HOW MANY CANTREDS, ROYAL PALACES, AND CATHEDRALS THERE ARE IN WALES
SOUTH WALES contains twenty-nine cantreds; North Wales, twelve; Powys,
six: many of which are at this time in the possession of the English and
Franks. For the country now called Shropshire formerly belonged to
Powys, and the place where the castle of Shrewsbury stands bore the name
of Pengwern, or the head of the Alder Grove. There were three royal
seats in South Wales: Dinevor, in South Wales, removed from Caerleon;
Aberfraw, {158b} in North Wales; and Pengwern, in Powys.
Wales contains in all fifty-four cantreds. The word _Cantref_ is derived
from _Cant_, a hundred, and _Tref_, a village; and means in the British
and Irish languages such a portion of land as contains a hundred vills.
There are four cathedral churches in Wales: St. David’s, upon the Irish
sea, David the archbishop being its patron: it was in ancient times the
metropolitan church, and the district only contained twenty-four
cantreds, though at this time only twenty-three; for Ergengl, in English
called Urchenfeld, {159a} is said to have been formerly within the
diocese of St. David’s, and sometimes was placed within that of Landaff.
The see of St. David’s had twenty-five successive archbishops; and from
the time of the removal of the pall into France, to this day, twenty-two
bishops; whose names and series, as well as the cause of the removal of
the archiepiscopal pall, may be seen in our Itinerary. {159b}
In South Wales also is situated the bishopric of Landaff, near the Severn
sea, and near the noble castle of Caerdyf; bishop Teilo being its patron.
It contains five cantreds, and the fourth part of another, namely,
Senghennyd.
In North Wales, between Anglesey and the Eryri mountains, is the see of
Bangor, under the patronage of Daniel, the abbot; it contains about nine
cantreds.
In North Wales also is the poor little cathedral of Llan-Elwy, or St.
Asaph, containing about six cantreds, to which Powys is subject.