10th C Welsh

[Malcolm ap Gwilim]

I would like to be a resident of the Kingdom of Gwynedd (i.e. Welsh) approx 900-1000. Looking for what they would wear, what armor style they would use, weapons, etc. There are two Welsh threads, but no real information on them. Would a Welshman wear what the English of the time would have worn?

Thank you for any help!

[Hamish Nisbet]

One of our target archers is giving heavy a try, and would love to see what people might have idea wise for his kit.

[jamesedgarson]

Greetings Gentle,

I would reckon this would be a good place to start: http://heatherrosejones.com/welshfaqs/1 ... .html#10th
Here would be another: http://www.regia.org/welswar.htm

Ok, Wales was a bit out of the way for trade, however, like any frontier they would still have had access to markets, they would still have had smithies, they would still have had to fight and defend themselves. So, as the Norse were stepping up their invasions, it stands to reason if you were a noble you would have a coat of maille, a helm similar to what the Franks were wearing, a round shield with center boss, you probably would have fought with spear and shield, straight short bladed sword, axes, if one could not afford maille a stout coat of leather would work well. They would have worn a long dagger as well, seems to be very common in the British Isles. Their influences would have been Mercia to the East (if they could get across Offa's Dyke), Strathclyde/Cumbria to the north, the Irish realms to the west over the water, Wessex to the south across the Severn Sea. As always, the wealthy had the best gear and the poor died on their spear tips. Nothing really changes.

[Gwynnin]

A bit later, but you see rectangular cloaks and strap on (bossless) medium small round shields in illustrations. The men of Gwynnydd were famous for their skill with the spear. Look at the laws of Hywl Da, they were first codified in the 10th C. though all our extant copies are 13th c or later

[Matthew Amt]

Greetings Gentle,

I would reckon this would be a good place to start: http://heatherrosejones.com/welshfaqs/1 ... .html#10th

One notable thing said on that page is that we simply don't have very good information. There were probably differences, at least subtle ones, between Welsh and English clothing, but we don't know what those differences were. Same with weaponry, all we can do is interpolate from other places or later artwork. There might be archeological finds such as brooches or buckles from Wales from about that era, and having nice repros of those would be a good touch.

if one could not afford maille a stout coat of leather would work well.

Well, no one else in Europe seems to have done this, so there's no reason to suspect the Welsh did, either. If you can't afford mail, your protection is your shield. That seems to have been the standard since the Bronze Age.

Wales is a challenge! Good luck,

Matthew