Thursday, March 14, 2024

Shareland

       Dwelling in the house that was built on the plot of land and, which was surrounded by a permanent enclosure, was a foundational requirement for ownership. A year and a day was the usual given time to plant your sleeping bag, build your cook stove, roast your first meat, and to seed your garden. This also gave time for anyone else to question or to challenge your selection of opened land. Now, the fireplace was located in the center of the house so that rising smoke would flow centrally to the ceiling opening which was so designed. This "hearth" became the symbol of your family's life and, the "cauldron" became the inheritance of the youngest son. [Jenkins, p. 261, under Welsh word dadannudd meaning uncovering of a fire banked up overnight] Hum...banked up overnight would mean you had to reside there and not run off to some other location.

       Four acres of adjoining land was accepted as standard to each toft. As time past, and generations began to show up around the place, the need for more space would become evident. A generation was considered 30 years and additional family members would be busting at the seams. For 14 years a son was to be at his father's plate (covering and uncovering the family hearth) but, after this duration the son became his own boss and, destinated to be trained by the closest warlord. By 18-20 years of age, the well-trained free man was ready to plant his own toft. A new house with a distinctive fence and four more acres could be added to the family farm. After three generations (90 years), a clustering of tofts would be joined. When four tofts were reached, this became known as "shareland" and would contain 4x4=16 acres of adjoining land. At the fourth generation down from the first toft planted (by great-grandfather), each male heir could become a new proprietor! How about that, roughly a century of joint ownership together. No wonder it was called shareland!

       Now here again is a drawing of my notes:

       Drum roll please...your not going to believe this...here is an enlargement of a photo taken from the air which shows such a shareland as it actually existed around 300 A.D. Please take a good look.
       Four tofts are shown. The house is the uniformed, smaller circular areas surrounded by a larger enclosure for each toft. The four acres of land joining each toft can be roughly identified with a group of other adjoining walled areas. Pathways to each house can be followed with a separate entrance for each.  Could you share this land with your kin?

      The photo is found p. 59 in the text titled Celtic Britain by Lloyd Laing but, does not give a complete description. The picture is taken near Penzance, Cornwall and, Laing reports the site is thought to be occupied from "...first century BC until c. AD 300". This would certainly allow enough time for Gadforch (JA-1) to Ynyr (JB-1), then to Tudor Trevor (JC-1) and Ynyr his brother (JC-3), then to the three son of Tudor (JC-1), i.e. Goronwy (JD-1), Llydocla (JD-2), and my own direct line through the baby of the brothers, Dingad (JD-3) to get their tofts together and become the next proprietors.

P.S. The book by Laing is shown post April 19, 2022.


       

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

The House

       Hunting and fishing for something to eat was a common activity of the day. Open spaces allowed for such adventures and, one could cover around 20 miles going a comfortable pace. [My "Boy Scout" days during the 1960s gave evidence of such "hikes", [see post  August 12, 2013 titled "In Those Days"]. At any rate, one would find a plot of land not occupied by others, which by your judgement, might provide the needed resources such as water, grazing, and game.  It was time to plant some roots anyway and, to get that Jones family tree a growing. Interestingly, Welsh genealogists such as Lewys Dwnn (1846) record the Welsh family as a "plant"! [see post April 9, 2023 titled "References"]

       Planting that family tree first required a house. In the Welsh a house was ty (accent circumfex [^] over y). Not sure why the accent [^] was always placed over the vowel "y" with this word but, any Welsh writers out there to help understand this usage? Anyway, the house was placed upon the selected land and, encircling the house with a fence, was the crown of ownership. The fence enclosing a house became called a toft and, you were then the owner that was socially recognized a "proprietor". Thus, the toft was a plot of land carrying a house with the key being the plot was enclosed. As the proprietor, your name became the proper way to link this plot of land to your ownership and, this became the object of legal rights of property to your kindred and descent. Wow...keeping all these principles straight? Let's see, here is a copy of my notes on the concepts:

       Starting with "land" (tir) at the top, the "house" (ty with accent shown) to toft is shown. The page numbers listed are from the text by Jenkins. The toft was to contain 4 "legal" acres of land as accepted during the period of time. It was the object of legal rights to each particular person building the house and fencing the plot. In the law books the concept was tir a daear (land and earth). 

