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The Book of Llandaff ( la, Liber Landavensis; cy, Llyfr Llandaf, ', or '), is the
chartulary
A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll ('' rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the f ...
of the
cathedral of Llandaff, a 12th-century compilation of documents relating to the history of the
diocese of Llandaff
The Diocese of Llandaff is an Anglican (Church in Wales) diocese that traces its roots to pre-Reformation times as heir of a Catholic bishopric. It is headed by the Bishop of Llandaff, whose seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Pet ...
in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. It is written primarily in Latin but also contains a significant amount of
Old and
Middle Welsh
Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen G ...
names and marginalia.
History
The work was compiled around 1125 by an unknown official at
Llandaff Cathedral
Llandaff Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Pet ...
. It contains numerous records covering five hundred years of the diocese's history, including the
biographies
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...
or ''Lives'' of Saints
Dubricius
Dubricius or Dubric ( cy, Dyfrig; Norman-French: ''Devereux''; c. 465 – c. 550) was a 6th-century British ecclesiastic venerated as a saint. He was the evangelist of Ergyng ( cy, Erging) (later Archenfield, Herefordshire) and much ...
,
Teilo
Saint Teilo ( la, Teliarus or '; br, TeliauWainewright, John. in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', Vol. XIV. Robert Appleton Co. (New York), 1912. Accessed 20 July 2013. or '; french: Télo or '; – 9 February ), also known by his ...
and
Oudoceus
Saint Oudoceus (Latin) or Euddogwy (Welsh language, Welsh) (c.536–c.615 or 625) is generally known as the third Bishop of Llandaff in South Wales. In reality he was probably a 7th-century bishop at Llandeilo Fawr. Wendy Davies puts his epi ...
and, most importantly for historical research, 149 land-grant charters. These Llandaff Charters give details of property transfers to the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
from various local
kings and other notaries, from the late 6th to the late 11th century. (About 40% belong to the 8th century and 20% to the late 9th century.) The manuscript includes the document ''Fraint Teilo'', in the original
Middle Welsh
Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen G ...
with facing Latin version, an important source for the study of early Middle Welsh; although transcribed in the beginning of the twelfth century, the orthography suggests a considerably earlier provenance.
The book was compiled from a pre-existing collection of nine charter groups, originally entered in Gospel Books, and appears to have been produced to help in Bishop
Urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
's diocesan boundary disputes with the dioceses of
St David's
St Davids or St David's ( cy, Tyddewi, , "David's house”) is a city and a community (named St Davids and the Cathedral Close) with a cathedral in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Alun. It is the resting place of Saint David, W ...
and
Hereford. Many of the supposed early charters have therefore been 'edited' to serve Llandaff's interests. They are also undated and many are corrupt. However, through her exhaustive study of these documents, Professor
Wendy Davies
Wendy Elizabeth Davies (born 1942) is an emeritus professor of history at University College London, England. Her research focuses on rural societies in early medieval Europe, focusing on the regions of Wales, Brittany and Iberia.
Career
Da ...
has reconstructed much of the original text and calculated probable time-frames. This work has been accepted by most historians, but criticized in some non-academic quarters.
The manuscript fell into the hands of the Davies family of
Llanerch
Llannerch (sometimes spelled Llanerch) was a commote in the cantref of Dyffryn Clwyd which later became the Marcher Lordship of Ruthin. Situated in an area south of Ruthin the commote covered an area of which included the parishes of Llanfair ...
in the 17th century, until being acquired by the
National Library of Wales in 1959.
It is a double-columned 168 page volume bound between oak boards.
Binding
The Book of Llandaff is bound in thick, square edged oak boards with sunken centre panels.
The lower board, which is probably the twelfth-century original, bears evidence of having been covered in a thin layer of silver and is all that remains of the earliest binding.
The gilt-bronze figure of
Christ in Majesty
Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory ( la, Maiestas Domini) is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whos ...
that adorned the lower cover was a mid-thirteenth century addition which has, since 1981, been kept separate from the volume in its own box.
Fragments of the thin silver plate are preserved along with the figure and nail holes in the board indicate that had once been completely covered. The outline of a
mandorla
A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, i.e. a frame that surrounds the totality of an iconographic figure. It is usually synonymous with '' vesica'', a lens shape. Mandorlas often surround the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in tr ...
with associated holes in the sunken panel suggest that an earlier ornament was attached to it.
In 1696, Robert Davies of Gwysaney had the Book of Llandaff rebound. There is an inscription on the upper board formed of small brass nails that bear a few traces of enamel. The inscription reads: ''"Librum hunc temporis injurias passum novantiquo tegmine muniri curavit / R.D. / A° 1696".''
The gilt-bronze Christ in Majesty measures 17.1 x 11.4 x 3 cm. Neil Stratford, Keeper of Medieval and Later Antiquities at the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
, described the Llandaff figure as "a unique survival of major English bronze-casting of the third quarter of the 13th century ...".
References
Further reading
* Rhys, J. and Evans, J. G. (eds.) ''The Text of The Book of Llandâv'' Oxford 1893
*
Davies, W. ''An Early Welsh Microcosm: Studies in the Llandaff Charters'' Royal Historical Society 1978
*
Davies, W. ''The Llandaff Charters'' National Library of Wales 1980
* Davies, J.R. ''The Book of Llandaf and the Norman church in Wales'' The Boydell Press 2003
*
External links
''Liber Landavensis: digital version'' National Library of Wales {{in lang, la
''The Liber landavensis, Llyfr Teilo, or, The ancient register of the cathedral church of Llandaff'' (ed.) (1840)
1120s books
Welsh manuscripts
Medieval Welsh literature
National Library of Wales collections