Talk:Cyfraith Hywel

Celtic law
The article on Celtic law only deals with Ireland at the moment and covers the same ground as the Brehon law article. It should probably cover the similarities between Irish and Welsh law, together with any available information from e.g. pre-Roman Gaul.

To make a start on this, the current content of "Celtic law" needs to be merged into the Brehon law article, but I'm not sure how reliable some of it is. Rhion 09:43, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

GA promoted
Magnificent, I'm happy with what I read. Lincher 03:48, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Start a new article called Wales Law
This is how I would acknowledge Wales's new powers which we will have next year, in order to stop confusion between the laws of Hywel Dda, our Welsh Assembly Law Making Powers should be called "Wales Law". I also believe that Wales law should not be called "Welsh Assembly Law" as a title like that would make the new law making powers sound like they only apply to the Assembly. Wales has it's own court circuit now, and we should recognise that under a new Article, name it "Wales Law". (Just an idea).

Amlder20 11:25, 2 October 2006 (UTC)


 * Well, the actual laws will be called Measures of the National Assembly for Wales (Assembly Measures), or Acts of the National Assembly for Wales (Acts of the Assembly).  I don't think "Welsh law" vs "Wales law" is terribly obvious, and some more disambiguation would be needed rather than just using a noun or an adjective.  (after all, we have English law not England law).  Morwen - Talk 11:29, 2 October 2006 (UTC)


 * Well that does not seem so bad, but I would not suggest setting up the article as of yet until we have more knowledge on how these laws will work in Wales. My suggestion was just an idea remember. Amlder20 19:44, 2 October 2006 (UTC)


 * Sure. It remains to be seen how much this will change the legal analysis: I daresay that it will be more like "England and Wales law that applies only in Wales" rather than being a separate legal system like Scotland does.  Morwen - Talk 22:12, 13 October 2006 (UTC)


 * Just hope with these new powers we can make a difference, but we talkabout new laws, it will also depend on what Government sits at the National Assembly too. It will depend on them how the law making powers we will have be used. In a small way I would like to agree but there will be some differences in the way these laws will appear, for example they are drafted by the Welsh Assembly and then passed onto the UK Parliament, but the Acts (if we win a referendum in the future) will clearly show that Wales will have it's own laws - but still no court legal system as such or our own criminal laws. 82.11.221.164 17:41, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I have a better idea, why not add a title on this page and call it Modern Welsh law instead of creating another article on the subject. Afterall it may not be the same law as Hywel Dda's but it will apply to the same country. Amlder20 13:52, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

Contemporary Welsh Law would work well for a tittle too. Drachenfyre 23:38, 24 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Looking at that suggestion I think it looks like a good title. Contemporary Welsh Law, I'd support this article after May 2007, even though I have been told that these new laws will have to be judicially noticed in full and all lawyers in Wales would be required to learn it. Amlder20 19:18, 17 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Actually guys I am going to start feeling sorry for all the lawyers based in Wales, with all that law to learn and to remember which law they come under. Anyway guys keep my posted using my Talk page on my wikipedia user page. Amlder20 18:00, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

Welsh Measures
I think if someone started the Contemporary Welsh Law article now it would be a good basis for when these laws are in operation. I say the article on Contemporary Welsh law should describe the origins of this law and the article Measures of the National Assembly for Wales should contain each peice of approved legislation passed each year. Amlder20 11:25, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Court officials
Is it possible to get the list of court officials and what their titles were in Welsh?

The first part of the laws deal with the rights and duties of the king and the officers of the king's court. The order of precedence is set down, first the king, then the queen and then the edling, the designated heir of the king. Then come the officers of the court. The Iorwerth Redaction identifies twenty-four, of whom sixteen are the king's officers and eight the queen's officers. First in rank was the captain of the household troops, then the priest of the household, then the steward followed by the chief falconer, the court justice, the chief groom and the chamberlain. A list of additional officers follows, including such officers as the groom of the rein, the porter, the bakeress and the laundress. Each officer's entitlements and obligations are listed.

Drachenfyre 05:55, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

GA on hold
This article has been reviewed as part of WikiProject Good articles/Project quality task force in an effort to ensure all listed Good articles continue to meet the Good article criteria. In reviewing the article, I have found there are some issues that may need to be addressed.

The issue:

The article is referenced unevenly. I marked unreferenced sentences and paragraphs with tags.

I will check back in no less than seven days. If progress is being made and issues are addressed, the article will remain listed as a Good article. Otherwise, it may be delisted (such a decision may be challenged through WP:GAR). If improved after it has been delisted, it may be nominated at WP:GAN. Feel free to drop a message on my talk page if you have any questions, and many thanks for all the hard work that has gone into this article thus far. Regards, Ruslik 08:37, 25 September 2007 (UTC)

There has been no answer for seven days. Now I am going to delist this article. I actually think that the article is interesting and comprehensive one and can have been saved. Ruslik 10:27, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Other Welsh Laws?
Particular laws that I thought applied in wales - I have no citations for these at present

The law being that if a house was built on common land in the time between dusk and sunrise - and there was smoke coming out teh chimney at sunrise. then that house and all the land enclosed by fences was the property of the builder until their death - at which point it reverted to common land.
 * Ty yn y Nos (house in the night)


 * the need to know your ancestry to 7 generations - so that the closest relation to you had to 'take you in/be responsible for you if you were away from home'


 * the right to steal and eat a chicken if you had starved for 3 days, without penalty.


 * Matrilineal inheritance (as the mother was certain - while the father could be in doubt)

I guess these might already be covered under other articles I'll try and chase them down and provide links EdwardLane (talk) 12:50, 5 May 2011 (UTC)


 * See Tŷ unnos to answer the first question. Daicaregos (talk) 13:22, 5 May 2011 (UTC)
 * See Galanas towards an answer to the second question. Daicaregos (talk) 13:44, 5 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Inheritance appears to have been patrilineal, according to John T Koch. The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia (p 452) notes that "As the gwely system did not allow women to inherit land, the land of a man lacking male heirs escheated to his lord." The rule of partible inheritance to land, under Welsh Law, was known as Cyfran. Whereby "a free man's land was divided equally among all his sons, whether born in wedlock or not." (p 183) Daicaregos (talk) 13:55, 5 May 2011 (UTC)


 * For matrilineal inheritance, see the first note in the in "Notes" section of Merfyn Frych, which references Lloyd's discussion of him in the DNB, which refers you the sections treating "mamwys" in the Welsh Laws. Regards, Notuncurious (talk) 14:36, 5 May 2011 (UTC)

google digitised version
This looks to be a digitised version of the entire Cyfraith Hywel EdwardLane (talk) 13:31, 7 July 2015 (UTC)

Hywel Dda Edit-a-thon
A Hywel Dda Edit-a-thon will be held at The National Library of Wales of October 16th, 2015 to focus on improving content relating to Hywel Dda, the Laws of Hywel Dda, and their legacy. Everyone is welcome! Jason.nlw (talk) 11:12, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

Requested move 20 April 2022

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: not moved at this time; no support for the request, which was likely initiated by an editor evading a block. Dekimasu よ! 13:32, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

Cyfraith Hywel → Medieval Welsh law – Commoon name, see, , , etc. See also 'A Glossary of Mediaeval Welsh Law' by Lewis, Timothy 92.67.192.180 (talk) 10:47, 20 April 2022 (UTC) The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
 * Oppose doesn't seem correct to switch from a proper noun/specific topic to a less specific title, and not sure the links definitively show the common name. SportingFlyer  T · C  22:26, 20 April 2022 (UTC)