Happy Memories

      Merry Christmas and many Merry Memories to my Jones surname ancestors! Thank you for the life you past down all the hallways of time. Sending all my gratitude and love this Christmas Day 25 December 2024. The Jones Genealogist. 

Cultural Dynamics

        Cultural can be defined as the integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thought, speech, action, artifacts and, depends on man's capacity for learning and, transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. Wow! This out of my good friend and lifetime partner Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary 150th Anniversary Edition which is now not so new since published in 1973 (p. 274). Anyhow, the pursuits, interest, and pleasures of my ancestors got pretty cloudy during this time (black death) of their journeys. Land and earth still played a dominate component among the three major spheres of influence seeking to climb together out of this deep valley of death. [see post 21 February 2024]

       Celtic to Welsh to my Jones surname [ lots of posts starting Unto These Hills and Mountains 23 January 23, 2022!]. Then, that Offa and group built a dyke along the way [Welcome To The Neighborhood ... NOT  28 June 2023]. Finally, those French speaking fellas brought their own cultural dynamic called feudalism [post: A World In Crisis 18 September 2023]. Whew, all these cultural dynamics came together while trying to figure the connections of my family tree. My Jones surname family of Llwyn-Onn [ see: Through The Ages: "Of Llwyn-Onn" 28 August 2023]. The Norman families de Grey and Fitzalan had important connections [see: Neighbors In Time 7 September 2024]. Finally, it was the Saxon connection to the Hanmer family that broke through the final major brick wall. Yet to be presented after climbing out of this valley of deep cultural dynamics.

 P.S. Here is a scan of the inside front of my Webster's copy. It is shown to thank them for all their help through my years since 1973 and, their years since 1831!

Many More Bridges Needed Over These Troubled Waters

        Dark and troubled waters covered the genealogy effort involving my Jones surname tree climbing during these days. [1300-1400 A.D.] Loss of life, loss of family members, loss of land, and maybe even loss of purpose were many of the dynamics that stirred the waters. Last post gave some of the associated family surnames that often helped bridge some issues. Likewise, the following references give additional items that assisted in connecting some branches. They are saved in my research notebooks by topic/subject and, can be searched by issue using the search bar at https://tjgresearchnotebooks.blogspot.com. Please remember RN= (abbreviation for Research Notebook and # = number for notebook followed by content in notebooks).                        Oswestry - Wat's Dyke  RN#163                                                                                                                       Wrexham  RN#164                                                                                                                                           Denbigh RN#165                                                                                                                                                      Llanfair Dyffyn-Clwyd RN#166                                                                                                                                   Co. Flint RN#167                                                                                                                                            St. Tysilio RN#168                                                                                                                                         Land Tenures RN#170                                                                                                                                    A Parallel Chronology RN#172                                                                                                                Family Studies - Summary Tables RN#173                                                                                                                        

Associated Family Surnames

        Life would never be the same following the "Black Death". My Jones surname family seemed to live another day but, it must have been difficult. The sons of Tudor Trevor (JC-1) all seemed to continue their branches down the family tree. A variety of surnames sharing the same Y-DNA scattered about the same geographic areas now called Denbighshire and Flintshire. A few surnames in Montgomeryshire, Cardiganshire and Merionethshire took their place among the branches. The following group of surnames are found, of course, in Nicholas.

  

    Here they are with their pages listed.

             For Denbighshire: Yale (p.419), Trevor (p.415), Griffith (p.408), Trevor of Brynkinallt (p.415), Trevor of Trevalyn (p.393) [spelled Trev-alyn p. 391, p.395, and p. 376].  Of course, my Jones branches listed as Jones-Parry (p.355, p. 411, p.189).

              For Flintshire: Pennant (p.453), Mostyn (p.451 and p.452), Lloyd (p.450), Eyton (p.446), Young (p.440) and Trevor (p.457).

              For Montgomery: Owen (p.811), Price (p.810), Trevor (p.813) and Lloyd (p.813).

              For Cardiganshire: Lloyd (p.947).

              For Merionethshire: Lloyd (p. 705).

       Whew! All these surnames sharing the same Y-DNA!

A Drawing Of Llwyn-Ynn

        From my Celtic, to Welsh, to Jones surname, the geographic area near Ruthin seems to be the green, green grass of home. For the century 1300 - 1400 A.D., the Y-DNA component is labeled of Llwyn - Onn (Denbighshire side spelled Llwyn - Ynn).  To date, the only actual "recording" of its existence is shown from a drawing pictured in the text by Nicholas first printed 1872!  Here it is...drum roll please...

       From page 374 it appears black-and-white but, it states taken from a water-color drawing. What it shows is a two story, multi-gabled (dormer) structure fading into the gradual slopping hillside. From a drawing of Llwyn - Ynn to the hillsides of Kentucky, who would have guessed.

        From one of my favorite and most helpful genealogical texts :

       Many, many and many branched of my Jones surname family tree were untwined and established climbing among the pages.

