HISTORY OF WALES

The Cymri, a branch of the Celtic (Goidels) family of nations appears to have succeeded the Gauls in the great migration of the Celts westwards, and to have driven the Gaelic branch to the west (into Ireland and the Isle of Man) and to the north (into the Highlands of Scotland), while they themselves occupied the southern parts of Britaian. Previous to the Roman occupation Wales appears to have been chiefly inhabited by three British tribes, called the Silures, Dimetae and Ordovices. The earliest inhabitants of Wales were subdued by the Romans. During the later period of the Roman occupation the subject part of the island was divided into four provinces, of which one, including the country from the Dee to the Severn, was called Britannia Secunda.

It was after the invasion of the Saxons that the country acquired a distinctive national character almost purely Celtic in race, being the descendants of the early Britons (Brythons). They were driven out of the Lowlands of Britain by the invasions of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes and compelled to take refuge in the mountainous regions of Wales, Cornwall, and the north-west of England. Here they were abler to maintain themselves when the rest of the country was overrun by the Germanic invasion, they lived in their own way under their own princes for many centuries the vanquished Britons were gradually driven to the west, by constant war. From this period till the final conquest of the country by Edward I. there is little but a succession of petty wars between the rival chiefs or kings into which both countries during a great part of the Saxon period were divided, or the more systematic efforts of the larger monarchy to absorb the smaller. Among the greatest of the Welsh heroes of the early period was Cadwallon. After being defeated by Edwin of Deira, or Northumbria, and compelled to flee to Ireland, he returned and defeated the Saxons in numerous battles, but was at last defeated and slain by Oswald of Northumbria in 635.

The last of the Welsh princes, Llewellyn, who revolted against Edward I., was defeated and slain by the Earl of Mortimer in 1284, and since that time the principality has been incorporated with England, with the title of Prince of Wales bestowed to the heir-apparent ( the eldest son of the English sovereign ). By the Act Union (1536) English law was made current in Wales and Welsh representatives were admitted to parliament. The native rulers disappeared and somewhat later the land was divided into twelve counties.

They were converted to Christianity in Roman times. The English Church was for long established in Wales but in the 18th and 19th centuries the majority of the people became Nonconformists. As a result of a long agitation the church was disestablished and disendowed in 1920 . It is now an independent organization divided into six dioceses, S. Asaph, S. David's, Llandaff, Bangor, Monmouth and Swansea and Brecon . The Archbishop of Wales is the primate and the synod the governing body. Most of the upper class belong to the Established Church, but probably a majority of the Welsh are Protestant Nonconformists, the most numerous bodies being the Congregationalists, the Calvinistic Methodists, and the Baptists.

The Welsh have a language and literature of their own, the native name of the Welsh language is Cymraeg, the speech of the Cymri. The names Wales and Welsh are of Anglo-Saxon origin, from, wealas strangers, foreigners (plural of wealth). The Welsh language is, with the other Celtic languages, included in the Indo-European group. The alphabet contains thirteen simple and seven double consonants, and seven vowels, with numerous diphthongs and triphthongs. In the l8th century there was a considerable revival of national feeling. The Welsh Eisteddfod has been held annually for at least 800 years. Welsh is taught in the schools over a good part of Wales the necessities of commerce are, however, gradually doing for the Welsh language what they have done for the Irish and Gaelic, and English is becoming more and more the language of everyday life .

The earliest remains of Welsh literature are supposed to belong to the 9th century. There are a number of poetic pieces attributed to Taliessin, Aneurin, Merlin, and Llywarch Hen, bards supposed to have lived in the 5th century; but great and reasonable doubts have been thrown on the authenticity of these early productions, which, in their present form at least, are not believed to be earlier than the 11th century. Subsequent to this time there were numerous poems written, many in praise of warriors, others dealing with love, or descriptive of nature. Dafydd ap Gwilym (1293 - 1356) baa been called the Ovid of Wales. Huw Morris (1622 - 1709) and Goronwy Owen (1722 - 80) are likewise distinguished as poets. The last produced the Cywydd y Farn (Day of Judgment), regarded as the finest poem in the language. There are a number of prose tales or romances, the chief of which are contained in a collection known as the Mabinogion. The first Welsh book ever printed appeared in 1546. Modern works in Welsh are mostly confined to theology, history, and biography.

Wales, a principality in the south-west of the Island of Great Britain, area, 7363 square miles; pop. 1,519,035. (c.1900) . As a whole it is very mountainous, particularly in the north, where Snowdon, the culminating point of South Britain, rises to the height of 3571 feet; and it is intersected by beautiful valleys, traversed by numerous streams, including among others the large river Severn. It is rich in minerals, particularly coal, iron, copper, and even gold, and to these Wales owes its chief wealth. The coal trade is most extensive, and Cardiff was the largest coal port in the world. Iron, steel, and copper works are also on a large scale. Besides the mineral industries, there are considerable woolen manufactures, especially of flannel, coarse cloth, and hosiery.