On Saturday 9th August, Bangor University hosted the first
of what will hopefully be a series of small symposia dedicated to the study of
the numerous chronicles written in Wales during the Middle Ages. As is the case
with so many attempts to further the ASNC cause, the idea for the symposium was
conceived in the back seat of a car that had recently escaped from the international
medievalist conference at Kalamazoo, during a conversation between myself and
Owain Wyn Jones (former ASNC, latterly a member of Bangor’s history
department). We were both struck by the quality and quantity of recent work on
Wales’s medieval chronicles, and decided that it might be useful for the
perpetrators to meet one another and discuss the state of the field. We teamed
up with Georgia Henley (another former ASNC, currently undertaking a PhD in
Harvard’s Celtic department) and set about creating a programme that would showcase
new approaches to the whole range of extant chronicles produced in medieval
Wales.
The result was an outstanding day of papers and discussion that bore a
great deal of intellectual fruit. Alongside the three organisers, speakers
included David Stephenson, Barry Lewis and Henry Gough-Cooper. The sessions
divided themselves neatly into three groups: Latin chronicles, both early and
late; vernacular chronicles, both well-known and rarely-read; and new editions,
all sorely needed. The presentations covered a wide range of topics, including
textual history, historiography, editing and the tribulations of those embroiled
with certain publishing houses. David Stephenson opened the floor with a
masterly discussion about the trickiest section of the Annales Cambiae B-text, the section for 1204–1230. He was followed
by my (rather less masterly) talk on the sources of the tenth-century St
David’s chronicle. Barry Lewis then enlightened the group with his discovery of
a probable textual connection between the chronicle Brenhinoedd y Saeson and Bonedd
y Saint, a genealogical text concerned with the saints of Wales. Owain Wyn
Jones discussed the little-known vernacular chronicle Brut y Saeson, suggesting in particular the cultural milieu for
which the text was constructed in the late fourteenth century. Finally, we were
indulged by Henry Gough-Cooper with details about his forthcoming editions of
the Breviate and Cottonian chronicles (the erstwhile Annales Cambriae B- and C-texts) and by Georgia Henley with a
similarly exciting glimpse of her forthcoming edition of Chronica ante aduentum Christi. Proceedings ran smoothly from the
start to the terminus ante quem of 4:30pm, aided especially by the generosity of
Bangor University’s School of History, who kindly provided the day’s lunch and
refreshments.
Perhaps the most useful part of the day was the hour’s discussion
session held at the end. In addition to a detailed (and minuted - thanks
Myriah!) discourse on the nitty-gritty of chronicle study, a conversation about
the future of the symposium group took place in which it was decided that the
group should continue and seek to make its endeavours available to a wider
audience. We are thus looking into the possibility of starting a website in
which can be deposited the various scholarly resources produced by the group,
from the definitive lists of Latin and vernacular chronicles and their editions
circulated at the event to new editions of the chronicle texts themselves. It
was also suggested that further symposia with the same premise should be
organised for the future, Glasgow being mooted as a possible venue for next
year in order that the event may take place in conjunction with the 2015 International
Celtic Congress. At that event we would hope to hear updates from those who
spoke at the last symposium in addition to new ideas from new participants – so
put your chronicle thinking-cap on and gird your annalistic belt, and please
get in touch!
