Medieval manorial and borough court rolls are understandably not the most heavily used classes of records at the National Library. Not only will the language, invariably Latin, present problems, but also the different scripts which may be heavily abbreviated.
I have recently been updating the Library’s catalogue entries for a series of court rolls, 1361-1402, for the borough of Caernarfon following extensive conservation work on the fifty membranes contained in the collection. Fortunately, knowledge of their content is not confined to medieval historians since they have been transcribed and translated into English by G. P. Jones and Hugh Owen in the volume Caernarvon Court Rolls (Caernarvonshire Historical Society, 1951).
The rolls present a fascinating insight into the day to day affairs of the borough since they deal not only with the administration of the borough, but also with matters of law and order (including assaults, breaches of the peace, theft and trespass), and with trade and commerce. The relationship between the English burgesses and the Welsh inhabitants can also be gleaned from these rolls – names such as Hwlcyn Bulkeley, and the fact that Henry Champeneys married a Welsh woman named Lleucu are proof that the two communities intermingled with each other even at this early stage.
Even a study confined to the personal names in the rolls would provide valuable historical information. They contain a curious mix of epithets which include details of occupations and abode, together with personal and physical characteristics (often not complimentary!): Ken’ Haearnwr [ironmaker], Simon Pobydd [baker], Dafydd Bibydd [piper], Rhirid ab Y Crydd [shoemaker], Einion Chwarelwr [quarryman], Lleucu Ceredigion, Madog Bach [small] ab Ieuan Dew [fat], Dyddgu ferch Iockyn celwydd [lie/liar], Dafydd Chwith [left-handed or awkward], Dafydd Llygad Bwyd [greedy sponger], Gwenllian Pen Hwch [lit. sow’s head] and Dafydd ap Hanner Hwch [lit. half a sow].
Alwyn J. Roberts