceneu mab Coel Hen.
Another passage copied from the Harleian Genealogies, this time with no alterations to the lineage.