Truth Of The Day

        Since the beginning of time upon this earth, land has been one component of human existence. Land ownership and its utilization were often a significant aspect of one's identity and social status. Certain belief systems operated the cultural norms of each day providing a framework in which to help guide the daily activities upon this land. For my Jones surname ancestors living before the "Black Death" (1348-1350) certain presuppositions were widely accepted. 

          Premise 1)   "In the beginning Elohim (sometimes El or Elah) created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1   

Scofield, C.I., The Scofield Reference Bible, Oxford University Press, N.Y., 1909. (page 1 and foot note 1).

           Premise 2)   "And Jehovah Elohim took man, and put him into the garden to dress it and to keep it". Genesis 2:15. 

Same reference as above but (page 7, footnote 5).

            Premise 3)  "...for the wise say...though there be law between persons and each other on this earth, there is no law between angles and each other...save, the will of God."

Jenkins, D., The Law of Hywel Dda, Gomer Press, Llandysul, Dyfed, 1986. (page 71).

       So there you have it before the "Black Death", 1) creation, 2) placement of man in authority in the garden and, 3) the will of God as authority over all, the truth of the day.

Wool And Wine

        Circumstances surrounding the family frequently influence the activities of the day. For over 100 years my Jones surname ancestors seem to keep their activities in one general area of the earth. [See posts of August 28, September 10, July 29 and, most recently 2nd September.]

       Having managed life on both sides of Offa's Dyke for many generations, wool and cattle, along with lead and salt, seemed some of the activities that kept the home fires burning. Llwyn-Ynn was the grazing side of the fence and, Llwyn-Onn was the get things ready for the world that would continue to need such items.

       Seward in his book states in the 1330s that England was, "...a poor little country whose wealth was its wool" (p.25). On page 31 he goes on to state, "The Flemish were the cloth-makers of Europe and depended on English wool".  At the same time, he notes that Bordeaux "...owed its prosperity to the English connection..." and that, "...wine flowed into England in such quantities as to make it cheap for all save the poorest..." (p. 23). It would certainly seem like a few pints might be a good idea after the Black Death! Wool for wine, who would have thought such a thing to keep folks going along the branches of the family tree? " Wool and Wine"... it was!    

       For Desmond Seward's book, see post August 3, 2023 and February 5, 2023.  A map on page 265 shows the geographic location of Bordeaux (France) and its relationship to England. It was considered an English possession in 1337.              

Neighbors In Time

        Circumstances that surround the family tree will blow from various angles. In many different ways, shapes, and forms, they will often strengthen or weaken the roots and its branches. One example has been the neighbors that have blown their wills against the foundations of my own Jones surname family tree.

        Many of these folks appeared during the days of Edward I. (1272-1307 A.D.) [see post starting December 1, 2023...then December 9th and December 13th]. New "Marcher Lordships" these neighborhoods came to be called and, some of these neighbors maintained their connections for the next several hundred years. These "connections" provided a means to clarify the genealogical relationships between the very difficult years now being discussed. It was the Vale of Clwyd and the Vale of Dee that brought many of those brick walls well known by all those genealogists out there!

       Reginald de Grey came to occupy Ruthin September 1277 and, received the cantref of Dyffryn Clwyd which contained my own Jones surname land of Llwyn-Ynn [see post April 29, 2024]. His family-maintained claims to these lands for many years to come causing all kinds of winds blowing among the branches!

         Likewise, the surname Fitzalan took claim to much of the land around Oswestry, Chirk, and Bromfield & Yale to my side of the family in the Vale of Dee. These folks took the title "Earl of Arundel" and had much to do with the family around the time of the "Black Death" of 1350s. Richard Fitzalan became Earl of Arundel 1353. 

        Anyway, these families can be discovered in the detailed and informative text by John E. Morris, mostly chart V and several other pages, p.33, p. 63, p. 144, p.178, p. 272 and p. 277, [presented post 3rd December, 2023]. Neighbors in time they certainly were.

Pieces Of The Puzzel

        Family trees contain many items to be discovered. Frequently, putting all the pieces together may seem a daunting task. The post of August 16th gave some examples of added information accruing during this period of my Jones surname family tree. Maternal surnames, geographic locations, identical first names being repeated were a few such items. The following scan places some of these past items in what could be called a "big picture".

         World's End divides the two major locations of my family's activities which are shown by the black arrows drawn on the map. Llanfair- Dyffryn Clwyd, just below Ruthin, and Wrexham located to the East, are connected by a road running north along the border of "World's End"! It certainly might have seemed so during this period of time. 

       A thin red line outlines the biggest, and longest, ditch ever build in the area staring from around 750 A.D. called Offa's Dyke. Extending northward from Old Oswestry it bends a little, rounding World's End on the western side, and then, bending a little more, it passes the old home front Llanfair-Dyffryn Clwyd! A fence between the family for all these generations.

