This post was last updated on August 23rd, 2024 at 03:01 pm
When we consider ancient Welsh people and who they were, we’re really referring to three groups and should divide them up as such: the Celts and two earlier settlers of Wales. The Celts first arrived in the British Isles around 1000 BC, with later influxes until about 200 BC. However, they didn’t find themselves alone—a Neolithic (and early Bronze Age) group known by historians as the “Beaker People” had already made the land home by wiping out most of Wales’ original inhabitants!
In 2019, archaeologists began finding remains of Bronze Age huts on the gentle hillsides in the county of Blaenau Gwent in South Wales. Historians believe that one of Wales’ oldest settlements existed here in the shadow of Cwmcelyn Mountain. They’re known as the “Beaker People,” so named because of their practice of burying their dead with beakers (bell-shaped pottery and cups).
The Beaker People lived some 4500 years ago when the climate of the British Isles was warmer than it is now. When they first began settling, they met the Neolithic farmers already occupying the land. Although the Beakers are thought to have been peaceful, within 500 years, they wiped out 90% of the original farmers—probably mainly through disease.
This post is about ancient Welsh people and some historical figures who came after them.
Ancient Welsh People
What Were the Ancient Welsh Called?
For the most part, ancient Welsh people were known as “Celts.” They made up tribal societies with no single ruler or governing body but shared a common language, many cultural practices, and religious beliefs. Since the Celts left us almost no written records, we don’t know what they called themselves—but we know it wasn’t “Celts,” a word derived from Greek and Roman variations.
However, the people of ancient Wales also included the Beaker Folk, who arrived in Britain around 2500 BC. Before them, Neolithic farmers from the Mediterranean arrived on the island around 4,000 BC. They absorbed or wiped out the original hunter-gatherers who had lived there since the last Ice Age ended 10,000 years ago. Those hunter-gatherers are believed to be the earliest settlers of Wales. Even today, a small percentage of Welsh people still carry their DNA. Therefore, there are four groups of people, but the farmers, the Beaker People, and the Celts contributed the most to Welsh heritage as we know it.
The Beaker People farmed, raised cattle and sheep for meat and wool, and hunted deer. They built their huts in cleared parts of the then-wooded valley floor. The remnants of stone circles and ring cairns they also left behind give us some evidence that they may have been pagan.
However, around 1000 BC, the Beaker People faced an invasion by the warlike Celtic tribes. As these two societies clashed and intermingled, a new culture began to emerge, which we now think of as the ancient Welsh people.
Who Are the Welsh Descended From?
The Welsh people of modern Wales are primarily descended from the Celtic tribes who migrated from central Europe. They also share genetics with the Beaker People and hold a small amount of DNA in common with the original inhabitants of the island of Britain. Because of this, the Welsh could be the most ancient in Britain. The differences in their genetics from the rest of the peoples of the British Isles back up this idea.
Ancient Welsh Clothing
Celts living in what we now call Wales had different styles of dress that varied from tribe to tribe, and textiles in the ancient world were more advanced than we thought. However, Celtic clothing among chiefdoms held certain things in common. They were fond of dressing in bright colors, achieving this with different plants and berries. Linen, a cloth made from the flax plant, was a preferred textile, although few examples have survived the centuries for us to examine. The bast (plant fiber) of hemp was also used. The Celts also weaved wool extensively. They were so incredibly skilled that the Romans learned their methods and considered woven wool items from the tribes luxury items.
Welsh Celtic warriors wore linen shirts and trousers—they may have been among the first people in Europe to wear pants. They also wore light woolen cloaks that hung to their knees. After they made ready, they strode into battle with spiked hair dyed white with lime water.
Famous Welsh People in History
Over time, the Celts absorbed the Beakers, and their society evolved into something closer to what we’d think of as Welsh, though there is no single defining moment. However, we must fast forward through the centuries to bring ourselves into far more modern times by comparison. Archaic Welsh appeared around 550 AD. This period was post-Roman Wales when a collection of kingdoms and lordships ruled the land. Many of the nobles who stood testament to a turbulent and painful past came from these royal houses.
