The Welsh in their History

208 Pages·1982·11.326 MB·English

by  WILLIAMS, Gwyn A.

THEWELSH IN THEIR HISTORY
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Gwyn A.Williams
CROOM HELM
London &Sydney
© 1982 Gwyn A.Williams
Reprinted 1985
Croom Helm Ltd, Provident House, BurrellRow,
Beckenham, Kent BR3 lAT
Croom HelmAustraliaPty Ltd, Suite4,6th Floor,
64-76 Kippax Street, Surry Hills, NSW20I0, Australia
BritishLibrary CataloguinginPublication Data
Williams, Gwyn A.
The Welsh intheir history.
I. Wales-History
1.Title
942.9 DA714
ISBN 0-7099-3651-6(Pbk)
Printed andbound inGreatBritain by
BiddiesLtd,Guildfordand King's Lynn
CONTENTS
Introduction
Acknowledgements
ByWayofPreface: The PrimitiveRebeland the
History ofthe Welsh
I. WelshWizard and British Empire:DrJohn Dee and a
WelshIdentity 13
2. DruidsandDemocrats: OrganicIntellectualsand the
First WelshNation 31
3. LocatingaWelsh WorkingClass: the FrontierYears 65
4. The MerthyrElectionof 1835 95
5. DiePenderyn: Myth, Martyrand Memory inthe Welsh
WorkingClass 135
6. Ambiguous Hero: Hugh Owen and Liberal Wales 151
7. Imperial SouthWales 171
8. WhenWasWales? 189
Index 202

For
Eric J. Hobsbawm,
MasterCraftsman

INTRODUCTION
InWalestoday,historicalworkofmajorsignificanceappearswiththe
speed,regularityand decisionoftheguillotineduringtheTerror.The
historian, strenuous at his sullen craft, sees his words pressed into
immediatepoliticalservicebythecommitted.Nothingsoconcentrates
apeople'smind asthe prospectofitsimminentexecution.
Ihavethereforedecided to followtheadviceofthosewhoforsome
timehavebeenurging metocollectandbroadcastworkofminewhich
has appeared in publications they consider obscure. This practice
hasgenerally seemed to meprematurelyposthumous. Inthe WalesI
livein, itnowseemsappropriate.
I have chosen those writings which seemed to me to break new
ground,tosuggestanewapproachortoopenanoveldiscourse.Ofthe
ninepieceswhichappearhere,threehavenotappearedinprintbefore;
the others, with one exception, werepublishedinWales. Theydiffer
widelyincharacter;somearelectures,someessaysandsomescholarly
articles as the profession understand the term. Ihaveindicatedtheir
original provenanceand haveretainedtheiroriginaldocumentation,
whetheritwereniloroverpowering.Thereissomeoverlapbetween a
coupleofthemand thefinalessaycoursesoverallthathasgonebefore,
but I have tried to reduce verbal repetition to the minimumwithout
mutilatingthe originals.
In work which ranges from Vortigern to Neil Kinnock, I have
obviously incurred many debts. I am a marxist who believes that
marxismneedsnohyphen,but myobligationtoAntonioGramsci,the
SardowhomadehimselfaEuropean,willbeclear.Inmoreimmediate
terms, I owemuch to Cardiffcolleagues, pastand present,to David
Smith and Matthew Griffiths ofthe Department ofthe History of
WaleshereandtoitsaccomplisheddirectorGwyneddPierce;toHywel
M.DavieswhohasreversedtraditionalWelshprocedureandhasbeen
calledto Aberystwyth from Jesus. I am particularly indebted to my
friendandcomradeBrian Davies,formerlyoftheUniversitiesofYork
and Swansea and the National Museum of Wales who, with his
companions of the Niclas Society, is engaged on an historical
enterpriseofanaudacitycomparabletothatofJohnEvanswhosetoff
aloneupanunknowneighteenth-centuryMissouriwithonedollarand
seventy-fivecentsinhispocket.