The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin Through Wales

LET it not be thought superfluous to describe the exterior and inward qualities of that person, the particulars of whose embassy, and as it were holy peregrination, we have brie...

HAVING crossed the river Wye, we proceeded towards Brecheinoc, and on preaching a sermon at Hay, {18a} we observed some amongst the multitude, who were to be signed with the cro...

IN the deep vale of Ewyas, {34b} which is about an arrow-shot broad, encircled on all sides by lofty mountains, stands the church of Saint John the Baptist, covered with lead, a...

THE province of Penbroch adjoins the southern part of the territory of Ros, and is separated from it by an arm of the sea. Its principal city, and the metropolis of Demetia, is...

WE are informed by the British histories, that Dubricius, archbishop of Caerleon, sensible of the infirmities of age, or rather being desirous of leading a life of contemplation...

AT the castle of Usk, a multitude of persons influenced by the archbishop’s sermon, and by the exhortations of the good and worthy William bishop of Landaf, {50a} who faithfully...

A SERMON having been delivered at Haverford {76c} by the archbishop, and the word of God preached to the people by the archdeacon, whose name appears on the title-page of this w...

FROM hence, we crossed over a small arm of the sea to the island of Mona, {118b} distant from thence about two miles, where Roderic, the younger son of Owen, attended by nearly...

CONTINUING our journey, {65} not far from Margan, where the alternate vicissitudes of a sandy shore and the tide commence, we forded over the river Avon, having been considerabl...

IN the year 1188 from the incarnation of our Lord, Urban the Third {11} being the head of the apostolic see; Frederick, emperor of Germany and king of the Romans; Isaac, emperor...

FROM thence {44b} we proceeded through the narrow, woody tract called the bad pass of Coed Grono, leaving the noble monastery of Lanthoni, inclosed by its mountains, on our left...

AT Newport, where the river Usk, descending from its original source in Cantref Bachan, falls into the sea, many persons were induced to take the cross. Having passed the river...

ON the following morning, the business of the cross being publicly proclaimed at Landaf, the English standing on one side, and the Welsh on the other, many persons of each natio...

THE noble river Teivi flows here, and abounds with the finest salmon, more than any other river of Wales; it has a productive fishery near Cilgerran, which is situated on the su...

THE archbishop having celebrated mass early in the morning before the high altar of the church of St. David, and enjoined to the archdeacon (Giraldus) the office of preaching to...

THE feast of Easter having been observed with due solemnity, and many persons, by the exhortations of the archbishop, signed with the cross, we directed our way from Chester to...

A SERMON having been preached on the following morning at Pont Stephen, {109c} by the archbishop and archdeacon, and also by two abbots of the Cistercian order, John of Albadomu...

HAVING crossed the river Tywy in a boat, we proceeded towards Caermardyn, leaving Lanstephan and Talachar {73a} on the sea-coast to our left. After the death of king Henry II.,...

WE continued our journey over the Traeth Mawr, {115a} and Traeth Bachan, {115b} that is, the greater and the smaller arm of the sea, where two stone castles have newly been erec...

HAVING crossed the river Conwy, {128a} or rather an arm of the sea, under Deganwy, leaving the Cistercian monastery of Conwy {128b} on the western bank of the river to our right...

HAVING crossed the river Dee below Chester, (which the Welsh call Doverdwy), on the third day before Easter, or the day of absolution (holy Thursday), we reached Chester. As the...

ON our return to Banchor from Mona, we were shown the tombs of prince Owen and his younger brother Cadwalader, {125a} who were buried in a double vault before the high altar, al...

FROM Shrewsbury, we continued our journey towards Wenloch, by a narrow and rugged way, called Evil-street, where, in our time, a Jew, travelling with the archdeacon of the place...

I MUST not pass over in silence the mountains called by the Welsh Eryri, but by the English Snowdon, or Mountains of Snow, which gradually increasing from the land of the sons o...

APPROACHING to the river Devi, {113a} which divides North and South Wales, the bishop of St. David’s, and Rhys the son of Gruffydd, who with a liberality peculiarly praiseworthy...

THENCE we proceeded towards the river Lochor, {71a} through the plains in which Howel, son of Meredyth of Brecheinoc, after the decease of king Henry I., gained a signal victory...

FROM Haverford we proceeded on our journey to Menevia, distant from thence about twelve miles, and passed through Camros, {91a} where, in the reign of king Stephen, the relation...

I. Of the See of Saint David’s 95 II. Of the Journey by Cemmeis—the Monastery of St. 102 Dogmael III. Of the River Teivi—Cardigan, and Emelyn 105 IV. Of the Journey by Pont Step...

CHAPTER PAGE I. Journey through Hereford and Radnor 11 II. Journey through Hay and Brecheinia 18 III. Ewyas and Llanthoni 34 IV. The Journey by Coed Grono and Abergevenni 44 V....

SINCE, therefore, St. David’s is the head, and in times past was the metropolitan, city of Wales, though now, alas! retaining more of the _name_ than of the _omen_, {94} yet I h...