Llywelyn ap (son of) Gruffydd
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (Llywelyn son of Gruffydd) or “Llewelyn the Last,” who lived from 1223–1282, was the last sovereign prince of Wales. He was also the last ruler from the Royal House of Gwynedd. He was given the title “Prince of Wales” by Henry III, and he had to fight to keep Wales for the Welsh. In 1282, he rebelled against King Edward I, burning Edward’s castles and fighting his troops. He was killed in 1282 after being tricked into leaving the bulk of his army. From that time on, the heir of the English monarch has borne the title “Prince of Wales.” A stone monument for Llywelyn stands at the village of Cilmeri and reads:
Ein Llyw Olaf—“Our Last Ruler.”
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales 1st Edition by J. Beverley Smith
Gwenllian ferch (daughter of) Llywelyn
Llywelyn’s daughter and only child, Gwenllian, the last in his line, was taken at six months of age to a convent in Sempringham, England. There, she was held until her death 54 years later. Her imprisonment not only prevented her from marrying and producing heirs but also hid her away from the outside world. Because Gwenllian was taken so young, she never learned any Welsh and did not even know her name’s correct pronunciation or spelling. Her name is written as “Wencilian” in a document written to Edward III at the time of Gwenllian’s death.
The princess died in June of 1337, a few days before her 55th birthday.
In 1993, a plaque was placed near Saint Andrew’s Church in Sempringham which reads:
“In memory of Gwenllian, Daughter of the last Prince of Wales
Born at Abergwyngregyn 12.6.1282
Died at Sempringham 7.6.1337
Having been held prisoner for 54 years”
In 2009, a peak in the Snowdonia mountain range, Carnedd Uchaf, was renamed Carnedd Gwenllian on the 26th of September to preserve the memory of Wales’ “lost princess.”
Owain Glyndwr
In 1400, after more than a century of subjugation by the English crown, Wales found itself under its own rule again, if only for a brief time. Owain Glyndwr is perhaps one of the most revered and invoked Welsh historical figures to this day. He was descended from several ancient royal houses and well-connected in society. Glyndwr served in the army of King Richard II against the Scots. When Henry IV seized power and refused to hear Glyndwr’s grievances regarding a local dispute, the situation quickly escalated to a national uprising. With assistance in his cause from his fellow countrymen and other Welsh nobles, Glyndwr proclaimed himself Prince of Wales. Henry responded and dispatched an army.
Glyndwr managed to elude the English for several years, and by 1403, much of Wales was under his control. In 1404, he was crowned Prince. Though the rebels were defeated in 1409, Glyndwr managed to retreat to central Wales. He died a free man around 1415, his legendary status intact.
A great question at this point is why have we been speaking of “Princes of Wales” and not kings? Shouldn’t Llywelyn the Last and Owain Glyndwr have declared themselves kings instead since they wanted to rule the land completely? The answer lay in the year 1063 when the last King of Wales was in power. This king was Gruffudd ap Llywelyn.
Owain Glyndŵr: The Story of the Last Prince of Wales by Terry Breverton
Gruffudd ap Llywelyn
Gruffudd united all the territories that comprise modern Wales. He was a man of incredible influence in his time. This eventually earned him the title of “King Gruffudd, sole and preeminent ruler of the British.” However, not all those under his control favored him, especially leaders in conquered localities. Gruffudd’s own countrymen betrayed and beheaded him. Those who had turned against him submitted Wales to King Edward and Earl Harold of England. Then, with Normans and Vikings invading, the remaining kings of Wales (kings of smaller segments) were at each other’s throats in a confusing civil war. The last man to hold the title “King of the Britons” was not a Welshman but William the Conqueror. He was the first Norman King of England.
As Welsh royals slowly regrouped and tried to bring order, those ambitious to hold some degree of power used the less powerful title “prince” to set them apart from their fellow “kings.” The royals used “Prince” since that time.
These Welsh historical figures no doubt shared ancestry with the Beaker Folk and, to a smaller extent, the original inhabitants of Britain. They shaped Wales and live on in the hearts and minds of the Welsh people today. Even after all these years, their bloodlines endure. Currently, 25% of Welsh men (hundreds of thousands of people) can trace their lineage to ancient kings and warlords.
This post was about the Celts, the Beaker Folk, Neolithic farmers, and ancient Welsh people who contributed to Welsh heritage.
You may also enjoy the Copper and Cobalt Trilogy, a fantasy series set in North Wales. Click here for all eReader formats: Universal Book Link and here for Amazon Kindle and paperback: Amazon
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