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Yn hanesyddol, roedd Cymru wedi’i rhannu’n system hierarchaidd o raniadau tir seciwlar a ddefnyddid i weithredu a gweinyddu cyfraith Cymru. Roedd tirwedd Cymru’r Oesoedd Canol wedi’i rhannu’n gantrefi, a oedd yn eu tro wedi’u rhannu’n gymydau llai o faint, a oedd yn eu tro wedi’u rhannu’n faenorau a threfi (pentrefi).
Rhaniad tir seciwlar yng Nghymru’r Oesoedd Canol oedd cwmwd. Mae’r gair yn tarddu o’r rhagddodiad ‘cym’ (“ynghyd”) a’r enw ‘bod’ (“trigfan”).
Yr uned sylfaenol o dir yng Nghymru’r Oesoedd Canol oedd y dref (anheddiad bach). Roedd cant o drefi’n ffurfio cantref (sef “cant o aneddiadau”). Ond roedd pob cantref wedi’i rannu ymhellach yn gymydau. Yn ddamcaniaethol, roedd pob cantref wedi’i rannu’n dri chwmwd, ond yn ymarferol roedd nifer y cymydau ym mhob cantref yn amrywio’n fawr. Ynghyd â’r cantrefi, câi cymydau eu defnyddio’n bennaf fel canolfannau gweinyddol ar gyfer trefnu amddiffyn a chyfiawnder. Câi pob cwmwd ei lywodraethu gan bennaeth yr oedd ganddo gysylltiadau teuluol neu drwy berthynas â’r Tywysog. Roedd llys y pennaeth mewn tref (anheddiad) arbennig, y cyfeirir ati fel rheol fel maerdref. Er bod gan bob cantref ei lys neu ei gynulliad ei hun, dan reolaeth yr uchelwyr, sef y tirfeddianwyr pwysicaf yn y cantref, maes o law fe ddaeth llys y cwmwd yn gyfrifol am lawer o swyddogaethau llys y cantref.
Ni wyddom ar hyn o bryd pryd y sefydlwyd y gyfundrefn hon o weinyddiaeth ddaearyddol, ond roedd yn gadarn yn ei lle erbyn y 12fed ganrif a byddai’n parhau i gael ei defnyddio hyd nes i siroedd hanesyddol Cymru ddatblygu yn yr 16eg ganrif. Y gred bresennol yw mai’r cantref yw’r uned hynaf o dir a bod y cymydau wedi’u hychwanegu’n ddiweddarach.
1.1 Cefndir
Mae gan Gomisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru rôl genedlaethol arweiniol o ran datblygu a hybu dealltwriaeth o dreftadaeth archaeolegol, adeiledig ac arforol Cymru. Mae’n gyfrifol am gynhyrchu, curaduro a chyflenwi gwybodaeth awdurdodol i helpu unigolion, corfforaethau a’r llywodraeth i wneud penderfyniadau ac er budd ymchwilwyr a’r cyhoedd. Ers ei sefydlu ym 1908 mae’r Comisiwn wedi arwain y gwaith o ymchwilio i’r amgylchedd hanesyddol a welwn o’n cwmpas a’i esbonio. Fel rhan o’i gylch gwaith, bydd y Comisiwn yn gofalu am gasgliad archifol unigryw o ffotograffau, mapiau, delweddau, cyhoeddiadau ac adroddiadau, sef Cofnod Henebion Cenedlaethol Cymru, y gellir ei gyrchu ar ein cronfa ddata ar-lein, Coflein, neu drwy wneud ymholiad i’n Gwasanaethau Ymholiadau. Mae swyddfeydd y Comisiwn Brenhinol yn Aberystwyth ac fe’i noddir gan Lywodraeth Cymru.