       Now the maternal sides of the family were also from around the same geographic areas, hugging the eastern side of that World's End. These locations are just south of the road connecting all our families. Bersham (x2) and, Rauabon are marked in green, joining our separate kindreds' hands during this stormy time. Can you picture it? Sort of like a purse string drawing us together.  

       These items of my family's story helped bridge the branches which were heading all kinds of way.  Deciphering and straightening the twisting branches much later in my own tree climbing. For a reminder, the next scan shows Llwyn-Ynn Hall from an old map. This becomes the branch of my Jones surname family yet to be discovered. [At the very middle of the page bottom of the scan.] The relationship to Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd can be identified.

      The next scan shown the location of Llwyn-Onn on the other side of the ditch (Offa's Dyke). This became a second branch of the same family tree. East and West divided along a fence and held together by the grandmothers' branches. [Lower right-hand side written Llwyn Onn Hall (Hotel).]

       Note the difference in spelling.  The western side is spelled "Ynn" (Welsh) and, the Eastern side. (English) "Onn". All items were pieces of the puzzle.

P.S. From my childhood day's memories see post 7 December 2010!

Will The True Bluestones at Stonehedge Please Stand UP

        From many generations' past, my Jones surname ancestors have considered the stones at Stonehedge.  Since the days of Indigo Jones (1620-1625) who was the earliest to give his opinion as to the origin of all the stones, many have joined to discuss this circle of mysteries. One of the greatest mysteries has been the bluestones. 

       Discussed most astutely with lots of diagrams and beautiful pictures, the text by David Souden reveals many of the items discovered that have been most recently explored. Bluestones are summarized pages 36 - 39 and pages 80-83. His "Re-evaluation" states: "Coming as they did from a landscape rich in standing stone monuments, the bluestones may already have been an existing setting moved wholesale to Wiltshire: a trophy of war, an expression of priestly power, a gift perhaps?" [ The stones were taken from Preseli Mountains S.W Wales, about 250 miles away!] 

        Now from an ancestor of the first to suggest a theory to where all these stones originated, let me give some thoughts. First, my Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, McGraw-Hill, 4th edition, 1989, states (p. 234) that bluestone is classified as a mineral and is officially called Chalcanthic (kal- kan-thit) p.326. It is described as "a blue-to-bluish-green mineral". It joins elements of copper (Cu), sulphur (S) and water (H2O) molecules into a copper sulfate pentahydrate. Secondly, my college chemistry book, Chemistry: Principles and Properties by Sienko and Plane, 1966 (another exciting book by McGraw-Hill!) states p. 448 : "Probably the best known cupric compound is copper sulfate pentahydrate." Cu (H2O)4 SO4 H2O. [please note - can not type subscripts as written in text but hopefully you get the idea] It goes on to state, "In this material each cupric ion is surrounded by a distorted octahedron of oxygen atoms; four of these lie in a square and belong to four H2O molecules, and the other two belong to neighboring sulfate groups. [sounds like a fun neighborhood] Continuing it states "The odd H2O molecule, the fifth one, is not directly bound to the cupric ion but forms a bridge between SO4 and other H2O groups. [sort of like a bridge over troubled waters]!!! It ends by giving the most significant information regarding our bluestones. "The pentahydrate, or blue vitriol, as it is sometimes called, is used extensively as a germicide and fungicide [italics mine], since the cupric ion is toxic to lower organisms. Its application to water supplies for controlling algae and its use on grapevines to control molds depend on this toxicity." 

      So there you have it! You can just guess how many Athlete Feet were walking around all these bluestones. As recent 2008, in an article on "Secrets of Stonehenge" [National Geographic, June 2008, pp.34-59] the bones of a "Distant Traveler" thought to have grown up in the Alps and to be buried around 2400 B.C. raised the question "what brought him to within a few miles of Stonehenge at its height?" (now called "Amesbury Archer" pp. 52-53) Well, who would not want to go to the Mayo Clinic of the day and get washed in all that blue vitriol!

P.S. Here is a scan of a picture of Inigo Jones (1573-1652) [see post 15 Dec 2021]. My family tree genealogy in Research Notebooks: RN#138 and RN#138A and can be seen The Jones Genealogist Research Notebooks [https://tjgresearchnotebooks.blogspot.com] which was started as a blog 6 July 2012.

       One of my favorite ancestors!        

On Down The Line

       My Jones surname ancestors faced their next hundred years. The "Wars" that were to last a hundred years. Wow, can you imagine? The land and earth around Llwyn-Ynn (Dyfed-Clwyd) and, Llwyn-Onn (Wrexham) seemed to be an anchor point all along the roads to survival. The following chart shows the line of descent during most of these years. Starting with Jeuaf (JH-1) [remember the spelling is the new Norman-French "J"] followed by Iorwerth Fychan (JI-1) and wife Mali (JI-2)[Mary]. Again, this is a distinctive genealogical point given that "Fychan" appears before Iorwerth (JK-1) and by most tree climbers, the name "Fychan" is thought to mean "Junior". He is tagged the first of Llwyn-Onn. 