P.S. For a discussion of the Celtic land usage see text by Miranda Green, The Celtic World, reviewed post April 17, 2022, pp. 192-199. Much more to come from the toft!


Thursday, March 7, 2024

Before And After

        The valley of death that separated my Jones surname family during 1348-1350 A.D., certainly had a before and after. To understand the "before" helps recognize the cultural dimensions that had assisted the families' survival for many generations. This was certainly ahead of that cataclysmic event called the "Black Death". You might call these thoughts foundational concepts.

       "Land and Earth" would be my first foundation. Professor of Ancient History [Dr. Eduard Meyer, University of Berlin, 1904] stated: 

        "The character of every people is more or less closely connected with that of its land". 

        My Jones-Welsh ancestors shared this dynamic. Land had the concept of open space that was the portion of the earth's solid surface, as separated from sea (water) and air (atmosphere). This land was not to be permanently enclosed ["Don't Fence Me In"] and, "FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED" was the accepted theory. 

       In the earliest written law book (customary principles described), a copy translated and edited by Dafydd Jenkins [see post April 4, 2022], in his introduction p. xvii, states the oldest surviving written Welsh, is the account of a dispute relating to some land. Can you believe it?  He goes on to state that there were additional records relating to land on other pages of the same manuscript. 

      Let's see now, the laws (customary principles) of Wales were first grouped together during the days of Hywel Dda [ca. 880 - 950 A.D.]. Remember, my ancestor Tudor Trevor (JC-1) was married to a daughter of old Hywel [Anghard (JC-2)]. Jenkins translates further, p. 120, even before "...the crown of London and the sceptre were taken by the English...", a fellow named Dyfnwal Moelmud was the first to make "good laws in this island". These laws lasted until Hywel made his updated edition [called a Redaction] but, "...Hywel did not change the measures of lands in this island from what Dyfnwal had left, for he was the best of measurers". 

       Hum...the best of measurers...and, "The reason that he measured it was in order to know its tribute and its mileage and its journeys by day". (p. 120) Nothing like those taxes as far back as 650 A.D. which is discussed in Davies' book, (p.63). [see post November 16, 2022] The last "King of Wales" was slain around this date and, the Welsh of the day wrote, "And from that time onwards the Britons lost the crown of the kingdom and the Saxons won it".

       Land and Earth, tir a daear in the Welsh, (p.359,Jenkins) is the first customary principle and, much more from here. Seems we were called Britons at this time in my family history.

P.S. Of interest to my Jones surname family tree is that the first Jones son to be born on this side of the great pond was Cadwallader Jones (JT-143) around 1650 in Virginia. He was given the name of this last king of the Britons slain ca. 680 A.D. He (JT-143) has become my most favorite great...grandfather. There is a blog which discusses in great detail his life and times. 

                  https://cadwalladerjones.blogspot.com 

 

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Valley of Death

        Just when you thought things could not get any worse for the ancestors, wrong! After all the changes like, that castle building stuff, new rules and regulations, all kinds of different overlords, claiming all kinds of rights and privileges. Trying to adjust to a new home, then having to ride along different paths, leading to new trading pathways that might still offer some hope for the future, were many of the families' activities. Then the little critter shown below, brought death to most all around.

      Can you believe it? The flea it is. This fella rode the back of a much larger critter called the rat. That dirty rat! The most responsible was named Rattus rattus. This rat was recognized by the fact that its tail was longer than its body and, the color was mostly black. This fella road the ships that came from various ports of trade to the shores of our little island. Here is its picture. 
       The "black death" this event was called. Not because the rat was black but, it was named after the change of appearance that the folks took after they were infected.
 
       Taking 2 to 15 days after the bite of the flea, loss of appetite (anorexia) and bone pain were the first signs. Next came very high fever (pyrexia), headache, severe fatigue (lassitude), dizziness (vertigo) and rarely shaking chills (rigor). The face would have an expression of horror.  The fever could get as high as 103-107 degree Fahrenheit. All over the body large bleeding (hemorrhages) and just under the skin bruising (ecchymoses) would occur. Pustules, abscesses and lymph node swellings called "Buboes" all appeared, thus giving the name Bubonic plague. These swellings were usually in the groin or under the arm pit (axilla). Skin would become dry and feel burning. The tongue would turn black, dry, and form ridges called furrows and, sores on the lips, gums, and nostrils would form. Low, muttering delirium would occur. Vomiting was frequent. Death rate (mortality) was around 65 % and if the infection settled in the lungs (Pneumonic plage) it was always fatal. 