Yn 2016, rhoddwyd i Gomisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru y dasg o greu rhestr o feysydd brwydro hanesyddol i Gymru mewn ymateb i Ddeddf yr Amgylchedd Hanesyddol (Cymru) 2016. Prif nod y rhestr hon yw bod yn adnodd deongliadol, addysgol ac ymchwil a fydd yn cynyddu gwybodaeth, yn codi ymwybyddiaeth ac yn ysgogi ymchwil pellach i feysydd brwydro a safleoedd hanesyddol eraill yng Nghymru lle bu gwrthdaro. Fel rhan o’r adnodd hwn, cyflwynwyd elfen fapio i helpu defnyddwyr i leoli a delweddu meysydd brwydro hanesyddol o fewn cyd-destun geo-ofodol. Ond mae her unigryw yn codi wrth ddefnyddio ffynonellau hanesyddol yn bennaf i leoli maes brwydro neu safle gwrthdaro; sut y gall ansicrwydd gael ei fapio? Gall y lleoliadau a gofnodir mewn testunau hanesyddol amrywio o rywle yng Nghymru i le penodol. I ddatrys y dilema hwn bu’n rhaid datblygu system hierarchaidd o sicrwydd, y gellid priodoli pob brwydr iddi. Ar ôl edrych ar y ffynonellau hanesyddol fe sefydlwyd naw lefel o sicrwydd (er enghraifft, brwydrau yr oedd yn hysbys iddynt ddigwydd mewn lleoliad daearyddol penodol megis sir, neu gymuned, neu leoliad penodol megis castell) a nodwyd bod cymydau a chantrefi yn ffynhonnell gwybodaeth allweddol. Mae llawer o ffynonellau hanesyddol sy’n cofnodi meysydd brwydro cyn yr 17eg ganrif yn nodi’n benodol y cwmwd neu gantref lle y bu’r brwydr. Yn bwysicach na hynny, fodd bynnag, drwy sefydlu ffiniau cymydau a chantrefi fe ddarparwyd cyd-destun tirweddol a oedd yn gyfoes â’r cyfnod canoloesol. Felly, roedd hi’n hanfodol i set ddata geo-ofodol ddigidol a oedd yn darlunio ffiniau cymydau a chantrefi gael ei chreu.
Er i’r gronfa ddata o gymydau a chantrefi gael ei chreu’n bennaf ar gyfer y Rhestr o Feysydd Brwydro Hanesyddol, roedd yn amlwg o’r cychwyn cyntaf y byddai’r set ddata hon yn bwysig i unrhyw un a oedd yn gwneud ymchwil hanesyddol a daearyddol yng Nghymru.
1.2 Diweddaru
I sicrhau bod y wybodaeth a ddarperir ar y pyrth Lle a ESRI yn gyfoes, caiff y set ddata hon ei diweddaru bob blwyddyn. I osgoi ailddefnyddio hen ddata, dylai defnyddwyr lawrlwytho’r fersiwn diweddaraf o’r set ddata hon o Lle a ESRI o bryd i’w gilydd.
1.3 Darlunio
Mae’r set ddata hon wedi’i ffurfio’n gyfan gwbl o bolygonau sy’n darlunio ffiniau daearyddol pob cwmwd yng Nghymru. Gall manwl gywirdeb lleoliadol pob polygon amrywio o ganlyniad i ddigido ffynhonell y set ddata, sef Historic Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850. Nid yw manwl gywirdeb lleoliadol ffiniau’r cymydau a chantrefi yn sefydlog o bell ffordd a gall newid wrth i fwy o wybodaeth ddod i law.
1.4 Defnyddio Data
Mae’r holl setiau data a gynhyrchir gan Gomisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru yn gweithredu o dan Hawlfraint y Goron. Trefnwyd i’r set ddata hon fod ar gael o dan y Drwydded Llywodraeth Anfasnachol. I gael mwy o wybodaeth am delerau ac amodau’r drwydded hon ewch ihttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/non-commercial-government-licence/non-commercial-government-licence.htm/
1.5 Gwybodaeth Arall
Gellir cael gwybodaeth bellach am y Comisiwn Brenhinol ar wefan y Comisiwn: https://cbhc.gov.uk/home/. Gellir e-bostio ymholiadau ichc.cymru@cbhc.gov.ukneu ffonio 01970 621200. https://rcahmw.gov.uk/about-us/contact-us/
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Historically, the welsh landscape was divided into a hierarchical system of secular land divisions that were used to implement and administrate welsh law. The landscape of medieval Wales was divided into cantrefi (Cantrefs), which were themselves divided into smaller cymydau (commotes), which were in turn divided into Maenorau and Trefi (villages).
A cwmwd (commote) was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales. The word derives from the ‘cym’ ("together") and the noun ‘bod’ ("abode").
The basic unit of land within Medieval Wales was the tref (a small settlement). In theory a hundred trefi made up a cantref (which translates as "one hundred settlements"). Each cantref however was further divided into commotes. Theoretically, each cantref was divided into three commotes, although in practice the actual numbers of commotes within each cantref varied greatly. Along with cantrefs, commotes were primarily used as administrative centers through which defense and justice were organized. Each commote would have been governed by a chieftain who would have had some links either familial or though kinship to the ruling Prince of the Kingdom. The chieftain’s court would have been situated in a special tref (settlement), usually referred to as a maerdref. Although each cantref would have had its own court or assembly consisting of the uchelwyr (noblemen) the predominant landowners within the cantref, the commotal court later took over many of the functions of the cantref court.
