Medievel Welsh laws and legal systems. (part 1)

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Laws of Hywel also known as Welsh law,  Was the legal system which applied to all of Wales throughout the Middle Ages until it was abolished by the Acts of Union in 1536, where Wales was annexed by England. 

Here is The introduction to the Book of Blegywryd version of the laws

"Hywel the Good, son of Cadell, by the grace of God, king of all Wales... summoned to him from every commote of his kingdom six men who were practised in authority and jurisprudence... to the place called the White House on the Taf in Dyfed. ... And at the end of Lent the king selected from that assembly the twelve most skilled laymen of his men and the one most skilled scholar who was called Master Blegywryd, to form and interpret for him and for his kingdom, laws and usages."

The Iorwerth versions, produced in Gwynedd, have exactly the same attribution of the law to Hywel and the council at Whitland as do the southern versions. It is more likely that Hywel's name was used to lend some form of “ancestral authority" to the laws.

Firstly , who were the Welsh? , who was classed as a citizen of Wales?, the answer is written within these laws, 

From wiki and taken from the laws of Hwyl dda 

" Cymry – the modern Welsh for all of the Welsh people – only applied to the free classes and not to serfs or slaves. However, none of them counted as a "foreigner" and, even if they moved from one Welsh "kingdom" (gwlad) to another, they did not suffer that status but were considered fully native.

Those from outside Wales were considered between serfs and slaves, forbidden to offer testimony, and obliged to pledge themselves to a native Welshman (even a serf) who would be responsible for them. This status could only be removed after three generations in the north and possibly as many as nine elsewhere, after which the foreigner's descendants were considered to be native serfs."

So we can see clearly that the people who live in Wales see themselves as different from those who live in England and recognised that Wales as a territory did exist at least the 900s , this goes against everything a lot of doubters often try to portray, they have nothing to back up their claims while there are many documents that prove them wrong, but they won't change their vow which makes it obvious that their opinions as more political. 

Anyway, what are these laws that applied to Welsh people inside of Wales? 

Here are some interesting ones. 

The first part of the laws deal with the rights and duties of the king and the officers of the king's court

the royal court consisted of...in order....

The king, 
 the queen,
the heir. 

Twenty-four, officers of the court,  sixteen are the king's officers 
 eight the queen's officers.

    Captain of the household troops,    priest of the household,      the steward 

 the chief falconer,      the court justice,     the chief groom      the chamberlain. 

the groom of the rein,   the porter,   the bakeress,  the laundress. 

list of officers

1. Masterof the Household$.
2. Domestic Chaplain.
3. Steward of the Household.
4 Judge of the Palace.
5. Falconer.
6. Chief Groom.
7. Chief Huntsman.
8. Steward of the Household
to the Queen.
9. Queen's Chaplain.
10. DomesticBard.
11. Crier.
12. Door-keeper of the Hail.
13. Door-keeper of the Chamber,
14. Page of the Chamber.
15. Chambermaid.
16. Groom of the Rein.
17. Torch-bearer.
18. Butler.
19. Mead-brewer.
20. Officers of the Palace
21. Cook.
22. Foot-holder*,
23. Physician.
24. Groom of the Rein to the
Queen

There are others, but those are the main ones, each person has a duty that is expected of them, along with benefits of the position etc, (example, a right of all the officers is to have woollen clothing from the king and linen clothing from the queen three times every year; at Christmas and Easter and Whitsuntide).  We will ignore all this and just look at some cool laws.

The crime of rape was treated as a theft and remedied by the payment of another fine (dirwy), payment of which restored the woman's virginity for legal purposes. A man who could not pay the fine was to have his testicles removed.

.......................

A convicted thief was imprisoned in the first instance, but a serf convicted for the third time was to have his hand removed

.......................

A hungry man who had passed at least three towns without receiving a meal could not be punished for stealing food

.......................

Aiding and abetting – including witnessing a killing and failing to protect the victim or receiving stolen property – was also punished with dirwy fines

.......................

If the husband had a concubine, the wife was allowed to strike her without having to pay any compensation, even if it resulted in the concubine's death

.......................

A woman could only be beaten by her husband for three things: for giving away something which she was not entitled to give away, for being found with another man, or for wishing a blemish on her husband's beard. If he beat her for any other cause, she was entitled to the payment of sarhad. If the husband found her with another man and beat her, he was not entitled to any further compensation

The lodging of the Falconer is in the King's barn; for the

hawks have an aversion to smoke

.............................

The Master of the Household shall have an allowance in his

lodging: three dishes and three horns of liquor from the  of provender

.............................

relating to Women.

Of these the first is, that, if there be presents made to a

married wbman, they are to be considered as part of her mar-

riage portion until the end of seven years, and, if she shall then

be separated from her husband, all, that belongs to them, shall be e divided into two partsj. It belongs to the wife to

partition, and to the husband to choose.

The swine shall go to the husband, and the sheep to the wife;

but, if there be but one sort, let it be divided into two equal

portions; and, if there be sheep and goats, the sheep go to the

husband and the goats to the wife; if but one sort, let it be

divided.

Of the children two parts go to the father and one to the

mother: the eldest and youngest to the father, and the middle

to the mother*.

The household furnitureshall be thus divided.-All the milk

vessels, excepting one pail, shall go to the wife : and all the

dishes, excepting one dish which shall go to the husband, shall

belong to the wife. The car and yoke t, that carry the

furnitureout of the house, shall go to the wife. All the drink-

ing vessels shall belong to the husband; and to him shall be-

long the large sieve, and the fine sieve to the wife. The hus-

band shall have the upper stone of the quern, and the wife the

lower 1. The bed-clothes, that are worn uppermost,shall belong

to the wife: those, that are underneath, the husbandshall have

until he marries again, and afterwards he shall restore them to

the wife. And, if another wife lie with him in these clothes, she

shall pay to the former wife a satisfaction for the affront



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