Peniarth 51, otherwise known as ('the book of

Gwilym Tew Gwilym Tew (floruit, fl. 1460 – 1480) was a Welsh language, Welsh-language poet and manuscript copyist from Tir Iarll, Glamorgan. It is probable that his father was the poet Rhys Brydydd and that another poet of the same family, Rhisiart ap Rhy ...

'), is a Welsh manuscript written in the second half of the 15th century. It is mostly in the hand of the bard

. Although it is known that Gwilym wrote other manuscripts, Peniarth 51 is the only entire manuscript that can be proven to have been his work. It is kept in the

National Library of Wales The National Library of Wales (, ) in Aberystwyth is the national legal deposit library of Wales and is one of the Welsh Government sponsored bodies. It is the biggest library in Wales, holding over 6.5 million books and periodicals, and the l ...

, Aberystwyth, as part of the

Peniarth Manuscripts The Peniarth Manuscripts, also known as the Hengwrt–Peniarth Manuscripts, are a collection of medieval Welsh manuscripts now held by the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. The collection was originally assembled by Robert Vaughan (c. 159 ...

collection. The texts contained in the manuscript include a poetic vocabulary compiled by Gwilym, drawing on sources such as the

Book of Aneirin The Book of Aneirin () is a late 13th century Welsh manuscript containing Old and Middle Welsh poetry attributed to the late 6th century Northern Brythonic poet, Aneirin, who is believed to have lived in present-day Scotland. The manuscript is ...

, which he possessed at the time, and ''Bwystori Serch'', his own translation of the French text ''Bestiaire d'Amour'' by

Richard de Fournival Richard de Fournival or Richart de Fornival (1201 – ?1260) was a medieval philosopher and trouvère perhaps best known for the '' Bestiaire d'amour'' ("The Bestiary of Love"). Life Richard de Fournival was born in Amiens on October 10, 1201. He ...

. Also included are historical triads and poetry by

Dafydd ap Gwilym Dafydd ap Gwilym ( 1315/1320 – 1350/1370) is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and among the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd’s poetry also offers a unique window into the transcultural movement of cultural pract ...

Iolo Goch Iolo Goch (c. 1320 – c. 1398) (meaning ''Iolo the Red'' in English) was a medieval Welsh bard who composed poems addressed to Owain Glyndŵr, among others. Lineage Iolo was the son of Ithel Goch ap Cynwrig ap Iorwerth Ddu ap Cynwrig Dd ...

and

Rhys Brydydd Rhys Brydydd (fl. mid-15th century) was a Welsh language poet from Tir Iarll, Glamorgan, south Wales. Only four of his compositions survive, all of them cywyddau. Personal life He was either the brother or father of Gwilym Tew and the father of ...

. During the 16th century the manuscript was the property of the poet and genealogist

Gruffudd Hiraethog Gruffudd Hiraethog (died 1564) was a 16th-century Welsh-language poet, born in Llangollen, north-east Wales. Gruffudd was one of the foremost poets of the sixteenth century to use the cywydd metre. He was a prolific author and gifted scholar. Th ...

, who may have acquired it from his friend and teacher Lewys Morgannwg. The signature of the poet Roger Kyffin (c. 1587 – 1609) from Denbighshire is in the manuscript. It became part of Robert Vaughan's

Hengwrt was a mansion near Dolgellau in Meirionnydd, Gwynedd. It lay in the parish of Llanelltyd near the confluence of the Afon Mawddach, River Mawddach and :cy:Afon Wnion, River Wnion, near Cymer Abbey. With medieval origins, it was rebuilt or remodel ...

library and then the Peniarth library.

References

Bibliography

*Graham C. G. Thomas, ''A Welsh Bestiary of Love'' (Dublin, 1988), pp. xviii–xix.

External links

* {{Commons category inline Welsh-language manuscripts Peniarth collection