Introduction to PRO SC1/11/58

Purpose

This web site is intended to serve as an illustration for the transcription and analysis of PRO SC1/11/58 which was published in Historical Research in June 2000.

J.J. Crump, "Repercussions of the Execution of William de Braose: a Letter from Llywelyn ab Iorwerth to Stephen de Segrave", Historical Research, vol. 73, no. 181, June 2000, pp.197-212.

By making high resolution images and the transcription of the document available on-line, I hope to provide interested historians and paleographers an opportunity to shed additional light on the problematic or obscured passages of this very interesting letter. If you do discover errors, or can illuminate any part of the letter, please do contact me.

This letter offers insights into a number of very obscure aspects of Welsh and English history. It illuminates the troubled and complex relationship between the English crown, marcher barons, and the principalities of Wales; it bears upon the status and role of noble women in medieval Britain; it illustrates the fundamental role that kinship relations played in thirteenth century politics and the importance of the institution of fosterage; and it raises interesting questions about the role of diplomatic correspondence in medieval governance. My hope is that this site can provide a starting point for a continuing discussion of these and related topics.

The Acts of Welsh Rulers, 1120-1283, by Dr. Huw Pryce: forthcoming

The diplomatic Acta of medieval Welsh princes has always been difficult to access because they are so widely scattered or, as in the case of the present letter, unknown. As a result, the history of the "Age of the Princes" has long been dominated by sources which are mainly monastic and narrative. This will soon change thanks to the efforts of Dr. Huw Pryce, Dr. Charles Insley, and Dr K. L. Maund. Dr. Pryce is "currently completing an edition of THE ACTS OF WELSH RULERS, 1120-1283, a collection of almost 600 charters, letters and other documents issued by native Welsh rulers from the reign of Gruffudd ap Cynan to the Edwardian conquest of Wales in 1282-3". For more information about this project go here.

Problems

This document has long been overlooked even though closely related letters in PRO SC1 were published in 1866 by W. W. Shirley in his Royal Letters, and in 1935 by J. Goronwy Edwards in his Calendar of Ancient Correspondence Concerning Wales. This is certainly because of the document's poor state of preservation. As you will see from the images, the letter presents some great difficulties for the paleographer:

The document is small, measuring about 15x12 cm., making 21 lines of latin text very small and cramped.
The letter is very badly stained and darkened over all.
Ink is faded in places, especially at the edges.
The letter is virtually illegible except under ultraviolet light.

Because of these difficulties, my transcription contains many lacunae and tenuous conjectures. It is my hope that the community of interested paleographers and historians will be able to amend these faults and illuminate the historical context of this letter.

The Document:

Click on the button to the left for a look at two views of the document and instructions on how to view or download the photographs.

This project was completed in part with the support of the Center for Advanced Research Technology in the Arts and Humanities (CARTAH) at the University of Washington. For further acknowledgments and contact information go here