Everything about Ergyng totally explained
Ergyng (or
Erging) was a
Welsh kingdom of the
sub-Roman and
early medieval period, between the
5th and
7th centuries. It was later referred to by the
English as
Archenfield.
Location
The kingdom lay mostly in what is now western
Herefordshire in
England, its heartland between the
River Monnow and
River Wye. However, it also spread into modern
Monmouthshire and east of the Wye, where sits the old
Roman town of
Ariconium (Welsh:
Din Aricon) at
Weston under Penyard from which its name may derive; it may have been the first capital. Some maps show Ergyng extending across what is now the
Forest of Dean to the
River Severn.
Monarchy
After the withdrawal of the Roman legions from Britain in 410 AD, new smaller political entities took the place of the centralised structure. The area was originally part of the Kingdom of
Glywysing (modern
Glamorgan) and
Gwent, but seems to have become independent for a period under
Gwrfoddw Hen in the late
5th century, and again under
King Peibio Clafrog in the mid-
6th century. Peibio was the grandfather of Saint
Dubricius or Dyfrig, the first Bishop of Ergyng and an important figure in the establishment of
Christianity in
South Wales. He founded large teaching monasteries at Llanfrother near
Hoarwithy and at Moccas, and a bishopric seems to have been based at St Constantine's Church at
Goodrich.
Dubricius' cousin,
Gwrgan Fawr (the Great) was one of its most important monarchs and may have obtained sway over Glamorgan as far as the
River Neath. In the middle of the 7th century, Onbraust of Ergyng married Meurig of
Gwent, and their son
Athrwys became king of both kingdoms. Ergyng eventually became a mere
cantref, the Welsh equivalent of a
hundred.
Later history
» See also Archenfield
By the 8th century, the expanding power of
Mercia led to conflict with the native British, and by the 9th century the Mercians had gained control over the area and nearby
Hereford. The sites of old British churches fell to Mercia, and the British became foreigners - or, in the English language, "Welsh" - in what had been their own land. The rump of Ergyng then became known to the English as Arcenefelde or
Archenfield. Although its Welsh-speaking inhabitants retained special rights, the area was unequivocally incorporated into England in the
Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 and 1542.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ergyng'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://ergyng.totallyexplained.com">Ergyng Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
