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world) given to it. " Chairs " (with which the Eisteddfod as a national institution is now inseparably connected) were also established, or rather perhaps resuscitated, about the same time. The See also:

CHAIR (in. Mid. Eng. chcere, through O. Fr. chaire or chaiere, from Lat. cathedra, later caledra, Gr. xaOi3pa, seat, cf. "cathedral"; the modern Fr. form chaise, a chair, has been adopted in English with a particular meaning as a form of carriage; chaire

chair was a See also:

KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of See also:

convention where disciples were trained, and bardic matters discussed preparatory to the See also:

GREAT

great Gorsedd, each chair having a distinctive motto. There are now existing four chairs in Wales,—namely, the " royal " chair of Powys, whose motto is " A laddo a ]eddir " (He that slayeth shall be slain) ; that of Gwent and Glamorgan, whose motto is " Duw a phob daioni " (See also:

God and all goodness); that of Dyfed, whose motto is " Calon wrth galon " (See also:

Heart with heart); and that of Gwynedd, or See also:

North Wales, 'whose motto is " Iesu," or " O lesu! na'd gamwaith " (Jesus, or Oh Jesus! suffer not iniquity). The first Eisteddfod of which any See also:

account seems to have descended to us was one held on the See also:

banks of the See also:

Conway in the 6th century, under the auspices of Maelgwn Gwynedd, See also:

prince of North Wales. Maelgwn on this occasion, in See also:

order to prove the superiority of vocal See also:

SONG

song over instrumental music, is recorded to have offered a See also:

REWARD

reward to such bards and minstrels as should swim over the Conway. There were several competitors, but on their arrival on the opposite See also:

SHORE

shore the harpers found themselves unable to See also:

PLAY

play owing to the injury their harps had sustained from the See also:

WATER

water, while the bards were in as See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good tune as ever. See also:

King Cadwaladr also presided at an Eisteddfod about the See also:

MIDDLE

middle of the 7th century. See also:

GRIFFITH, SIR RICHARD JOHN (1784-1878)

Griffith ap Cynan, prince of North Wales, who had been See also:

BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born in See also:

Ireland, brought with him from that country many Irish musicians, who greatly improved the music of Wales.

During his See also:

long reign of 56 years he offered great encouragement to bards, harpers and minstrels, and framed a See also:

CODE (Lat. codex)

code of laws for their better regulation. He held an Eisteddfod about the beginning of the 12th century at Caerwys in Flintshire, " to which there repaired all the musicians of Wales, and some also from See also:

England and See also:

Scotland." For many years afterwards the Eisteddfod appears to have been held triennially, and to have enforced the rigid observance of the enactments of Griffith ap Cynan. The places at which it was generally held were Aherffraw, formerly the royal seat of the princes of North Wales; Dynevor, the royal See also:

castle of the princes of See also:

South Wales; and Mathrafal, the royal See also:

PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace of the princes of Powys; and in later times 1 According to the Welsh Triads and other See also:

HISTORICAL

historical records, the Gorsedd or See also:

ASSEMBLY, UNLAWFUL

assembly (an essential See also:

PART

part of the See also:

MODERN

modern Eisteddfod, from which indeed the latter sprung) is as old at least as the time of Prydain the son of A dd the Great, who lived many centuries before the See also:

Christian era. Upon the destruction of the See also:

POLITICAL

political ascendancy of the See also:

DRUIDS, ORDER OF

Druids, the Gorsedd lost its political importance, though it seems to have long afterwards retained its institutional character as the See also:

MEDIUM

medium for preserving the laws, doctrines and traditions of bardism. Caerwys in Flintshire received that See also:

HONOURABLE (Fr. honorable, from Lat. honorabilis, worthy of honour)

honourable distinction, it having been the princely See also:

RESIDENCE (Latin residere, to remain behind, to dwell, reside)

residence of See also:

LLEWELYN

Llewelyn the Last. Some of these Eisteddfodau were conducted in a See also:

style of great magnificence, under the patronage of the native princes. At See also:

CHRISTMAS (i.e. the Mass of Christ)

Christmas 1 107 Cadwgan, the son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, prince of Powys, held an Eisteddfod in See also:

Cardigan Castle, to which he invited the bards, harpers and minstrels, " the best to be found in all Wales "; and " he gave them chairs and subjects of emulation according to the See also:

CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom of the feasts of King See also:

Arthur." In 1176 Rhys ab Gruffydd, prince of South Wales, held an Eisteddfod in the same castle on a See also:

scale of still greater magnificence, it having been proclaimed, we are told, a See also:

YEAR

year before it took See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place, " over Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland and many other countries." On the See also:

ANNEXATION (Lat. ad, to, and nexus, joining)

annexation of Wales to England, See also:

EDWARD

Edward I. deemed it politic to See also:

SANCTION (Lat. sanctia, from sancire, to decree or ordain)

sanction the bardic Eisteddfod by his famous See also:

STATUTE

statute of Rhuddlan. In the reign of Edward III. Ifor Hael, a South Wales chieftain, held one at his See also:

MANSION (through O. Fr. mansion, mod. maison, from Lat. mansio, dwelling-place, stage on a journey; manere, to remain)

mansion. Another was held in 1451, with the permission of the king, by Griffith ab See also:

Nicholas at See also:

CARMARTHEN (Caerfyrddin)

Carmarthen, in princely style, where Dafydd ab See also:

Edmund, an eminent poet, signalized himself by his wonderful See also:

POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers of versification in the Welsh metres, and whence " he carried See also:

home on his shoulders the See also:

SILVER

silver chair " which he had fairly won. Several Eisteddfodau, were held, one at least by royal See also:

MANDATE (Mandatum)

mandate, in the reign of See also:

Henry VII. In 1523 one was held at Caerwys before the See also:

chamberlain of North Wales and others, by virtue of a See also:

COMMISSION (from Lat. commissio, committere)

commission issued by Henry VIII.

