Agricola
King of Dyfed
Welsh name: Aergul Lawhir
The “Aircol” of the genealogies is assumed to be a version of the name Latin name Agricola. Gildas (31) calls the father of Vortiporius a good king. Aircol Lawhir is associated in the Liber Landavensis with several gifts of land to St. Teilo (Evans 125-130; Lloyd 1:132). Agricola is said to have been “of Irish descent, a member of the tribe known the Déisi” (Baldwin LaI). The epithet Lawhir means “Long hand”.
Events
Date of Birth: about 460.
This estimated date is given by Bartrum (EVWG [20]).
Date of Death: about 542.
This estimated date is given by Bartrum (EVWG [20]).
Relationships
Father: Tryffin.
Bartrum (EVWG [20]) shows Tryffin, which is supported by traditional genealogies. (The oldest, the "Expulsion of the Deisi", was probably first written down in the mid 700s (Kirby, p. 86)). Baldwin (LaI) notes that nothing more about Tryffin is known than his name, if accurate. Before Tryffin, different genealogies give very different lines. Guy argues that the consistency between different Welsh genealogical manuscripts in giving the line back to Tryffin suggests that they were based on an archive of early medieval documents that once existed at the monastery of St Davids. He states that "Tryffin is a likely candidate for the representative of the limit of historical memory at the time that the archive was initiated." The name "Tryffin" derives from the latin "Tribunus" (Bartrum 1993).
Mother: unknown
Spouse: unknown.
Children:
References
Baldwin, Stewart. Llywelyn ap Iorwerth ancestor table. (Hosted at Rootsweb.ancestry.com. Accessed 18 May 2014).
Bartrum, Peter C (ed.) Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts. (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1968).
The sources Bartrum gives for Agricola include:
Harleian MS. 3859 -- dated to about the 980s:
2. “[O]uein map Elen merc Ioumarc map Himeyt map Tancoyslt merc Ouein map Margetiut map Teudos map Regin map Catgocaun map Cathen map Cloten map Nougoy map Arthur map Petr map Cincar map Guortepir map Aircol map Triphun (map) Clotri map Gloitguin map Nimet map Dimet map Maxim gulecic (map) Protec (map) Protector (map) Ebiud map Eliud (map) Stater (map) Pincr misser map Constans map Constantini et Helen luicdauc que de Britannia exiunt ad crucem Christi querendam usque ad Ierusalem, et inde attulit secum usque ad Constantinopolin, et est ibi usque in hodiernum diem”;
Bodleian MS. Rawlinson B. 502 -- a 12th century MS narrating the expulsion of the Déisi, some of whom migrated to south-west Wales: “Luid Eochaid mac Arttchuip dar muir cona chlaind hi crich Demed, conid ann atbathatar a maic 7 a hui. Conid dib cenel Crimthaind allae, diata Tualodor mac Rígin maic Catacuind maic Caittienn maic Clotenn maic Maee maic Artuir maic Retheoir maic Cangair maic Gartbuir maic Alchoil maic Trestin maic Aeda Brosc maic Corath maic Echach Almuir maic Artthchuirp;
Bodleian MS. Laud 610 -- a 15 century version of the above: “...Tualodar mac Rigind maic Catien maic Clothienn maic Noé maic Artuir maic Petuir maic Congair maic Goirtiben maic Alcon maic Tresund maic Aeda maic Brosc maic Corach maic Echdach Allmair maic Airtchuirp;”
Jesus College MS. 20 -- dated to the last part of the 14th century:
12. “...Ciengar merch Maredud m. Teudos, o gantref Teudos. Teudos [m. Rein] m. Gwgawn m. Cathen m. Eleothen m. Nennue m. Arthur m. Peder. Arthur m. Peder m. Kyngar m. Gwrdeber m. Erbin m. Aircol lawhir;”
30.
Achau Brenhinoedd a Thywysogion Cymru -- probably compiled in the early 1400s:
18a. “Iwein ap Elen ferch Llywarch ap Hyfeidd ap Tangwystyl ferch Ewein ap Maredudd ap Tewdos [ap Rhain] ap Kadwgon ap Kathen ap Gwlyddian ap Nowy ap Arthur ap Pedyr ap Kyngar ap Gwerthefyr ap Erbin ap Aergul (ap) Llawir ap Tryffin ap Ewein ap Gwledyr ferch Gletwin ap Nyfedd ap Dyved ap Ebynt ap Elynt ap Amloyd ap Amweryd ap Kustennin ap Maxen wledig;”
The Text of the Book of Llan Dav p. 125
The Black Book of Carmarthen [Airgwl is mentioned in 69.17]
Canu Taliesin
Bartrum, Peter C.,“[20]” in An Electronic Version of Welsh Genealogies AD 300-1500. [The sources Bartrum cites for Agricola are his own Early Welsh Genealogical Tracts and The Text of the Book of Llan Dav.]
Bartrum, Peter C. A Welsh Classical Dictionary (1993).
Evans, J Gwenogvryn (ed). The Black Book of Carmarthen (1906).
Evans, J Gwenoguryn (ed.). The Text of the Book of Llan Dav (Oxford: 1893).
Gildae De Excidio Britanniae. (Hugh Williams ed.) (London:1899).
Guy, Ben. "The Earliest Welsh Genealogies: Textual Layering and the Phenomenon of 'Pedigree Growth'" in Early Medieval Europe, 2018.
Guy, Ben. Medieval Welsh Genealogy. (The Boydell Press, 2020).
From Guy’s attempted recreation of the St David’s recension of the Gwynedd collection of genealogies as it might have existed in the tenth century, based on the Harleian genealogies:
2. [O]uein map [H]elen merc [L]oumarc map Himeyt map Tancoys[tl] merc Ouein map Margetiut map Teudos map Regin map Catgocaun map Cathen map Cloten map Nougoy map Arthur map Petr map Cincar map Gourtepir map Aircol map Triphun map Clotri map Gloitguin map Nimet map Dimet map Maxim Gule[t]ic map Protec map Protector map Ebiud map Eliud map Stater map Pincr Misser map Constans map Constantini magni map Constantii et Helen Lui[t]dauc, que de Brittania exuit ad crucem Christi querendam usque ad Ierusalem, et inde attulit secum usque ad Constantinopolin, et est ibi usque in hodiernum diem.
Kirby, D.P. “British Dynastic History in the Pre-Viking Period” in The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies 28 (i) (University of Wales Press, 1976) pp. 81-114.
Lloyd, John Edward. A History of Wales. 2 volumes (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1911-1912).
Sims-Williams, Patrick. The Celtic Inscriptions of Britain. (Oxford: Blackwell, 2003).
Williams, Ifor (ed.), Canu Taliesin (University of Wales Press, 2000).