       The bacteria that brought this rapid course was initially called Pasteurella pestis but, came to be named after the fellow who discovered it in 1894, Yersin, Yersinia pestis. A "pestis" it certainly was and, a real valley of death.

       The best text that discusses this plague from its historical perspective is by Philip Ziegler in 1991.


       Having just experienced our own pandemic with COVID 19, my heart has a new understanding and admiration for all my ancestors who kept that DNA flowing down the branches.

The flea picture is taken from my article "Fleas", American Family Physician, vol. 29, No. 4, April, 1984.

The rat picture from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, appearing in Manson's Tropical Diseases, p. 337. [One of my favorite tropical medicine texts published 1982, by Bailliere Tindall, London].

The text by Ziegler was first titled "Western Europe Man, Black Death. Epidemics, history I", 1969, in the United Kingdom. It was first published in the U.S. by Alan Sutton, NH, 1991. 




Thursday, February 15, 2024

Circumstances

      Old ways to new ways can be difficult for those who are steeped in the old.  Seeing how my Jones surname family resided successfully at Llwyn-Ynn for the next century to come, they somehow managed to keep the home fires burning.   

      Wool and wine seemed to be an important trade issue and, Seward states that "...English wool, leather, resin, and salt." (p. 24) were all the rave across that Channel. My family would have been involved with all these trade items.

       Here is a list of my great...great grandfathers living at this time. Note that the maternal sides are named and, their townlands are noted. At times down the road, these townlands often became a helpful clue while climbing among all the branches.  

       Wow again, and again, what circumstances they must have faced.

Seward D., The Hundred Years War - The English In France 1337-1453, Penguin Books, London, 1978.





Sunday, February 11, 2024

Questions Along The Way

        Many branches of my Jones surname family tree have been discussed beginning with Inigo Jones 1650's [December 15, 2021].  You might think of this blog as a book and, each post is a page in the book of my tree climbing. Only in this book, instead of page numbers, things are stored by dates written month, day, and then year of posting. From cows to Celts, then Romans, then Monks, to deciding to flop down in all those hills and valleys. Who would have thought. 

        All this tree climbing has raised a lot of questions along my families' journeys. Are there any questions or comments you might have out there regarding the clusters of branches and twists knotted about? Use the comment section at the bottom of any post (page) dealing with a topic/subject. You know, anyone can climb out their own family tree.  Besides, that Jones surname is buried just about under every rock along the way. 

         See post of November 12, 2010 [We Are The Chosen]. If this post brings a tear to your eye, you are ready to get going!

Monday, February 5, 2024

Enough Already

        By this time in my Jones surname family tree (1300 A.D.), many in the branches had to be thinking better days have to be ahead, cause things could not get any worse. Many sleepless nights around the kitchen table hearing many family stories about past days swimming around that sea of troubles. [post 1 Dec. 2023] Being reminded many times how my name Llewelyn (JL-1) was past down to me. All these new overlords demanding conduct against our very way of life. Enough is enough! Not!

       The next century brought a whole bunch of troubles yet to shake the family tree. At first, it was hoped the new supreme overlord Edward II (1307- 1327 A.D.), titled "Prince of Wales", would help us out. Then all the other overlords started steeping on one another's toes and kicking one another in the shins. Across the Channel things started getting out of hand [The Hundred Years War, starting around 1337] after our Prince of Wales lost his life at Berkley Castle whose family would connect to my Jones surname family in that yet to come Virginia colony. But first, the darkest days are yet to come.

       The above is the cover of my copy discussing this hallway of time. It was published 1978. In his Forward, Desmond Seward (born in Pairs) quotes Sir John Hawkwood who lived during this time, "Do you not know that I live by war and that peace would be my undoing". What a way to live. Enough already!

Seward D., The Hundred Years War, The English In France 1337 - 1453, Penguin Group, N.Y., 1978.