        Just climb on down the family tree. Next is Gruffyd (JJ-1) and wife Margaret (JJ-2). Then comes Iorwerth (JK-1) and wife Anne (JK-2). [Note the Jr./Sr. connection.] Then comes the naming that is again important to this tree climber. The maternal side is given in geographic location. Gwenllian (JL-2) the wife of Llewelyn (JL-1) is recorded as of Bersham. This is followed by Margaret (JM-2) the wife of Howel (JM-1) of Pengwern. [Note the importance of the coding system being used. The two "Margaret" are identified and place in their positions on the branches.] Then comes another Margaret (JN-2) wife of Edward (JN-1), who is also of Bersham. Now you can begin to see what nightmare two of the same name and, of the same area and, at around the same time in the family tree!

       Finally comes Robert (JO-1) and his wife [can you believe it!] Margaret (JO-2). Three in a row are "Margaret". For the last two wives their surnames are given. Wylde for JN-2 and Eyton for JO-2 are listed. Whew...all the help you can get to climb on down the line.

P.S. Lots of brick walls around every branch. The blog "The Brick Wall Protocol" gives many of the items which helped along my Jones surname family tree climbing.

https://thebrickwallprotocol.blogspot.com

Fragmentation

        Cultural adhesion fractured dramatically during these corridors of time. Different dynamics jarred the foundations. Rights of descent, rights to property, rights to land and, rights to protection all joined hands in this flux of authority. Some historians have called this "The Hundred Years Wars". It must have seemed so! Here is a scan of such writers:

         Before "The Black Death" [1337 A.D.] until well beyond [1453 A.D.], the tumoral flashed across the skies. How did my Jones surname survive along the Vale of Clwyd? How does a genealogist sort through all the cracks? Associated surnames and marital descent opened many windows into the family tree. Fragmentation was part of the journey.

Life's Pages

        The books of life were closed for many, many, and many; all at the same time, during the black death. Those remaining tore out most of the pages of their own books while asking how could such a thing happen? Those writing just after the piles of bodies were buried dwells on the effect of the character of those survivors.  "Callous, reckless, superstitious, heartless. cruel, and licentious" as recorded in The Historians' History of The World, Vol. 18, p. 469. My own Y-chromosome seemed to have survived this valley of death to remain connected at Llwyn-Onn for many generations to come. The following scan shows the reference for these branches that continue on down my Jones surname family tree.

Scan is from Nicholas Vol. I, p. 355 [see post April 9, 2023]. For Black Death see post February 21, 2024. For a discussion of my research notebooks see post April 14, 2023. For a discussion of Llwyn-Onn see post of August 28, 2023. Much more to be written about these life's pages.

By The Numbers

        For many years climbing out the branches of my ancestor's family trees, one of my basic concepts was that an "average" lifespan for each generation followed an accepted path. The further back in time you went, the shorter duration of existence. When my own grandmother reached the age of 65, she was already set to go to the great beyond. [This was the 1950s!] By my medical school days [ the 1970s] this had reached the age of around 73 years. However, going back in time, length of life would decline in the opposite direction. So, getting the family tree all the way back to around 850 A.D. [Gadforch (JA-1)] it seemed reasonable that most folks lived to around 30 years of age.

       Now, it was somewhat surprising that the folks who started to write their own accounts of the day [Hywel Dda and the guys starting around 850 A.D.] gave their life span at 60 years. What was this all about was my thinking.  Let's see now. How to check this context?

       Well, the text by Mike Ashley, British Kings & Queens, (see post 20 February 2023) gave a window to around this time. The following table is the result of trying to look through the ages.

       The first column lists the individuals named who could be found to have a length of life recorded. The page of each person is given from the text by Ashley where the dates are recorded. The second column shows the years listed for each individual. There were eleven folks (n=11) for a total of 587 years [third column]. The average age for all the folks listed was 53 years! Column four shows calculations for the variance and standard deviation with the standard deviation being 38 years.

        What about that! Sixty years was a good fit. It shows you what I knew about these years long, long ago. But hey, by the numbers, 60 years seems a good number.

One More Time

      The following drawing continues down the yellow brick road starting with the post of June 3rd. It connects the road from Ninnian (JG-1) to Jeuaf (JH-1), as the direct male line of my Jones surname ancestors continue on down the family tree. Iorwerth Fychan (JI-1) is identified as being the 1st of Llwyn-Onn beginning during the reign of Henry II [1155 A.D.- 1189 A.D.]. This geographic location would have most likely been considered a "Townland" (see last two posts) and continues past the Black Death period of the 1350s. Edward (JN-1) seems to have made it through the dark clouds of his day to continue the story of my Jones surname ancestors. The dates range from around 1100 A.D. to 1400 A.D.

       Many more branches to be climbed.

