Children and Parents in Medieval Welsh Law

Manuscripts containing Cyfraith Hywel, the law of medieval Wales, are among the most commonly found type of prose work in Middle Welsh. The lawtexts contain a wealth of material on all aspects of human behaviour, and often present a window into everyday life and society in medieval Wales. The text contained in this edition discusses the kindred (the family group), children and their rights, and the role children play until they come of age. A large part of the text discusses children of uncertain parentage: the process of identifying a father and linking a son to a kindred is described in detail, including dramatic acceptance and denial ceremonies. Unusual situations are also considered in the text, with scenarios including denying paternity for financial reasons, or attempting to deny a son from a kindred because he has killed a man and as a result is going to cost the kindred homicide payments. Some short texts from the laws are edited here for the first time since the nineteenth century: this includes the surprisingly humane discussion of the status and rights of an intersex child.

This volume presents an accessible text of medieval Welsh law, an interesting and important extract from the laws which discusses status and the role of the kindred in medieval Wales. The introduction gives an overview of the subject area, with discussion of the textual tradition of the Welsh laws, and considers the material contained within the lawtexts, setting the section on children and paternity in context within the lawtexts themselves. Explanatory notes and a full glossary explain the text in detail, show the way the law worked, and outline the presentation of the lawtexts in Middle Welsh.