It is not currently known when this system of geographical administration was established, but it was firmly in place by the 11th century and continued in use until the development of the historic counties of Wales in the 16th century.The cantref is currently thought to be the oldest unit of land division, with the commotes being a later addition.
This spatial dataset comprises of polygonal data relating specifically to boundaries of commotes within Wales that has been created by the Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. This dataset is primarily based upon Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, Peniarth MS 147,as printed in J. Gwenogvryn Evans (ed.), Report on Manuscripts in the Welsh LanguageVol I, part ii (London, 1899), pp. 912–20. This source lists the historic parishes belonging to each commote and by extension cantrefs. In addition to this source, other complementary sources such as William Rees, An Historical Atlas of Wales: From early to modern times(Cardiff, 1951) and Melville Richards, Welsh Administrative and Territorial Units (Cardiff, 1969) were also consulted.To digitally generate the boundaries, theHistoric Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850created by Professor Roger Kain and Dr Richard Oliver, on behalf of the School of Geography and Archaeology at the University of Exeter was used. This dataset was downloaded from:
https://discover.ukdataservice.ac.uk/catalogue?sn=4348
The combination of these sources of information has produced the first vector graphic representation of the medieval administrative boundaries of Wales. Although this is the first digital dataset, it is far from comprehensive. It is expected that as further historical landscape research is conducted looking at the development of administrative boundaries of Wales this dataset will evolve to reflect increased knowledge.
1.1 Background
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has a leading national role in developing and promoting understanding of the archaeological, built and maritime heritage of Wales, as the originator, curator and supplier of authoritative information for individual, corporate and governmental decision makers, researchers, and the general public.Since it was established in 1908, the Royal Commission has led the way in researching and explaining the historic environment we see around us. As part of its remit, the Royal Commission holds a unique collection of photographs, maps, images, publications and reports within its archive, The National Monuments Record of Wales, which can be consulted on our online database Coflein or by making an enquiry to our Enquiry Services section. The Royal Commission is based in Aberystwyth and is sponsored by the Welsh Government.
In 2016, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales was tasked with creating an inventory of historic battlefields for Wales in response to the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016. The primary aim of this inventory is to be an interpretative, educational and research resource aimed at increasing knowledge, raising awareness and prompting further research on battlefields and other historic conflict sites in Wales. As part of this resource, a mapping element was introduced to help users locate and visualize historic battlefields within a geospatial context. However locating a battlefield or site of conflict chiefly using historical sources presented unique a challenge; how can uncertainty be mapped? The locations recorded within historic texts and sources can range from somewhere within Wales down to a specific place or location. To solve this dilemma it was necessary to develop hierarchical system of certainty, from which each battle could be attributed too. From looking at the historical sources, nine levels of certainty where established of which Commotes and Cantrefs where identified as being a key information source; not only as a with regards to sources that specifically mention within which commote or cantref had taken place, more importantly they also provided a landscape context that was contemporary with the medieval period. Therefore, the creation of a digital geospatial dataset that depicted the boundaries of both Commotes and Cantrefs was essential.
Although the commotes and cantrefs dataset was created primarily for the Historic Battlefield Inventory, it was evident from the outset that this dataset would be important for anyone looking to do research within Wales, both historical and geographical.
1.2 Frequency of Update
To ensure that the information that is provided on the lle& Esriportalsis up to date, this dataset will be updated on an annual basis. To avoid re-using old data, users should periodically download the latest version of this dataset from lleor ESRI.
1.3 Depictions
This dataset comprises entirely polygons which depict the geographical boundaries of all the commotes of Wales. The positional accuracy of each polygon may vary due to the digitization of the source of dataset, the Historic Parishes of England and Wales: an Electronic Map of Boundaries before 1850. The positional accuracy of the boundaries of commotes and cantrefs is by no means static and could be subject to change due to advancements in knowledge.
1.4 Use of Data
All of the datasets produced by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales operate under crown copyright. This dataset has been made available under Non-Commercial Government License. For more information on the terms and conditions of this license please visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/non-commercial-government-licence/non-commercial-government-licence.htm/
1.5 Other Information
Further information regarding the Royal Commission can be found on the Commission’s website https://rcahmw.gov.uk/home/. All enquiries can be directed to - Email: nmr.wales@rcahmw.gov.uk, Tel: 01970 621200. https://rcahmw.gov.uk/about-us/contact-us/
The National Monuments Record can be accessed online for free by using Coflien, the online database for the National Monuments Record http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en
Further information about the Historic Battlefields inventory can be found online at http://battlefields.rcahmw.gov.uk/