A Few More Squares

        The last post gave a "color code" of small squares to represent a concept of the land use phenomena that had joined together my Jones surname ancestors. The smallest square colored "pink" represented the toft where the first generation [Gadforch JA-1] enclosed the land and, to "plant" the first seeds of the family tree. His son [Ynyr JB-1] continued the four-acre plot system, to the next son Tudor Trevor [JC-1], to Dingad [JC-1] who began the branch to my own Jones surname family tree.  Generation after generation (see post June 3rd: "To Tell The Tale, Follow The Yellow Brick Road") from "shareland", to "holding" and, to "Townland" it continued. Now, just imagine when the generations grew to the "Maenol" (4 Townlands) and, to the "Commote" which joined 12 "Maenol"! The following figure continues the thought process to show how all this living might relate.

       The "Townland" is outlined in orange and adjoining groups of "Townland" are shown in all sorts of colors trying to demonstrate the possible relationship to one another. The clusters fill the page with all sorts of little squares each representing a toft of 4 acres. Each "Townland" clusters about and, when 4 of these [256 acres each] expand, a "Maenol" (manor) [1023 acers] is organized with a mayor and others (post of April 10th). Now expanding the whole bunch of little squares to the whole page a "Commote" (12,288 acres!) is named. This "Commote" became the standard social and cultural unit of all the ancestors of the day. {ca. 800 A.D. to before the black death of 1350 A.D.}

 

From One Small Square To Another

        Mental pictures of the life and times of the ancestors can be hard to develop. This is especially difficult if these ancestors lived many years in the past. My Jones ancestors started their journeys before any such surname existed. Finding the culture that wrapped them in daily living became a challenge one little step at a time. The following figure is my mental image of how my ancestors might have built some of their existence one small square at a time.

       Now it certainly helped when they stared to write important social principles into some agreeable form such as a law book. It is from this series of writings that has been used to piece together some social images. [Beginning from post starting this past March 7th.] 

       The small squares colored above are drawn using simple graph paper and, in my mind, helped organize a number of items scattered about as to the daily living arrangement over many generations. Let's see now, each small square represents a single toft. [Post March 12th] It is colored "pink" and contained 4 acres of land surrounding the founding owner (proprietor). Having family and moving on down the family tree, each son when of legal age could join the father with his own toft and family sharing the fruit of their joint endeavors. They called this "shareland" [Post of March 14th] and, indeed it was giving the growing family a place to call their own. 

       Next, as each son had his sons, the family joined these shared lands into a "holding" which grew in size to around 64 acres. Four "shareland" to each "holding" [Post of March 21] is shown colored blue. Each generation would occupy at least 30 years (birth to marriage 20 years and youngin's around the hearth the next 10 years). However, during this period a lifetime was considered 60 years! [Hywel Dda, The Law, p. 123.] Anyway, you can begin to picture the conflicts that could arise when four of these "holdings" reached 256 acres called a "townland" and bumped against a not so close family member.       All told, this would cover around 180 years of family growth. Do you get the picture one small square to another?

To Tell The Tale...Follow The Yellow Brick Road

        It was 1936 when Dorothy and her three travel companions were advised the best way to reach their heart-felt goals. Since starting this genealogy adventure through the corridors of time to around 800 A.D. [starting 1959 A.D.], there have been a number of yellow brick "Walls" that have been confronted. Since Dorothy and her crew kept to the yellow bricks most of the day, I thought this TRIPTIK might serve to assist others on their Jones surname travels. Here's the start of my yellow brick road beginning post March 20, 2023 with Gadforch JA-1.

      Each yellow brick (grandfather shown above) is placed in the context of the culture they lived between 800 A.D. to 1350 AD. and will be discussed in future posts. Oh...to tell the tale one toft at a time.
 

Celebrating

       Graduation days from high school for eldest grandson. Celebrating with family this month of May. Returning to blogs soon.

The Cantref

        Land use and who owned it, was a foundational concept accepted daily by my early Welsh ancestors. The final grouping of the folks (kindred clustering) was termed the Cantref. It was defined as two commotes (see last post) and, was accepted as legal rights by all others participating socially. Dafydd Jenkins in his translation of the laws of the day writes: "This is the number of acres that it is right should be in the cantred: four legal acres in every toft: sixteen in every shareland; sixty-four in every holding; two hundred and fifty-six in the townland; one thousand and twenty-four acres in every maenol; twelve thousand two hundred and eighty-eight acres in the twelve maenolydd. It is right that there should be five hundred and twelve acres in the townlands which belong to the court; and that is, when all the acres in the commote come together, twelve thousand eight hundred; and as much as all that in the other commote: that is a total of acres in the cantred of twenty-five thousand six hundred, no more and no less." (p. 121)

       Now, the law books define the cantref as two commotes. Jenkins (p. 268) states that most of the cantred (old-established and convenient English spelling for cantref p.323) had more than two commotes. He gives Llyn(^) [over letter y] with 3, Anglesey with 6 and, Ceredigion with 10. No wonder all the justices (Maers) were needed to help provide fairness among the folks. Stolen goods (p.158) and stolen property (p. 160) seemed to have been a common problem. Appears, not much has changed from these days of old! Hywel Dda died 950 A.D.!

