- Pengwern
Pengwern was a
Brython ic settlement ofsub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county ofShropshire , adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishment atMathrafal , further west, but the theory that it may have been an early kingdom (or a sub-kingdom of Powys itself) has also been postulated. Its precise location is uncertain.Nothing is known about the foundation of Pengwern, although according to Welsh tradition it was part of the Welsh
kingdom of Powys in theearly Middle Ages . Early Powys, much larger in extent than the later medieval kingdom, seems to have "roughly" coincided with the territory of the CelticCornovii tribe whose "civitas" capital or administrative centre was "Viroconium Cornoviorum " (nowWroxeter ).The exploits of
Cynddylan , whose seat was at Pengwern, are told in theOld Welsh tragic poems, "Marwnad Cynddylan" and "Canu Heledd" (a cycle of poems named after Cynddylan's sister), possibly dating from the7th century but not recorded until later. They in turn are part of a larger cycle of heroic and elegiac poetry concerning early Powys and theHen Ogledd known as "CanuLlywarch Hen ".A number of places still identifiable in the
Shropshire landscape today are mentioned alongside Pengwern in this poetry. The exact location of "Llys Pengwern" - the Court of Pengwern - is not known, and the problem is compounded by the fact that several other Pengwerns exist in Wales (e.g. nearDenbigh in north Wales). A tradition, recorded byGiraldus Cambrensis in the late12th century , associates it with the site of modernShrewsbury (although that town has been known as "Amwythig" in Welsh since the Middle Ages). A number of alternative locations have been proposed. A more recent suggestion is the "Berth", a dramatichillfort atBaschurch , but the archaeological evidence shows only the Iron Age fort with possible Roman reuse. [Newman, John; Nikolus Pevsner, "Shropshire (Pevsner Buildings of England) " Yale University Press 2006, ISBN 978-0300120837, p.136 [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3Zqbit3opjQC&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=Pengwern+Berth+archaeology&source=web&ots=R1X33dyt4X&sig=UArKWBuXo65yM5t9Jgsif_6bMC4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result] ]Wroxeter , the former Roman town of "Viroconium Cornoviorum" lies in proximity to these places.Nennius saysFact|date=September 2008 it was known as "Caer Guricon" (modern Welsh: "Caer/Din Gwrygon") and archaeological evidence suggests that this town continued in use after the Roman withdrawal and was only finally abandoned in about520 when it had become indefensible as the last vestiges of Romano-British central government broke down. Another theory is that the earthworks underWhittington Castle may be Pengwern.Fact|date=May 2008Cynddylan apparently joined forces with kingPenda ofMercia to protect his realm, and together they fought against the increasingly powerfulAnglian Kingdom ofNorthumbria at theBattle of Maes Cogwy (Oswestry ) in642 . It was here that their mutual enemy, king Oswald was slain. This seems to have bought a period of peace until Penda's death when a Northumbrian raiding party led by Oswald's brotherOswiu of Northumbria overran Cynddylan's palace at "Llys Pengwern" in a surprise attack. Caught completely off guard and without defence the royal family, including the king, were slaughtered, according to the poetry commemorating the tragedy. Princess Heledd was the only survivor and fled to western Powys. After this the region associated with Pengwern seems to have been shared betweenMercia and Powys; part of it remained in Welsh hands until the reign ofOffa of Mercia and the construction of his dyke.In Shrewsbury there is the Pengwern Boat Club on the banks of the River
Severn , oppositeThe Quarry park, as well as other shops and businesess that use the name.References
*Joseph Clancy (1970), "The Earliest Welsh Poetry"
*Ifor Williams (1935), "Canu Llywarch Hen"
*Remfry, P.M., "Whittington Castle and the families of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, Peverel, Maminot, Powys and Fitz Warin" (ISBN 1-899376-80-1)
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