Breteuil, Roger of (fl. 1071-1075)
Earl of Hereford, son of William fitz Osbern; inherited the title on his father's death in 1071. In 1075 he joined the last two Englishmen of high rank left after the Conquest, Waltheof of Northumbria and Ralf, son of the earl of East Anglia, in rebellion against William I. They appealed for Danish help but none was forthcoming, and there was little support in England either. The revolt was easily suppressed: Roger suffered the Norman penalty for treason and was imprisoned for the rest of his life, forfeiting his lands (Ralf escaped abroad and Waltheof suffered the English penalty for treason - death). His sons were also disinherited. William appointed no new earl of Hereford after that, and the Norman momentum in south Wales suffered a check with the fall of the house of Breteuil. [G.R.]
[R.R. Davies, Lloyd, Walker]
[R.R. Davies, Lloyd, Walker]
Bronllys: Castle
Probably constructed after 1144 when Cantref Selyf was granted to Walter Clifford of Clifford castle east of Hay. It consisted of a circular keep or tower and a bailey to the north. A fire at the castle in 1165 while Clifford was entertaining his overlord Earl Mile of Hereford led to the collapse of some masonry and the death of the earl. The castle was attacked by subsequent rebellions but was not taken. It became royal property in 1399 and was granted as a stewardship to Nicholas Poyntz, lord of Tretower in 1444. By the 16th century it was in a state of disrepair and only used as an occasional prison.
[Remfry; B]
[Remfry; B]
Bronllys: Pontywal Manor
Howell Harris claimed to have 'built Pontywall House' in 1759. But it is mostly C19, apparently incorporating older work, possibly of a chapel with burial ground. The building was taken over by Powys Health Authority in 1974 for the use of Powys Health Headquarters, and previous to that it was a nursing home.
[Jones III, p36, B Vol X (1964) p158 - see photocopies on Enquiry file 21/4P]
[Jones III, p36, B Vol X (1964) p158 - see photocopies on Enquiry file 21/4P]
Bronllys: Open field system
The 1839 tithe map for the parish of Bronllys shows a large area of narrow strip fields to the north-east of the village, and the tithe apportionment refers this area the "Cole Brook Common Field". This represents is a survival of a medieval strip field system. The strips were shared out so that villagers got a share of the better and poorer land. In 1839 all the holders of the strips were tenants of local estate owners like the Earl of Ashburnham and Colonel Wood the M.P. for the county.
Similar open fields survived elsewhere in Bronllys parish and at Llyswen. The common was enclosed and by the time of 1887 Ordnance Survey map the area of strip fields (now called Coldbrook) was replaced with larger rectangular fields.
Similar open fields survived elsewhere in Bronllys parish and at Llyswen. The common was enclosed and by the time of 1887 Ordnance Survey map the area of strip fields (now called Coldbrook) was replaced with larger rectangular fields.
Bryan Smith, Mr Monty (d.1980)
A Mid-Wales bookseller. The son of Mr & Mrs Ernest Bryan Smith, whose family once owned Ye Wells Hotel, Llandrindod, which later became Radnor Further Education College. He was educated at Shrewsbury and Birmingham Art School, and joined the London store, Peter Jones, as an interior design advisor. He joined the army at the outbreak of WWII before transferring to the RAF to train as a pilot. Health reasons meant he failed to qualify and continued as a Flt. Sgt gunner in Bomber Command on many raids over Germany. After the War he opened his bookshop in Llandrindod Wells. Soo after he contracted polio and was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He was a founder member of the local art club and opened a small gallery to encourage local artists to display their works. He died in 1980 and was survived by his sister Miss Sheila Bryan Smith.
[Newspaper cutting - held by Llandrindod Museum]
[Newspaper cutting - held by Llandrindod Museum]
Brychan, King and saint (fl. 5th c.)
Semi-legendary King, founder of Brycheiniog, and saint. Son of King Anllach of Garthmadrun and Marchel, his Queen. Brychan was born in Ireland but, soon afterward, his parents moved Wales, to Y Fenni-Fach, then Marchel's homeland of Garthmadrun. He was sent to the court of the Irish King of Powys where he had a son by the King’s daughter. He was later made King of Garthmadryn on Anllach’s death. His reign was so successful that the kingdom was renamed Brycheiniog in his honour. He was a saintly King dedicated to the Christian Church and its teachings. He married three times and had so many saintly children they are almost impossible to count. Different sources give different lists but the total is usually something around twenty-four sons and twenty-four daughters. He defended his kingdom many times but is said to have retired to be a hermit and died in the mid-5th century and was buried on Ynys Brychan (Lundy Island).
[B; Jones]
[B; Jones]
Brycheiniog
The first clear evidence for the kingdom of Brycheiniog appear in the C8, when the Llandaff charters associate kings of Brycheiniog with properties on the upper waters of the Usk, near Llan-gors, Llandeilo’r Fân and Llanfihangel Cwm Du. It is hard to detect the fate of the kingdom. It the 8th century it may have been associated with Dyfed (as shared names in the genealogies for three generations would indicate), but this is unprovable. King Elise of Brycheiniog suffered from raids from Gwynedd in the 9th century and sought English protection. This connection was sustained into the 10th century with Brecon kings attending the English court in 934, even though in 916 Æthelflæd of Mercia had attacked and captured the queen. “We last hear of grants made by the king of Brycheiniog round about 925, when King Tewdwr, son of Elise, stole the bishop’s foodrent and eventually agreed to a judgment at Llan-gors and to the compensation addressed, although it was subsequently commuted to a land grant” [Davies, p.108]. After this there is no evidence of what happened until the arrival of the Norman Bernard de Neufmarché 1088-1093, although the fact that the ruler of Deheubarth, Rhys ap Tewdwr, was killed at Brecon resisting the Normans indicates that Brycheiniog was under the sway of Deheubarth at the time. See under Brecon, lordship of. [G.R.]
[W. Davies]
[W. Davies]