       Here is a copy of my cover of the translation by Dafydd Jenkins published 1986. My book is by Gomer Press, Llandysul, Dyfed, 1990. The word cantred is found on pp. 65, 121, 122, 154, 158, and 160. Wow, what a deal as they would often say around my days in Iowa.

The Commote

        My Celtic ancestors, becoming my Welsh ancestors, who during their social development phases, seemed to have special attraction to the number (4) four. Count all the times the number 4 appears in the social grouping of land in the previous 4 posts. (Just kidding, it is actually the last 5 posts) Four of this, leads to four of that, leads to 4 of...you name it. Well, we now come to land grouping called "commote". Drum roll please... 12 Maenols (48 townlands) plus two additional townland was to become the commote. That would be 12,288 legal acres. Can you believe it? The English had their "hundred" which was considered a 100 hides. A hide was counted as 120 acres which would equal 12,000 English acres. Close enough I guess. Anyway, the English called their land a "shire" and the Welsh called theirs a commote. In both, Royal administration and legal rights were administered.  To the Welsh ancestors this land area (commote) was to be judged as an independent district, self-contained and, self-sufficient. A large kindred group it would become with its 48 townlands. That would be 256 toft, roughly over 5,000 folks related in some degree to a common ancestor.

       Let's see now, to try and summarize:

  4 legal acres in each toft (post of 12 March)                                                                                                  4 tofts  in each shareland (post of 14 March)                                                                                                4 sharelands in each holding (post of 21 March)                                                                                          4 holdings in each townland (post of 27 March)                                                                                          4 townlands in each Maenol (post of 21 April)

                       and here we go... 12 Maenols and 2 townlands in each commote.

                 

    

The Maenol

       By now you might begin to understand the potential for all kinds of difficulty arising from the grouping of all these lands. Let's see now, from a single enclosed (fenced) house, which was called the toft,  you placed together 4 of these single-family homes to become a shareland. (Good size barn yard). Next, you counted 4 of these  sharelands (all in the family) which became a holding.  Then, the next grouping became the townlands (4 holdings), which might be considered the family farm. Whew, what a deal! If it is hard to keep everything straight...hold your breath...for now, we then come to the Maenol. 

       You guessed it, 4 townlands established a Maenol. Hum, one thousand and twenty-four legal acres might give cause to a few disagreements about the placement of all those fences. Assuming there were an average of five folks living in each toft, a Maenol would average over 1200 individuals. Lots of head butting here would be possible. [You can breathe now.] Like the four previous posts, what follows is my own notes which demonstrates my attempt to keep a mental image afloat.

       Shape and position would depend on the geography of the area. All those mountains, streams, rivers, and valleys would have something to do with its anatomy. What is distinct about this group of townlands is the attention it received from those who gave the military protection to all the kin groups. You know, the strongest among them who could swing the sword, the overlord. It was his job to keep things in order and train all those age 14 and over to swing their own sword. One thousand and twenty-four legal acres [4 townlands, 16 holdings, 64 sharelands and 256 tofts] would certainly keep one busy. 

       "Royal Officials" they came to be called. The Maer and Cynghellor were the two new players selected by the overlord to be the administrators of the lands he protected. These officials could hire two of their own assistants to help circulate throughout the of Maenol. All these folks were to be sure that the dues (services) to the overlord had been collected (taxes) and, to take control of any problems occurring among all those fences out there. The Maer (Mayor) was to be the judge and, the Cynghellor (Chancelor) was to arrange the courts and dates for the courts in the townlands. Two times each year this was to occur and, the four assistants would move around the townlands to hear the complaints brewing.

Townland

       Four holdings (1holding = 64 legal acres) was to make an area called a townland. This recognized cluster of land would contain 256 legal acres. Now a "legal" acre of this day was not the same area as thought of in today's terms. Jenkins in his translation (pp.120-121) gives the legal acre to be measured:  

        "...a rod as long as the long yoke in the caller's hand, and as far as he reaches with it, with his arm stretched out, is the two limits, that is, the width of the legal acre; and thirty times the rod is its length".

       Now you know the long yoke as it was compared to the short yoke and, to the mid-yoke and to the armpit yoke. Of course you do...not! Say what! What kind of measurement was this all about? My analytical mindset wanted to know. Precision was paramount in the measurement of the acre starting with that middle peg and all.

        After digging around in a number of texts, it finally came to me that the legal acre of the day was not a physical measurement but, a recognized word for ownership.  The house that was fenced permanently, would become the personal property of the one who built the enclosed land (toft). The exact size and shape of the 4 acers belonging to each toft did not really matter as long as the general guidelines were followed. As the new proprietor, this land became your plant (origin of your family tree) and was given as the inheritance to your sons at your death. 

        Getting back to the 256 legal acres called the townland. It was the next step in land ownership from the holding discussed in the last post. My notes are shown to give that mental picture.