In the course of time, through relaxation of bardic discipline, the profession was assumed by unqualified persons, to the great detriment of the See also:

REGULAR

regular bards. Accordingly in 1567 See also:

Queen See also:

Elizabeth issued a commission for holding an Eisteddfod at Caerwys in the following year, which was duly held, when degrees were conferred on See also:

J5(z)

J5 candidates, including 20 harpers. From the terms of the royal See also:

PROCLAMATION (Lat. proclamare, to make public by announcement)

proclamation we find that it was then customary to bestow " a silver See also:

HARP (Fr. harpe; Ger. Harfe; Ital. arpa)

harp " on the chief of the See also:

FACULTY (through the French, from the Lat. facultas, ability to do anything, from facilis, easy, facere, to do; another form of the word in Lat. facilitas, facility, ease, keeps the original meaning)

faculty of musicians, as it had been usual to reward the chief See also:

BARD

bard with " a silver chair." This was the last Eisteddfod appointed by royal commission, but several others of some importance were held during the 16th and 17th centuries, under the patronage of the See also:

EARL

earl of See also:

Pembroke, See also:

Sir See also:

Richard See also:

Neville, and other influential persons. Amongst these the last of any particular See also:

note was one held in Bewper Castle, Glamorgan, by Sir Richard See also:

BASSET, or BASSETTE

Basset in 1681. During the succeeding 130 years Welsh See also:

NATIONALITY

nationality was at its lowest ebb, and no general Eisteddfod on a large scale appears to have been held until 1819, though several small ones were held under the auspices of the Gwy'neddigion Society, established in 1771,—the most important being those at See also:

CORWEN (" the white choir ")

Corwen (1789), St See also:

ASAPH

Asaph (1790) and Caerwys (1798). At the close of the See also:

NAPOLEONIC

Napoleonic See also:

WARS

wars, however, there was a general revival of Welsh nationality, and numerous Welsh See also:

LITERARY

literary See also:

SOCIETIES, LEARNED

societies were established throughout Wales, and in the See also:

PRINCIPAL

principal See also:

ENGLISH

English towns. A large Eisteddfod was held under distinguished patronage at Carmarthen in 1819, and from that time to the present they have been held (together with numerous See also:

LOCAL

local Eisteddfodau), almost without intermission, annually. The Eisteddfod at See also:

LLANGOLLEN

Llangollen in 1858 is memorable for its archaic character, and the attempts then made to revive the ancient ceremonies, and restore the ancient See also:

VESTMENTS

vestments of druids, bards and ovates. To constitute a provincial Eisteddfod it is necessary that it should be proclaimed by a graduated bard of a Gorsedd a year and a See also:

day before it takes place. A local one may be held without such a proclamation. A provincial Eisteddfod generally lasts three, sometimes four days. A See also:

PRESIDENT (Fr. president, from Lat. praesidens, post-Augustan Lat. for praeses, director, ruler, from praesidere, to sit in front of, preside)

president and a conductor are appointed for each day.

The proceedings commence with a Gorsedd See also:

MEETING (from " to meet," to come together, assemble, 0. Eng. metals ; cf. Du. moeten, Swed. mota, Goth. gamotjan, &c., derivatives of the Teut. word for a meeting, seen in O. Eng. Wit, moot, an assembly of the people; cf. witanagemot)

meeting, opened with See also:

sound of See also:

trumpet and other ceremonies, at which candidates come forward and receive bardic degrees after satisfying the presiding bard as to their fitness. At the subsequent meetings the president gives a brief address; the bards follow with poetical addresses; adjudications are made, and prizes and medals with suitable devices are given to the successful competitors for poetical, musical and See also:

PROSE

prose compositions, for the best choral and See also:

SOLO, OR SOLO WHIST

solo singing, and singingwiththe harp or "Pennillion singing "1 as it is called, for the best playing on the harp or stringed or See also:

wind See also:

INSTRUMENTS

instruments, as well as occasionally for the best specimens of handicraft and See also:

art. In the evening of each day a See also:

CONCERT (through the French from Lat. con-, with, and certare, to strive)

concert is given, generally attended by very large See also:

numbers. The great day of the Eisteddfod is the " chair " day —usually the third or last day—the See also:

GRAND

grand event of the Eisteddfod being the See also:

ADJUDICATION (Lat. adjudicatio; adjudicare, to award)

adjudication on the chair subject, and the chairing and See also:

INVESTITURE (Late Lat. investitura)

investiture of the fortunate winner. This is the highest See also:

OBJECT

object of a Welsh bard's ambition. The ceremony is an imposing one, and is performed with sound of trumpet. (See also the articles BARD, See also:

CELT: See also:

CELTIC

Celtic Literature, and WALES.) (R.

End of Article: EISTEDDFOD (plural Eisteddfodau)

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