cantref

A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law.

Description

Land in medieval Wales 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 the largest, the ''Cantref Mawr'' (or "Great Cantref") in Ystrad Tywi (now in Carmarthenshire) was divided into seven commotes.

History

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 the Welsh law. Each ''cantref'' had its own court, which 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 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.

The Cantrefi of Wales

Other Cantrefi

'' 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 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 a prince of the kingdom, is a notorious drunk and it was through his negligence that the sea swept through the open floodgates, flooding the land forever.

See also

* Cantref Coch
*Cantre'r Gwaelod
* Hundred (county division)

Citations

References

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Further study

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{{Types of administrative country subdivision

Cantref