       A book by Palmer and Owen titled A History of Ancient Tenures In North Wales and The Marches [my ancestor's part of the world] gives the customary acre of Bromfield as "a hundred and three score perches to the acre and fowere and twenty foote to the to the pearch or pole." They conclude on p.8 "That is, it contained 10,240 square yards and was thus more than twice as large as the statute acre." [The English system of measurement.] On p. 9 the authors diagram examples of their research for the 10,240 sq. yds. but the shape of such acre could vary. (The book was published 1910.)

       Jenkins describes a long yoke as 12 English feet. (99.3-9n p. 259). He translates an acre is 1440 sq. yrds. (p. 303). He describes the concept that an acre equaled a day's ploughing (p303) and, that the "day" ended at noon (199.8-9n, p. 303). The patrimony in land it became.

P.S. The length of the acre was 30 times the width. (Jenkins p. 259).

Holding

       To continue on down the land tenure concepts active for generations among my Jones surname family tree, is moving from 16 legal acres (the shareland : last post) to 64 legal acres now called a "Holding". This was the grouping of 4 tofts into 1 shareland and, then the grouping of 4 sharelands into 1 holding. All this grouping was considered family land (blood relations) and would by several generations down the family tree involve brothers, uncles, cousins, grandfathers and maybe even the great-grandfather. Here again is a copy of my drawings trying to organize all this family collections of land.

      Now, as before, here is an enlarged copy of such a holding as photographed from the air estimated to be occupied before 300 AD. [see last post].

       You might imagine how this holding could include a stable for the horses, a barn for the milk cows, a cowhouse for cattle and, a sheepcote and pigsty for the remaining critters. Of course, there would be a larder and kiln house for diet and drying of harvest. All the families' survival activities would be clustered among the holding.

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.

       

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!

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 

 

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. 

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.

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!

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.

Daily Living

        Mowing grass, ranking leaves, shoveling snow, and pulling weeds are some of the seasonal activities expected living in my part of the world. The garbage goes out Wednesday night for Thursday pick-up, the water bill is due by the tenth of each month and, taxes from the city and county are paid at the beginning of the year. On and on it goes with school tax, property tax, sales tax, car tax, and any other taxes that folks in charge can contemplate. What in the world one would think. Well, just imagine what day to day living would have been in 1300 A.D.

       Those in charge were considered "overlords". The supreme overlord sat upon what was conceptualized as "The Throne" and under accepted theory owned all the land that folks of the day lived [or survived upon]. You had to mow his grass, plant and harvest his fields, milk his cows, and every other task he so desired. The system that was brought over to the neighborhood by the French speaking Normans and, their Marcher Lords, came to be called "feudalism". Of course, you had to go along to get along. 

       The best text describing the origin and introduction of this concept to the hallways of history is by two French folks, Jean-Pierre Poly and Eric Bournazel. First published in French (1980), an English translation was published in 1991. The cover of my copy is shown.

      "Seigneuries" was the new word on my vocabulary list. It meant the territory under the government of a feudal lord. Let's see now, the Norman folks who dug-in all sorts of places among my ancestors family's land, claimed all the territory they had come to occupy by force of arms. This land become their new governmental territory. They were the feudal lord, with no buts and or otherwise! 

       Daily life would certainly change from the common law of the kindred, to this new law of the feudal lord. 

The above text was translated by Caroline Higgitt and published by Holmes & Meier Publishers, Inc. N.Y., 1991.

New Rules and New Rulers

       Subordination to a higher authority can bring about all kinds of changes to the home front. For my ancestors, following the Statute of Rhuddlan 1284, changes were introduced in what became the new areas called Flint [Tegeingl and Maelor Saesneg], Denbigh [Ros and Rhufoniog], Rhuthun [Cantref of Dyffryn Clawyd], and Bromfield & Yale [Maelor Gymraeg]. A new governmental framework was established involving the institution of "English" criminal law to what was the families' common law. The focus here are the Maelors since Tudor Trevor (JC-1) was recognized as the founder of "The tribe of the Marches" where the Maelors played a central role. 

      Let's see now. New fellows named "Sheriffs" were appointed to administer each of these new named areas. They were to collect rents and new taxes owed to the new "Lord Paramount" which was conceived as the "The Crown". Sheriffs were to supervise local officials and, hold a court once a month [Juries introduced]. The IRS [Exchequer at Westminster] held the purse strings but, local jurisdiction was considered legitimate authority. A solemn treaty it was announced. From "Common Law" to "State Law" was the main change of concept thus, providing an order and tranquility to that wild and free way of living among all the family. (Hywel Dda would certainly have something to say about all these changes.)

       "Movables" (inheritances) was to remain under common law and, land disputes could be solved by the local folks. Since the family moved to Llwyn-Onn, Iorwerth Fychan (JI-1) [see post of 28 August  2023], until Llewelyn (JL-1), who was named after Llywelyn (II) [who died 11 December 1282], the family had already made a number of adjustments to the mindset. For example, there were new ways of survival (post 11 Oct 2023 "Food & Fleece") and self-sufficiency (post 20 Nov 2023).  A new network of connectors were established as discussed in post of 23 Sept 2023 ("Highroads"). The family then faced a series of ground shaking events and a series of tidal waves [see post 1 Dec 2023 ("Sea of Troubles") and, 6 Jan 2024 ("Shifting Sands")]! Then Howel (JM-1) had to submit to a new authority with a whole bunch of new horizons to face.

