A cantref ( / ˈ k æ n t r ɛ v / KAN -trev ; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkantrɛ(v)] ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs ; also rendered as cantred ) was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law .
7-463: Dyffryn Clwyd was a cantref of Medieval Wales and from 1282 a marcher lordship . In 1536, it became part of the new county of Denbighshire . The name means Vale of Clwyd in English and is still the name for that region of north Wales in modern Welsh. Dyffryn Clwyd was one of the cantrefi of Perfeddwlad , and itself was made up of three commotes , Colion, Dogfeiling and Llannerch . The lordship
14-567: The functions of the cantref court, and in some areas the names of the commotes are much better known than the name of the cantref of which they formed parts. Cantref Coch is associated with the Forest of Dean , Gloucestershire, and defined as the land between the River Severn and the River Wye . It was traditionally part of the kingdom of Ergyng but would, in later times, be recorded as part of
21-615: The kingdoms of Gwent and Morgannwg. The Cantref was annexed into the Kingdom of England in 926 by king Æthelstan . Cantre'r Gwaelod is an ancient sunken kingdom said to have occupied a tract of fertile land lying in Cardigan Bay . First mentioned in the Black Book of Carmarthen , the cantref is a recurring topic in Welsh literature and Welsh mythology . In one version of the story, Seithenyn ,
28-632: The largest, the Cantref Mawr (or "Great Cantref") in Ystrad Tywi (now in Carmarthenshire ) was divided into seven commotes. The antiquity of the cantrefi is demonstrated by the fact that they often mark the boundary between dialects . Some were originally kingdoms in their own right; others may have been artificial units created later. Cantrefi were of particular importance in the administration of Welsh law . Each cantref had its own court, which
35-418: Was an assembly of the uchelwyr , the main landowners of the cantref . This would be presided over by the king if he happened to be present, or if he was not present, by his representative. Apart from the judges there would be a clerk, an usher and sometimes two professional pleaders. The cantref court dealt with crimes, the determination of boundaries, and inheritance. The commote court later took over many of
42-425: Was divided into cantrefi , which were themselves divided into smaller cymydau (commotes) . The word cantref is derived from cant ("a hundred") and tref ("town" in modern Welsh , but formerly used for much smaller settlements). The cantref is thought to be the original unit, with the commotes being a later division. Cantrefi could vary considerably in size: most were divided into two or three commotes, but
49-543: Was granted in 1282 to Reginald de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Wilton , Justice of Chester and Edward I 's commander for his campaign of 1282 into north Wales. The lordship remained in the Grey family until Richard Grey, 6th Baron Grey de Ruthyn, 3rd Earl of Kent sold it to Henry VII in 1508. This article about a location in Wales is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Cantref Land in medieval Wales
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