Glastening

Glastening (or "Glastenning") refers to an old Welsh pedigree mentioned by William of Malmesbury possibly associated with Glastonbury.cite book |last=Gray |first=Louis H. |title=Speculum, Vol. 10, No. 1: The Origin of the Name of Glastonbury p46-53 |year=1935 |publisher=Medieval Academy of America |location= |isbn= ]

Associated geneaologies

Modern and medieval historians have sought to associate various versions of the same Old Welsh pedigree with Glastonbury.cite book |last=Thornton |first=David Ewan |title=The Archaeology and History of Glastonbury Abbey p191-203 |year=1991 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |location= |isbn= 10-0851152848] The earliest genealogy is from a 10th century manuscript contained in the British Library, London, Harleian MS 3859, which ends with Glast and states "unum sunt Glastenic qui uenerunt que uocatur Loytcoyt", or "one of those who came to Glastenning from the place called Luit-Coyt" (modern Lichfield).

Other versions are given in the later "Achau Brenhinoedd a Thywysogion Cymru" and William of Malmesbury's "De antiquitate Glastonie ecclesie", where the pedigree is listed as brothers. From the versions it not clear whether Glast was a personal name or a kindred group as Glastening, "decendants of Glasten", or an epithet "Glas" meaning "the Blue, Green or Grey".

In literature

According to William of Malmesbury, Glast was one of twelve brothers who migrated from the north to assume control of parts of Wales (the Britons still held much of the west of Britain) who were great-grandsons of Cunedda. He settled in Glastonbury with his livestock after finding it deserted. The 14th century codex from Oxford, Bodleian Library, Jesus College 20, actually gives Glas map Elno (or Elnaw) as the great-grandson of Cunedda.

David Thornton finds "no strong evidence" for the association of the pedigree of the Glastening with Glastonbury other than the similarity of the names. He concludes that the Glastening had an association with Lichfield (problems of textual corruption making it difficult to be precise about the relationship) and that "their sojourn in Glastonbury, however, is the product of medieval pseudo-historical thought supported by the zealous ingenuity of subsequent scholars."

References

ee also

* [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Harleian_MS_3859_Genealogies Wikisource: Harleian MS 3859 Genealogies]