       Hum...the "Hundred Years War" 1337-1453, the battle of Calais 1346, the "Black Death" 1350, and the battle of Poitiers 1356, were all about to hit the fan under this new prerogative of "The Crown"... new rules and new Rulers, what can one say.

For review: family tree from Iorwerth Fychan (JI-1) to Howel (JM-1). All marked with blue color.

Panorama

       Just look at it. A mental picture of the earliest branches of my Jones surname family tree. Color coded it is.                   

           From Gadforch (JA-1) at the top, to the ninth generations down the branches (JI) and, all those folks in-between are presented. How do you say "Wow"! Tudor Trevor (JC-1) starts things out with a bang, realizing his wife Angharad (JC-2) was the daughter of that law giver Hywel. Three sons and a daughter come next branching out in all directions. While exploring all the branches, a few key items should be noted.

       First, Tudor Trevor (JC-1) had a brother. Ynyr Frych (JC-3) was his name and, his identity has not been recognized prior to all this tree climbing. He was described as Abbot of Dore Abby (Adad Dor) in the "Golden Valley" Hereford. 

 

      The second item to note is that Gronwy (JD-1), eldest son of Tudor Trevor (JC-1), had as heir a daughter Rhingor (JE-3). She married a fellow named Cynelyn (JE-6), which of all things produced a son Ethelystan Glodrydd (JF-6) who is discussed at some lengths among the many pages yet to come down the hallways of history. Royal Tribe IV of Wales is his beginning [Between the Wye and Severn].   

       Close by, the second son of Tudor Trevor (JC-1), Llydocya (JD-2), also had a daughter Gweyrl (JE-7) who married a fellow named Ednowain ap Bradwen (JE-8), who founded Noble Tribe XV in Merioneth. In addition, a son of Llydocya (JD-2), Llywarch Gam (JE-4) [meaning crooked footstep], leads a significant branch down to the noted individual Rhys Sais (JG-4), who married Eva (JG-3) a daughter of Cynrig (JF-1), making Rhys Sais (JG-4), a son-in-law to the fellow who is remembered as being killed 1073 A.D. Whew, can you follow all that?  He was in direct line to my branch through Dingad (JD-3)! 

       Also note, the line of Dingad (JD-3) married into the oldest brother's line Efa (JH18) to Jeuaf (JH-1). The second son's line also joined in with Eva (JG-3) to Rhys Sais ( JG-4).

  

      It was Dingad (JD-3) who was the baby of the family. Little did he know that a future branch of his family tree would be identified by the saying of all others, "Keep Up With The Joneses". 

A Page...or Two

       Saving and storing all that family tree stuff can present all kinds of decisions. How does one begin and how does one finish? You can imagine that after a few generations things can get a bit crowed and all clumped together. A coding systems has been discussed [post of 9 March 2023] and offers a way to keep each family member identifiable from all others who might clog up the branches. Putting things together in a paper format may also be another way to help keep things organized. The following copy of my coding system placed on paper is shown.

      Now remember, the capital letter of the English alphabet represents the surname of the individual putting the family tree together. For my surname Jones it would be "J". Any future note or document having an individual starting their code with a "J" would always be of my Jones surname family. The second capital letter would represent the generation that this individual would belong. The first of course would be "A" if starting at the top of the family tree. Thus JA would mean an individual belonging to the first generation from the top. Thus, B=second, C=third and so on down the branches for at least 26 generations! Next, the JA followed by "-", then a number would indicate the place that this individual holds within that generation. Thus, JA-1 would mean the named individual was the first to be located among this generation by the one doing all the searching. By way of remembering from previous posts, the next figure shows the coding system as presented by my drawings.

     Starting at the top fellow colored blue, JA-1 = Gadforch. He is the first of my great...great...grandfathers starting from the top of my family tree. His wife JA-2= name unknown for now, but if discovered at a later date, she already has a place among the branches. The son JB-1 = Ynyr, a good Celtic name (see post 31 March 2023). His wife Rhiengar of Hereford =JB-2 is listed and, on down the connected line can be followed. JC-1= Tudor Trevor (see post 27 April 2023), then coming to Dingad JD-3 the baby of this generation. My page shown first above at this generation [the D generation or 4th in line down from the top] list all family members identified as to this date 6/15/2011. You can see this expands the number of individuals as the increasing of branches are applied. The JE generation grows larger in number and you can imagine how each following generation would multiply. Several hundred of folks are listed in some of the generations sharing the same number of branches along the way. 

       Also note you can add additional comments important to recall for future tree climbers. My specific grandfather line is underlined.  It certainly might take a page or two.