Thread by @NLWArchives

1/ The Laws of Hywel Dda – a #ManuscriptMonday thread!

The Laws of Hywel Dda were a system of native Welsh laws named after and thought to be first codified by Hywel Dda (d.950), king of Deheubarth 👑

2/ One of the earliest surviving Latin copies is Peniarth MS 28 (mid-13thC), which includes a series of colourful illustrations accompanying the text.
Decoration such as this was very rare in Welsh-produced manuscripts of the time: hdl.handle.net/10107/4400109

3/ The Black Book of Chirk, also dating from the mid-13thC, provides one of the earliest surviving examples of the Laws written in Welsh.
The manuscript, perhaps written as a practical text, contains very little decoration: hdl.handle.net/10107/5719618

4/ The Laws covered all aspects of life in medieval Wales, detailing the hierarchy and ‘laws of the Court’ which included ‘sarhad’ (penalty for insult or injury) and ‘galanas’ (payment for a life), as seen in Llyfr Calan (15thC): hdl.handle.net/10107/4784967

5/ The Laws also included sections on criminal law, land law, marriage, compensation for harm, and succession.
They also gave values of property and livestock to assist with calculating penalties, as illustrated in Peniarth MS 28 (below).

6/ The Laws were copied throughout Wales, developing into distinct versions including those known as the Iorwerth, Blegywryd, and Cyfnerth redactions.
Peniarth MS 37 (14thC) features the Cyfnerth redaction: hdl.handle.net/10107/4781046

7/ Copies of the Laws were popular and found their way around the world, with one example being the ‘Boston manuscript’ purchased by the library in 2012: hdl.handle.net/10107/4630962

8/ Today the Laws remain an unparalled and invaluable asset to the study of medieval Welsh life and the history of law.